Except it meant everything to me.
And he knew it.
A lump swelled in my throat. “Cade…” My voice broke. “Thank you.”
He nodded only once, but the warmth in his amber eyes hit harder than any touch.
In that moment, surrounded by danger and uncertainty, about to abandon Arca, the only world I’d ever known, that tiny cactus felt like an anchor.
Proof that these men weren’t just dragging me into their lives.
They were choosing me.
Choosing to follow me.
To burn their lives to the ground, in the same way my old life had, to keep me safe.
“When do we leave?” I asked, my voice small but steady.
“That depends.”
“On what exactly?”
“Your heat,” Talon finished Cade’s thought.
“Dr. Zolkos mentioned he needed another slick sample when your heat got close. Also, Melker’s journal stated that heat-phase slick was the key to stabilizing the serum,” Cade said. “We have to assume that because Zolkos was on the project, he knows this too. He may…” His voice trailed off.
“Come for me.”
“That’s what I was going to discuss with Talon,” Cade said. “I’m worried about you going into heat here. There are a few safe houses in the Northern Borderlands we've used on missions. Nothing flashy, but we stocked them with basic amenities and they are relatively safe for the short term. We could ride out your heat in one before heading to the shifter colony. But it’s up to you, Rowan. It’s your first heat, and we want you to decide. We’lldo whatever you are most comfortable with.”
Cade was letting me decide. It was my choice.
“I want to leave before my heat. There’s no way I’m risking that creep Zolkos trying to take more samples. I never want to see him again,” I said, my voice firm.
“Then we leave tonight,” Cade said.
“What? Tonight!?”
Talon answered calmly. “If you want to make it to the safe house, we have to. Your scent, your emotions. It’s close. Too close.”
My stomach dropped.
Talon continued, “Do you think you can make it there? Do you feel any different? Any contractions?”
“I can make it,” I said. “I’ll be fine.”
Cade nodded grimly. “I'll change our schedules. No one on duty for the next two days. But when Ryker and Talon don’t show up for their patrol shift, someone will come looking. It gives us a head start, but not a long one. We need to reach the safe house before they realize we’re gone, and before you go into heat.”
My pulse pounded in my ears. Tonight.
Everything in my life was changingtonight.
Again.
Ryker started laughing to himself. “General Green is going to lose his goddamn mind. His golden boys vanish, the prodigal omega disappears with them… I swear, he’s gonna rupture a blood vessel.”
We all looked at Cade and Killian, waiting for their response.
