Page 17 of August

She’d fallen asleep on the couch with her head in his lap. He’d carried her to his bed but didn’t join her because she hadn’t asked him to and they hadn’t done more than kiss.

She was hiding something, he was sure of it, and he was very damn sure that she was going to run the moment he looked away. She might feel safe with him in the park on the surface, but in her heart she was scared her grandfather was going to get to her.

He figured, too, that part of her anxiety was because of him.

They were soulmates, and that meant that her grandfather could use him to get to her, the way he’d done with the others in her family.

His phone buzzed, and he saw a text from Atticus asking how things were going.

August checked to see if his sweetheart was still sleeping and then stepped out onto the porch, closing the door quietly. He swung down to the ground on the steel beams that were covered in material to look like branches with leaves.

Atticus whistled at him from outside his own home, and August walked over and swung up onto the porch.

“You okay?” Atticus asked.

“I think she’s going to run the second I take my eyes off her if we’re topside. I can’t keep her locked up forever, but damn I want to.”

Atticus opened the door to his home, and August walked in. “Lori’s watching a movie in the other room, so we don’t have to worry about disturbing her.” They sat on the couch, and August scrubbed a hand through his hair.

“She doesn’t feel safe here. I think she’s worried that her grandfather might take me out to get to her or use me to draw her out. I spent the whole day telling her how safe it is here, but the truth is that jackals got into the park once already that we know of, plus she already knows they’re watching the park.” He shrugged, angry. “How can I convince her that I can keep her safe when I nearly lost her before we even met?”

Atticus nodded. “I understand how you’re feeling. I went through that with Lori and her ex, the polar bear. We have made changes to the security in the park, and underground here is the very safest place for you both. But you’re right, it’s not fair to keep her locked up like that forever.”

“Do you have any suggestions?”

“Just that you have to give her time. Eventually she’ll realize that going out on her own isn’t safe. There’s safety in numbers, not solitude. Going on the run on her own would be a terrible decision, and she has to know that you’d follow her anyway.”

“Damn straight.”

Atticus’s lips quirked in a smile. “How about this: tomorrow, you can take her around the park with some of the security guys and they’ll explain the improvements we’ve made to security since the jackals broke in before we opened when they were looking for her. Give her a chance to see for herself what we’re doing to keep everyone safe. Because yes, her grandfather is coming after her, but we also need to make sure all of our people are safe.”

August agreed. “I’ll message Jupiter and ask him to set up a tour for us tomorrow; maybe Mercer and Rhomi can come with us too. It would be good for Ginny to see her again, since she’s the reason Rhomi now knows shifters are real.”

“Good point.”

August said goodnight to his alpha and left, walking the short distance back to his home. He checked in on Ginny once more, watching her as she slept and listening to her soft, even breathing.

“I’m going to keep you safe, I promise,” August whispered.

The following day, August made breakfast for Ginny in the house and then, as they were cleaning up the dishes together, he said, “I’ve got a surprise for you.”

“Oh?” she asked.

“Yep. We’re going for a little walk.”

She looked at him, her hands stilling under the soapy water in the sink. “What do you mean?”

“I’ve got a few people on the security team who are going to walk the park with us and talk about the upgrades to the security systems around the park.”

She turned her head back to look at the sink, picking up a plate and giving a rinse. “What for?”

“Because I want you to know how safe you are here. When those males came looking for you, we realized there were vulnerabilities. The security team upgraded things to make it safer in the park.”

“I don’t want to keep upsetting everything because of my grandfather.”

“You’re not upsetting everything. Those males were assholes, no doubt, but they also showed weaknesses in our security, so in a way it’s a good thing. I mean, not that they tried to find you, but that we were able to make it safer.”

She set the plate in the drainer and wiped her hands on a towel. She turned to face him, folding her arms across her chest. “You think I’m going to run.”

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