asked, breaking the silence, his thoughts running so close to hers that she wondered, again, if they had some psychic abilities of their own.
"Nope,” she said, smiling.
He frowned faintly when she didn't elaborate.
"They live with you?"
"Oh ... uh.” She bit her lip, turning to look out of the window while she considered the pros and cons of telling the truth. It was usually best to just avoid answering that sort of question. On the other hand, she didn't want him to think nobody would come looking if she disappeared. That was dangerous in another way.
"I only ask because it occurred to me you should probably let them know so they wouldn't worry if you were expected back."
Relief filled her. She hadn't thought about that, but she realized it was the sort of thing families would probably do—worry about each other like that. She turned to smile at him. “If you could stop at a pay phone?"
Dante slid a calculating glance in her direction. It didn't escape him that she hadn't answered directly, and the request to stop at a pay phone was equally telling. She was used to covering her tracks. He merely nodded, however. When they'd reached her hotel, he walked up with her while Maurice, Kane, and Jessie took up positions in the lobby to keep an eye out.
She surprised him again when they reached her hotel room. Except for a couple of wayward articles, everything was already neatly tucked into her suitcase as if she was prepared to leave—except she'd said she'd planned to stay several days.
"You've been here a while?"
"A few days,” she replied easily.
They stopped at a pay phone between the hotel and the safe house he'd chosen for her. Again, he and the others formed a watchful perimeter, but he stationed himself near enough to hear her phone call, counting on the fact that he'd already determined she knew less than nothing about lycans, whatever she'd said to the contrary.
She proved it when she made the call.
After chatting very gaily with a recording for several moments, she hung up, smiled at him, and headed back to the SUV.
She didn't know a damned thing about lycans or she would've realized he could hear both sides of the ‘conversation’ without any difficulty whatsoever.
And she had no one to know or care if she vanished.
That realization pricked at him, aroused a sense of protectiveness in him that went beyond the growing sense of possessiveness he felt toward her and at the same time was uncomfortably at odds with it.
Not that he had any intention of allowing it to deter him from claiming her if it transpired that that was possible. He realized, though, that it was going to be a hell of a challenge.
Everything he'd learned about her was giving off alarms. Her abilities might make her stronger than the average human, but, emotionally, he had a strong feeling wooing her was going to be like walking around on eggshells. She was alone in the world, and he had a feeling she had been most of her life. She didn't dare allow anyone to get close because someone, and he suspected it was the government, had been hunting her for a very long time. It might just be because she was worried about how her fellow humans would react if they discovered what she could do. In fact, that was probably part of it, but it damned sure wasn't all of it. That phony telephone call was the trick of someone accustomed to covering their tracks. In fact, she'd already let it slip that she was ‘used’ to it.
It was also a clear indication, if he'd been in any doubt, that she didn't really trust him.
He was going to have a lot of issues to overcome, and his own libido was liable to be his worst enemy. If he unleashed the full brunt of it, she was going to take to her heels and he wouldn't see anything but the dust she kicked up in retreat.
He tamped those thoughts, realizing he was getting ahead of himself. He didn't even know, yet, if he could pursue his inclination. He realized, though, that he was getting in deep, way over
"Nope,” she said, smiling.
He frowned faintly when she didn't elaborate.
"They live with you?"
"Oh ... uh.” She bit her lip, turning to look out of the window while she considered the pros and cons of telling the truth. It was usually best to just avoid answering that sort of question. On the other hand, she didn't want him to think nobody would come looking if she disappeared. That was dangerous in another way.
"I only ask because it occurred to me you should probably let them know so they wouldn't worry if you were expected back."
Relief filled her. She hadn't thought about that, but she realized it was the sort of thing families would probably do—worry about each other like that. She turned to smile at him. “If you could stop at a pay phone?"
Dante slid a calculating glance in her direction. It didn't escape him that she hadn't answered directly, and the request to stop at a pay phone was equally telling. She was used to covering her tracks. He merely nodded, however. When they'd reached her hotel, he walked up with her while Maurice, Kane, and Jessie took up positions in the lobby to keep an eye out.
She surprised him again when they reached her hotel room. Except for a couple of wayward articles, everything was already neatly tucked into her suitcase as if she was prepared to leave—except she'd said she'd planned to stay several days.
"You've been here a while?"
"A few days,” she replied easily.
They stopped at a pay phone between the hotel and the safe house he'd chosen for her. Again, he and the others formed a watchful perimeter, but he stationed himself near enough to hear her phone call, counting on the fact that he'd already determined she knew less than nothing about lycans, whatever she'd said to the contrary.
She proved it when she made the call.
After chatting very gaily with a recording for several moments, she hung up, smiled at him, and headed back to the SUV.
She didn't know a damned thing about lycans or she would've realized he could hear both sides of the ‘conversation’ without any difficulty whatsoever.
And she had no one to know or care if she vanished.
That realization pricked at him, aroused a sense of protectiveness in him that went beyond the growing sense of possessiveness he felt toward her and at the same time was uncomfortably at odds with it.
Not that he had any intention of allowing it to deter him from claiming her if it transpired that that was possible. He realized, though, that it was going to be a hell of a challenge.
Everything he'd learned about her was giving off alarms. Her abilities might make her stronger than the average human, but, emotionally, he had a strong feeling wooing her was going to be like walking around on eggshells. She was alone in the world, and he had a feeling she had been most of her life. She didn't dare allow anyone to get close because someone, and he suspected it was the government, had been hunting her for a very long time. It might just be because she was worried about how her fellow humans would react if they discovered what she could do. In fact, that was probably part of it, but it damned sure wasn't all of it. That phony telephone call was the trick of someone accustomed to covering their tracks. In fact, she'd already let it slip that she was ‘used’ to it.
It was also a clear indication, if he'd been in any doubt, that she didn't really trust him.
He was going to have a lot of issues to overcome, and his own libido was liable to be his worst enemy. If he unleashed the full brunt of it, she was going to take to her heels and he wouldn't see anything but the dust she kicked up in retreat.
He tamped those thoughts, realizing he was getting ahead of himself. He didn't even know, yet, if he could pursue his inclination. He realized, though, that he was getting in deep, way over
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