Page 25 of Grumpy Special Ops Bear: Ep. 3
I stiffened. “I don’t see what that has to do with anything.”
“It means, first, I’m at your side, and you can’t order me around,” she said. “And second, it means what I say matters. And I’m going to be the bait whether you like it or not.”
I gripped her shoulders, pulled her close, and bent down so I was at eye level. “Hell no, I’m not risking your life.”
“But it’s okay for you to risk yours?” she shot back. “You’re just as likely to get hurt tonight.”
I released her and crossed my arms over my chest. “I can take care of myself.”
She rolled her eyes. “So can I.”
I flashed my teeth that had grown into canines in my annoyance. “No, Trinity, I will not put you in danger, not after I’ve finally found you.”
She didn’t understand that finding a true mate was like finding a needle in a haystack.
Shifters would search a lifetime for something that was impossible, and many would just grow weary and settle for a warm body and sexual satisfaction. This was the real deal. My future with Trinity was hanging in the balance, and I would not jeopardize that for anyone.
“So I shouldn’t give a shit if you die, right?” Her eyes teared up. “You think I could survive now that I’ve found you?” she croaked.
I bit back a retort and didn’t say another word. She wouldn’t understand how much the thought of her dying was tearing me up inside. Even my inner bear was bellowing protectively.
“Fine,” she said brusquely. “I’m going to make a fire. You three figure it out, but I am a part of this plan, so you’d better get your head out of your ass and deal with it.” She grabbed the packs of blankets and supplies, and then she stalked off toward the cave, muttering about stubborn and ignorant shifters the whole way.
Cutter and Grant waited for me to explode, but I breathed in and out deeply through my nose. I needed to know what the plan was before I could decide whether I could stomach putting my mate in harm’s way.
“Walk me through it, Grant.”
“With or without Trinity?”
I snarled, and Cutter laughed until I shot him a dirty look.
Chapter 15
Trinity
Fergus,Cutter, and Grant were outside the cave at the front entrance while I built a fire in the ventilated cave and made myself a nest of blankets.
The day had once again taken its toll on me, and I was ready to sleep. Making love with Fergus had been an experience, one I wanted to repeat for a lifetime. First, though, we’d have to get rid of Price and his pack.
I had to stop this damn war before it started.
Since our argument outside, I hadn’t spoken a single word to Fergus. I wasn’t going to either, not until he realized the truth.
He needed me to be the bait.
There was no way around it. Cutter and Grant had tried to talk to him about it, but he’d only clammed up. He refused to acknowledge that the time for action was quickly approaching, and we needed a way out of this clusterfuck situation.
I poked the logs around with a stick and focused on the fire. It drew me in, and I felt like I was back in Fergus’s arms where I was safe, well loved, and protected from everything else happening around us. I wanted nothing more than to drag him back inside this cave and feel that all over again. Maybe then he’d realize I needed him just as much as he needed me.
The last damn thing I wanted was to lose him. After this adventure and the life-altering discoveries, my day-to-day existence was going to be very different. Dealing with the future would be so much easier with him in the picture.
If he weren’t around…
A shudder ran through my body from just the thought of my life without Fergus. My heart ached from thinking of never seeing him again. My hand stilled, and I tried to catch my breath. Pain like I’d never known suddenly overwhelmed me, and I felt the urge to go find him, to tell him how much he meant to me, about how I looked forward to spending the rest of my life with him.
Fergus was my mate, and whatever life brought to us, we would face it together.
They were outside, at the front entrance of the cave, setting up a perimeter and working out the rest of their plan for tomorrow. I got to my feet and grabbed the stick we’d turned into a torch. I froze when I heard a growl behind me.
