Page 24 of His Lost Mate

His expression softened, a flicker of something unguarded passing through his eyes. He crossed the cave in two steps. “I couldn’t have walked away if I tried,” he said, his voice rough but sincere. “You’re mine, Phoebe. Whether you like it or not.”

Her breath hitched, her gaze locking onto his. “And if I’m not ready to be?”

Jonah’s lips curved into a faint smile, one that carried an unmistakable promise as he shrugged. “We’ll cross that bridge when we have to, but in the spirit of transparency, I’m not letting you go.”

Phoebe wasn’t sure how to respond to him. She waited until they’d eaten, and then she sat cross-legged by the fire, her eyes flickering over Jonah as he finished packing the last of their meager supplies. His broad shoulders tensed beneath his shirt as he adjusted his pack, and though his movements were calm and deliberate, it was as if she could feel his thoughts.

They couldn’t keep running forever. Not like this.

She pulled her knees to her chest, the warmth of the fire doing little to chase away the cold dread coiling in her stomach.Jonah had shared everything with her—his secrets, his truth, and a part of himself he seemed to keep locked away from the rest of the world. Now she understood the stakes. If the men hunting them ever discovered what he was, it wouldn’t just be her life in danger. Jonah’s freedom—his very existence—would be on the line.

And the thought of losing him sent a sharp pang through her chest.

“We can’t keep this up,” Phoebe said finally, breaking the silence.

Jonah glanced at her, his eyes narrowing. “We don’t have a choice.”

“There’s always a choice,” she countered, straightening. “We’re not going to last much longer out here without outside help. We need reinforcements.”

Jonah’s jaw tightened, his presence overwhelming in the confined space of the cave. “Reinforcements? From where? You think the Air Force is just going to swoop in and save us?”

Phoebe met his gaze, refusing to back down. “It’s not about saving us. It’s about turning the tables. They sabotaged my plane, Jonah. They want the flight computer, and they’ll do anything to get it. But if I can get word to the right people—people I trust—we might have a chance to fight back. They might not care about me, but you can be damn sure they care about the flight computer.”

Jonah’s expression darkened, his hand resting on the ground beside her. “And how exactly do you plan to contact them? Send a smoke signal?”

Phoebe exhaled sharply, forcing herself to stay calm. “I still have my emergency locator beacon,” she said. “It’s encrypted, and if I activate it, it’ll send a distress signal directly to the Air Force. They’ll know I’m alive, and they’ll come looking.”

Jonah’s brows furrowed, his voice dropping. “You’ve had a locator beacon, and I’m just hearing about it now?”

“Turnabout is fair play. You didn’t mention you could shift into a snow leopard.”

“Not the same.”

“Yes, it is, and you know it.”

Jonah looked like he was going to argue, but then thought better of it. “You think the men chasing us won’t notice a signal like that?”

Phoebe hesitated, her stomach twisting. “It’s a risk,” she admitted. “But it’s better than waiting for them to catch up to us.”

Jonah’s gaze burned into hers, his frustration palpable. “You’re talking about bringing more people into this, Phoebe. People who don’t know what they’re walking into. Do you really trust them not to turn on us if they find out about me?”

Phoebe reached out, her hand brushing against his. “I have no intention of telling them. I trust myself,” she said softly. “And I trust you. If we don’t try, we’re both dead anyway.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I’m not sure how much longer I can go on, and you aren’t going to leave me. So if I go down, you’ll go down too. I don’t want that. Not if there’s a chance we can get help and survive this.”

“And then?”

“I don’t know, but if we don’t survive, it won’t matter.”

For a moment, Jonah didn’t move, his eyes searching hers. The tension between them was electric, the firelight casting shadows across his strong features. Finally, he exhaled, his shoulders relaxing slightly.

“Where’s the beacon?” he asked, his voice gruff.

Phoebe hesitated, opening one of the zippered pockets on her flight suit. She retrieved the small, handheld device, its casingscratched but intact. “It’s here,” she said, holding it up. “It’ll take a minute to activate, and once it’s live, we’ll have to move fast. The signal will draw attention from both sides.”

Jonah nodded, his jaw set. “Do it.”

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