I walked over to the table and chairs and sat, waiting for him to do the same, his apprehensive expression now matching mine.
‘There was a Were,’ I said, starting slow, remaining calm. ‘On the full moon.’
‘Here in Savannah? You’re sure?’
Now it was me who didn’t like the look on his face. More than surprised, he looked as though he didn’t believe me.
‘Sure I’m sure. We were at the DeSoto Hotel, at a dance, when it attacked. It came straight for me.’
‘We?’
‘Me and Jackson.’ I breathed in the clean, cucumber scent of the borage and the sweet aromatics of the wood betony, a welcome waft of lavender finding me as well. ‘It was some school fundraiser thing.’
‘Was Lydia there?’
‘No, it was a sports fundraiser thing.’
He crossed his arms over his chest, his lips working themselves into a frown.
‘Wyn, it attacked us in public, in front of dozens of people. If Jackson hadn’t gotten in its way—’
‘They,’ he interrupted. ‘You mean,theyattacked. If Jackson hadn’t gotten intheirway.’
I stared at him for a moment, completely lost.
‘You said “it” but you meant “they”. If your wolf was a Were, it’s a person, not an animal. They’re no more an “it” than I am.’
‘I’m sorry,’ I said, letting his statement sink in. ‘They. They were definitely a Were and I think they were looking for me.’
He considered the information as I pushed my hands under my thighs, holding myself back from rushing him. Wyn was an open book, no good at keeping secrets, and a dozen different emotions churned across his face. I’d expected him to have questions but I hadn’t expected him to doubt me. What could he possibly be thinking that he couldn’t say out loud? After a very long pause, eyebrows drawn together with consternation, he looked right at me.
‘Was it a date?’
Not what I was expecting him to say. I gave him another second, waiting for him to laugh or tell me it was a joke. But no. It was an entirely serious question.
‘I just told you I was attacked by a Were in Savannah in front of a hundred people and you’re asking if I was on a date?’
‘It’s OK if it was,’ he replied, although the set of his jaw and the way he clenched his fist suggested otherwise. ‘I know Jackson likes you and I was gone and everything. People go on dates sometimes, doesn’t always mean something.’
‘His date got sick. I stepped in at the last minute. It was a friend date.’
‘Maybe on your side. Pretty sure Jackson didn’t see it that way.’
‘It doesn’t matter how Jackson saw it.’ I reached across the table to entwine my fingers through his, my skin cool and pale against his warm bronzed tones. ‘I’m yours, remember?’
‘And I’m yours,’ he said, sounding as though he’d landed somewhere between ashamed and relieved. ‘Jackson’s your friend. Hell, he’s my friend. I’m sorry, Em, there’s nothing to be jealous of, I know.’
And there wasn’t. No matter what Jackson had said to me at the dance or in the parlour the morning after, he wasn’t a factor when it came to Wyn and me. We had very real problems to solve without worrying about things that were never going to happen anyway.
He sucked in a long deep breath then gave me a half-smile.
‘I missed you so much,’ Wyn said. ‘Can’t believe the universe couldn’t give us a single day.’
A rush of magic passed over the surface of my skin and I could almost see the golden thread between us, glowing as it tied itself ever tighter around our hearts.
‘The universe can have today,’ I told him. ‘We have forever.’
I leaned forward to seal my promise with a kiss, revelling in the sensation of his eyelashes against my cheek, the clean scent of his deodorant, the warmth of his skin, the taste of him. This was worth fighting for. This was worth living for.
