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“Are you okay with that?” I put my hand over Lars’s and squeezed.
“My brother refuses to accept that the world changed while he was gone.” He shook his head sadly. “Sometimes the only reason I believe he’s back is because you’ve all seen him too.”
“What do you want to happen? Like, what’s your best-case scenario outcome?”
“Oh, that is a brilliant question, Hannah.” Bibi winked at me.
Lars didn’t answer right away. My heart hurt for him. Here he was, putting himself out there, taking a huge chance because he wanted me. He had to be so overwhelmed with everything, and he’d been forced out of his home. The hunters weren’t a huge surprise, but no one had ancient creatures resurrecting and creating havoc on their bingo cards.
“Leif isn’t a monster,” he finally said. “He’s set in his ways and he often thinks he’s the smartest beast in a pack. He was king. He had a lot of yes-men, including me. I would love to be able to share this new world with him. Even if my life went back to the way it was before the show was involved. There was plenty to fill my days. There must be a way to blend the new and the old and come to an understanding.”
“That’s lovely,” Bibi said.
“How do you want this to end, Hannah?” he asked.
My heart slammed against my ribcage before flopping down into my belly. “End?”
“Forgive me. I’m a little nervous you might not like what I’ve planned for you. I’m asking you the same question you asked me.”
Sweet moon, he was adorable. But he was also a powerful creature, being hunted. I had to choose my answer carefully. “I’m really excited about tonight. Whatever you chose, I can already guarantee I’ll love it because you picked it for me. So what do I want the outcome of the episode to be?”
He nodded.
“I’d love for us to start our lives together. Your home is beautiful, but there must be a way to adapt it a bit for a human without changing the most important things. I’d also love to find a way to bring understanding between you, the ancient creatures, and humans, so we won’t be literally dodging bullets every time we go out in public.”
Bibi raised a brow. “Do you have any ideas of how that could happen?”
“Yes,” I said quickly. “I’d love to bring Lars on the forums. Do a live video with him so some of the regulars get a chance to get to know him. And the metalheads were so cool to you. Maybe there’s a way we can get them to do some public relations. Like have some smaller shows out in the mountains. Acoustic and totally chill. Find a way to incorporate nature. Maybe we could get the other shifters involved, in their animal forms. We have the chance to do something really beautiful.”
“Sounds like you’ve put a lot of thought into this.” Lars gave me a smoldering look that made me want to push him into the back of the van and rip his clothes off.
Maybe by the end of the date. I was excited to see what he’d do with me as a human.
“You’re kinda all I’ve been thinking about since you saved my life.”
“Same.” He leaned in and gave me a kiss. “I’d love to come on the forums with you.”
“Everyone will love it.” I bounced in my seat, forced myself to tear my gaze away from this beautiful man, and looked at Bibi. “Do you think we should surprise everyone on the forums or schedule a time to introduce them to Lars?”
“An element of surprise might work best in this instance,” she said. “We want this to be for the fans, and not give any of those awful hunters or reporters a chance to jump in and steal the spotlight away from what this show is about—the two of you starting a future together.”
That feeling of dread from a few moments before was replaced with butterflies tingling in my belly. “Tonight feels like the official start of our episode.”
Bibi brightened. “It does, doesn’t it? Do you have any questions for Lars about tonight before we get to our destination? We’re almost there.”
“Not that I can think of.” The truth was, there were a million of them floating in my head, but some of them, none of us could answer. “I’m just really excited to spend the night with you.”
His eyes widened. “The whole night?”
“Uh, yeah.”
The look went from surprise to smolder.
“I mean, the crew didn’t go through all the trouble of taking us to a secret, remote location for nothing.” I ran my hand along his thigh. Somehow, he felt just as sold in his human form as he did when he was furry. “But I still plan on making you work for it.”
That grin made my lady parts go pitter-patter. “How do you suggest I do that?”
“If I tell you everything, what fun would that be?” I teased.
