“Thanks,” I finally murmured. “That’s really sweet.”
He shrugged. “It’s the truth,” he grunted.
I coughed, heat flooding my face as I tore my gaze away from him. My brain stuttered as I began struggling for something to say.
“There are plenty of good things in the world if you look at it the right way,” I said.
“Sure. And it’s my job to protect those good things,” he said. Then, after a pause, he added, “You most of all.”
My mouth went dry. “Is that so?”
He stepped toward me, and that familiar lurch of need for him rippled through me. I could feel his heat from here, could smell his scent, which made my wolf growl with need. She wanted him, still certain he was our mate despite the years that had spread out between us, despite his refusal, despite my own refusal to fall for him after everything he had done, after he had broken my heart.
“Trust me when I say I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to you,” he said, his voice a low, hungry rumble.
His hands slipped to my waist, holding me in place as he closed the ever-shrinking gap between us. He stepped forward, eyes burning with excitement and need as his eyes flicked down to my mouth for the briefest of moments, then back up. My breath caught in my throat as I stared up at him, and all I could think was that this was the closest he had been since the mating ceremony and how desperately I wanted to kiss him, even after everything he had done to me. I could swear he could hear my heart beating with how much it sounded like a drumbeat in my own head.
“Really?” It was the only word that would come out of my mouth.
He nodded. “Whatever you say, I care about you, Liv.”
His lips were so close to mine that it would take just a twitch of one of our heads for our lips to meet. And, once our lips met, I didn’t know if there would be anything that would stop me from giving in to him entirely.
He still hurt you, that voice in my head reminded me.You should run the other way, before he hurts you again.
The voice seemed to grow fainter every moment, to the point where I could barely remember why I had been resisting him for so long.
I found myself almost giving in, wanting to give in. I stared into his eyes and started getting lost. Nothing else mattered. I was tired of fighting those growing urges. My wolf was, too. This was the shifter we both wanted, our mate. Was it really such a bad thing to give in to these desires?
I leaned closer without realizing it, tilting my neck up as he bent down. And then I was inches away from doing something I had told myself a hundred thousand times that I would never do.
Then a phone buzzed, and Drake pulled away. The spell was broken. He let out a low, frustrated growl as he dug around in his pocket.
“What?” he snapped, that surly tone back in his voice. There was an unstated warning in that word:You better have a damn good reason for interrupting me right now.
In the stillness and quiet of the cavern, I could hear Oz’s voice echo through the phone. “Drake, you’ve got to get back to town.” The strained tone in Oz’s voice made my insides turn to ice, and Drake stiffened.
“What happened?” he demanded.
“The wards around the town,” Oz said. “Something’s shattered them.”
Chapter 10 - Drake
The words barely registered. If it had come from anyone other than Oz, I might not have believed them. But I trusted Oz implicitly.
“Do you know anything else?” I asked, already beginning to pack things up. Liv helped without question, though I didn’t miss the worried glances in my direction as I kept talking.
“Not right now. How fast can you get here?”
I glanced over at Liv. “I’ve got a couple of things to take care of first. Give me an hour or so.”
“Get here quicker if you can.”
I hung up and turned to Liv. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I wanted to—”
“Don’t be,” Liv interjected, shaking her head. She was already collecting everything and shoving it back in the backpack. Her face had grown pale, but her smile stayed in place, if a little more hesitant than before. “Let’s get out of here.”
Before we left, I made sure the guards had returned to guard the entrance. “Don’t leave until I’ve come with your relief,” I ordered them. “Me in particular.”
