I tightened my ponytail. “No one wants to steal books.”
“An electric gate is a good option.”
I chuckled. “And how will I get it open?”
“An access code.”
“Seems a little extreme. Shall we go?”
After locking up, we crossed the parking lot without speaking. I felt comfortable around Lucian the more I got to know him. He was an introvert—even more than me. Lucian often retreated to his room or somewhere on the property, and he had trouble connecting with people. I could relate. As it turned out, Lakota was his nephew, and Lucian seemed the most comfortablearound him. But the Chitah was frank and indulged me while I asked endless questions on random topics. For that I was grateful.
“Someone should put streetlights down here,” I said, stumbling in the dark.
“That would only attract humans and moths.”
I lifted the hem of my teal-blue maxi dress when it snagged on a twig.
“Why did you and Archer quit seeing each other?”
I looked up in surprise, though I could barely make out the shape of him. “What makes you ask that?”
“Because the outdoor alarm by the heat house hasn’t been tripped in two weeks. I don’t usually look at the footage of the backyard at night, but since you’re occupying the heat house, Tak wants extra security measures in case the prick comes back.”
“We’re just… feeling each other out, I guess.”
He sniffed. “Did that question upset you?”
“Can’t you smell?”
He chuckled darkly. “The wind isn’t in my favor.”
Archer and I hadn’t slept together since our night in the heat house. We were allowing ourselves time to explore our feelings even further. We mostly talked in group settings, but there were private moments when he would hold my hand or kiss me softly on the mouth. There was also plenty of flirting. We sanded and stained an accent table together on the front porch while Hope pulled weeds, and though we only shared small talk, the glances we exchanged were electric. He’d also escorted me to the heat house after dinner on a few nights.
It was sweet and natural, giving me the assurance that our chemistry was beyond physical.
One evening, most of the pack headed out to Dragonfly’s. Archer visited me in the heat house, and we watched a horror movie about ghosts. I clutched his arm and buried my face in hischest during intense scenes. Archer hugged me close, reminding me that it was just a movie.
Two nights ago, I found a dead rabbit by my door that Catcher must have left. Though he looked embarrassed, Archer removed it. Living with a pack was never boring.
As we crossed the parking lot to the bar, Lucian slowed his stride before stopping at the entrance.
Music and loud chatter unsettled my nerves.
“Yeah, I feel the same,” he said, clearly picking up on my emotions.
A couple burst out of the door. “Don’t you dare tell him I said that!” the woman shouted as the man cackled all the way to a pickup truck.
Lucian regarded me with his piercing golden eyes. “Some worthless male lied to you, so now you don’t trust yourself.”
“How do you know that?”
He tapped his nose. Lucian tipped his head to the side and gazed at me like a wild animal. It was a look I’d grown accustomed to since Chitahs possessed animalistic behaviors. I often wondered if there might have been a group of cheetah cats whose souls had fused with their human counterparts and that’s how Chitahs came to be.
“You’re right,” I confessed. “It’s not easy for me to know when someone is showing me a different side. Noah wasn’t always the man you saw that night.”
“Maybe he really is that man and the one you met was an act.”
I stared into the parking lot, feeling doubtful.
