I yanked my plate from the table before she could reach over and steal a piece of meat. “Ha. Get your own, you monster.”
“You’ll let your guard down soon enough,” she teased, stuffing a piece of cheese in her mouth. “Mmm. Tell Hope thank you. This is wonderful.”
“Her brownies are even better. She has a cult following within the Pack. If anyone smells those, we might have some visitors.”
“I shall defend my land from all brownie threats, foreign and domestic,” she vowed, her eyes glimmering with amusement.
Her foot still rested against my thigh as she happily munched. Her plants shivered and shifted, the soft rustling sounds inevitably Evie. No plant life could be within her vicinity without being profoundly alive. As her power grew, so did the natural world’s reaction to her, and I didn’t think she even noticed. Evie was one of the few people completely unaffected by her staggering depth of power. While her training was sporadic, every time she flexed her magical muscles, her power grew substantially. I, like most of my shifters, could smell it on her. Pretty soon, she would rival her father in power, if she didn’t already.
But right now, she was merely a hungry woman with a book and a mission to not do a single thing but enjoy herself for the rest of the evening.
And I was a man blessed to spend time with her.
Half an hour later,I was in bear form, lying on my side in front of a crackling fire on a surprisingly soft wool rug. Evie lay curled against my side, her head resting on my front leg. She held her e-reader above her face, concentrating on some novel about a handsome prince and a wicked woman. Her scent tangled in my nose, and the bond between us pulsed with light.
I had a million things to do, none of them more important than this moment. Satisfied and happy, I shut my eyes and drifted into sleep.
The soft thump of something landing against my side awoke me. I had a moment’s disorientation before the scent of flowers alerted me to where I was. Evie’s home had plunged into night, but the soft glow of incandescent light cast the room in gold. Her soft, even breath told me she was asleep.
With a quick flash of light, I shifted and pulled Evie into my chest. She was out like a light and made no protest. With my other hand, I reached for my bag and slowly eased my joggers on, doing my best not to wake her up. Her silky hair lay scattered over my chest, and her face was peaceful in repose.
Her breath had barely interrupted its rhythm, even with my awkward attempt at dressing, giving me insight into how exhausted she must be. I eyed the couch, large enough for both of us, but I’d have to jostle her quite a bit to move her. A quick glance at the clock over the fireplace told me we’d been asleep for hours. After ten now, it was too late for dinner, and really too late for much of anything other than going back to sleep.
I might be a shifter, but sleeping on the floor all night was not appealing. Extricating myself from Evie took a bit, but soon I was able to stand and scoop her into my arms. She mumbled something, but I held her to my chest and carried her over to the couch, sitting with her in my lap until I could situate us once more.
Her eyes fluttered open once, shining a clear, azure blue. “Rowan?”
“Shhh,” I reassured her. “I got you.”
“Mmm.” Her eyes fluttered shut.
I lay behind her and pulled her closer to my chest, tucking her body against me. My arm wrapped around her waist, and her head rested just under my chin. It didn’t take long for me to fall back asleep, nestled against the woman I loved.
Chapter
Six
Soft light streamed from the living room windows. A leanly muscled arm lay slung over my waist, warm breath tickling my neck. A familiar smell washed over me.
Rowan.
How had I gotten from the floor to the couch? I remembered reading my book and how warm and soft Rowan’s fur was, and not a thing after that.
But this was the most rested I’d felt in months. I let out a soft sigh and smiled, content to lay here for a while longer.
Dad and Barrett would be back over today, and that wasn’t something I was looking forward to, but training was a necessary evil.
Rowan shifted against me as he came awake. His arm tightened, dragging me even closer. I huffed a laugh. Sometimes he was such a bear.
“Morning,” I whispered.
Rowan answered by placing a warm kiss behind my ear. Every nerve in my body went taut at the touch. His fingers flexed against my stomach. Another kiss lower on the side of my neck. My neck arched, allowing him better access.
Rowan’s breath went ragged. His teeth teased my earlobe, dragging a moan from me. He went still, let out a wicked chuckle, and did it again. Fingers slid over bare skin, dragging up over my abdomen, brushing against the underside of my breast.
That strange magic inside me came roaring to life, screamingMinein my head over and over again. I went pliant in his arms, reaching back to drag my fingers through his hair. Rowan shifted me onto my back and loomed over me, hazel eyes bright with gold. He dipped his head and claimed my lips in a hot open-mouthed kiss. I met the demand, opening my legs to allow him to settle in between them, the evidence of his want pressing against my core. His clever fingers slid downward, past the elastic of my joggers and found?—
Rowan let out a violent curse as his hand found only bare skin. “Gods, Evie.”
