Alifair blinked, leaving her eyes shiny with emotion. “I was raised to fear shifters, which colored my view of them. I never expected to meet one with honor. You have challenged my beliefs. I was sure you’d race out of here the minute you were free to escape, not use critical time trying to take me with you.”
She was wrong. A man of honor would not leave her here.
Titan’s words flowed through his mind.She said to stay is to put her at risk.
You’re right, Bosse conceded.
Alifair straightened her back, all business again. “When you reach the shipping port on the Adriatic Sea, I think you can find a ship headed to America, and your wolf can stow away. Do not stop running until you find a safe place to live.”
He stepped up until they were at eye level with each other. “Thank you for your trust. You have mine and a vow to help you in any way you ever need.”
She licked her lips, and her heartbeat picked up.
Oh, hell. She could tempt a statue to life.
He leaned in, put an arm around her, and kissed her again. This might be the last time he’d ever hold heaven in his arms. He would have stopped after one kiss, but she gripped his shoulders and kissed him in return with enough heat to send his brain tumbling off the nearest cliff.
She trembled but not with fear this time.
Why had he met this woman now and not when he’d lived as a free man?
He knocked that thought away. When had he truly been free? Life with a pack had been confining, and then he ended up in this castle.
Still wrapped up with her, Alifair made a tiny sound that reached inside him, shaking his resolve to do the right thing. If this woman were sending him into a trap, he was going willingly.
We must go, Titan urged.I hear someone rustling.
That reminded Bosse that he owed freedom to Titan as well.
He broke the kiss, breathing deeply. “My wolf says we must hurry.”
Her eyes widened. She looked at his chest as if she could see the wolf inside him.
He would never ask for another thing if he could take her with him, but that would clearly not happen.
Alifair whispered, “Guards up here in the main hall should still be asleep, but I could not put the servants to sleep with them in different rooms. You must be careful and go now.”
He ran his thumb over her soft cheek. “Take care with your life. It pains me to leave you, but I will do as you ask.”
She slowly pulled away from his arms, which now felt empty. Walking on soft steps, she wove her way toward a hall set along the side of the main staircase going up to the next level. She’d said she slept under the stairs.
Looking back, she pointed to the left and mouthed,Tunnel. Go!Then she turned in the opposite direction, took two more steps, and stopped.
When she looked back again, he hadn’t moved.
His feet were as heavy as two boulders holding him in place, and he had a sick feeling that he was making a huge mistake leaving her behind.
Giving him a stern look, she waved him off and mouthed,Please!
What a warrior she would make.
He winked and nodded. As soon as she was out of sight, he turned and moved silently past guards sleeping along the wall. He crossed the wide room to the kitchen, made sure no one was in there, then hurried to the stone stairs she’d told him would lead to the tunnel.
Of course, it had to be below this level. His skin itched at the idea of being caught underground again.
Racing down the steps, he entered a chaotic storage room with boxes of supplies stacked in random areas. The smell of mildew and rat feces layered over scents of flour and stored vegetables. Ignoring everything except finding a stack of old wine casks, he squeezed through tight spots and moved what he could out of the way.
I smell vinegar, Titan told him.
