Page 7 of Pregnant Kidnapped Mate

I nodded and was about to tell her to go ahead when another thought occurred to me. “I, uh, don’t have any clothes for you,” I said. “I can get some in town.”

For a moment, I thought she was going to argue with me or ask to go with me, and I was frantically trying to figure out an explanation for why that would be a terrible idea and why she should stay here. Because if she did go into town with me, she would know almost instantly that she was in a community of shifters. And I had no idea how the hell to explain that to her without giving away that I was one as well.

But whatever she was thinking about was preoccupying all her thoughts. She just nodded idly. “All right,” she said.

“Are you going to run?” I asked.

She laughed. “Of course not. I have no idea where I am or where I could go from here. Running into the woods without any idea where to go would basically be telling the wolf men that I was a meal on a silver platter.”

I tried not to wince. “Right,” I said. “Why don’t you make yourself comfortable, then?”

***

I’d never shopped for a woman before in my life. But I tried my best, trying to remember what Iris used to wear and what might look good on her.

I wandered awkwardly through some of the boutiques, grabbing a wide variety from off the rack. One of the perks of being in special ops is the generous pay, even after retirement, so money wasn’t an issue.

Even as I did this, I couldn’t keep the stupid smile off my face. Iris was here. She was in my house. After years of not seeing her, of wondering what had happened, of why she hadn’t shown up, I got to see her again. I hated the circumstances; she didn’t deserve to be treated the way her family had. And kidnapping her the way I had might have been a bit on the impulsive side. But she was here. She was with me, and I wanted to keep her with me for as long as possible.

Walking back through the cobblestoned town square, my eyes caught on Dan across the courtyard. I waved, and he trotted over.

“How’s it going, man?” Dan asked.

I shrugged. “It goes.” I had decided it was best not to mention Iris until things got a bit more sorted out. “How about you?”

“Not too shabby. Hey, I was thinking about going to Taps tonight for some drinks and maybe to pick up a girl. You interested?”

“Nah, not really.” I shrugged again, trying to figure out the best way to say no without arousing suspicion. “Thanks, though.”

“Aw, come on. Be my wingman.”

“I can’t.”

Dan frowned, folding his arms. “Why? Other plans?”

“Yeah. Look, Dan, I’ve got to get going. I’ve got things to do at home. If you want to hang out later, though, let me know. I’m always up for a hunt. I’m just busy today.”

Dan’s eyes narrowed, then flicked down to the bag. He snorted. “Anything to do with all those women’s clothes?” he asked. “I didn’t think you were into that type of thing.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re hilarious.” I tried to step around him, but Dan moved to block my path.

“Come on. Why won’t you just tell me what’s going on?”

“It’s a long story,” I said. I hadn’t realized how stubborn Dan could be until I was trying to tell him to knock it off. I bristled in annoyance as I tried to move past him, not wanting to make this any more complicated than it already was.

Dan’s lips curled in amusement, then his eyes widened. He leaned forward, sniffing, and his smirk turned into a scowl.

“Why the fuck do you smell like a human?” he demanded.

“Dan, just leave it.” I tried to side-step him, but he moved in front of me, hand going to my chest.

“Did you see that human girl again?” he asked.

“It’s none of your business.”

But that, apparently, was all he needed for confirmation. He took a step back, shaking his head in bewildered disgust.

“Unbelievable,” he said. “You’re wasting your time.”

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