Sloane squeezed gently, careful of his split knuckles. “Always.”
They drove in silence toward the mountains, toward home, toward safety. Jamie’s tears had stopped, but he kept Sloane’s hand in a death grip, like he needed the anchor. Sloane let him hold on, knowing some wounds went deeper than bruises and would take longer to heal.
But they had time now. William was gone, the threat eliminated. And Sloane would spend however long it took making sure Jamie felt safe again, felt whole again.
His mate. His to protect. His to heal.
Forever.
Chapter Eleven
One week later, Jamie was back at Pawsome Pets. Try to keep him away from his furry friends. His bruises had healed. In a week. An unexpected benefit of the mate bond.
When Emma asked about his absence, he’d offered a vague explanation about personal matters requiring his attention. She'd accepted this with surprising ease, simply expressing relief at having him back. She remained blissfully unaware that Logan had been keeping watch over the shop during Jamie's recovery, ensuring that jerk hadn’t returned.
Cedar shavings crunched under Jamie's sneakers as he swept the rabbit enclosure, the rhythmic motion soothing after days of recovery. Sunlight streamed through the front windows, painting golden stripes across the linoleum floor. A parakeet trilled from its cage, the sound mixing with the gentle bubble of the aquarium filters.
“You missed the drama,” Emma said, emerging from behind the fish tanks with a net full of debris. “Mrs. Henderson's poodle ate an entire bag of training treats and barfed all over aisle three. Took me two hours to clean up.”
“Sounds delightful.” Jamie dumped the dustpan into the trash, nose wrinkling at the thought. “Did she at least apologize?”
“She bought three squeaky toys and tipped twenty bucks, so I’ll take it.”
Movement near the small mammal section caught Jamie's attention. Sloane crouched by the guinea pig habitat, his large frame somehow not looking ridiculous next to the tiny enclosure. One of the guinea pigs—Curly, Jamie thought—pressed its nose against the glass, whisking frantically.
“He's trying to make friends,” Emma observed, voice tinged with amusement. “It's adorable.”
Adorable wasn't the word Jamie would use. Endearing, maybe. His mate, who could transform into a predator, attempting to commune with prey animals? The irony wasn't lost on him.
Sloane extended one finger, tapping gently on the glass. The guinea pig wheeled and darted behind its hiding log, followed immediately by its two companions. All three huddled together, peering out with suspicious eyes.
“Great job,” Jamie called out. “You’ve terrified the potatoes.”
Sloane straightened, shooting him a look that managed to be both wounded and amused. “They’ll warm up to me.”
“Sure they will.” Jamie grabbed fresh bedding from the storage shelf. “Just like the hamsters did. And the rabbits. And literally every bird in the store.”
“The fish like me.”
“The fish can’t run away.”
Emma snorted, covering it with a cough when Sloane turned her way. She busied herself with the price gun, but her shoulders shook with suppressed laughter.
Despite his teasing, warmth bloomed behind Jamie's ribs as he watched Sloane navigate the store. His mate had been here every shift since Jamie returned to work, a constant protective presence that should have felt suffocating but didn't. Maybe because Sloane didn't hover. He helped where he could, stayed out of the way when needed, and only went into protective mode when customers got too aggressive.
Which, thankfully, hadn’t happened yet today.
“I’ll grab more bedding from the back,” Sloane said, brushing wood shavings from his jeans. “Running low out here.”
He disappeared through the storage room door, leaving Jamie and Emma alone with the animals. The familiar routine of changing water bottles and distributing food pellets settled over them, comfortable and normal.
The bell above the door chimed.
Jamie glanced up from the hamster habitat, his customer-service smile already forming. It died instantly.
The guy's boots struck the floor hard with each step. “Figured you'd have better customer service by now.”
Emma straightened behind the counter, recognition flashing across her face. “You need to leave. Right now.”
