“You don’t need to thank me for protecting what’s mine.”
Rook elbowed me.
“Fine.” I sniffed and narrowed my eyes. “You’re welcome.”
Dillon looked as if he wanted to hug her again, but...I had limits.
Placing her behind me, I crossed my arms. “Rook said you might show up.”
She stepped around me with a wince. “They found your GPS tracker before I even knew you’d tagged me.” Every bone in her body throbbed, and the urge to scoop her off her feet and cradle her in my arms came strong—
Don’t even think about it.She didn’t look at me, but the command came firm and sharp.I don’t need Dil fussing over me any worse than he already is. The less he knows about how close we are to dying, the better.
Fine, but if he touches you again, I can’t promise I won’t snap.
She smiled and wisely changed the subject. “How’s your arm?” She reached for Dillon. “Are you okay? What are you even doing here? You were shot. How are you running about as if you’re not hurt?”
“Cryolyt pill.” He shrugged. “Obviously.”
“Ah.” Rook nodded with a small smile. “How could I forget.” Narrowing her eyes on his arm, she added, “But that only blocks pain. It doesn’t stitch you up or remove a bullet.”
“The bullet went straight through, and Auntie Mei sent one of the gardeners to fetch two of her healer friends from the village. One of them sewed me up, dumped a bowl of horrible-tasting medicine down my throat, then let me leave.”
“How’s Uncle Wen?” I asked warily, bracing for bad news.
“He’s fine.” Dillon looked in my direction. “Last I saw he was being fussed over by his wife. He refused to let them treat him until they’d stitched me up so I could chase after you—”
“Howdidyou come after us?” I cut in. “I get that you’re here because you tracked Rook like a stray dog, but it doesn’t explain how quickly you got here.”
“I take offence to you calling her a dog.” Dillon pursed his lips, fighting a smirk. “I tagged her like the runaway heiress she is.And I told her.” He pointed a finger in her face. “I told you one of these days I would resort to desperate measures and...after what you put me through on the mountain, the first thing I did while you were lying there—not waking up, by the way—was to follow through with that threat.”
Before Rook could say anything, he muttered under his breath, “Also, you and I are going to discuss a more permanent method when we’re home. Preferably something that can’t be removed.”
My temper bubbled. “If you’re thinking of implanting something in her, I’ll knock your teeth out.”
“I would’ve thought you’d be on board with a plan to keep her safe.”
“I am. I’m the plan.I’llkeep her safe.”
“You were by her side the entire time, and that didn’t keep her very safe now, did it?”
“Whatdid you say?” My temper overflowed as I stepped toward him. “Say that again—”
“Eh, Mr. Brooks?” A black-suited man—who I vaguely remembered was the head of the team who’d helped us escape the bed and breakfast a few weeks ago—leapt out of a black 4WD. “We really can’t contain him any longer. He’s—”
A massive roar split everyone’s eardrums.
The sound hit me like a physical blow—deep and guttural and achingly familiar. I moved before I could think. Stumbling toward the vehicle, I didn’t make it far before the back door flung open and a blur of midnight fur launched out like a cannonball.
“Whisper!”
The panther hit me with full force, two hundred kilos of feline fury slamming into my chest. I went down hard; the air knocked completely out of me as Whisper pinned me to the road and rubbed his massive face against mine. His happy, rumbling purr vibrated through my entire body.
“Get off me, you stupid beast.” I chuckled, the sound cracking halfway up my throat as the faint taste of bitter blood appeared. Swallowing any evidence that I was breaking apart, I grabbed the huge cat around his ruff and hugged him.
He purred like a hundred chainsaws, giving me his entire weight, his tail lashing the air like a whip. His huge paws kneaded my shoulders, his claws threatening to stab me like tiny daggers.
“Get off, you crazy creature. You’re turning me into a pincushion.” Shoving him off, I sat upright and dragged him back, burying my face in his fur again, breathing in smoke and musk andhome.
