Page 96 of Mortal Shift
Chapter Thirty-Two
“So, do we have an actual plan for me keeping up with the hunt, or are we just planning on winging it? Because, you know, I don’t have wings.”
Cole snorted. “You’re asking me this now?”
I glanced around at the closing darkness and silhouettes of trees moving in the steady night breeze, and shrugged.
“Better late than never?”
“Well,” he said, glancing up at the full moon, “late is exactly what we’re going to be if we don’t get a move on.”
“…That sounds like a ‘no’. Just saying.”
He pulled me round, running his hands along my upper arms in a way that made my stomach do something ridiculously girly…which was clearly the mate bond at play, because I didn’t get all girly and romantic over a guy touching my arms.
He caught my chin with his index finger, and guided my eyes to his.
“I will carry you on my back if I have to,” he said. “You’re not getting left behind.”
He pressed his lips to mine and for a moment I lost myself in the taste of him, in the sheer presence of this powerful, fierce man who was somehow on my side.
I reveled in his touch for one more moment before I broke the kiss.
“That still sounds like a no to me.”
“Then you weren’t listening.”
I cocked a hip. “I think we both know you’re the one who has a talent for not listening. And I’m pretty sure you didn’t tell me any plan.”
“That’s because you were only listening with your ears.”
He pressed his lips to mine again, and I melted against him. His arms wrapped around me, holding me close, and I felt his hard beating through his chest and mine, strong and vibrant, fierce and loyal. And I knew.
“You’ll protect me,” I said, pulling back just far enough to speak.
“Still not quite listening,” he said, a smile tugging at his lips, and it seemed like I could see nothing else, and I didn’t want to. Because I knew.
“You’ll help me protect myself.”
He nodded.
“Which still sounds like you have no plan for me keeping up with the hunt.”
He opened his mouth, and I cast a glance upward. “Crap. Better burn that bridge when we get to it. Ryker’s gonna kick both our asses if we’re late. Which we’re going to be. Shit. We still need to get to the other side of the academy. I mean, I have my sneakers on, but I can’t runthatfast.”
“Relax,” he said with a cocky grin, and shucked his shirt.
“Okay, just so you know, guys taking their clothes off and telling me to relax usually does not make me want to relax.”
“Funny.”
He pulled his pants off, and then I didn’t feel much like laughing, because I had something else on my mind entirely. Which was not even remotely helpful. Tempting, sure, but not helpful.
“Not that I don’t want to jump you right now,” I said, “but I’m pretty sure this isn’t helping keep Ryker from skinning us both.”
“Mind out of the gutter, Ellis,” he said, which was absolutely one hundred percent impossible given that he’d just pulled off his underpants and was now standing completely naked not a foot in front of me.
“Um, what?” I managed. He rolled his eyes.
