Eyes on the Pride (Awakening Pride Book 8) by Lacey Thorn Page B

the comforter they’d somehow worked over to the edge of the bed. He had no clue where the sheet had gone. He tossed the covering over them and dropped a kiss on her neck. “Go back to sleep for a bit. We’ve got a long night ahead of us.”
    “Mmm,” she agreed then gave a yawn before snuggling her ass into his groin. He draped his other hand over her hip, letting his palm rest on her belly.
    “Sleep,” he urged and let his own lids droop.
    He’d known his life would change once he mated her but not the extent of it. They were going to the pride, and he was smart enough to realize it wouldn’t be for a brief visit while she shared what she needed to. They were going to join the others. He would stay and be a part of a larger whole for the first time since he’d been captured. His cougar pressed against his skin with anticipation, and Calloway finally admitted, if only to himself, that he was feeling a bit of the same emotion.

 
     
    Chapter Seven
     
     
    Darby’s phone rang while they were driving. She sat up straight when she saw where the call was coming from.
    “Dad,” she answered, forgoing the formal hello as she waited to hear her father’s voice.
    “Just arrived and wanted to take a minute to call you. Where are you?”
    “On the road. With Calloway,” she added.
    “Put me on speaker,” Andrew ordered, and Darby complied.
    Calloway said nothing, gaze focused on the stretch of highway in front of them.
    “Are you mated?” Her father’s question was blunt and to the point and took her by surprise though it shouldn’t have.
    “Yes,” Calloway replied.
    “Good,” her father stated. “I know she’ll be safe with you.”
    “What about you, Dad?” Darby questioned. “Everything okay?”
    “I’m not anticipating any trouble,” her dad stated. “I’m just searching for some answers right now. I’ll let you know what I find out when I find it. Until then, I want you to remember what I told you. What happens next will depend on you and your ability to help Utah Pearce.”
    “She’ll be fine,” Calloway said with a growl. He dropped his right hand off the wheel, giving her wrist a comforting squeeze before putting it back in place.
    “Yes,” her father agreed, but he sounded distracted. He muffled the phone, and she realized he was speaking to someone else. “Good to hear,” he said as he came back on the line. “I’ve got to go. I’ll check in again when I can. Remember what I said, Darby. Love you.”
    “Love you,” she called but wasn’t sure he’d heard it before the line disconnected.
    “Damn it!” she muttered.
    “What?” Calloway asked, tossing a glance her way.
    “He didn’t tell me anything about what he found out.” Her father had said he’d found out about someone, someone who was in danger.
    “He said he’d call back when he got the chance,” Calloway reminded her. “You can ask him then.”
    She nodded. Besides, she had enough to worry about right now. She’d been mulling over everything she could think of, trying to come up with some way to help the pride leader activate his link as alpha. She’d look like such an idiot. She could imagine it now.
    Hello, Mr. Pearce.
    Was that too formal?
    Hello, Utah. Oh, of course, I’ll call you Tah.
    Would he ask her to call him Tah or was that only for his close friends?
    I’m here to help you learn how to trigger the link you have as alpha of the pride. It will let you send out a call that none of your absent pride will be able to ignore. How? Well, I’m not sure, but golly gee, I’ll sure figure it out for you!
    She dropped her head into her hands with a groan.
    “Stop,” Calloway warned. “It’ll be fine. You’ll be fine.”
    “You can’t just command me to stop worrying.”
    “I can and did,” he said in a tone filled with cocky arrogance.
    She snorted and shook her head.
    “You’ll be fine, Darby,” he said again. “I know you. You’ll figure it out. I have no doubt on that. You’ve