Formidable: Shifters Forever Worlds (Ever After Dark Book 1) by Elle Thorne Page B

needed to get back to the villa.
    “Isabel.” He touched her shoulder gently.
    Isabel’s tigress stirred, her eyes opening.
    She moved her head from side to side, making low growling noises.
    “We need to get back to the villa,” he said.
    She released a snarl, facing him but without actually focusing her eyes on him.
    He stood. “Ready?”
    Another snarl, but she didn’t rise. Gio watched her, confused. Was she picking up something he couldn’t see or hear?
    Stretching, crunching, and popping sounds signaled her morphing into her human form.
    She reached her hands out, toward him, but not touching him. “Giovanni.”
    He took her fingers into his grasp. “What is it?” He studied her face. Her brown eyes had a blue tint over them, as if she were wearing colored contacts. She was in one of the semi-formal dinner dresses he was sure the housekeeper had provided. Clearly she’d changed before she shifted. The dress was rumpled, giving away their misadventure in the forest.
    “Giovanni, I can’t see. That blue light…”
    “Nothing at all?”
    “Nothing.”
    Damn it.
    “Can you shift?” she asked him.
    “Not yet. Temporary aftereffects of the trap, probably. I’m sure I’ll be able to shortly. It’s not like my tiger’s gone. He’s still here with me.”
    “My sight should return soon.”
    He wondered if she could be sure of that. “If it doesn’t, I’ll have another job for Esmerelda. This had to have been one of her traps.” There were no other witches in the area, were there? He felt he’d know if there were. “Do you feel up to going to the villa?”
    “I’m…” She licked at her lips. “I’d rather wait a bit. If…” Some handwringing. “If you don’t mind.”
    He didn’t want to be a target in the forest, but how could he refuse her, after she’d stayed and watched over him while he recovered.
    “I don’t mind.” Hopefully nothing would come up.
    She lowered herself to the ground. “My head’s killing me. It feels like someone’s driving pencils in my eyes.”
    Gio held her, sat behind her, leaned her against his body.
    “Rest. I’ll keep an eye out.” And hopefully, he could shift if he needed to.
    He’d never encountered such loyalty from someone who wasn’t a part of the Tiero family or crew. He’d certainly not seen this from Vanessa.
    He pushed her away from his mind.
    Vanessa was a part of his past.
    He had a future to look forward to.
    He studied Isabel’s profile—fierce, proud.
    And trustworthy.
    He hadn’t counted on ever meeting a woman like her.

15
    I sabel held her head , trying to make the searing pain dissipate. She couldn’t. And she couldn’t ignore it. But she didn’t want it to rule her. She had to keep the pain at bay, at least until her sight returned. Until Giovanni was fully recovered. Everything was based on a series of untils .
    She concentrated on Giovanni’s presence, on the fact that he wasn’t dead or dying. She drew his scent deep into her lungs. His human scent that yielded hints of woodiness, cinnamon, and his tiger’s essence. His scent was calming, like a soothing balm on shattered nerves. She was trying to hide the confusion of Desi’s visit.
    Against her body, she felt Giovanni draw in a deep breath. “Thank you for saving me.”
    “No thanks needed. You’d have done the same for me.”
    “True. Still, I owe you. If there’s ever anything—”
    “There is.” Her interruption was quick; this had preyed on her mind quite a bit. “Tell me about your—” Now what was she supposed to say? Tell me about your dead wife? She couldn’t say that. “—the children’s mother.”
    His breath hitched, her tigress hearing picked it up as surely as if it were an alarm bell.
    He hesitated, she could hear it in his pulse, the way it became erratic. “Anything but that, Isabel.”
    “Okay.” She wasn’t able to keep out the forlorn tone. She’d hoped she could crack his impenetrable shell.
    His breathing was ragged.