Page 57 of Hunted

The thoughts were ugly and intrusive, and Luke fought them off with some effort.

He was still holding Abigail’s hand, and they were in a more deserted part of the compound.

Suddenly, Luke pulled her into his arms.

Their lips met fiercely, desperately.

Luke put all of himself, all of his love and his fear for Abigail, into the kiss. He put all his anger at Christian into it and kissed her until they were both gasping for air and clawing at one another.

“Listen to me,” he said when he pulled away. His voice was rough. “If it comes to it, if something happens to me, be happy with Dominic. And remember, I love you.”

Abigail caressed his face, staring into his eyes. “I really love you, too.”

Chapter 25

Luke

Somethinginthewayshe’d looked at Luke after he made that declaration told him she was conflicted. Sure, she had feelings for Dominic, but now that he had come back into her life when he shouldn’t have even been ousted from it obviously changed things.

Yet he meant every word.

The only thing that mattered to him was that she was safe and happy and could get on with the life she deserved. He didn’t know whether he’d ever get over what his father had done to her, like the shame belonged to him, even though it wasn’t his fault.

“It’s one big mess, huh?” she murmured.

They walked now, hand in hand, back to a nearby cabin where Abby had decided he needed to be—safely tucked away to heal from what he’d just been through. He couldn’t deny he was feeling the effects of the fight, but those wounds and that pain were nothing compared to what he felt in his heart.

“I’m so sorry for all of this,” he said as they approached the cabin. “What my father did, who he’s become. I mean—”

“Stop,” She cut him off. “You’re not your father, Luke. You never were. And now that he’s…”

“You can say it,” he replied, knowing she was just trying to spare his feelings.

“Now that he’s gone feral, there’s nothing you can do. It’s not your fault.”

He inhaled deeply, trying to let her words and the intentions behind them settle into his system. But they wouldn’t. “It’s not that I don’t know that,” he tried to explain. “Rationally I can make sense of it, but that doesn’t change my feelings.”

It was the best way he could let her know how it was for him. He was a smart guy after all, a lawyer! That meant that he understood logic, but he also recognized that for people, emotions often trumped reason. This was even more true for shifters. Not only did they have to navigate human emotions, but they also grappled with the potent instincts of the wolf inside each one of them.

“I know, I get it,” she replied. “And I know there’s nothing I can say that can take away those feelings from you no matter how hard I want to. All I can do is tell you that I don’t blame any of this on you, and I know the only thing you share with your father is DNA and your history. You’re not like him. Youneverwill be.”

Her words did manage to land somewhere inside him that desperately needed them, though he knew he had a long way to go to rid himself of the shame and stigma his father had brought to him. There was also the inevitable fear that he would become feral as well one day, if that’s the road his father found himself on.

No, I can’t go there.

“Anyway, come on, enough of this,” she announced as they climbed the cabin steps. “You’ve just been through a lot, and you need to go inside and climb into bed to rest up.”

She was right. He knew that, but he was only willing to do it if she was with him. “On one condition.” He opened the door and they stepped inside.

“Lay out your terms, Mr. Bigshot Lawyer,” she said, teasing him.

He put his arms around her waist and smiled down at her. “That you get in with me.”

“Oh, I see. It’s like that, is it?” she murmured as he leaned down and kissed her.

“It most definitely is,” he replied softly against her lips. “I’ve missed you so much. I thought I’d never see you again.” It all came rushing at him—his fear of losing her, his love for her, and the desire that seemed to be heightened since finding her.

“In that case…” she said, kicking the door closed behind her. “But I still need to look after you.” She pushed gently at his chest. “Now, undress and get into bed.”

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