Who even does that? And why?!
It was a question she’d asked herself dozens of times since then, and she wasn’t sure she was any closer to an answer. But despite the fact she’d never really had much trouble letting go of bothersome thoughts in the past, she simply couldn’t let go of this one.
Or, really, the memory of his face… his smile…
Zina shook her head. Nowaywas she going downthatroad. Good-looking guys were a dime a dozen. It meantnothing. She definitely wasn’t getting her head scrambled because she’d thought he washot.And funny.In a kind of annoying way, but funny nonetheless.
But as her desperation had grown, her thoughts had kept circling back to him. And finally, she’d had to conclude that maybe, her shifter form, an antelope, was trying to tell her something.
Did it sense back then that we could trust him?
It seemed absurd. She’d been suppressing her shifter form then, with a completely top-secret serum developed by her agency, that allowed her to appear as a normal human being to other shifters. They couldn’t sense that she had a shifted form while she was taking it, which allowed her to go undetected in places where enemy agents might be on their guard against a shifter, but wouldn’t look twice at a mere human.
The downside was, of course, that she couldn’t access her shifter powers while she was using the serum. It had felt so strange, not having her antelope there inside her, its heightened senses, its extreme sensitivity to danger and swift reactions.
It was a handicap in some ways, for sure. But it also meant that, if those two men who’d been trailing her reallywereafter her, they’d hesitate to make their move.
They were looking for ashifter,after all. And right now, they couldn’t detect any shifters here. Well – unless someone else in the tour group or the guide was a shifter. But none of them looked anything like her description, so she figured they’d be safe.
Once Trent Bowman arrived –ifhe arrived – he wouldn’t look anything like her, either. So hopefully she’d have enough time to achieve what she wanted to achieve and slip away.
Once my current dose of serum wears off, I’ll only have two left,she thought. It might be enough to get her out of the country. But really, it was only a matter of time beforesomeonecaught up with her. Maybe continuing to run was just delaying the inevitable.
As the tour guide continued on, Zina flickered her eyes over the two men who’d been tailing her, who were currently standing in the dark shade of an enormous fig tree.
They weredefinitelywatching her. Closely.
It might have been that even without being able to clock her as a shifter, they were uncertain enough of her identity that they’d decided to keep an eye on her.
And that was bad.
Especially since Trent hadn’t shown up yet, and the tour was almost over. The pointing statue of Colonel Light was the last stop.
Maybe he hadn’t understood her coded texts after all, and she was on her own.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
“Oh – a fewpointers.I get it. Because the statue ispointing, right? Ha, you’re pretty funny.”
Zinaalmostjumped at the sound of the drawling voice beside her, soft in her ear.
Instead, she glanced over – andup– as quickly as she would let herself, suppressing her first instinct to gasp as she did.
It’s him. Hedidunderstand. Hedidcome.
Zina studied his face from the corner of her eye as she forced herself to turn away from him again.
It’s definitely him. I know it.
It might’ve been three years since the last time she’d seen him, but there wasn’t a shadow of a doubt in her mind. Everything about his face seemed to have etched itself into her memory – the square jaw, the straight nose. The large brown eyes that were surrounded by thick lashes that might have given his face an almost delicate look, if the rest of it hadn’t been so undeniably masculine. He still had that bit of stubble across his chin, too, just like she’d teased him about having all those years ago. She would have been tempted to snap at him that he clearly still hadn’t learned how to shave, except for the fact that she had to admit it was a good look for him.
The way he held himself hadn’t changed either – he was tall, broad-shouldered, and kind of rangy, but his body moved in a way that suggested strength, coiled and waiting.
And that was despite the fact he was currently holding two slightly melting ice creams in his hands.
Zina blinked, looking down at them.
“See, I didn’t forget,” Trent said, holding one out to her. “Ice cream, right? You said you preferred it. I didn’t know what you liked, though. So you can have any flavor you want, as long as it’s honey.”
