I nuzzled her neck, breathing in cinnamon and woodsmoke. “Is that what they teach you in mercenary school?”
She twisted in my arms, the pendant clutched in one hand as she faced me. I fell back against the stone ledge, savoring her weight as she crawled up my body.
“Among other things.” She pressed her lips to mine, a slow, lingering kiss that made my cock stir. When she pulled back, a playful glint lit her amber eyes. “Though bringing someone back to my safe space wasn’t covered in training.”
“Not surprised.” I ran my hands down her sides, delighting in the way she shivered against me. “I’m sure your training also contained lessons on avoiding detection, and, well, here we are...”
Her cheeks darkened, the red of her skin deepening to crimson. “I have a confession to make.” The tip of her tail flicked once, twice, as she sat upright. “Technically, this is my first field mission.”
“Your first...” I sat up straighter, amusement bubbling through me. “You’re telling me you’ve never done this before?”
“I’ve trained my whole life,” she shot back, defensive. “Combat, tactics, intelligence gathering. I can disarm a man twice my size and hit a target at fifty paces.”
“But you’ve never actually been in the field.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “I was supposed to be finishing my final semester of college right now. International relations with a focus on diplomatic security.”
I couldn’t help it—I laughed. Not at her, exactly, but at the situation. At the fierce, determined woman who’d dragged me through hell and back, who’d faced down armed thugs and jumped into danger without hesitation, all while fumbling through her first real mission.
“This has not gone at all how I planned.”
“Youhad a plan?” Her lips twitched toward a smile.
“Step one: introduce myself to the gorgeous new girl at the vintage booth. Step two: charm her with my witty conversation. Step three: convince her to let me buy her dinner.” I counted off on my fingers. “Instructions unclear, I failed at step two, and have somehow embroiled myself in a life of crime. With a dropout, no less.”
“Not a dropout! Just… delayed.” She winced and ducked her head. “With a few strategic failings to maximize my time away from home.”
“It explains a lot,” I said, wiping tears from my eyes. “The way you keep getting caught. The dramatic escapes. You’ve made some interesting choices.” I caught her hand, bringing it to my lips. “Though I can’t complain about where they’ve led.”
“Fuck off,” she growled, but there was no real heat in it. “My brothers never let me participate in operations. I was always the princess to be protected and married off to Javed. This missionwas my one chance to prove I’m more than a political bargaining chip.”
The possibility of losing her again didn’t sit well in my chest. One night of misadventure wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough to satisfy this hunger that had been building since the moment I caught her scent.
“Biggest mistake of their lives.” I forced myself to stay casual, stroking a hand down her back. “You’ve got more guts than most seasoned warriors I know. Hell, you tracked down a stolen artifact, infiltrated a criminal operation, and saved my life. Not bad for a first mission.”
But her mission was over now. She had the pendant, proof of Lydia’s crimes. There was nothing keeping her in Silvermist Falls.
Nothing tying her to me.
Except fate. And my determination not to lose her so fucking easily.
“So what happens now?” I asked carefully, gauging her response.
She sighed, pressing her forehead against mine. “First, I need to contact my brothers. Warn them about Javed’s betrayal and Lydia’s involvement.” She ticked points off on her fingers. “Then I need to get the pendant somewhere secure. And finally, I need to figure out how to not get murdered by a psychotic prince before I can do either of those things.”
“Simple,” I teased, though the thought of her in danger made my blood run cold.
“Our phones are waterlogged, and I doubt even a jar of rice will save them now.” She glanced toward the curtain of water, brows shooting together. “My cover’s blown, and Lydia might have someone waiting anywhere I know well enough to teleport to here in Silvermist. Javed was with my brothers as of last night, so home is out of the question, too.”
“Come to Grimstone,” I said, the solution so obvious it tripped out of my mouth without a second thought. “My clan can offer protection while we regroup. Phones work just as well there as anywhere else. Mostly. You might need to move around a bit for the best signal.”
She hesitated, suspicion flickering across her features. “Why would your clan help me?”
“Because I’ll ask them to.” I met her gaze steadily. “The Sombra don’t turn away those in need, especially not mates of clan members.”
“We’re not—” She stopped, exhaling sharply. “This bond doesn’t change anything. I still have to leave.”
“I know.” Knowing didn’t mean accepting. “But you don’t have to leave today. And you don’t have to leave alone.”
