Sienna returned to her task.“What isn’t?”
“This.Us.Whatever this polite dance is supposed to be.”He gestured between them.“Your mother thinks we’re mates, but we act like strangers forced to share a house.”
Her hand trembled as she reached for the last soup bowl, and she tried to ignore the sudden spike in her pulse.This was getting harder by the minute.Every time he spoke in the sexy accent of his…
“We need to talk about the sleeping arrangements.”
“I—why?”She wasn’t comfortable sharing a bed, not after what she’d done.
“You’re the one who abducted me.Isn’t seduction the next step?”
“You discovered I snatched you from everything you know.Aren’t you supposed to flee the lady kidnapper?”
His gaze stayed sharp, but a flicker of wry amusement—or maybe resignation—crossed his face.“A promise means something to me.Your father worries when he’s away, especially with things getting tense in the village.He and your brothers wouldn’t have left if I wasn’t here.”
“I can’t believe he trusts you.”She paused, biting her lip to rein in the resentment.She understood her father’s concern, but he barely knew Liam.
“And I won’t betray him.I assume others have.”
He grinned, and her heart skipped a beat.Gorgeous.His eyes reminded her of a stormy sea today, more blue than green.They lit up when he smiled, and the scar only made him more distinctive.It didn’t repulse her, unlike the crude comment she’d overheard at the library.Some local shifters whispered she’d mated a flawed man because she couldn’t do better.
They knew nothing.Not a damn thing.
“Thank you.Mama mentioned you’re running low on stock.If we have nothing to sell…”
“One of us needs to visit the camp and collect more.Tamsin and I discussed it during the walk back from the village.I offered to go.”
“Why can’t I?”Sienna bristled.It felt like he was pushing her out, which was ridiculous.She was the one who’d dragged him into this mess.
“Tamsin wanted to go too, but we risk meeting the hunters.The less interest they show in us, the better.”He paused.“Can you research this so-called billionaire tomorrow?”
“I will.Molly at work might have some useful info too.”
A thump at the front door made them whirl.Another thump set Liam in motion.Tamsin appeared in the corridor, her hair mussed like she’d been sleeping.A sharp pang of guilt prickled in Sienna.Liam’s takeover irritated her, but the forced distance always ate at Tamsin.Their parents deserved peace.Safety.
“Hunters again?”Sienna whispered.
Liam didn’t think so—he recognized the scent.He opened the door, and a black leopard slipped inside.Liam shut it quickly after him.
Sienna’s worry increased tenfold.“Jago, what’s wrong?”
He let out a low bark, and she finally noticed the black pack he carried.Liam rapidly unstrapped it, and Jago shifted.Her mother handed him a pair of sweatpants, and he pulled them on.
“Jago, has something happened?”her mother asked, her voice tight with fatigue and anxiety.
A hollow ache settled inside Sienna.She should’ve noticed how much her mother was struggling.Consumed by the secret and Liam, she’d been blind.The man unsettled her, yes, but this failure was hers alone.
Jago flashed a smile.“Everything’s fine, and work is going well.We haven’t seen hunters near us—at least, not until tonight.I had to hide in the bushes while they were traipsing around the moor.Luckily, one of them tripped, and I heard before they spotted me.”
“They visited last night, offering a reward for information leading to the beast’s capture,” Liam said.
“It’s close to full moon,” her mother snapped.“Why risk coming home now when visibility is excellent?”
“We needed to check if our work is suitable for sale.Someone had to come, and since I’m the oldest, I volunteered.Besides, Papa was worried about you.”
“You’ve stayed away much longer before,” Sienna said.
Jago shrugged.“We don’t know what’s happening, and besides work, life at the camp is pretty monotonous.”
