We eat. Nobody mentions the bodies or the hunters who won't be reporting back. Eventually Zeb pushes his plate away and looks at me.
"You've got evidence that needs to reach the right people." It's not a question. "I know people who can make that happen without blowback."
The tension I didn't realize I was carrying eases slightly. I was prepared to handle this myself, but Zeb's contacts are better. They're more reliable. There's less chance of Neve getting exposed. I pull the SD card from my pocket. It's a backup copy of everything she photographed.
"Everything's on here." I slide it across the table. "Names. Faces. Locations. Enough to shut them down."
"We appreciate it." Neve's voice stays steady. She sounds certain. "More than you know."
"Caryn told me what you do." Zeb's eyes meet hers. "Research. Conservation. Important work."
"Was." The correction comes automatically. "That life is over now."
"Doesn't have to be." Zeb leans back. "You can do research from anywhere. Plenty of wolves in these mountains. Could use someone who knows what they're doing. Someone who actually gives a damn."
Neve blinks. She's processing. The idea clearly hadn't crossed her mind. Doing research without institutions or grants or peer review. It would be just her and the wilderness and the work itself. That would be absolute freedom.
"I'll think about it." But I can already see the possibility taking root. The seeds of a new life are starting to grow.
Back in the bedroom, Neve sits on the edge of the bed. Her fingers twist together. Nervous energy radiates from her in waves.
"We need to talk." She still won't look at me. "About what comes next."
Dread twists in my gut like a knife. Here comes the reality check. The moment she realizes what staying actually means. What she'd be giving up. What she'd be becoming.
"I can't go back to my old life." The words come fast. They're urgent. "Not after this. Not after you. I don't want to go back."
"Neve." I sit beside her. I take her hands in mine. "You don't have to decide anything right now. You're traumatized. You've watched me kill people. You need time to process."
"I've had time." She pulls her hands free and cups my face instead. She forces me to meet her eyes. "I processed while we were running. While you were protecting me. While we were inthat shootout. I know exactly what you are. What you do. And I'm staying. I want you."
"You don't understand what you're saying." My voice comes out harsher than I intend. "My world is violent. Dangerous. Isolated. I smuggle contraband across international borders. I kill people who get in my way. I'll never be normal. Never be safe. You deserve tenure and research grants and a life where you don't have to look over your shoulder."
"I don't want normal." There's fire in her eyes now. Her determination burns bright. "I want you. I want this wild, dangerous life. With you. I can do my research from anywhere. Zeb's right. These mountains need someone who understands conservation. Someone who cares. I can be that person. I want to be that person. Here. With you."
"Neve." Her name comes out broken. It's a warning and a plea combined. "You need to think about this. Really think."
She straddles my lap. Her hands are fisted in my shirt. "I'm telling you. This is my decision. I'm staying. With you. In your world. Our world."
The careful control I've been maintaining since we woke up starts cracking. The protective barrier I put between us and the future fractures. It splits. All the things I've been holding back come rushing forward.
"You don't know what you're agreeing to." My voice is rough. "Once you're mine completely, I won't let you go. Ever. I'll be possessive about your safety. About keeping you with me. That's who I am. That's what I do. I don't share. I don't compromise. You'll be mine in every way that matters and I won't apologize for it."
"Good." She kisses me hard. She's giving it right back. "Because I'm not going anywhere. Make me yours. Completely. No holding back. No protection. No safety nets. Just us. Just this."
Something inside me finally breaks loose. It's the last resistance. The final wall between what I want and what I thought I could have. I flip her onto her back. I pin her wrists above her head. I loom over her with all the darkness I've been trying to hide.
"You're mine." I growl it against her mouth. "Forever. No escape. No changing your mind. You belong to me now."
"Yes." She's breathless. She's certain. "And you belong to me. Forever."
When we finally emerge from the bedroom, Zeb takes one look at us and smirks. Caryn just smiles. They know. They've been here. They made the same impossible decision. They built the same dangerous life.
Over dinner, we make actual plans. We work out logistics. Zeb will get the evidence to his contacts. The federal investigation will take time but it will happen. This will go a long way toward dismantling the trafficking ring. People will go to prison. Justice will be served.
As for us, we'll stay here until it's safe. Then we'll go to my cabin. We'll make it ours. Neve will set up her research. She'll study the local wolf population. She'll do conservation work that actually matters. I'll keep flying. I'll keep smuggling. More carefully now. More selectively. I can't take unnecessary risks when I have someone to come home to.
After dinner, Zeb pulls me aside. We go outside on the porch where cold air bites and stars shine overhead. We stand in comfortable silence for a while. It's an easy quiet between men who understand each other.
