Page 28 of Gone Hunting

Mom’s always buying packs of socks and underwear to donate to women’s shelters. I hope Celia doesn’t take offense to it. I’d never want her to feel disrespected or uncomfortable.

I rub my face, trying to clear my head. I don’t know how I ended up in Celia’s bed or why her tigress allowed me in. It says a lot that her greatest protector would trust me and my wolf. Still, it scares the blazes out of me, too—no matter how much I loved waking up beside her.

Love?

Whoa.

I hop down the steps and into my family room. Koda is already going to town in the kitchen, making breakfast. It’s the one meal we can all sort of cook.

Liam perks up when he sees me, lifting his hand in a high-five. “My man.”

“Ouch,” he says, when I smack him upside the head.

“Not another word, Liam,” I warn.

I throw open the door to the fridge and reach for the orange juice. Like everything else, it’s still cold.

If Mom were home, she’d set the table all pretty and pour the juice into one of her flowery pitchers. I slam the plastic gallon of juice in the center of the table and place the plates, utensils, and a stack of napkins in a pile.

Gemini places five glasses on the table, his solemn expression snagging my attention.

“Can I talk to you outside?”

His voice is gruff, serious, bordering on melancholy. I shouldn’t feel as guilty as I do, especially since I met Celia first. But Gem’s been my best friend since we started grade school. He and his family had just moved here from Japan. Gemini didn’t speak a word of English. But he knew how to play and that was good enough for me.

We walk out to the terrace in silence, but not before Koda shoots us a sharp look. He thinks we’re about to throw down. I hope he’s wrong.

I slam the door in Liam’s face when he tries to follow. “You’re only going to talk about this with Gemini?” he asks.

I almost answer yes. But I’m not sure I’m ready to tell Gemini what happened. He leans his back against the railing and crosses his arms. I assume the same pose I did last night when I stepped out here with Celia, leaning heavily on my forearms and looking out across the wooded property.

“Did you hurt her?” Gemini asks.

Fury should blind me. It doesn’t. Not when his tone is this sad and quiet. “No.”

“You were both ready and willing?” He shakes his head slowly when I don’t answer. “You’re young, Aric. For all we’ve talked about females and when we might pursue them, this seems too soon.”

“That’s ’cause it is,” I agree. I’m not ready to have sex with anyone. Not even Celia.

He turns to face me. “We didn’t do anything, Gemini. She locked the door to my bedroom, barricaded it to keep me out, and went to bed.”

“Then why did we find you like we did?”

I shrug. “She thinks her tigress let me in.”

“Let you in?” he asks. “Or your wolf?”

“That’s a good question,” I mumble, flicking an acorn from the railing. “I don’t have tochangeto better connect with my wolf. Celia does.” I crack my knuckles. “And from what she said, she can’t maintain her tigress form while she sleeps.”

“Then it was your beasts who connected. On a spiritual level,” he clarifies when my eyes all but bulge from my head.

Gemini doesn’t laugh much, but he does then. As our chuckles fade, his more serious persona returns. “I didn’t really think you’d hurt her.”

I smile without humor. “Then why’d you ask?”

“It didn’t look good,” he admits, brushing the brittle pine needles that litter the terrace with his foot. “I could sense her sadness long before we entered the room. And when I saw her clothes…” He sighs. “Ican’tlet anything happen to her.”

My spine stiffens and my wolf comes to full attention. “Look, I know you like her, but I won’t hurt her or allow anyone else to.”

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