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“No. He wasn’t there. She said they got separated when your dad attacked.”
Sawyer stared blankly at the wall. “That’s good.”
We sat in silence for a few long moments until Sawyer stood. He headed toward the cave opening like he was going to leave.
I stared at my hands, and I bit my lip. I didn’t want him to go yet.
Think!
I patted the bag. “Lincoln is packing a bag for each of us. He didn’t want to carry them all at once. He’ll have to get the last one sometime between now and when we leave.”
Sawyer turned back toward me. He pulled in a deep breath and then let it out before coming back over to sit next to me. “He told you about the car by the road?”
I nodded and looked down at my hands as I fiddled with them. “He told me. I haven’t seen it.”
“No, and you can’t until it’s time to leave. If anyone were to catch you down by the road, it could be bad.” He put his hand down on the rock and moved it toward me but stopped just far enough away to keep us from touching.
One slight move of my hand, and I’d feel his warmth. I wiggled my fingers until they were overlapping his.
Sawyer swallowed and looked down at our hands. I licked my lips as he glanced up at me.
He closed his eyes. “Sloane, we can’t. Not again. My dad might not notice my scent on you. Lincoln and I smell very similar, but he’d definitely notice your scent on me.”
My chest tightened at the thought of what might happen if we were caught. “He didn’t the other night.”
He shook his head. “No, he didn’t. We were lucky he was preoccupied. I don’t want to put you in danger.”
I curled my fingers around his hand. “I don’t know when I’ll see you again.”
His eyes widened, like he hadn’t considered that.
I turned toward him. Our knees bumped together, and I reached my free hand for his thigh. “This is our last night together.”
He put his hand over top mine like he might push it away, but instead he left it there. He looked away from me and shook his head. “Sloane, I need you to understand that everything I do is to keep you safe. If I seem cold, or distant, it’s because it keeps me grounded. My dad expects me to be like him. If I let my guard down…”
I mashed my lips together and put my other hand over his. “I get it, but I also need you to know that you’re safe with me and Lincoln.”
He turned back to look at me and gave me a half smile. “For a long time, I thought my bond with Lincoln was wrong and unnatural. We’ve always had a way of reading each other and knowing what the other is thinking. My dad made me think there was something wrong with me. I see it now, you, me, Lincoln, we are all one unit. We complete each other.”
Heat washed over me, and I leaned closer to him. “Stay with Lincoln and I a little longer. Please. I might not see you again for a long time.”
Sawyer reached up and tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear. “I would love to, Sloane. Truly. But you and Lincoln are the best things in my life, and I will do anything to keep you safe, even if it means keeping my distance.”
Part of me got what he was saying, the other part yearned to just be with him.
If anything happened to Lincoln or Sawyer, the three of us might never be together again.
My stomach turned at the thought. What if something happened?
“She’s right, Sawyer,” Lincoln said from behind us. “We might not get this chance again for a long time. Our bond will be strongest if we complete it.”
My heart leaped into my throat. Complete the bond? Now? I hadn’t given it much thought, but I didn’t have to. Lincoln and Sawyer were my soulmates. I wanted them today and every day going forward.
Lincoln’s gaze darted to me. “Assuming you’re okay with that?”
Heat flooded me, and I bobbed my head up and down.
Sawyer stood and walked to the back of the cave before turning to look at us. “It will make the separation harder.”
