“He can’t,” I say. “The—”
“Then we have no choice,” says Solomon, his voice laced withpity. “I’m sorry.”
“He can’t shift because of the collar, you absolute dumbasses,” says a familiar and very welcome voice.Raquel. “Jeez, I swear the shifters in my fanfics are smarter than this.”
I let out a watery chuckle and rise to my feet, careful to stay between Blake and the praetorians as Raquel makes her way across the clearing and throws herself into my arms. The fact that she’s a human is another potential complication, but I can’t find it in myself to care at the moment.
Because, no matter what, Raquel is on my side.Blake’sside.
“Sorry I’m late,” she says, sniffling. “The parking lot for this place is, like, a mile away, and I can’t run half as fast as your wolfed-out boyfriend.” She tightens her hold, burying her face against my shoulder. “I’m so glad you’re okay,”
“Well, that’s kind of relative,” I mutter. “Because in about ten seconds, those guys are going to remember they’re supposed to kill my mate.”
“The hell they will,” she says. She sniffles again and wipes at her eyes before releasing me and turning to face the other shifters. She gestures at her own chest. “Killing humans is a big no-no, right?” The praetorians exchange a look. “And Neil, he’s an omega, which makes him valuable or something.” She narrows her eyes at Solomon and crosses her arms over her chest. “Well, you’ll have to go through both of us to get to Blake.”
Solomon presses his lips together, the indecision clear on his face.
A flash of movement to my right captures my attention as Taylor jogs past the praetorians, ignoring their—and Solomon’s—protests. He stops a short distance away, warily eying Blake, and tosses me something. Instinctively, I reach up and catch whatever he threw.
It’s a keyring.
“For the collar,” says Taylor. He rubs at his neck. “I had the displeasure of wearing something similar, and I held on to one of the keys just in case.”
“Thank you,” I say, immediately kneeling and fumbling the key into the lock.
The collar releases with a soft click, the metal ring parting and falling to the ground. I stroke my hand over Blake’s head, waiting, hoping…
But he’s not shifting. His muscles are still tensed, ears back, teeth bared.
“Please,” I whisper, pressing my forehead against his fur. “Please come back to me. I can’t lose you now. Not like this. Not after everything we went through to get here.”
No response. No change.
“Shift, damn you!” I yell, grabbing his snout and forcing him to meet my eyes. “I know you’re in there. If you don’t shift, Doyle wins. Is that what you want?”
Raquel rests her hand on my shoulder and squeezes. “You got this.”
But I’m not so sure I do. Blake and I haven’t known each other very long. We haven’t completed the bond yet. What if… what if it’s not enough? What ifI’mnot enough?
“Please,” I say for what feels like the millionth time. “I can’t... I can’t… do this without you. I don’t want to. I’m so tired of being alone.”
Raquel is going to let me have it for that last bit later, but I don’t care because something changes.
Blake goes still. He stops growling and the tension drains out of his body as he leans into me and lets out a low whine. He nuzzles my neck, then licks a stripe up my cheek. Rising to his feet, he shuffles backward a little as a shudder moves over him, fur receding and bones cracking as his human form emerges agonizingly slowly.
He’s slightly out of breath, naked, and covered in dirt and blood, but he’s here. With me.
“Oh thank god,” says Raquel. “You had me a little worried I’d have to make good on that wolfskin rug threat.”
Blake chuckles, the corner of his mouth curling upward. “Me too.” He reaches up to cup my cheek. “Thank you.”
Instead of responding, I throw my arms around him, the momentum taking both of us to the ground. He lets out a tiny grunt when my weight lands on top of him, but that doesn’t stop him from kissing me back when my lips find his.
I came so close to losing him.
If just one small thing had gone wrong…
Someone clears their throat and heat fills my cheeks.
