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Not now, he told himself. Worry about it later.
Taking his hand, Jacee studied him in concern. “Worry about what?”
Crap. “Did I think that out loud?”
“Um, yeah. That was totally unguarded. Not that I want you hiding your problems from me,” she hurried to add. “Like I said before, you can tell me anything.”
“I’m not hiding anything, baby,” he assured her. Then he sighed. “It’s that damn shit I was on. I refuse to put any more of it in my body, but that hasn’t stopped the craving. It just sucks, that’s all.”
“Oh, honey. Can’t Mac give you something for the cravings, temporarily? That’s what they do with humans when they need it.”
“I don’t know if it would work. And honestly, I don’t know if I want to trade one bad drug for another.”
“Okay.” But she didn’t sound convinced. “I’ll support you, whatever you want or need.”
“Thanks. That means more than you know.”
In minutes, he was turning down the road to the compound and accessing the gate. Once they were under way again, he took them in a different direction from before to take their run. An idea began to form, and he shoved all unpleasant thoughts from his mind. Excitement began to grow as he finally parked on the shoulder and shut off the ignition.
“Ready?” he asked.
“When you are.” They got out and walked a ways into the woods before she asked, “How far are we from the compound right now?”
“Not far. Only about three-fourths of a mile, that way.” He pointed past where he’d left the car.
As they’d done before, they hiked into the brush and undressed, leaving their clothing folded neatly on a fallen log. Micah took a few moments to leer at his naked woman, then shifted effortlessly into his wolf, dropping to all fours. Soon his little coyote was beside him, as eager as he was to get going.
He started them off, taking the lead. I’ve got a place I want to show you.
Okay. Where?
You’ll see. It’s not far from here, maybe another half a mile.
I can sense your excitement.
Oh, yeah? Just wait. If he had been in human form, he wouldn’t have been able to hide his smile.
Soon, he came to a break in the trees. The clearing was dappled in late-afternoon sunlight, surrounded by majestic trees and bordered at the far side by a pretty stream. Slowing to a walk, he crossed to the center of the meadow and sat on his haunches. Beside him, she nuzzled his face, gave him a lick, then did the same, sitting next to him.
What do you think of this place? he inquired.
It’s beautiful. But then, most areas around here are.
True. He paused. Could you see us making a life here?
At that, she changed back to human form in an instant and sat gaping at him. “You mean, here? On this spot?”
Shifting back as well, he smiled, taking one of her hands in his. “Yes. What do you think?”
“What about the first place where we ran that night?”
“It’s gorgeous there, too, but this area is closer to the compound. I think Nick would be more likely to approve us building a home here. He has to think of the team, of course, and how fast we can come together if we get a call.”
She thought about that, appearing to grow excited as well. “And since it’s only about a mile and a half away from the compound, you can be there in less than five minutes.”
“Yep.”
“What if he gives his okay and it causes the other mated couples to want their own private residences, too? He might decide that’s too many of the Pack off the main grounds.” A bit of worry clouded her optimism.
