“She’s running laps at Lendman Park.” He waved us on. “We can knock out our search before she finishes if we get a move on. She’ll need to head home and shower after, so we should be in the clear.”
Without warning, Sloane broke into a lope heading toward GSG. Had she not glanced over her shoulder, her tongue lolling, Liam might have chalked it up to eagerness and let it go. But she did, and he didn’t.
“Did you see that?” Liam cupped his hands around his mouth. “You can’t beat me, Furball.”
As he shot off to catch up, Rían reclaimed my hand, and his touch grounded me for what lay ahead.
five
An out-of-breath Liamwaited on the sidewalk in front of GSG, and I could tell at a glance he’d lost the race with Sloane. He stood with his arms folded over his heaving chest, glaring at us until we fell into position on the opposite side of the street. We did our best to appear casual, not the easiest feat when we stood alone as far as the eye could see, but that worked in our favor. So did the handholding. Which explained why neither of us were quick to release the other. To maintain our cover. Not because finding a reason to let go would be harder than holding on.
Liam, after issuing one last glare, spun on his heel and marched around the back of the building.
Without peeking, I knew Sloane was already bellycrawling under the house without him.
“I thought she hated him,” I admitted, “but now I’m starting to wonder.”
“They’ve been playing tug-of-war with the clan bonds too.” He smoothed a thumb between his eyes. “I’ve got a headache from them yanking back and forth since yesterday.”
“I’ll talk to Sloane.” I frowned up at him. “They’re both adults-ish, so they’re free to do whatever as long as no one getshurt, but they’re causing you pain. You have enough on your mind without them adding to it.”
A slow smile crept over his lips, and he ducked his head, failing to hide it from me.
“Do you not want me to talk to her?” I crushed the urge to take my hand back. “I won’t if you don’t?—”
“You’re protecting me.” He couldn’t stop his grin from reaching his eyes. “Do you know how good that feels?”
“Yeah, well, I’m not the only one.” I awarded a nearby magnolia tree my full attention. “Liam and Fayne?—”
“Are like the cartoon angel and devil on my shoulders. Except neither of them has wings.”
Snorting at the visual, I clamped a hand over my nose. “I can imagine that so clearly.”
“Then you know I’m right.” He used his grip to tug me against his side. “They love me, and they do protect me in their own ways, but the good of the clan wins out. Always. As maguri, that’s their duty. Just like it’s mine to put the clan’s needs above my own. So, it’s nice. To have someone care about me, about the little things, the everyday annoyances, and not only focus on the big picture.”
“Everyone deserves someone who puts them first.”
The attention he poured over me without expectation of reciprocation had softened the parched earth of my soul. I had been thirsty for affection my entire life, but for the first time, I wasn’t a dried-out husk. I had Sloane. And Fayne. And Goldie. Liam was iffy, but Rían…I was starting to feel like he was mine too.
Before he could share his thoughts, a commotion from the backyard drew our attention.
We gave Liam and Sloane five minutes to come give us the all-clear, and when they failed to appear, we abandoned our posts and rushed to check on them. As soon as we rounded thecorner, we got an eyeful of Liam rolling on the ground, kicking his feet, and clawing at the creature on his face.
“Is that a raccoon?” I dared a step closer then rocked back on my heels. “Definitely a raccoon.”
From its physique, it was clear it treated the neighborhood trash cans as an all-you-can-eat buffet.
“Get this thing off me.” He yanked it off, cocked his arm to throw it, but its fingers curled into his shirt.“Sloane.”
“Be right back.” I rushed into GSG and grabbed the leather gloves I used for yardwork and a blanket. Liam hadn’t made any progress since I left, so I waited for him to pry the animal free and hold it at arm’s length before scooping it up and bundling it tight. “I’ll go put him in a kennel run.”
We could lure him into a crate and drive him out to the woods to release later, but this was a quick fix.
At the side door, I found Sloane sitting with her tail thumping the porch planks.
“Liam is missing half his face,” I deadpanned. “Do you feel even a drop of remorse?”
The wolf cocked its head to one side then shook it hard while huffing a doggy laugh.
