Disbelief filled her sky-blue eyes. “But I killed a man.”
He risked it, seized hold of her arm and gripped it gently, hoping not to scare her. “In self-defence. But they won’t care about that. They’ll label you a murderer and rather than Karl and his fucking lackeys going to prison, you will. Cameo… I can’t let that happen. Please?”
He brushed his thumb over her arm, shifting the soft cream material against her skin, and searched her eyes, staring deep into them, needing her to see how much the thought of her going to prison was killing him.
When he had told her to shoot the man, some part of him had known she wouldn’t be able to do it. She was too kind. Too gentle. Too damn law-abiding. He had hoped that her threatening the man would have been enough to make him react, giving Lowe an opening. Instead, Knox had done that, and Cameo had reacted on instinct.
She had wanted to protect both him and his brother, and she had taken the shot.
He lifted his hand to her face and cupped her cheek, keeping her eyes on his. “I’m sorry I made you shoot that man.”
Tears lined her dark lashes and her eyes strayed to her left, to the dead man, and then back to his. “I’m sorry too. I’m sorry I ever came here.”
Pain lanced his heart and he dropped his hand from her face, the hurt quick to roll through him to fill every inch of him, to make every fibre of his being cry out.
The regret in her eyes cut him deeper than any blade could have, carved a hole in his heart and had him turning away from her. He busied himself with gathering the guns, not wanting her to see his pain, how the thought of her leaving and that she regretted meeting him was tearing him apart.
Lowe sucked down a breath, turned back to face her but couldn’t bring himself to look her in the eye. “We should go.”
She nodded and waited for him to reach her before she pivoted on her heel and hobbled along beside him. His hip ached with each step, but the cold air numbed his skin enough that he didn’t feel the pain of his injuries. Or maybe it was the thought of Cameo leaving that numbed him to it.
He looked in the direction Knox had gone. Gods, he hoped his brother played it safe and didn’t do anything reckless. While he appreciated what Knox had done for him and for the sake of his fated mate, he hated the thought of him alone out in the valley, tracking dangerous men who would be armed to the teeth.
Lowe looked down at the guns he gripped and clenched his jaw, fear chilling his blood as he thought about his brother facing armed men. He needed to find him and help him, and he would. As soon as he was on the mend, he was heading out to hunt for Knox. He couldn’t let his brother handle this alone.
Besides, he had the feeling that he wasn’t going to have a reason to stay at the Ridge soon.
He glanced at Cameo.
She was going to leave him.
The walk back to the clearing seemed to take forever, the air between him and Cameo growing heavier as she remained silent and he couldn’t find his voice. There were a thousand things he wanted to tell her and he was sure they would go a long way towards convincing her to stay with him, but he couldn’t get his thoughts straight as her words constantly echoed around his mind.
She was sorry she had come here.
“I understand.” Those words slipped from him and it felt good to have them out there, to break the silence.
Cameo glanced at him. Stopped dead when her eyes landed on his face.
Her eyebrows rose. “Understand what?”
He looked across at her, gathered his courage and pushed the words out, forcing himself to face whatever fate awaited him, even when it was one he didn’t want—a life without Cameo.
“You’re sorry you came here and I understand… I get that—”
She stiffened and cut him off. “I don’t think you do. I didn’t mean it like that. Oh God, Lowe. I didn’t mean it like that. I meant that I’m sorry I dragged you and everyone at Black Ridge into this mess and… got you hurt. And now Knox—”
“Knox will be fine.” He put force behind those words, trying to make himself believe it, and stepped up to her. “As for me… Cameo, I’d go through trials a thousand times worse if it meant I got to meet you.”
Her blue eyes softened, warmed in a way that warmed him too, but guilt lingered in their depths. He wasn’t sure how to take that away for her. Or maybe he was. If she saw he was healing and if Knox returned unharmed, having dealt with her problem and put an end to things, he was sure that she would feel better.
Lowe lifted his hand and brushed his knuckles across her cheek, lost himself in the affection her eyes held and dared to hope that things might work out after all. He might not lose her. He might have his fated mate.
Forever with Cameo sounded like heaven to him.
He knew that was a long way off though, that convincing her to be his mate wasn’t going to be easy. She was human and it would take time for her to accept what he was—if she could accept it—and a bond with him.
His senses warned that someone was approaching them.
Lowe turned and resisted the temptation to guide Cameo behind him, mostly because the male who came rushing to him wasn’t alone. Holly hurried beside Saint, her cheeks rosy from the cold and her grey-green eyes bright as they landed on Cameo and then him. The relief that filled them was quick to give way as she looked at him.
Saint growled, the vicious snarl pealing from his lips as he bared emerging fangs at Lowe, as if he was responsible for the fact his mate had just come running up to a naked male.
Holly was quick to toss a blanket in Lowe’s face and turn to Saint. “I didn’t see a thing.”
Saint scowled down at her, his eyes dark and filled with a look that said he didn’t believe that for a second. He huffed and slid Lowe a black look.
Lowe wrapped the blanket around his chest and tucked the end in, wearing it like a dress. Damn, it felt good to be covered, and not only because it stopped Saint from looking as if he wanted to rip him apart. The warmth of the blanket felt luxurious and he wanted to stand there and savour it for a moment, but a glance at Cameo had worry rushing through him again.
Cameo eased a step forwards, staring at Saint as if she was in a trance. Her voice was distant as she murmured, “I thought maybe the stress or the pain medication… you…”
She looked over her shoulder at Lowe.
“I’m not going crazy. You were a bear… right?”
He swallowed hard and reached for her, the panic flooding him quick to flow away as she didn’t try to evade him or run. She let him take hold of her arm, let him step up to her, closing the gap between them.
“I have a little explaining to do.” He stroked her arm, lifted his hand to her face and palmed her cheek. “We’ll get you warmed up and settled down again, and then I’ll tell you everything.”
And he meant everything.
Part of him had thought he would never have the mate talk, but it loomed on the horizon, and gods, he was dreading it. Saint was lucky that his fated female had turned out to be another shifter, someone already familiar with their world.
“Where’s Knox?” Saint looked beyond Lowe and then back at him.
Lowe’s stomach dropped and his heart ached as he reached out with his senses and couldn’t feel his brother with them. He rubbed at his sternum as that ache worsened when he thought about what his brother was doing.