They’d brought Page back to a private room at the resort, spiriting him in through a back door. Once there, they tied him to a chair, just in case his bear decided to make a belated appearance. They hoped to question him, but he was out cold, despite the fact Connor had been trying to prod him back into a state of consciousness.
At least they’d caught the shooter, in huge part due to Elaine’s valiant efforts.
She’d been amazing out there, poised and calm. Connor couldn’t wait to get her alone again so he could show her just how much he admired her talents.
After Jani left, the door opened again. Elaine entered, her wary gaze trained on Page’s form. “No luck yet?”
“No, and I’m running out of patience.” He extended his arm, and she curled up under it. “Are you sure I can’t kill him? I know for a fact Jani would help me hide the body.”
Elaine reached up on tiptoes and kissed him on the lips. “Don’t kill him. You’ll regret it.” She turned to Page. “Besides the place is crawling with police. Too many witnesses.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Boy, whatever happened to our peaceful, fun-loving gang? I think we’ve all turned into the Addams Family.”
“You’re right.” She sighed. “We’ve all changed, but we never set out to hurt anyone. I don’t think our peaceful natures are lost. We have hope.”
He touched her chin. “Do you?”
“Yeah, I do, because of you.” She touched her lips to his.
Greedy for another taste, he kissed her, teasing her with his tongue. He kept it soft, slow, and full of promise. A kiss to bring her to her knees. When they pulled apart, her eyes were a little glassy. He grinned.Mission accomplished.
She touched her lips. “I liked that.”
“Me, too.”
“I appreciate you involving me today. I know it wasn’t easy for you.”
“Watching Page with you, smelling his lust, I wanted to kill him. I swear Soren was stepping on my tail so I wouldn’t bolt.”
She smiled. “You showed great restraint.”
“What about you? You handled yourself better than a hostage negotiator.”
“I meant what I said, Connor. I’ll do anything to keep this place safe. The people here, they’re my family.” She looked at the ground. Her mouth twisted in disappointment. “Sometimes I feel like they’re my only family.”
“But you still have your folks and cousins.”
“It’s not the same though, is it? Most of my human relatives don’t know the truth about me and our kind. It puts a wedge between us. Sometimes I wish I could let it all out and tell them all my secrets, but I can’t. They’re not just my secrets.”
Connor considered her dilemma. It was one he’d never had to deal with because he came from a long line of shifters. At his family gatherings, no one held back. No one had to lie. They understood each other.
It had to be hard for Elaine, being separated in this way from her immediate family. Especially now when she probably wanted more than anything to talk to her mom and dad.
In so many ways, she was alone. There were so many voids in her life. Could he ever fill them all?
The door opened again. Drew Maitland, head of Lake Gemini police, walked in. He crouched in front of Page and peered into his face, giving it a light slap. “Wakey, wakey.”
Page groaned. “Help.”
Connor stepped in front of Elaine, his entire body tensing with the need to administer pain. “Hope you enjoyed your snooze.”
The man opened his eyes, but they crinkled in obvious discomfort when he felt the sting of the wound at his neck. “Where am I?”
“In one of the function rooms of the Ursa,” said Connor. “What’s your end game?”
“Fuck off.”
Connor turned to Drew. “I just want one.”
