Page 13 of Relentless Touch

That ship has already sailed.

* * * *

Izan sat back in his chair, enjoying his drink.

The office was quiet, which was why it was his favorite room. It had good wood and thick rugs, made with the kind of construction that ate sound and gave nothing back.

He’d built this. All of it. That mattered to him, even if no one else understood why it did.

Outside the tall windows, the mountain sat dark against a black sky. For twenty minutes Izan had been gazing at the landscape will he sat deep in thought.

Ameer was near the door, undoubtedly eager to hunt. The man was a loaded weapon with no safety and a hair trigger, which made him extraordinarily useful and occasionally exhausting.

“Sit,” Izan said.

“I’m fine.”

Izan glanced at his enforcer.

Ameer sat, his jaw set, his arms crossed over his broad frame. Jireh had already taken a chair near the window, quiet as always, which was why Izan trusted him with different things than he trusted Ameer.

Ameer was for breaking.

Jireh was for watching.

Lost in thought, Izan turned his glass on the desk, watching the light move through the amber.

Kevin. The delay was merely an inconvenience.

Izan wasn’t upset.

The impala had run. Found somewhere to land. He would get comfortable. That was what prey did when they thought they’d outrun the threat.

A smile curved Izan’s lips. The hunt had only just begun.

Chapter Four

Rio rolled over then cracked his eyes open to find an empty bed. The cold sheets on Kevin’s side told Rio he’d been gone at least an hour, maybe longer. Sunlight filtered through the curtains, painting stripes across the rumpled comforter where his mate should’ve been.

Rio sat up, running a hand over his face. His snow leopard paced restlessly, aware of the absence like a missing tooth.

Last night had been quiet. Too quiet. Kevin had lain beside him, breathing evenly but not sleeping—Rio had known the difference—and sometime before dawn, he’d slipped out without a sound.

Smart move, actually. Leaving while Rio slept meant no goodbyes, no awkward conversations, no chance for Rio to talk him into staying.

Except Kevin didn’t know Rio well enough yet to understand that his snow leopard could track that pull across half the state if necessary. Distance wouldn’t sever their bond.

Rio showered quickly, letting hot water beat against his shoulders while his mind worked through possibilities. Kevin had bolted. Fine. People ran when they were scared, and Kevin had every reason to be wary after what Izan had done. But running didn’t make him safe. It just made him alone.

After dressing, he grabbed his keys and headed for the Escalade. Morning air bit cold against his face. His phone was already in his hand.

Zeppelin answered on the second ring. “Little early for a social call.”

“Got a problem,” Rio said, climbing into the driver’s seat. “Wolf shifter named Izan. Assaulted someone in a club parking lot forty-five minutes from here then chased them into Crimson Hollow.”

“They still breathing?”

“For now.” Rio started the engine and pulled out of his driveway. “Izan backed off when his target made it to town, but I don’t trust it. Feels like a retreat, not a surrender.”