Page 10 of August

She opened both eyes and blinked rapidly a few times. Staring at him intently, she inhaled softly and her eyes flashed to amber, then back to a deep forest green.

“I… where did they go?”

“They fled,” Jupiter said, brushing his hands off on his jeans. “We need to get the hell back to the park before they decide to come after us again.”

“I can’t go back there,” she said. “It’s not safe for anyone.” She met August’s gaze. “It’s not safe for you.”

She was worried about him? His gorilla was absolutely in love with her right that very second.

“It’s not safe for you, period,” Jupiter said. “In case you didn’t realize it, the jackals came to the park looking for you and nearly hurt the mate of one of our people. You were surrounded by them and about to be abducted until we got here. You might be strong and independent, but don’t add idiot to the list.”

Her eyes flashed angrily, but then her mouth turned down and her eyes went glossy. She crumbled, like the adrenaline coursing through her finally dissipated. August grabbed her before she hit the ground, pulling her against his chest and holding her close.

She tucked herself against him, her face in his neck and her fingers twisting in his fur.

“Let’s go,” Jupiter said. “August, you can lay down in the back of the SUV and I’ll drive. Someone needs to drive the SUV that Ginny brought here.”

“I’ll do it,” Benjamin said.

Jupiter nodded. “Let’s roll out.”

August carried Ginny in his arms back to the road, keeping an eye out for her attackers. Once they reached the road, he didn’t leave the trees until Jupiter had the back of the SUV open and the coast was clear.

Someone put the second row of seats down so August could fit. He set Ginny in the back and then crawled in with her, tucking his feet up so the back door could shut.

Ginny sniffled and wiped at her wet cheeks.

She gave him a watery smile. “August?”

He nodded with a low hoot.

“Th-thank you,” she said in between hiccups, taking in a deep breath and shivering. She snuggled into him, resting her cheek on his arm. He put a hand on her hip and gave it a light squeeze. “I’m so tired. And scared.”

“I’m sure August would tell you that he’ll keep you safe, Ginny,” Jupiter said from the front seat, “and our people will help.”

She looked up at him and he nodded.

“Okay.”

August wasn’t sure she really believed them, but he was going to do his level best to ensure she was safe. Nothing was more important than his soulmate.

He couldn’t believe how close he’d come to nearly losing her.

He’d make sure that never happened again.

Ginny didn’t remember falling asleep, but she did remember feeling something that was very close to safe for the first time since her grandfather had started down his murderous path. August, as a gorilla, was super warm and his dark fur was so soft.

The last thing she remembered was looking into his amber eyes and knowing that he’d dropped out of the sky to save her, even though she hadn’t even spoken one single word to him.

As she slowly woke from the rest she hadn’t meant to take but had so very much needed, she thought over the feelings her jackal was humming in her mind.

Soulmate.

August was Ginny’s, and that put him in danger of being used by her grandfather to get to her. But gorillas were much, much larger than jackals, and maybe August was the sort of male who wasn’t going to let her walk away from him.

Because she already didn’t want to.

Opening her eyes, she stared up at a white ceiling. She was sure she was lying on a bed, a blanket covering her. Her hands were on her stomach, the fuzzy blanket soft under her fingers.

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