Chapter 59
You’re safe here. he said through the pack bond, his mental voice warm with affection. “No one can see You from below, and there’s no one else around for miles.”
I looked around once more to make sure we were truly alone, then let Claire emerge for the first time in
what felt like forever.
The shift was like coming alive after a long sleep. Every sense sharpened and intensified until I could smell the individual scents of every plant, hear the heartbeat of a rabbit a quarter mile away, see the heat signatures of night birds in the trees around us.
But it was the view that truly stole my breath.
Through my wolf’s enhanced vision, the city below became a living tapestry of light and shadow, movement and stillness.
The reds and golds of heat signatur
art. nixed with the cool blues and silvers of artificial light, creating a
palette more beautiful than any artist could imagine.
How do you feel? Tristan’s voice
came through our mental connection, warm and curious.
I searched for the right words to describe the sensation of standing here in my true form, looking out over the world with eyes that could see its hidden bo
Like… like everything isn’t so bad after all, I said finally. Like maybe there’s still hope for happiness. I feel
peaceful.
And it was true. For the first time in longer than companion for years was quiet.
could remember, the constant anxiety that had been my
Not gone. I wasn’t naive enough to think one beautiful view could cure years of trauma, but muted enough that I could breathe freely.
Tristan’s wolf was magnificent in the moonlight, his dark fur gleaming silver at the edges. He moved with the fluid grace of a born predator, but his eyes were gentle when they looked at me.
An idea sparked in my mind, wild and impulsive and exactly the kind of thing the old Athena would have done without thinking twice.
Catch me if you can, I said through our bond, already taking aff down the hillside.
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Chapter 59
11%9
I didn’t make it more than fifty yards before Tristan caught up with me, his longer legs and superior speed
giving him an unfair advantage.
We collided in a tangle of fur and laughter, rolling down the gentle slope together until we came to rest in
a patch of soft grass.
When we shifted back to human form, I found myself lying on top of him, my hands braced on either side of his head, our faces so close that I could every details of his face in the moonlight.
Time seemed to stop.
His hands were on my waist, warm and steadying, and I was pressed against the solid length of his body in a way that made every nerve ending sing with awareness.
I could feel his heartbeat beneath my palms, could smell the scent that was purely him, pine and motor oil
made my mouth water. and something indefinably masculine that
Our lips were inches apart. All I would
to do was lean down, just a little, and I could taste him. Could
find out if he tasted as good as I remembered from that one stolen moment five years ago.
“How are you so fast?” I asked breathlessly, scrambling to put distance between us before I did something
irreversibly stupid.
My cheeks were burning, and I turned away so he couldn’t see the effect he had on me. So he couldn’t see
how much I wanted to close that gap between us and damn the
coquences.
“I’ve always been fast. It’s you I should be asking.” he said, and I could hear the smugness in his voice even though I wasn’t looking at him.
“Now you’re just trying to make me feel better about losing,” I accused, but I was smiling despite myself.
“Maybe a little,” he admitted. “But I’m also serious, Athena. You’re faster than I remember. Stronger too. Have you been training beyond those self–defense classes?”
The question caught me off guard. I hadn’t been training, but he was right, I had felt different lately, more powerful in ways I couldn’t explain.
“So this is where you come every night?” I asked, deliberately changing the subject because I didn’t have an answer to give him.
“Sometimes,” he said, and when I looked at him, there was something secretive in his expression. So he has
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Chapter 59
another place like this?
$11%%%
“Not places like this,” he said, seeming to read my thoughts with uncanny accuracy. “Come on. Let me show
you my world.”
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
