Page 13 of Salvation
He could hear her. It was faint, but he caught every word. He couldfeelthe words, too, because she had a way of putting meaning into sound with unconscious cues that some sixth sense helped him pick up on.
A long, quiet moment passed as he marveled at that fact. His bear made satisfied, rumbling noises that vibrated in his chest.
Mine. Mate.
Having her there brought such a calm over him, even his bear’s words didn’t stress him out.
“Hi,” she whispered, suddenly shy. When she pulled her hand from his shoulder, he wanted to grab it and put it back. She twirled a finger in her hair for a moment then stuck her hand out, offering a shake. “I’m Anna.”
A faint memory started elbowing its way through the crowded mess that his mind had become, hooting and hollering from the back.I know her! I know her!
“Hi,” he whispered, wrapping his hand around hers and squeezing just enough to satisfy his bear’s urge to claim while gently enough not to crush.
Careful,his bear hollered.Don’t hurt her. Protect her.
It felt as if he’d been pulled out of a blizzard and thrown into a cozy cabin with a fireplace. He was dazed and content. The rest of the world felt distant and vague, but that was okay, too. Why not bask in this one hint of goodness for a little while?
He was about to close his eyes and do just that when an itch set in on the back of his neck. An itch that started to burn, especially when Anna’s eyes caught sight of something behind him and went wide. That perfect, expressive mouth frowned, and her nostrils flared. The acrid scent of fear washed off her.
He jumped to his feet and whirled, scanning the scene. What had frightened her? What danger was out there?
Using his left hand, he guided her back a step, and with his right, he did his best to pull without actually yanking her behind his back. Every hair on his body bristled as he tested the air and searched for who or what it might be. The tips of his bear fangs pushed at his gums.
My mate! You back the hell off!his bear roared in challenge to whoever it was out there, threatening her.
He bared his teeth — human teeth, if barely. Who was threatening this woman? Why?
A street-cleaning truck inched down the road, brushes whirring silently. Two men in suits strode out of the courthouse in the center of the park, jabbering into their cell phones. A group of people walked down the sidewalk beyond them, a blur of color and shape. Which one of them had alarmed her? Why?
The breeze was at his back, no help in teasing out a scent. He narrowed his eyes and studied one face after another, working his way across the park. Then his head whipped around just in time to see a man turn a corner and disappear from view. An average-size man in average-type clothes and brown hair. Shifter? Human? Damn it, he had nothing to go on there, and much as he wanted to chase the ass down and rattle a confession out of him, he wasn’t about to leave Anna alone.
He let out the loudest mental roar he’d ever tried, keeping it guarded — he hoped — from human ears while warning every shifter in a five-mile radius not to fuck with the woman behind him.
My woman! My mate!
“What did you see?” he demanded, turning back and taking her by both arms.
Her wide eyes darted between his face and the corner he’d seen the man disappear around.
“I’m not sure. Someone…”
He tilted his head to catch her words, then shook his head. He very nearly shook her, too, though he’d never, ever manhandle her. She was obviously faking a brave face — a forced smile he didn’t buy for one minute.
“I was probably just imagining it.” She shrugged, but the gesture was stiff.
Imagining what?he wanted to yell. What danger did she recognize? What enemy?
The breeze carried the distinct scent of alarmed bear from behind him. He turned to see Soren and Sarah hurry up.
What the hell happened?Soren barked into his mind. He took up position beside Todd, sheltering Anna and Sarah.
The two of them glared at the street corner long and hard. Almost hard enough to make the streetlamp uproot itself and flee, if a lamp were capable of such a thing. And for a moment, it felt like old times, when the two of them had worked together to keep their clan safe.
Todd took a deep breath, letting go of the last traces of animosity that had been clinging to his shoulders. Soren was family. Soren was clan. Nothing would drive them apart. Not even fate. They’d work together to wipe out any hint of trouble on their turf.
No, this wasn’t Montana. He was painfully aware of that. But this was Soren’s new turf, and Todd would defend it like it was his own.
Defend the turf, the clan, and most of all, the baby. He’d fight to the death if he had to.
