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Reaching over, he took her hand in his, raising it to his lips and pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “You keep saying that, but you’ve done nothing but help. You figured out what was really going on with the auction. You’ve been finding the buyer’s info. And you just saved us from whoever’s following. None of that would have been possible without you.”
Her cheeks pinkened as she glanced away for a moment. “Yeah, I suppose I did help. I don’t know. I guess I feel like I’m in my element, here with you and doing this work. Like this is where I’m meant to be. But, at the same time, I feel kind of like a hindrance, too. Logically, I know I’m helping, but if I wasn’t with you or wasn’t a vulnerable human, you would have been able to stay. You could have done more.”
“Or maybe we would have been ambushed. All of us. They started tracking us before we knew about it. If we’d been close, they would have gotten us.”
“Yeah, I suppose you have a point with that.” She bit her lip, casting him a shy glance—maybe the first he’d ever seen from her. “I hope that didn’t sound too forward. About feeling like I’m meant to be here with you. I don’t want you to feel pressured.”
It wasn’t the time, but still, he suddenly longed to tell her everything. That they were mates—that they were forever, if she wanted to be—and that he loved her. But they didn’t have time for that, and it wasn’t the place, anyway. So, in the end, he just addressed her statement.
Turning as much as he could in the seat, ignoring the steering wheel digging into his side, he brushed the backs of his fingers down her face before cupping her cheek. Leaning in, he kissed her softly, lingering for a moment before pulling back.
“I feel zero pressure, Lily. I promise. I feel like you’re meant to be here with me, too.”
She smiled, relief in her gorgeous blue eyes. Casting a quick glance at her laptop, she looked back at him, biting her lower lip nervously. “Seven minutes.”
“Okay. In a minute, I’m going to get out and hide in the trees. I want you to hide then, too. When they get out to look at the truck, I’ll get them. I won’t let them get close to the truck or you.” Pausing, he searched her eyes as he exhaled. “I might have to shift. I wanted to tell you now, so you won’t be surprised when I do.
“Remember what I told you. I’m still there, present inside my lion. I won’t hurt you, and my cat won’t, either. He’s just as attached to you as I am. So please, don’t be scared. I won’t let them hurt you, and I won’t definitely won’t.”
Instead of looking scared, she seemed excited. “I get to see your lion?”
His eyebrow rose. “Doesn’t scare you at all, does it?”
“Nope.” She hesitated, searching his eyes. “Once it’s safe… do you think I could come out of the truck and meet him? Like, face to face?”
He smiled, feeling a sense of disbelief wash over him. She’d accepted all of it—all of him—so easily. Far easier than he ever imagined she would. That was a gift in itself, but now that he had to shift in front of her, she wanted to meet his lion.
That was the most amazing gift he could have gotten—apart from her.
Nothing trumped her.
“Absolutely. Just remember what I said about how much bigger shifter animals are than their counterparts in the wild. You don’t seem afraid at all, but keep that in mind when you see him, okay? And remember, no matter what form I’m in, I’ll never, ever hurt you.”
Eyes shiny, she nodded, beginning to lean in to kiss him, he thought. Pausing when her eyes fell on the screen, she whispered, “They’re slowing down and approaching the road.”
Nodding, he kissed her once, hard, then kicked his shoes off as he opened the door. “Remember. Hide, okay? I don’t want them to see you.”
She nodded. “Good luck. And be careful.”
Smiling at her one more time, he got out, put his hat on the seat before he shut the door, and walked to a denser covering of trees not far from the truck. Hiding behind the biggest one, he glanced back at where she was sliding to the floorboard, then turned his eyes back to the road.
The calm he forged in the Marines washed over him, and he narrowed his eyes. Two shifters threatening his mate? Easy enough to take care of.
No one, and he meant absolutely no one, who came after his mate could expect to live very long.
No one.
Chapter Twelve
Biting her lip, a nervous habit from childhood she’d never been able to break, Lily listened hard as the car drove very slowly down the dirt road. She could hear the dirt and rocks crunching under the tires, so it must be close. A moment later, it came to a stop, and long seconds ticked by in silence.
She was dying to look, but she promised Noah she’d hide. But it was killing her to not see everything.
Not just for her, although she had that feeling she got when she watched scary movies with ghosts—like something she couldn’t see was stalking her.
But she could handle it for herself. It was not knowing what was happening with Noah that was driving her insane. And as far as she could tell, no one had even gotten out of the car yet.
Hopefully, they hadn’t caught on. All she and Noah did to set this up would be for nothing if they called back and alerted others before they could be stopped.
