Page 73 of Never His Mate

He quails just enough that I know he’s not completely unaffected by Ryker. “She can’t go on her own. But, if I leave her with you, can you swear she’ll be safer than if she’s with me?”

I open my mouth. He makes it seem like I have no say in the matter. Like he can stop me if I decide to bolt past him and fly up the stairs toward freedom. Okay. Maybe he can since I’m still recovering, but he doesn’t know that.

Unless they told him about the mercury...

I look from Ryker to Shane and back in time for Ryker to let out a frustrated chuffing sound.

“Take her,” he rasps out. His shifter’s eyes are gleaming, but he sets his jaw and points toward the stairs. “Protect my mate as if she’s your own.”

I don’t know what’s my strongest knee-jerk reaction: tell Shane that I don’t need his protection, or remind Ryker that I’m not his mate. Not yet, at least. Not officially.

Before I can say anything, though, Shane loops his hand around my upper arm, giving my bicep a gentle squeeze. I think he knows exactly what I’m struggling with and, like always, he’s being loyal to Ryker.

I get it. Ryker’s clearly having a hard time of it, and Shane is right. Me staying down in the basement with him is both a taunt and a tease and if I don’t take this chance to get away, I don’t think the chains’ll hold much longer. We don’t have to do this now. It can wait, and I’d much rather finish give our earlier conversation another shot when I have more control.

Ryker, too.

So, instead of shaking Shane off, I stay quiet.

“Don’t worry, Alpha.” He bows his head in Ryker’s direction. “You can count on it.”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com