Who cared what his hair looked like?
She was here until Friday.
Trina was human. Humans died too easily.
He would eat her in one bite.
Chomp, chomp, girl, stop getting my attention.
Chapter Five
Trina was frazzled. She had two layers of lip gloss on, and probably three to four layers of deodorant because she was rushing. Nuke had looked so good all sleepy in the morning, and he invited her somewhere, and she couldn’t remember what personal hygiene tasks she’d checked off the to-do list, so she kept repeating them just to make sure.
She had nothing to wear. What?
Trina skidded across the mushy floors in her socks and stared at her open suitcase. It looked like a bomb had gone off in it. She had nothing to wear? Really? Get it together, self. He’s just a boy. A scary, powerful, polite-ish, hot-as-hell, I-want-to-see-his-abs-and-run-my-hands-through-his-hair boy. No big deal.
A muumuu would do right about now because she was here on a mission, and could not afford to be affected by sexy growls in a certain shifter’s throat.
She had a good guess as to what he was. She’d heard the rumors, and now, being near him, she could smell it—the faint scent of smoke clung to him.
Hot. Hot. Hot.
Feeling less psychotic after her mental pep talk, she calmly shoved her legs into her favorite skinny jeans, pulled on her only clean tank top, and then her hoodie over it. A pair of sneakers later, and she was ready for her donut date. Donuts. It wasn’t a date. Ha. Hahaha. Everything was fine.
Focus. You are supposed to gather intel.
If Manning knew that Nuke was in this Crew, he would push the council to go after them faster. Manning was a weasel, but he was a smart weasel. He knew the value in destroying a tree before its roots took hold. This Crew was fledgling, still building up, and each member had no reason, other than a little Crow War, to be bonded to each other. Loyalty was the most important trait in a Crew, but it could also be the most dangerous.
Nuke’s existence in this Crew, in this town, in this state, hell, in this country, would bring down the wrath of anyone who wanted this Crew snuffed out immediately.
Or…if Manning was the smartest weasel, he would learn of Nuke’s existence here and leave this Crew the fuck alone. Smart crows survived longer. Not that she particularly wished that for Manning. The faster he croaked, the faster his talons around her throat loosened.
On second thought, maybe he should mess with Nuke.
He was already in his truck, waiting for her behind the wheel. She adjusted her purse on her shoulder self-consciously as she caught his attention on her. When she made her way around the other side of the truck, her door was already open for her.
Huh. He was a very polite monster.
She climbed up into the cab and shut the door behind her. “Before we go, I need you to assure me of one thing.”
“What?” he ground out.
“Am I safe in this small space with you? I value my life.”
“I don’t know what you think I am—”
“Even if you’re just a tiger shifter, am I safe?”
His eyes narrowed to slits. “Has someone made you feel unsafe?”
“Just answer the question. I’m hungry for a chocolate covered donut with sprinkles.”
“You’re safe with me today.”
She hadn’t missed that last word. He’d given her a timeline. Maybe he didn’t need to change today. There had been an honest note to his deep timbre when he’d uttered the words, You’re safe though, and that had to be good enough for her.
“Okay.”
His longer hair was sticking up all over the place, and she bit back a smile. “You look like you stuck a fork in a light socket.”
“With all these compliments, something something something, low self-esteem something…”
She laughed and twisted in her seat to grab the seatbelt, but she totally caught him hurriedly fixing his hair in the rearview mirror.
He was pretty damn cute.
Trina clasped her hands in her lap and looked straight ahead as he drove them down the twisting dirt roads that led them out of Krome’s territory.
“What kind of music do you like?” he grumbled.
“Oh, I’m good with anything,” she said politely.
One sideways glance was all she got before he turned the radio dial to an opera station.
“Anything but opera.”
He chose another station.
Trina snorted. “And elevator music.”
“Country it is.” He turned the dial to a station playing a song she actually recognized.
There wasn’t any help for it, she tapped her foot with the catchy rhythm, and as the minutes passed, she relaxed into the leather seat.
“So how did you meet Krome?” she asked conversationally.
“We grew up together. Our moms laid eggs at the same time and we hatched a few days apart. We’ve been best friends ever since.”
“Really?”
“No. Babies don’t hatch from eggs. I don’t even know him. I just met him a few weeks ago when I heard he was putting together a Crew.”
“And you were looking for a Crew?”
“No.”
Okaaaay. “Then why did you try out for it?”
“Because of the Banes.” His dark eyebrows drew down, and he reached forward and turned up the volume on the radio.
The Banes? The three bear shifters Krome’s old Murder was supposed to keep under control? The bears Krome had allied himself to instead?
“Why do you care about the Banes?” she asked loud enough to be heard over the old crooner country song that had come on.
“I don’t care about anyone.”
“That can’t be true.”
He didn’t answer, so she tried again. “What is it about the Banes?”
He drove for a minute without saying a word, so she took the hint. This man was a closed book. If he didn’t want to talk, he simply wouldn’t. And what right did she have to push him into conversations he didn’t want to have? They were strangers. Plus, the less she knew, the less ammunition she had to betray him with.
He turned onto the main drag in the small town before he spoke again. “The Banes were hated by everyone. Their entire shifter species was. They were supposed to disappear and make the world a better place, but look what they did. They lived. And the world is fine. They’re building and they’re happy, and they’re actually decent people. They’ve never been given a chance to prove they’re decent people. And the world? It’s still turning. I guess I’m attracted to people who shouldn’t exist, but who do it anyway.”
“You want to protect them?” she whispered.
“Yes.”
“Do they know?”
“I had brothers. Three brothers. Tovlin, Lev, and Donathan. They should still exist, but it’s just me. The Banes should still exist. Now they will.”
Chills rippled up her spine. Nuke was here for good. His intentions were good. “And the rest of Krome’s Crew?”
“I’ll protect the Banes’ protection too. What the fuck else do I have to do? Gotta pick something to live for. War sounds like as good a thing as any.”
“I don’t think you’re living for war, Nuke. I think you’re living for love.”