by Cecilia Lane
Lilah murmured something at him in response. She didn’t think they were full, complete words. The warmth died and left her colder than before. Goose bumps raised the hair on her arms, but she resisted the urge to rub them away until she was safely hidden from view.
Restless energy coursed through her limbs. She wanted to run, but settled for pacing the few feet between the stalls and sink, stumbling between the walls as the room spun faster and faster.
What the hell had happened to her life? Where had she gone wrong?
Where did she turn when every move felt like a losing choice?
Red cheeks. Blue bathroom stalls. Lilah took a deep breath, held it, then let it go with control.
She couldn’t wish her problems away. Whining wouldn’t change her circumstances. She had to stick her hands into the jumble of puzzle pieces and start putting them in order. She couldn’t do that without staying alive.
Lilah splashed water on her face and eyed herself in the mirror. She looked like a mess. Bags lined her eyes from lack of sleep and mountains of stress that threatened to bury her. Her clothes were wrinkled and unchanged from the ones she wore walking into the prison. Still, a fierce glint reflected back at her.
She’d survived three attacks. She’d live to see that bastard Jasper put back behind bars where he belonged. Cedric deserved nothing less.
Lilah paused outside the bathroom. Seth wasn’t at the table where she’d left him.
A sliver of panic wedged itself into her heart. Gone. He’d either ditched her or something happened to him, which meant something was coming for her.
“The meal was excellent, we just had an emergency and need to get back on the road. Thanks, Marla,” Seth said graciously.
Lilah peeked around the corner and found him at the register in front of the main entrance with a to-go bag in hand. Relief soothed the rough edge of her panic. Not gone. Simply paying the bill.
Which left her momentarily alone. Unwatched. Unguarded. The door leading outside was right there.
And what then? She’d throw out a thumb and hope someone picked her up before he figured out she’d bolted? Flag down cops who wouldn’t do much more than take her back to the apartment where she’d nearly been killed? Seth was, as much as she hated to admit it, her best bet at staying alive.
She took a step back toward the table as the side entrance swung open. A hand latched around her wrist and dragged her out into the sun.
“Se—”
Another hand slammed over her mouth to keep her quiet. The arm around her middle and the feet kicking her legs forward made sure her struggles were in vain. Still, she twisted and turned, tried to bite the fingers against her lips. She grabbed hold of the fire Seth filled her with and held on for dear life.
She wouldn’t fall apart. She wouldn’t give up.
One hard stomp of her heel against the foot of her abductor loosed his grip enough for her to wiggle free.
She spun around to see Seth stride into the little alcove. His head swung from side to side as he searched for her.
Here, she urged. Look here.
Time slowed as he took a step toward the bathroom and swung his gaze through the window. They locked eyes, and he jumped toward the door.
She’d had black edging in her vision the night before, then blindly ran when he gave his order. Now, in the clear light of day, she saw him in action as his powerful legs carried him across the parking lot. Gold flared in his eyes. No warmth existed there. No fire like the sparks when their eyes met. Cold, icy cold, unnatural color fixed on the man regaining his hold on her.
Whatever he was, it wasn’t entirely human. At that moment, fist flying just past her face to connect with the bastard stealing her away, she didn’t care.
Seth threw all his weight into the punch. The asshole let go of her with a howl of pain. She stumbled away to see him lift his hands to his bloody nose.
Seth wasn’t done. Snarl on his face, he kicked a booted foot into the fucker’s knee, sending him down to the ground. One more hard kick to the stomach curled the man in on himself.
“Stay the fuck away from her,” Seth growled and spat on the ground next to her abductor’s head.
Eyes still blazing, Seth advanced on her. He bent to scoop her into his arms like a groom carrying his bride over the threshold.
But this wasn’t a happy ending for either of them. They were simply stuck together with the threat of death breathing down their necks.
Lilah wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face against his chest.
“You’re okay,” he murmured as he carried her toward his truck.
She really wasn’t, and she doubted she would ever be again.
Chapter 8
Too close. Too fucking close.
Seth ground his teeth together. His hands screwed tighter on the wheel. The poor thing groaned in complaint, but he barely heard anything over the blood rushing in his ears and the furious beat pounding in Lilah’s chest. That sound was worse. Far worse. Drove him mad worse.
Fuck, if he didn’t know better, he’d have been certain a tail lashed in agitation in his mind. He’d heard a roar in his head the moment he caught sight of her being dragged through the parking lot, and another when he slammed his fist into the fucker’s face. That clawing, biting need to protect Lilah hadn’t faded in the miles since.
His fingers itched to close the space between his side of the truck and hers. He wanted the feel of her silky skin under his rough hands. Peace existed with that connection. Uncanny peace.
Peace he couldn’t afford. He wanted to rip and tear into Jasper and his lions. War felt right. They fucked with him, he slaughtered them. He’d even invite the Crowleys to play. They deserved some blood and gore for the shit Jasper put them through.
Fucker couldn’t be allowed to keep terrorizing the planet. They’d tried the human way of justice. It was time for shifter laws to take their pound of flesh.
Seth swallowed hard and yanked back on that primal need to fight that swirled inside him. Something was wrong. It itched at his nose and demanded his attention.
He dragged down a deep breath. Citrus and lavender filled his nose, but sharper. Not the tang of Lilah’s irritation or the gentler wash of her trying to stay steady. As steady as the situation allowed, anyway. He swallowed back a growl.
Despair. That was the scent that chilled his blood.
Lilah stared out the window, chewing on her lower lip. Her fingers were tucked under the hem of her skirt, tightening until her knuckles turned white. Her heart, too, hammered away at an unnatural pace that urged him to protect her and fix everything wrong in her life.
Starting with those fucks trying to kill her.
He swallowed back another growl and cautiously reached across the cab to cover her hand with his. Heat spread through his palm and wrist and traveled up his arm. One squeeze was all he intended, but lingered there, touching her, until she turned her face toward him.
“You can get through this,” he told her.
The cresting wave of emotion fell back and ebbed to something manageable. For him, and her. His need for blood faded to nothing but concern for the woman at his side, and the sharp sting in his nose smoothed away until nothing but the crisp and soothing portions of her scent remained.
Lilah gently tugged her hand out of his and tucked her hair behind her ears. “How do you always know when I need to be pulled out of my thoughts?”
Seth opened his mouth, then closed it again. He’d denied being a shifter. He couldn’t very well tell her about his powerful senses. That’d just bring about more questions and an explanation of how he wasn’t what she hated, but still had that blood pumping through his veins. Too complicated when he was human in all the ways that mattered.
“Reading people is part of the job,” he said.
Job. Right. She was just a job, and he didn’t have a cat under his skin. And if he did, she’d probably go running in the opposite direction.
“Where are w
e going?”
The unsteadiness in her voice cut through his thoughts, and Seth glanced at her. “What?”
Lilah pointed at a road sign. “That says north. I thought Wolfden was south.”
“Change of plans.” He turned his attention to the cars in the rearview, then back to the road ahead. No one followed them. Then again, he’d been confident they hadn’t been followed the night before. “I don’t know how they found us,” he said carefully.
Lilah shrugged up a shoulder. “I just figured they followed us from my place.”
“Maybe. But why wait until now to try shit? Why not last night, under the cover of darkness?” Seth grunted, then fixed her with another quick look. “You haven’t told anyone where we went?”
She edged around to face him, her brows pulling together. “No. You’re looking at my current possessions. I don’t even have my phone.”
Shit. He needed to do something about that. Maybe the mates could find her a few outfits between them. He’d stuff fistfuls of money at them to head into town for everything Lilah needed.
They needed to make it there, first.
Lilah still watched him. That circling feeling in his spine wanted to preen under her attention. He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. “Something doesn’t feel right.”
“You think someone ratted us out?” Her frown deepened. “Who would have known?”
“Jaime,” Seth answered, though she seemed an unlikely candidate. “Someone at the security firm, possibly. That SEA agent didn’t do a damn thing to keep a watch on your apartment.”
“So anyone with eyes and a means to follow us.” She didn’t sound convinced.
“Maybe,” Seth said again. He let off a harsh breath. She was right. None of those options made sense, but they sure as hell were justification for keeping her close until he confirmed how they were found. “To be on the safe side, I’m bringing you to Bearden. I have people there. People I trust.”
“Okay,” she sighed. “If that’s what you think is best.”
By the Broken, he hated the lack of challenge from her. Fucking stupid. She’d about driven him up the wall with questioning everything, but somehow the pliable agreeability was worse.
“This is where the people you know live?” Lilah broke the silence as he made the turn onto the Crowley ranch. She twisted around to face him, bewilderment in her scent and written on her features. “A ranch?”
“Is that shocking?”
“I imagined some underground bunker with guns on the wall.” She turned her head to watch the herd of cattle grazing just off the side of the single-track road. “This is not what I expected.”
Seth stilled the twitch of his lips. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
She watched the gentle hills and even broke into a grin when she spotted the horses in the distance. For the first time since they’d met, he thought he saw the true version of Lilah. No fear, no worry, not even the defeated sense she’d worn since the diner that morning.
A protective urge settled in his chest. He wanted—no, needed—to see her happy and relaxed. She deserved smiles and laughs, not the destruction that brought him into her life.
He nearly cursed when they neared the barn. Trucks were parked outside the doors. A quick headcount showed everyone gathered there, instead of up at their dens. He’d hoped to get Lilah settled before making his trek up the road to update everyone, but plans had no bearing on reality.
Lilah’s scent shifted, and when he glanced at her, she’d tensed up once again. She smoothed the wrinkles in her skirt, eyes locked on the group that had turned to face them. “You trust them?”
Seth reached for her hand and gave her a quick squeeze. “I do. They won’t hurt you.”
Her scent swirled with uncertainty, but her face betrayed nothing. He suspected her eyes told a different story, but she didn’t look at him. “Okay,” she said finally. She dipped her chin and reached for the handle.
“What are you doing here?” Trent’s nostrils flared and his attention switched to Lilah. “Who is this?”
Seth resisted the urge to shove her behind him and bare his teeth. “This is Lilah. She was attacked by Jasper.”
“So it’s true, then.” Trent scowled. “My uncle is back in the world.”
Lilah let off a tiny, shocked noise. When all eyes turned to her, her tongue darted out to wet her lips. “Uncle?” she breathed, eyes widening and bouncing from face to face.
Hailey offered her a gentle smile. “Oh boy. I’ll explain everything.”
A possessive need dug through his insides. The other dens were out of sight, but he couldn’t stand the idea of her stepping into any of them. No, she belonged with him.
“My room,” he growled.
Hailey made a face. “She’s not going to stay in the barn.”
He took a step closer to the alpha’s mate. “Mine,” he repeated in a harder voice.
Trent shoved himself between them and tension thickened the air. He gave Seth an inscrutable once over, then cut a sidelong look to his mate. “It’s fine, Hailey. Take her inside.”
He waited until the women had stepped through the barn doors before he whipped back around and prodded Seth hard in the chest. “What the fuck was that about?” Trent demanded. “You order my mate around? Are you trying to get yourself killed? Not to mention your little impromptu vacation. You don’t even have the decency to tell me yourself, you let Dash do all the talking?”
“You heard what happened. I had to go. I’m not apologizing for leaving as quickly as I did. She’d be dead if I’d gotten there a minute later.” Seth met the man’s fiery stare. The air steadily grew thicker and colder as the seconds ticked on. He didn’t drop his gaze. He didn’t offer any other explanation. There wasn’t anything else to say. He’d done what he needed to do and kept a woman alive. If that meant facing the alpha’s wrath, so be it. Lilah deserved that much and more.
“Fine,” Trent said with a further narrowing of his eyes. “But no more acting like you’re a free agent. You brought her here, where my mate and cub reside.” He gave a derisive snort. “So much for having shit handled.”
Seth canted his head just enough to take the rebuke, but not enough to signal he backed down entirely. He hated going back on his word, but he’d also made a promise to keep Lilah safe.
Exactly what Trent was doing for his mate.
He took a deep breath and tried to keep hold of the urge to bypass the rest of the others and march straight into his room. The trail of mangoes and lavender had grown too thin in the minutes he’d been away from her. “Her apartment was burned when I arrived, so I took her to a safe house. I thought we were good, but someone tried to snag her again when we stopped for food. Lion, but I didn’t stick around to ask questions before getting back on the road.”
“You were followed?” Trent growled, throwing a glare over his shoulder and down the ranch road.
“Maybe. I didn’t think so, but I don’t know how else they found us so quick.” Seth ground his teeth together. “They’re determined to keep her quiet.”
“Fuck.” Lindley folded his arms over his chest. “Could be any of the fucks who scattered when Jasper was picked up.”
“Got to prove they weren’t cowards when their dear leader was sent up the river,” Trent agreed with a twist of his mouth. Another frustrated growl leaked out of him and he turned to Seth. “We work together.” The alpha stuck out his hand. The moment Seth clasped it, Trent yanked him close. “You take the first patrol.”
“I…” Seth looked away. Shit. Fuck. Damn it all to hell. He didn’t want to admit weakness, but there wasn’t any choice. He’d been backed into a corner. “I can’t. Not the way you intend it.”
Trent’s eyes narrowed and a dangerous edge entered his voice. “What do you mean you can’t? You brought her here. She’s your responsibility.”
His responsibility, sure. And he’d done a shit job of keeping her safe so far. “I can’t shift.”
&nbs
p; He braced himself for the recoil. Fuck, he’d just had this conversation. He didn’t want another reminder of how he didn’t measure up to the rest of the lions in the pride.
No one spoke. They didn’t move. They hardly even blinked.
Dash stepped forward. “What my brother is trying to say is—”
“Excuse the fuck outta me.” Trent cranked his head around to stare at Dash. “Did you just say you’re brothers?”
“Half,” he and Dash corrected at the same time.
“Full idiots,” Lindley grunted.
“Fuck me,” the alpha scrubbed a hand down his face. “I can’t handle more than one Ash-hole.”
Dash snorted. “You should be honored to have us both, dickweasel. We could leave you with Broody Hen One and Two.” He shoved a finger at Rhys, then Lindley.
Lindley slapped a palm over his heart and directed a horrified look at the group. “I’m number two?”
“Always the bridesmaid, eh, Lin?” Trent chuckled with a shake of his head.
“Never wanted to be second,” the Crowley second scowled. “Not in the pride. Not in the henhouse.”
Wiping the amusement from his face, Trent folded his arms over his chest and turned his focus back on Seth. “So what are you going to do about her?”
Relief speared through Seth and he worked to keep his face straight. Sweet fuck. He’d been ganged up on and beaten within an inch of his life, shoved to the bottom of the pride, and made to watch his mother suffer for him. He expected the worst reactions because he’d experienced them throughout his childhood.
The Crowley alpha offered him a way to pretend everything was fine, and he was a normal member of the pride. He intended to take it and buy a shit ton of drinks in silent thanks later.
Seth cleared his throat. “Whatever it takes to keep her safe.”
The other man nodded. “Stay close to her and keep watch over the barn if you’re determined to have her stay in your den. Dash, since you’re so eager to jump in, run the fences. We’ll go from there.”
“Aye, aye, Captain,” Dash snarked with a sloppy salute. Trent glared at him before disappearing into the barn with the others behind him.
