Jonah got them inside a two-story house, and she looked around the dark home, wondering where she was, and how exactly she had gotten herself into this situation.
“Let’s not turn on the lights just yet,” he whispered, and she jumped, not realizing that he had gotten so close.
“Where are we?”
“My home.”
“You live here? In the human realm?”
He shook his head. “No, I don’t live in the human realm at the moment. However, I do have a home here. At my age, it’s good to have backups in case something happens. And it’s always good to have a connection to the human realm. After all, it’s the realm that connects all the others.”
“At your age?” she asked and felt heat rising in her cheeks.
Jonah just smiled softly. “I’m a few hundred years old. Not too old for a shifter.” He paused. “How old are you, Poppy?”
“Twenty-five,” she whispered. So young compared to him, but that didn’t matter in most cases with the supernaturals.
Jonah let out a harsh breath. “Ah, well, that makes sense.”
She narrowed her eyes, feeling like she should be insulted. “Why does that make sense?”
“Because you have no fighting skills whatsoever.”
Affronted, she frowned. “Hey, I punched.”
“And you had your thumb in the wrong position. If you had used any strength at all, you would have broken your hand.”
She scowled, even as she knew she blushed even harder. “I’m not that bad.”
“You are. But if you want, I can help you.”
“Why? Why would you do that?”
“For many reasons.”
“Tell me.” They had more important things to worry about, but she couldn’t stop this train of thought.
“How about the fact that I don’t want to see someone get hurt? Or that Dante hired you and, therefore, you’re sort of part of our circle.”
“Our?” She didn’t want to sound jealous, and that feeling wasn’t for another woman or man. It was for the fact that he actually had a group. She’d seen him laughing with his friends over a drink. She’d tried not to watch, but her gaze had continuously been pulled in his direction. The long, lean lines of his body, the strong line of his jaw. The way he constantly watched the entrance of the bar, a protector at his core. She loved the smoothness of his skin, and the stubble on his face. She had watched him all night, and she had wanted him.
And she hated herself just a little bit for it. Because she didn’t have time for feelings. She didn’t even know if she deserved those emotions.
“I’ll also help you because of what we are.”
There was a pause when she tried to think of what to say. “And, who am I to you?” she whispered.
“You’re really going to make me say it?”
She shook her head, knowing one of them needed to say the words. They both knew what pulsed between them. It was a feeling. A knowing. And there was no mistaking it. Not for them, at least. Perhaps for others, but not for them.
“I’m in no position to find my other half. My mate,” she said quickly, looking down at her hands.
“I don’t think I’m in that position either.”
The words were soft, yet she felt as if he’d shouted them, the blow shocking.
“Oh,” she said, her voice a whisper.
“But I don’t think anyone is truly looking when it happens, are they?”
Her gaze shot up.
“I don’t know what this means, I don’t know what any of this means. But why don’t you tell me first why the gorgons are after you. And why you were hiding in Dante’s bar.”
“I wasn’t really hiding,” she lied.
“I’ve been a soldier for over two centuries, almost three. I have seen more war and bloodshed than you could imagine. I know when someone is hiding.”
Her head snapped up. “Don’t tell me what I can imagine.”
He nodded. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Humans live but a fraction of our time, and yet they have eons of heartache in those moments. I shouldn’t disregard your feelings because of your age.”
“Thank you. Because you don’t know what I’ve seen.”
“Maybe one day you’ll tell me.”
Maybe one day she would. And perhaps one day she’d figure out exactly why she wanted to tell him. Why she wanted to divulge the secrets that she should hide.
“You should tell me why the gorgons are after you. It’ll help us figure things out.”
“By us, do you mean you and me? Because I can do it myself. I’ve been doing just fine on my own.”
“You have. You’re alive.”
“Are you placating me?”
He shook his head. “No, I know. Those three gorgons were strong, warriors of your people. And I’m sure there are probably others after you. Am I right?”
She nodded.
“And you have survived. That counts for so much more than you think.”
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing. I’m just so tired.”
“I’ve been there. Tired, weary.”
She swallowed hard, hating the fact that he could understand when she didn’t even get it herself. “How did you get better?”
“I found a purpose.”
“And what is that?”
He smiled then, laughter filling his eyes. It made him even more handsome. “I found a job. I work for the Alpha of the lion realm.”
Her gaze widened. “Not the jaguars?”
He shook his head. Sadness washed over him, and she wanted to reach out, but she didn’t know him. She had to remind herself that. She didn’t have that right.
“Malik has been my friend for over a century, though it feels like far longer. When he needed help protecting his mate and child, I stepped in. I had been on my own for a while. I wasn’t part of the jaguars anymore,” he whispered, and she knew there was more to the story.
She didn’t have the right to ask just then, though. And, honestly, she wasn’t sure she wanted to. Not only did she want to stay separate from him—as long as she could tell herself there was distance, she would be safe—but she also didn’t want to hurt him. And she had a feeling that asking that would hurt.
“The Alpha protects his mate, and I help, but my first job, my first duty is to protect Lady Penelope, their daughter.”
“You protect a child?” She warmed, trying to imagine this rough jaguar soldier with a baby lion cub.
“Yes, and she has me wrapped around her little finger.” He grinned. “My friends call me a nanny, and I don’t even mind it.”
She laughed then, and then put her hand over her mouth. She didn’t know she could laugh. She had thought she had forgotten how. And yet, here she was, laughing with this man.
Who was he? And how had this happened so quickly?
“Now, tell me. Why are the gorgons after you?”
She lowered her hand and swallowed hard. “Because I killed someone.”
His eyes widened marginally, and then he narrowed them. “That can’t be all.”
No, it wasn’t, but she’d never told anyone the story before. She’d never had anyone to tell. She looked up at him then, his body so close, the heat warming her too-cool skin. “I feel like I need to tell you, why is that?”