Page 63 of Callen's Captive
Kate’s hand slid into Callen’s, startling him. The tension from the fight and the frustration of leaving his enemies behindalivestarted to melt away immediately. He tightened his fingers around hers. Life seemed so simple at that moment. All he needed was to have Kate at his side, and somehow the rest would work itself out.
He glanced over at her. That confused expression of hers seemed so incongruous with the woman who had basically just told Chitman to go fuck himself. Damien would have laughed at that. Hayden too, for that matter. The confrontation was one more thing Callen would have to tell Damien about. Knowing Chitman, the shifter would be too much of a coward to tell Drake the truth of what happened. Damien and his pack could be in for some border skirmishes.
“Here, let me take that,” Callen said, swinging her backpack onto his shoulder. At some point, she had slid the gun back into a plastic bag in her backpack. He was starting to understand why the pack was so damn heavy. There was a hell of a lot more in there than chargers and tampons.
“So, a gun.” He was glad she had a weapon to protect herself, but he wasn’t pleased she had pulled it on Chitman. Callen had allowed Chitman’s thug draw him away when he should have stayed with Kate. Twice now, Callen’s lack of focus could have resulted in harm to her. And earlier. . . going down on her like that in enemy territory. . . He hadn’t been thinking, not with his head at least.
“Not exactly the type of protection I need with you.”
“Huh? Oh. Condoms. Funny.”
She rolled her eyes. “Hilarious, I know. I’m a natural comedian.”
“Are we going to talk about this?”
“You said you didn’t want to.”
“I don’t want to talk about that asshole Shitman.”
“Chitman,” she corrected.
“That’s what I said.” She laughed. God, he so needed to hear her laugh.
“Earlier, when I said you’re special, I meant it in a good way. Believe me, Princess, when you’re finally ready, I’ll go slow, make it as good for you as I can.”
“But I want—”
“I heard you before. You want me to treat you like every other woman. Trust me, the first time you’ll want slow, but the second time. . . Hell, I plan to spread you out like a Thanksgiving dinner and feast on your delectable body.”
“Promise?”
“If you promise to tell me when you don’t like something, or you want to stop. I’m good at reading people, usually, but I don’t want to guess with you and do something that will hurt you. I want the truth from you. Always.”
Hell, he felt like such a hypocrite all of a sudden.
“Deal,” she said, as she leaned into his side. His wolf and he both calmed, enjoying the feel of her against him, the knowledge that she was his.
Several times over the next two hours, as they passed from Drake’s territory into Damien’s, Kate squeezed his hand so hard he knew she was battling her anxiety. She had witnessed her parents killed in the woods, and he was dragging her deeper and deeper into the forest. If he were to have a life with her, it would have to be in a town, or maybe on a property that bordered the woods. The idea of leaving his pack forever was too daunting to consider, but he couldn’t subject her to being out here long term. He really needed to talk to Damien or Blade—if his friend was still alive.
Callen stopped, and Kate’s free hand lightly brushed his elbow to get his attention. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
They’d already stopped several times for him to hold her when she had started to panic, but this time he needed a moment, and he couldn’t explain it to her. A man should be able to explain these things to a mate, shouldn’t he?
He gazed down at her sweet face. His wolf was pushing him to go faster, to get her home to the pack where she’d be safe, but she wasn’t used to the terrain or the altitude.
“I’m not sure,” he answered. Another lie, but he didn’t want to worry her. His patrols should have confronted them by now. There were no howls, no one greeting him, and no scent that anyone had been here recently. He’d been with Frank, Anna, and Blade for nearly a month, and then he’d been with Kate over a week. Six weeks since he’d been home. Mason was in charge of the guards during Callen’s absence, but there was no way he would have pulled patrols from the shared border between Damien’s and Drake’s packs. Callen had trained Mason better than that.
Kate squeezed his hand. She was starting to stare at the surrounding a bit too intently.
“Sorry, Princess. You can relax. We crossed into my territory a few minutes ago. Drake’s patrols won’t cross the border without cause.”
“Then why do you still look worried?”
“Someone should have met us by now.”
“How much territory do your patrols have to cover?”
“A few hundred square miles.”
