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“We will see who the true wild animal is in this relationship tonight,” he said, rubbing his hands together to get rid of the dirt.
Lily preened at him, then bit her lower lip. Even in the most horrendous of situations, she had a way of making his tiger groan.
He stifled the urge to fall to his knees and worship her. There was a world that needed saving.
They moved along an unmarked pathway through the trees, surrounded by plants that seemed well-nourished. “Are Levi and Frederic still coming today?” Lily whispered as they walked.
Gabriel nodded. “I sent them a text that we were heading in. They’ll meet us when they get here.”
The feeling of the day was far more lighthearted than that of the day before, which had been bleak and rather woeful. He felt more like they were going on a picnic than finding the second piece of a relic that could potentially wipe out his entire species. It still weighed heavily on him, as did the kidnapping of his injured beta, but the mating bond had done something to him.
Something that resided in his blood. His outlook was bright as was the day, even in the face of apocalyptic circumstances.
“They should be behind us soon. Just in case we need reinforcements,” Gabriel assured her. He wasn’t sure just how much distance had gotten between the vehicles on the road trip, but he imagined it wasn’t much.
They soon arrived at the concrete platform that had long been left derelict. From a distance, it looked like an unmarked grave, about a few feet in width and a foot in length.
“This should be it here,” Lily said, looking at the blueprint.
Gabriel looked around to see if there was anyone who might question what they were up to. All of the official trails were quite some ways away, and one would have to peer intentionally through the denseness of the forest. He crouched down, tucked his fingers under the slab, and flipped it like it was made of plastic.
It evoked a snort out of Lily, which was a pleasant sound on a cool autumn day. Worms and insects crawled away from the damp soil in a panic, and Lily crouched beside him.
He caught a whiff of her scent, a rosewater lemon blend that made him think of drinking iced tea on a beach somewhere far from where they were being threatened. He yearned for that escape more than anything.
“It says it's about two feet down …” she muttered.
“Hey.”
Lily looked up at him, confused. Her eyes danced in the slant of morning light that curved through the forest.
“You're gorgeous,” he whispered.
Buds of red sprouted from Lily’s cheeks, and she had to look down at the soil to keep from smiling. She was failing beautifully at it.
"Keep it together, mister,” she purred. “We’re on a professional mission here …”
Their flirtatious banter was cut off by stark and blunt reality as Gabriel caught the specific aroma of the hunters nearby and had to push Lily aside. She fell to her back just in time to avoid a bullet sailing over her head.
“Over there!” one of the men called out. “They found the relic!”
Gabriel sprang into action. He picked Lily off the ground like she was a bag of feathers, tossing her over his shoulder and retreating behind a thick oak. He slid her off his back and pinned her against the tree, his eyes frenzied and darting around to pick up how many were in their vicinity.
“Jesus Christ.” Lily grimaced.
“I can see about four or five of them,” he said frantically, watching as they drew in closer. “I’m going to try to take them out. You stay here. Watch for Levi and Frederic.”
Before he could depart, she grabbed him by the collar, yanking him close with a strength that surprised the alpha.
Her expression was the direct opposite of the breezy one he had just observed. She was breathing hard and fast, her eyes clouded with fear.
“They have guns!” she implored. “You said Levi and Frederic weren’t far! Why not wait for them?”
Gabriel peered around the side of the oak. Two of the humans wielding rifles were striding in quickly while the others canvassed the forest with languid precision. He gazed back at Lily, who knew the answer before he spoke it.
“I can't wait for them. They are either going to shoot us or kidnap us. I can't have that.”
He snatched her hand from his shirt, peeling himself from her horrified appearance. It was what leaders had to do … make the difficult decisions.
