Page 23 of Damien’s Mate

She leaned carefully against the pillows and went for the bluff. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Nice try, babe, but I saw. You started seizing when they were loading you into the ambulance, and your hand turned into a paw. With fur and claws. And then back again.”

Oh, no. This was bad. How many people had seen?

He went on, “Don’t worry, they didn’t notice. But it clued me in on why you kept saying ‘no’ to the hospital.”

There was no talking him out of this. He knew. Now she had to figure out what he was going to try to do with that knowledge.

“So, what?” she said. “You thought I was an animal shapeshifter, so you just pulled me out of the ambulance?” That must have been a shit show and a half.

“Nah, there wasn’t time. I had to follow it and hijack it.” He paused, thinking. “Well, technically I guess I didn’t jack it because I left it there. I just jacked you out of it.”

Holy shit on a waffle iron. This guy had balls. In spite of herself, she was kind of awed. “You hijacked an ambulance for me?”

“Fuck, yeah. Stole a car to follow it, too.”

He looked way too impressed with himself. Biting her lip to keep from grinning, she said, “Hijacking and grand theft auto, all in one evening? Aren’t you just a high school gang chick’s wet dream.”

That made him really laugh. He had a great laugh, deep and joyful, and she would have laughed too except for how painful it would be.

Their eyes met, and she was suddenly aware of his pure magnetism. The dim light showed the planes and angles of his chest, the sleek definition of his abs.

Warmth spread through her, making the pain fade a little. Damien’s face grew serious, and he sat back down beside her on the bed. He picked up her hand and ran his fingers over the engraving on the bracelet again.

“Am I allowed to know what kind of animal you are?” he asked.

“No.”

His eyebrows lifted slightly at her flat refusal. “If you told me you’d have to kill me?”

“Something like that.” The rule against letting any humans find out what they were had been the first one her father had taught her. It was ingrained in her like breathing.

They both fell silent. Damien was still tracing her bracelet. Finally he asked softly, “Why did you do it? Why did you risk this to try to save me?”

She couldn’t look away from his eyes. There was confusion in them, and something else. A kind of… yearning.

“I don’t know,” she whispered. “I just… I hoped…” She felt at a loss, like there was an answering yearning inside her she didn’t know what to do with.

But that didn’t make any sense. He was human. And she was Lion Guard.

“I don’t know,” she repeated. “Why did you save me?”

He smiled, but there was a hint of sadness in it. “I don’t know either.” He raised her hand to his lips and kissed the palm.

The moment stretched out, and he leaned in, his lips brushing hers.

Chapter 10

Lila closed her eyes as Damien’s lips moved lightly over hers. She wasn’t getting involved with him. Wasn’t. Was not. She was just—

Someone knocked sharply at the door, and they both jerked back, sending another stab of pain through Lila’s entire body. Before she even recovered Damien was pressed against the wall by the window, gun drawn. She’d barely seen him move.

He peered through the crack between the curtains and the wall.

“Who is it?” Lila whispered.

He turned to her, eyes wide as though in fear, and then he said in a normal voice, “Food delivery.”