Page 16 of Until Forever Comes
His jaw dropped and he gaped at me. “How is it that you don’t fear me?”
I thought about his question. I’d come upon him right after he’d fed from humans until they lay unconscious at his feet. I’d seen him nearly eviscerate my pack mates. Even the other vampires were scared of him. But to me, he’d been caring and tender, and when push came to shove, that was what I considered important.
“You’ve never given me cause to fear you, Miguel.”
His eyes softened and he kissed my forehead. “I’m glad you feel that way, wolf, but you should be afraid. Just being here is dangerous. The men you saw earlier? The ones who tied me up? They’re coming back.”
“You can recognize their voices from this distance?” I asked, amazed by his strength.
“You heard them too,” he pointed out.
And I realized he was right. We heard the vampires at the same moment. I just hadn’t spent enough time with them to be able to identify them, but maybe if I knew them as well as Miguel….
“Ethan, I need you to take your clothes and leave. They’re not stable, they’re in a group, and if something happens to you….” He shook his head, his expression pained. “Please,” he said. “I need to know you’re safe. I realize that doesn’t make sense, but I just—”
But it made perfect sense. I was his mate, and though he was trying to deny it, he could feel the bond, same as me. He didn’t want to see me hurt. And the man wondered why I didn’t fear him? I grinned inwardly.
“Where’s your den?” I asked him.
He was shaking out my clothes, but paused in reaction to my question. “I don’t… what?”
“Your den.”
My shirt was pulled on over my head. “I’m a vampire,” he said as he dressed me. “We don’t have dens.” My underwear and pants were next. “We’ve been over this.”
“Well, all right, then, what do you call your house?”
“My….” He shook his head. “Listen, we don’t have time to keep talking about this.” He shoved my shoes onto my feet and then stood, pulling me up with him. “You need to go.”
“That’s what I’m rightly trying to do,” I said. “I’d be havin’ an easier time of it if you would tell me where you live.”
“Why?” he asked, his tone making his exasperation clear. The hands flying up clued me in too.
“Because the sun’s coming up soon.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning that’s where you’re going to be during daylight, and I’m fixin’ to stay by your side.”
He shook his head and dragged his fingers through his hair. “Wolf, you need to leave. Go home.”
“I am home.”
“I already told you that I’m nobody’s home!” he said forcefully through gritted teeth.
I didn’t bother responding, I just looked straight at him and didn’t flinch when he growled and paced back and forth in front of me. The voices had been getting louder, and I knew the vampires would be walking in any minute. Apparently, Miguel came to the same conclusion, because he grabbed my bicep and pulled me toward the end of the room, close to where I’d entered, rescuing my knapsack from where I’d dropped it on the way. Without releasing me, he pulled a key out of his pocket, unlocked a door, and flung it open.
“There.” He pointed to a set of stairs leading down into the dark. “That’s where I’m staying. It isn’t clean, it isn’t romantic, and it isn’t permanent.” He gave me a pointed look, and I knew he was talking about more than his living space. “But we’re out of time, so for now, it’s the safest place for you.”
He released me and slipped the strap of my knapsack over my shoulder. I took a step down.
“Ethan,” he said, his voice softer.
I turned around.
“Can you recognize my scent from a distance?”
I’d never been able to scent as well as other shifters, but then again, I’d never been able to release my wolf. Since I’d started shifting, I’d noticed a change, an improvement. But even without my wolf senses, I had no doubt I’d know Miguel.
