Araminta soothed the savage beast within him. Both he and the lion were content to simply be in her presence, to watch her graceful movements as she gestured while she talked, to listen to her warm, soothing voice. She truly belonged to them.
“I won’t be much longer. I promise. Are the police still there?”
“Yes,” Mary Jo answered. “They said they’d stay since you were on your way.”
“Tell them we’ll be there shortly.”
“We?” Mary Jo questioned.
Araminta ignored the question. “I meant I’ll be there shortly. See you in a bit.” She disconnected the call and tossed her phone into her purse. “We have to get going.” She started the car and pulled on her seatbelt. “Buckle up.”
Leander didn’t want to put on the safety harness. He felt jammed into the vehicle as it was. But one glance at Araminta’s face told him she was going to be stubborn over this. He heaved a sigh, grabbed the belt and snapped it in place just as she had. The cloth band tightened against his chest.
“That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
He growled at her and her eyes widened. She said nothing and quickly pulled out of the lot and onto the road. The next ten minutes passed in silence.
“What are we going to tell the police about you? They’ll ask who you are and they’ll want to see identification.” Araminta chewed on her bottom lip and several of her fingers tapped against the steering wheel. “That’s going to be a problem.” She glanced over at him. “I assume you don’t have any identification handy, certainly not a birth certificate or a driver’s license. You won’t exist in any database.”
He hadn’t considered that. In this world people seemed to need multiple pieces of paper and numbers to prove they existed. It was indeed strange. All they’d have to do is look at him to know he existed. “I will not leave you.” Just the thought made his chest tighten. Leaving her alone would be a clear invitation to Hades and his minions to attack.
“Well, you can’t very well come with me, can you?” Her fingers continued their rhythm. “I can drop you off at the corner of my street. You can wait until you see the police cars go and then join me at the house.”
“No.” When it came to her safety he was unmovable.
Her lips tightened and she frowned. “It’s a good plan.”
“It leaves you vulnerable to attack.”
“I’ll be surrounded by the police,” she pointed out.
Leander snorted. “That will not stop Hades.”
“But if you come with me and have no identification the police might decide to take you in for questioning. What then? I could be alone for hours.”
Leander’s growl filled the car. His lion was furious at the mere thought of Araminta being left alone to fend for herself against Hades. His fingernails elongated and dug into the leather seat, ripping it slightly.
“Hey, watch the claws.”
He opened his mouth, tilted back his head and roared his displeasure. Araminta jerked and the car swerved one way and then another before she righted it. Several vehicles passed them, horns blaring.
“Stop that.” It was the quaver in her voice that shamed him. He hadn’t meant to frighten her.
“I am not angry with you,” he growled, “but at the situation.”
“I understand that.” She glanced around and then veered into the deserted parking lot of a small grocery store. Seconds later, she cut the engine and they sat in thickening silence.
Dawn had arrived while they’d been eating and a splendor of orange, yellow and red tinged the sky. He wished he were standing on a mountaintop with Araminta in his arms so he could really see and enjoy his first sunrise in more than five thousand years. Maybe tomorrow if all went well.
“Leander,” she finally began, pulling his attention from the rising sun. She reached out and touched his arm and her warmth soaked into his skin. “It’s the only way. If the police want to take you in for questioning, I’ll be in even more danger.”
“I will not let them take you from me.” He undid her seatbelt and pulled her onto his lap. It was a tight fit, but he didn’t mind having her plastered against his body.
“Hey.” She threw out her arms to balance herself. “What are you doing?” He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair, inhaling her sweet scent into his lungs. It helped settle him even as it pushed his arousal to a new level.
She sighed and leaned back so she could see his face. “What am I going to do with you?”
The words love me were on his lips, but he did not speak them. Now was not the time. He’d only met Araminta mere hours ago, but already she was his life. His sole purpose was to keep her safe. He trusted his instincts and they were roaring at him to protect her. She was a gift from the goddess, and one he planned on keeping.
“Leander.” She pressed her hands against his face, her eyes solemn. “You can’t attack the police. That will only bring more of them. And what if they shoot you?”
“I am immortal.” It would take more than bullets to stop him. Only beheading him or tearing out his heart would work. And the second one was iffy. He might be able to regenerate a heart. He wasn’t quite certain.
“But I’m not.” The sadness in her voice threatened to unman him. “If you’re taken by the police or harmed I’ll be all alone to face Hades.”
The fact that she was right didn’t make the situation any easier. He hugged her close to his heart, enjoying the soft press of her breast against his chest and the push of her thigh against his groin. Her sweet essence filled his nostrils and he knew he would be able to find her no matter where she was in the world.
“All right.” He caught the edge of her chin with his thumb and forefinger and tilted her head up. “We do this your way. But if you are harmed I will not be happy.”
“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.” Her dry tone once again reminded him of her sense of humor and her boundless courage. She was going into this situation alone. To protect him.
It was almost more than he could bear. It made him feel trapped, much like he’d been for all those centuries. Now that he was free, he wanted to fight, to protect.
He leaned down and captured her tender mouth, savoring its softness and the bitter taste of the coffee she’d had earlier. Maybe he’d acquired the taste after all, for he now found himself enjoying it quite a bit as he nipped playfully at her lips.
He forced himself to break away. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”
“I promise.”
He sighed in resignation. “Then let’s get this over with.” The faster the authorities were dealt with, the quicker he would be back with her.
“Everything will be okay,” she promised. “You’ll see.” She climbed back into the driver’s seat and started the car.
Leander closed his eyes and prayed she was right.
A gentle hand touched the Lady of the Beasts. She opened her eyes and peered up into the face of an elderly Native American man with black hair liberally streaked with gray. “My name is John Running Bear and I am here to help you.”
She smiled up at him, feeling the power that ran through his fragile human form. This was a man of great strength and integrity. “Thank you.”
He shook out a blanket and wrapped it around her naked body. With a show of strength that belied his years, he lifted her easily and carried her though the thick woods. The Lady soaked in the sounds of the forest—the wind in the trees, the hoot of an owl and John’s soft breath against her face. The birds swooped and flew ahead of them, adding their voices to the mix. In the distance, a wolf howled his lonely song.