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Tahnee’s throat clenched, and she had to take a moment before she trusted herself to speak.
“Well,” she said. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Liam nodded. “Touch wood,” he said, reaching out to pat the nearest tree trunk. “Maybe I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
Tahnee shook her head. “No, no – it’s better to be prepared. And you know how I feel – if something’s going to happen, talking about it or not talking about it isn’t going to change anything.”
“That’s a kind of fatalistic view,” Liam said, after a bit of a pause. “I think you have a bit more control over your destiny than that. But I didn’t mean to interrupt your alone time – I’ll be off now.”
Liam shifted back into his goanna form and ambled off – but even without a witness, Tahnee resisted the urge to squirm a little uncomfortably. She knew what Liam had been hinting at – and so did her brolga, if the way it strutted around, saying I told you you should just swallow your pride and find a way to talk to him was anything to go by.
She grimaced a little.
She was still a bit pissed off with Robb, but she knew she couldn’t sulk up here forever, waiting for him to be the one to break first. And she really did want to talk to him.
But it did seem like he was legitimately busy with work she could in fact see was important, given that Hargreaves were up to something, and the quicker he sorted it out, the quicker she could feel the sanctuary was, well, a sanctuary again.
She knew in her heart of hearts, though, that all of that was just putting off what she knew she had to do, under the guise of saying she was just giving him space and being sensible. She had to talk to him.
If only I knew how.
It was both a literal thought, and a metaphorical one.
On the metaphorical front: she didn’t have the first clue as to what she should say to him to try and make things better, without giving the impression that she was just going to let him order her around in the future.
On the more literal front: she didn’t actually know how the hell she was going to get back in contact with him. Her best chance would be to contact one of the other members of Robb’s team – but then she would have to explain why she needed Robb’s number, and then everyone would know they were mates, and quite frankly, she wanted the time to sort out what that even meant with Robb before the whole rest of his work colleagues knew about it and formed all sorts of their own opinions.
She shuddered.
Finding out Liam and the others had known all along was embarrassing enough. She really didn’t need any more people finding out about the mess her love life was in and the way she’d screwed up a mate bond before she knew what was happening with it herself.
The thought of trying to explain to the likes of Trent just why she needed Robb’s number was enough to send a shiver down her spine. She was never going to hear the end of this, ever – and never mind what her own team would think about it. She’d complained about Robb and the gigantic stick up his arse enough times over the years that she was never going to live this down.
There’s something a little more than my wounded pride at stake here, though.
She knew she was right. As miserable as she was about Robb, she knew that she had other things to focus on. Like making sure the sanctuary stayed that way: a sanctuary.
She’d worked so hard to make this place safe, and the idea that it could be taken away made her blood run cold.
After all, Tahnee hadn’t just used her powers to make gold for the fun of it – she’d used the gold to purchase the most cutting-edge technology available and hiring the most skilled staff she could find, both in terms of defending against human tech and defending against shifters.
Still. She couldn’t help but be uneasy.
She’d always operated on an open basis, never asking anything of her visitors except for the fact that they didn’t tell anyone else about what they saw here. It was an operation built entirely on trust, and it had worked so far.
But what if some of the visitors she’d gotten to know over the years were Hargreaves agents, or someone else who was looking to cause harm? She’d always waved aside any concerns from her team, preferring to live life without feeling like she had to look over her shoulder… but now, she had to admit, maybe Robb’s paranoid approach had a tiny bit of merit to it. She was sure that if he had his way, he’d be setting up cameras and checking for matches between her guests and the Agency’s database.
And after all, some of the shifters who came through here had a truly astonishing range of powers. She wasn’t the only shifter in the world who could do something extraordinary. If Hargreaves overran the sanctuary, who knew what kind of destruction they could wreak if they captured her guests and harnessed their abilities?
Stop, she told herself firmly, as she felt the beginnings of anxiety beginning to build in her belly. Concentrate on the facts, and don’t get caught up in what-ifs.
And the only fact she really needed to know was that if it came down to it, she would gladly put her life on the line to defend this place. And the same was true of all her staff. They lived and breathed for the sanctuary.
She stood, staring out over the beautiful landscape she’d spent so much time painstakingly repairing.
Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.
Chapter 9
