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“—and then you want me to put my people in jeopardy to save your little human piece?”
Hawke drove his chair back and let it crash on the floor. He slammed his fist on the desktop, splintering the wood where he hit. “Don’t ever disrespect her like that again. She is not a little piece. She is a respectable woman, a good woman who doesn’t deserve to be hunted because her dead husband wanted to provide for his daughter.”
Toron seemed to process this information in silence. After some time, he spoke. “I apologize. It’s obvious she’s important to you, but I’m still not willing to risk my people for her. I hope you find a solution to your problem.” When he hung up without another word, Hawke stared at his cell in disbelief. He sat down slowly, running his hands through his hair. What was he going to do now? A safehouse? Stephanie might feel too restricted stuck inside a small house, and that was if he could get his friend to even arrange one. He could stay with her a
t her current apartment and just wait for the enemy to show up, but again, he couldn’t do investigations that way. He tended to move alone, so there weren’t many people he trusted. No one he knew in New York could watch over Stephanie.
His cell phone rang, and Hawke checked the display. Sienna’s name flashed on the screen. He waited for the tightening in his gut, the excitement to hear her voice, but it didn’t appear. He did miss his friend, but that was all it seemed to be. The warmer emotions he’d felt for her were gone.
“Hello, Sienna.”
“Hawke! It’s so good to hear your voice. How are you doing?”
“I’m fine. Thanks. Congratulations on getting married. Toron is a good man, and of course he is lucky to have you.”
He heard the flush in her tone when she spoke. “Thanks. I’m time enough for him. Aside from that. What about you? Toron told me you have a girlfriend, and she’s in trouble. I want to help.”
“Wow, news travels fast.”
“Please, he called me probably right after he hung up with you. I guess he wanted me to know you found somebody. Men. Listen, if you need to come up here, bring her. I will personally look out for her, and she can stay in our house. Goodness knows we have the space. If she doesn’t want to do that, we have smaller places on the property. No one can come into the area without four thousand people picking it up in the wind.”
Another similarity between them, he realized. They both rambled. “Uh, Toron said no.”
“Pish, bring your woman here. I will clear it with Toron. You know how anal he is with protecting everybody. He’s over the top.” She paused. “Do you love her, Hawke?”
His eyes widened, and he felt heat in his cheeks. He never blushed, and fortunately, no one was around to see him do it now. “It’s not like that between us. We’re friends.”
“Uh huh. Bring her. I’ll expect you like when, tomorrow?”
He chuckled. “The weekend.”
“Good. See you then.” She disconnected the call.
Hawke laid his phone down and leaned back in his chair. From Sienna’s attitude, he had no doubt she would clear the way to him bringing Stephanie and Meechi. The question was how to break it to them that the people they would live among were not human.
* * * *
Hawke gripped the steering wheel, tension tightening the back of his neck. They were two hours from Sutland, and still he hadn’t told Stephanie the truth. He was a coward, and that’s all there was to it. Besides, if he told her ahead of time, she wouldn’t come. She would judge Toron, Sienna, and the others without meeting them face-to-face, and that wouldn’t be fair to them or her. Unfortunately, not telling her meant she might consider that he put her daughter in danger sending the two of them to live with shifters. The thought of her hating him because of his decision ripped into his peace of mind just as much.
Meechi leaned over the back of the seat. “Will there be kids my age there, Hawke? Do they have a playground?”
She’d asked him a hundred other questions before, but he didn’t mind. He liked it that Stephanie had introduced them properly after he saved her. Meechi impressed him with her suspicion of his motives when he rescued her. Luckily for him, he managed to pull the entire thing off without her realizing what he was. Even while he intended to let the two of them know about Toron and the others, he had no plans to reveal himself. Not yet.
“Yes, they have kids your age and a playground and a school.” He glanced at Stephanie who dozed beside him. Ever since he stroked her until she came, he couldn’t get her off his mind. He wanted more, and his body strained with desire to have her. If she broke it off with him when she knew the truth he would kick himself for not at least having an intimate experience with her to look back on.
He pulled into a restaurant’s parking lot and bought them lunch. They chatted about what he could share with them regarding Sutland and its residents, and then they were soon back on the road. In good time, they made it to their destination. Meechi pressed her nose to the window and read the sign as they passed. “Only four thousand people live here? Weird. New York must have a billion.”
Stephanie chuckled. “Just on our block alone, right?”
“Ladies,” Hawke announced as he drove onto Toron’s estate, this is where you will be staying. I hope you like it.”
“Cool! A mansion!” Meechi popped out of the car the moment he came to a stop and ran toward the garden at the side of the house.”
“Meechi, get back here,” Stephanie called after her.
“She’s okay. We’ll gather her when we get your stuff inside.”
Hawke looked around at the feminine voice to find Sienna heading toward them. Jamie tripped along beside her. He wiped sleep from his eyes, and Hawke saw when recognition came into the golden depths. “Hawke! Mommie, it’s Hawke.”
