“I don’t care.” I cupped her face, making sure she was looking at me. “You’re my mate, Allie. Mine to protect. Whatever trouble you’re running from, we’ll face it side by side.”
I could see the war playing out behind her eyes. The desire to accept help battling against what I suspected was years of self-preservation.
“What if I bring danger to your family?” Her voice croaked.
“Then my family will help us handle it. That’s what f-families do.”
Whoever was after her didn’t know what it meant to threaten an orc’s mate. The ancient protective magic running through my bloodline had awakened, and it would not rest until she was safe.
Neither would I.
Chapter 11
Allie
Panic clawed at my throat, making it hard to breathe. They’d found me. After months of careful planning, fake names, and staying off the grid, Will Carmichael’s people had tracked me to this tiny town in the middle of nowhere.
How had they done it so fast?
“I have to go.” The words tumbled out as I paced the hotel hallway, my hands shaking.
Tressa whined and tried to put herself between me and the stairs.
“I need to get my car and leave,” I said. “Right now.”
“Allie, wait.” Hail took my arm as I passed, bringing me to a halt. “You’re not go-going anywhere tonight.”
“You don’t understand.” I tried to step around him, but he moved with me, gentle but immovable. “If they found my room, they know I’m here. They’ll be watching, waiting. Ican’tstay.”
I’d come so close to finally having a good life with someone I was beginning to care about. My new life was being wrenched from my arms, and there didn’t seem to be anything I could do about it except say goodbye and run.
“I’ll make sure they don’t find you,” Hail said. Only kindness and understanding shone in his eyes, but he didn’t know what they wanted or what happened. He didn’t know how ruthless they could be. They wouldn’t stop until I was dead, and knowing them, they’d drag my coffin out of the ground and search it if I did die.
I stared up at him, finding determination in his dark eyes.
“Hail, you don’t know these people. They’re not going to give up and go home. They’ll tear this whole town apart looking for me.”
“Let them try.” His voice carried a growl that reminded me he wasn’t human, that underneath his sweet demeanor lived a being much more dangerous. “They’ll have to go-go through my entire family first.”
The protective edge in his voice made my chest tight. Here was this sweet, shy male who stuttered when he was nervous or upset, offering to stand between me and the most ruthless criminals I’d ever encountered. The thought of Will Carmichael’s people hurting him made me physically ill.
“I won’t let you get involved in this,” I said. “I won’t let them hurt you because of me.”
“Too late.” He stroked my cheek. “I’m already involved. We’re bonded now, remember? Your fights are mine.”
“That’s not how it works?—”
“That’s exactly how it-it works. In orc culture, mates protect each other. No ex-ex-exceptions.”
Tressa had positioned herself between us and the hallway, her white fur bristling as she watched the stairs. Even she could sense the danger.
“Come home with me.” Hail’s voice dropped to that sweet tone that made my knees weak. “My house is outside town, hid-hidden in the valley. We’ll move your car where no one can see-see it. You’ll be safe there.”
The word safe felt strange after months of running. “I won’t be safe anywhere.”
“You will with me. I promise.”
The absolute conviction in his voice made tears prick behind my eyes. He really believed he could protect me. This kind orc, who made beautiful pottery and rescued abandoned wolves, thought he could stand against the Will Carmichael, the head of the Vexalar Syndicate.
