Page 187 of Beasts of Mine

It was fast. I wasn't confused about that. If someone had told me when I'd arrived that before my six-week assignment was finished I would fall in love with three Alpha leopard shifters living in an ancient temple, I would have recommended sleep, water, and possibly a medical evaluation. Knowing the timeline sounded absurd didn't make the feelings imaginary.

I lowered my hands and stared through the open window, where late-afternoon light filtered through the trees and insects buzzed against the screen. The part that unsettled me most wasn't even the love itself. It was how much I liked the life forming around it.

I liked having somewhere I wanted to go when work finished. I liked opening the sleeping-room door and seeing my belongings mixed with theirs, knowing Tavian would probably be talking, Luca would notice something I'd overlooked, and Malek would inevitably end up sitting close enough that part of us touched. I liked being missed, and apparently I liked missing them too.

Temporary places had always been easy. I arrived, worked, packed, and moved on. Even my apartment mostly functioned as a place to keep my equipment and mail between assignments. The temple hadn't made me want to stop traveling; it had simply become the first place in a long time that I could picture coming back to on purpose.

“Why do you look like somebody insulted your camera?” Mara asked from the doorway, her dry voice pulling me from my thoughts as she stepped inside with a metal water bottle tucked beneath one arm and dirt streaked across the toe of one boot.

“No one insulted my camera.” I told Mara as I turned toward her, trying to arrange my face into something less suspicious while the heat lingering in my cheeks made that difficult.

“That sounded defensive enough that now I think somebody definitely insulted your camera.” Mara replied as she crossed toward the worktable, amusement creasing around her eyes before her attention shifted to the open email.

“It's an email.” I explained to Mara as I angled the screen toward her, deciding the professional half of my crisis wasn't remotely secret. Mara leaned closer, bracing one hand against the empty chair beside me while her eyes moved over the sender's name.

“Wild Terrain?” Mara asked as recognition crossed her face. “The same Wild Terrain from the emergency cover?”

“The very same.” I answered Mara with a nod, pride pushing through everything else as I scrolled toward the project summary. “Apparently I didn't destroy their publication schedule badly enough to scare them away.”

“I told you those photographs were good.” Mara reminded me as she sat in the neighboring chair, her attention moving over the first few paragraphs. “What are they offering?”

“Three months in Patagonia.” I told Mara as I pointed toward the relevant section. “Pumas, guanacos, condors, several protected areas, conservation teams, possible cover use if I get something strong enough, and a feature built around the project.”

Mara read for a few seconds before sitting back, the teasing leaving her face.

“That is a serious assignment.” Mara said as she looked at me, genuine approval clear in her voice. “Especially when the first time they worked with you was an emergency where they barely gave you enough notice to pack lunch.”

“That's what I thought.” I told Mara as I tapped the compensation section. “The pay is good too. Better than I expected for my first full project with them, and the access is excellent.”

“Then congratulations.” Mara said warmly as she smiled at me. “You've spent most of this assignment crawling through mud for photographs. It's nice when the mud turns into another job instead of only ruining your socks.”

“That's going on a motivational poster.” I told Mara as I laughed, glancing toward the damp pair hanging behind my chair before my attention drifted back toward the email.

Mara noticed the shift.

“You're excited about the work, but something else is bothering you.” Mara observed as she rested her bottle against one thigh, her tone curious rather than prying.

“I really want the job.” I told Mara as I rubbed my thumb along the edge of my notebook. “I just wasn't expecting the length of it to bother me this much.”

“Because you'd be away that long?” Mara asked as she tipped her head slightly, waiting for me to continue instead of guessing.

“Because of what I'd be away from.” I admitted to Mara as I glanced toward the window and the endless green beyond it. Mara studied me briefly before understanding flickered across her face.

“Your mysterious jungle social life?” Mara asked, a small smile appearing without turning the question into a joke.

“Something like that.” I told Mara as I gave her a pointed look, grateful she wasn't asking for details I couldn't safely give. Mara took another drink from her bottle before lowering it again.

“You can be excited about the next job and still not be thrilled about leaving this place when the time comes.” Mara said, her tone matter-of-fact. “That doesn't sound particularly strange to me.”

“I think the strange part is that I care this much.” I told Mara as I glanced at the project information again. “Assignments have always been temporary. That's never really bothered me before.”

“That part you're going to have to figure out yourself.” Mara replied as she gave me a small shrug. “I've known you a few weeks, Evie. I'm not going to pretend I understand your entire emotional life because we share bad coffee.”

“Thank you.” I told Mara as a genuine laugh escaped me, appreciating that she wasn't suddenly trying to become an expert on me.

“I can still tell you whether I think the job sounds good.” Mara continued as she nodded toward my screen. “And it sounds very good. Are you interested enough to get the actual contract?”

“Absolutely.” I answered Mara without hesitation, the certainty of the response making everything else feel more manageable.