“Three days, right?”
He blinked at me. “Three days?”
“For us. For just us, before it all comes crashing down,” I told him. I clung to his hand harder and curled up against his chest as he nosed through my hair. “I’m in too.”
His grip on me tightened to the point of painful, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Chapter
Twenty-One
DANYAL
We landed shortly after. It was broad daylight and surprisingly warm. It felt almost too vulnerable, in spite of not being able to sense danger around us. That was probably the most disconcerting part. The country was on the edge of another war, a tyrant was trying to seize power, but everything was just…getting on.
People were working on the strip nearby, a handful of men were patching potholes, a few of the rich humans were inside the hangar talking about their latest flights.
I didn’t know why I had expected a warzone, but the peace of it was throwing me off.
“You’ll need to hit full Wolf speed the moment you take off,” Arturo said, and he nodded his head to a small brick building off the side of the main hangar. “You can leave your shit in there and I’ll collect it. I’m flying out of here in about twenty minutes. It’ll give you enough time to cover the distance, and I’ll know if you need help.”
Mikael released my hand and startled both Arturo and me when he took the other Wolf into an embrace. Pulling back, he spoke in a long string of Spanish that made Arturo soften, then nod. I swore I heard the name Ivan there, but I would ask about that later.
Too much had happened. It felt like an entire lifetime had passed since I was in Kasher’s compound, and there was still so much we didn’t know.
Extending my hand, Arturo took it and squeezed, then he popped the hatch and I followed Mikael onto the tarmac and along a slow, easy stroll toward the building. The tension was enough to make my muscles hurt, and at that point, I couldn’t wait for the shift.
It was the only way I would feel safe.
“Are you sure you know where to go?” I asked him.
He quirked a brow at me as he opened the door to a small changing room, but he didn’t seem offended. “Trust me. It’s this, and then it’s three days.”
Three days to make him mine—however that was going to look. And then we prepared to fight.
I shook myself out of my thoughts, only to find an entirely naked Mikael standing in front of me with his hands on his hips. I realized that even in Paris when we’d spent time lounging together, I hadn’t appreciated his body. And now wasn’t the time, but I still drank him in, taking a single step forward so I could drag the flat of my palm down his torso.
“Like what you see?” he asked, but his smirk was hiding a small surge of insecurity.
I wished I had time to make him feel as wanted as he was, but we had to run. Grabbing my shirt by the hem, I pulled it over my head, then struggled out of my shoes and pants. Kicking them to the side where Mikael had piled his own, I eased my body against his and surged up to kiss him.
“I’ll show you how much once we make it safely.” It was a promise I intended to keep.
He groaned, kissed me back hard, then shoved me away. “Let’s go. We’re almost done.”
We were far from almost done, but it didn’t matter. I dropped into a crouch, leaning into the shift, feeling my body contort faster than I preferred to slip into my wolf. I ached still from the fight, but I was rested.
I would be fast.
Mikael’s black snout nosed the door open, and he gave me a single, glowing yellow stare before he shot out ahead of me, and I pushed into my speed to follow.
Just like the run in France, I barely noticed the scenery whipping by. All that mattered was his scent and trusting his direction. I was half aware of cars that were near, of human hearts, of the occasional Wolf, but they remained unaware of us.
Danger wasn’t nipping at our heels.
If we had luck on our side today, no one would be waiting for us.
We entered a thick forest a few moments into the run, and Mikael kept a punishing pace for so long, I was sure I was going to run out of power. But just as I started to lag, he slowed. I matched his pace, catching my breath as it huffed from my chest, and I saw him lift his nose toward the sky.