Page 66 of Feral

My stomach flipped.

“Maybe.”

Lowell nodded.

“Angus thought so. He’s decided to move everyone out to the country seat early. So that’s where we’re goin’.”

“Why did ya not say anythin’ sooner?” Fraser demanded.

“Because if we got out of there and nothin’ happened, I was going to take ya to the Dublin house, let ya two love birds have a day to yerselves to fuck as loud and long as ya wanted.”

My blush was horribly deep and I forced myself not to look at Fraser.

“But,” Lowell continued, “this proves that ya two are in danger and the country seat is more defensible than the city house. No one should suspect that we’ve gone out there this early, so for today at least, ya two should be safe.”

Fraser let out a long breath next to me.

“It’s alright,” I said, forcing a smile. “I’m sure it will be a lovely place to spend a few nights.”

He nodded but refused to look at me. Thinking that he probably wanted his space, now that the danger had passed, I tried to scoot to the other end of the bench seat. But Fraser wasn’t having it. His arm tightened possessively around me and a tiny snarl escaped his lips.

“I’d like to hold ya if…if that’s alright,” he whispered.

I looked up into his eyes, still yellow and intense. I swore I could almost see his true form under the glamour and feel the fear rolling off him in waves.

“It is, I just thought you might want space.”

In answer, he brought me flush to his side, both arms encircling me and I let out a contended sigh. He was warm and safe, his muscles firm under my hand as I let myself curl into him and close my eyes. I should be far more panicked after the chase, after knowing for certain that the Protectors had no problems killing all of us to get what they wanted. But here in Fraser’s arms, his steady heartbeat in my ear, his strong arms around me, I was calm with the knowledge that, with him, I was completely safe.

I awakened to the warmth of Fraser’s body against mine. His arms still encircled me and I nuzzled into the middle of his hard chest. My ear was pressed so close that I could hear his heartbeat pick up. I should’ve opened my eyes, but it was just so nice to be held by him that I stayed as still as possible to eke out a few more seconds. One massive hand on my back rubbed little circles as if to sooth me and I relaxed.

My hand was splayed against his stomach and I mimicked his motion, loving the way he felt under my palm, even through the glamour of his shirt.

“Wake up, lass,” he whispered against my hair, “we’re home.”

It was so gentle, so soft. The attention was like a balm to the disquiet I had before, and I greedily lapped it up.

When I raised my head and looked up at him, Fraser was leaning down, his arms still securely around my body. Our faces were close and I smiled up at him. Without hesitation, he placed a tiny kiss to the end of my nose. It was the kind of thing two people who adored one another would do, and it made my belly do a flip.

I glanced back and noticed that Lowell wasn’t in the Jeep anymore. We were in a large garage that would easily fit three cars, the walls covered in neatly arranged tools and boxes. I wondered how large the house was if the garage was this big.

“My brother went in first while I woke you up,” Fraser explained. “I thought you’d want a few minutes of quiet before everyone came at you. But this evenin’, we could go into the village. They have a very nice book shop. It’ll be safe since no one knows we’re here.”

It was sweet and exactly what I needed. Once again, Fraser was anticipating things that I had yet to think of.

A girl could get used to this. But I can’t. I have to remember why I’m here.

“I would love to see the village, though I do need to find that artifact before anyone else gets hurt.”

His gentle smile faded and he gave me a short nod before releasing me. It was foolish, but I fought back a stab of disappointment when he leaned away from me. He was obviously asking for distance, so I sat back into my part of the seat, though our thighs still touched.

“Aye, that ya do,” he said after a moment.” I…I wasn’t thinkin’. We should go inside.”

He started to open the door and I stopped him with my hand on his arm.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. “I know we haven’t known each other long but I would never hurt you or your clan. And if there’s something I’m doing wrong, that’s affecting you, I want to know about it.”

His gaze swung to me, the heat brushing against me like a physical touch. In the span of a breath, his glamour fell away and I saw my Werewolf gazing back at me. His massive arm dwarfed my hand, muscles tense under his soft dark fur.

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