Page 45 of Alistair

Such a shocking event that it had caused her to pass out.

She looked at the elephant.

Alistair.

She could feel a connection to him, even though he wasn’t a man right now.

She rose to her feet and said, “I want to touch him.”

“He’s your soulmate,” Novi said. She gave Maggie an encouraging smile. “You can do whatever you’d like.”

“Well, except run away,” Kelley said. “We need you to stick around, and we need to know that you understand how serious it is that no one—and we meanno one—finds out the truth about shifters.”

She looked at the five people who stood watching her. They were younger than her, but there was wisdom in their words. The weight of the truth was suddenly heavy on her shoulders.

If humans found out about shifters, it would be a disaster. Humans in general didn’t like things that were different, and there probably wasn’t much out there that was more different than a human who could turn into an animal.

“What other animals are there?” she asked.

“In the park we have wolves, lions, bears, and gorillas, plus a few others that have come in as mates, like Rhapsody,” Kelley said. “There are human mates too, and we can get you together with them so you can talk to them about what it’s like to keep this secret from your family. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it. Our people are a family, and not just because we’re related. The whole park is a family that watches out for each other.”

“I understand.”

“We’ll give you a little privacy so you can talk to Alistair,” Cael said. “You’ve got until about ten-thirty, and then he’ll have to head into the maintenance shed so he’s not trapped in his shift all day during the VIP tours.”

“Okay. What about you guys?”

“We’ll stick around so we can answer any questions you have,” Rhapsody said. “The guys have to change forms an hour before the tours. I told Luna that I’d be back in an hour so she could go work at the petting zoo, but Novi will stick with you ifyou want, plus the guys so they can answer any questions you have.”

“Thanks.”

She waited until she was alone with Alistair and then she moved cautiously to him.

He reached his trunk toward her slowly, and she reached out and touched it. His skin was warm and rough, and he was so huge that she had to crane her neck to see his head.

“So I thought you were keeping something from me all along, and I was right. I had no idea it would be something like this.” She ran her hand lightly up and down his trunk, finding that just touching him made her feel more grounded and in control of her wild emotions.

Part of her, a very small part, wanted to run away screaming and not stop until she was far, far away. But the rest of her knew that Alistair was the man who had her heart. Just because he was an elephant didn’t mean that he wasn’t still the same man who had stood up for her with her ex and rocked her world so expertly the night before.

She’d been waiting such a long time to find a guy like him. Someone she could trust and open her heart to.

“I want to be mad at you because you kept this from me,” she said softly. “But I understand how serious it is that the secret of your people needs to stay a secret.”

He grunted and swung his trunk around to cup her waist. He dragged her against his leg and she laughed as she realized he was trying to hug her. Wrapping her arms around his thick leg, she rested her cheek against his warm skin. “I’m not mad, I promise. I knew you were special; I just couldn’t imagine it would be something like this.”

She stood in his embrace for a minute, then she stepped away and said, “We’ve got a while before we have to go into the shed, right? Can we walk around?”

He nodded, his ears flapping with the motion.

“Do you want some company?” Kelley called.

“Sure,” she said. “I have some questions.”

She looked up at Alistair and held onto his trunk, which he curled around her hand. “I love you. I also can’t believe I passed out.”

He let out a little laugh and she grinned.

The others joined them and they trekked around the entire paddock several times while she asked questions about being shifters and they answered candidly. She even had a chance to ride on Alistair’s back for a while, which was the most spectacular thing she’d ever done.

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