I glance out at the lush grass that connects the house to the forest beyond. Nature right on their doorstep. Do they shift and run in there? Is it only on the full moon or whenever they like? I have so many questions, like hundreds, but no idea if I can ask them. Or if Lynx would deign to answer if I did.
“To see your bike,” he answers after long enough I’d almost given up on getting a reply.
Oh.
Not what I was expecting.
I’m not sure what it means either. “Why?”
“Don’t you want to check if it’s in one piece or not? I thought you restored it yourself?”
“I did, but why show it to me now? It’s not like you’re going to let me leave anytime soon, is it?”
He stops walking and turns to face me. “No.”
“Of course not.” I draw my bottom lip between my teeth, debating whether I want to put it out there or not.
Fuck it.
How much worse can it get?
“Will I ever get to ride it again?”Or will you bury it along with me?
This close, his eyes are a stunning cobalt blue, and he studies my face like he can see exactly what I’m thinking if he tries hard enough. Well, good luck there because even I don’t know half the time. He huffs and runs a hand through his hair.
I watch the strands fall back into place. It looks soft, silky. I wonder if it’s the same when he’s a wolf. If his fur is as dark as?—
“I don’twantto kill you, Morgan,” he says softly, startling me.
Then his words register. “Right.” They put my life to a fucking vote. “But you wish you’d left me for dead in the forest, don’t you?”
He hesitates, and it’s as good as an admission.
Not like I didn’t already know, but it’s just as shitty hearing it the second time around apparently.
“It’s complicated,” he says eventually, and I can’t help it, I laugh.
There’s a bitter edge to it, because what a load of bollocks. “It’s not me, it’s you?”
“Something like that.”
I roll my eyes, not giving a shit that he could kill me with ease. Do I really have anything to lose at this point? Despite their claims otherwise, I’m essentially their prisoner. They’ll either kill me or they won’t, and I have no idea how to convince them I won’t expose their secret. Somehow, I don’t think a simple promise will cut it.
It’s shocking how calm I feel about the whole thing.
After my meltdown on the stairs, a cold acceptance has sunk in. I’m on the fence whether that’s a good thing or not. “Be honest with me.” Okay, maybe I’m not infullacceptance mode, because nerves get the better of me and I swallow, running my fingers along my throat. His gaze snaps to my hand with an intensity that steals my breath, and the rest of my words.
“About what?” he asks when I don’t say anything else. Time slows as he drags his gaze from my neck, tracing a lingering path upwards until his eyes meet mine. Heat blazes in its wake, my skin on fire, and I feel...fuck, I don’t know how to explain it.
Uncomfortable.
Raw.
And embarrassingly turned on.
Not a combination I’ve ever experienced before, and I’m not sure I want to now either. Especially not here. Or with him.
I turn, breaking this weird connection between us and give the compound my full attention. It’s not just the huge main house here, there are other buildings set back near the tree line.
