Nayla forced a smile. “Not really.”
Pity and concern played across the female’s face. Then, guilt. “I…I saw Grif and he seemed so upset, too. He asked me to come see you.”
The heaviness in Nayla’s chest increased.
“He’s with the others discussing what to do next, but he said he’ll come as soon as he can.”
“Thank you.” She cleared her throat. “He…he and I had more angry words. He did not like idea to trade me for females.”
“Yes, I heard.” Lana picked at a strand on the covering encircling her hips, her gaze elsewhere. “Can you blame him?”
Nayla’s eyebrows climbed to her forehead. She had expected Lana to agree, just as Malin had.
She paced across the tent, anger propelling her on. “You are one who said I should be strong. Who said to know my mind. I am reason the missing females are in those cages.”
“You are also the reason we know where they are and have the chance to rescue them.” Lana cleared her throat. “Sacrificing yourself won’t prove a thing.”
She stalled. “That’s what Grif said.”
“He’s right.” She closed the distance between them, her gaze soft. “You can’t blame him for wanting to keep you safe.”
Nayla studied her. “Why you defending him? You always tried to separate us.”
The other female blushed. “I, ah, I heard you arguing earlier. Your voices were raised,” she hurried to explain. “I wasn’t trying to listen, but…I don’t know…once I started listening, I couldn’t stop.”
Nayla’s cheeks warmed. “Then you heard him say I was coward.”
“Oh, yes. I also heard you meet him head-on and express yourself without fear. Th-that’s something I could never do with the males who held me captive. It’s something I struggle with even now. But not you. You’re not afraid to challenge him. Share your thoughts. He doesn’t hold back, either. That’s not the pattern of a captor and captive.” Lana smiled. “It’s the knockdown, honest-to-goodness blueprint of two equals. You give each other space and courage to be who you are. It made me realize I’d been wrong. You two are good for each other.”
The female’s words were bittersweet. “He wants push me away. Then, he’s furious when I offer to go.”
“He loves you.”
Nayla’s breath left in a rush. “W-what?”
Lana sighed. “I didn’t think you knew. He loves you. There’s nothing more terrifying for a man like him. Especially if the female he loves is spreading her wings and learning to fly.”
“He loves me?” Wonder curled through her.
“Yes.” Lana confirmed. “I’m certain of it. Just as I’m sure this rotation must have really scared him. You know what he is. Who he is. Don’t think he doesn’t want you to be strong, but even he has his limits. He’s not going to stand back and let you die.”
You’re so ready to die. I want someone who I can count on to live.
Nayla’s heart beat fast, his final words striking her differently this time. “He thinks he can save everybody. He doesn’t want what happened to his sister to happen to anyone else. I didn’t mean to scare him. I only want to show him that I am strong like him.”
“Consider being as patient with him as you say he’s been with you. You told me before you liked his gentleness, but you preferred him fierce and monstrous. I, ah, I was surprised at the time, but I realized after that I was also jealous because it was clear you accepted him as he is. Did he do the same for you?”
She answered without hesitation. “He knows all of my secrets and my fears. He says we fit.”
“You are lucky. Most of us never find the courage to show someone else our true selves, much less gain acceptance when we do.”
“You are right. In my anger and hurt, I forgot. What we have is special.”
“Special enough to fight for? Even against the stupidity of the male himself?” Lana smiled. “Today, he was reminded twice that he can lose you. That he doesn’t have the control he thinks he does.”
“You are right.” Relationships were new to her. Love even more so. But she was coming to understand. “He needs the same patience and understanding he gave me.” She tapped her chin. “We need another session. I will find my own ropes.”
Lana’s eyebrows shot to her forehead.
Nayla was too busy wading through all she’d learned.
Grif would do anything to save those in need. He’d never pretended to be anything else but a hero and a protector. His fierceness, strength, and ruthlessness had brought them together. He’d pushed past her pain and fears, sheltered her through her doubts. Proven to her he would always be there.
Now, she would have to do the same.
That was true caring. That was the piece she’d been missing.
All this time she had been focused on proving her strength and her worth. But Grif already saw those parts of her. What he needed to know was that he could depend on her.
“Thank you, Lana.” She held two fingers to the middle of her chest and then pressed them to the center of the female’s. It was a pack gesture of affection. It felt right.
The female’s eyes went round, her pleasure obvious. “You’re more than welcome. I…I hope that you’ll forgive me for my interference and that…that we can be friends.”
Another whisper of wonder. Another first. “I would like that.”
The tent flap crashed open, hitting the wall.
Grif strode through, his expression stormy and fierce. “Lana, I need you to go now.”
“What is wrong?” Nayla gripped her friend’s hand. She hadn’t seen Grif look this lethal since he’d first captured her.
“I-I don’t know what’s going on.” Lana stepped in front of the raging giant barreling toward them, her fear obvious. “But I do know you’re angry. You need to calm down or you’ll regret it. You may not realize it yet but you love her, you fool.”
Every muscle in Grif tensed, his voice dropping to a low lethal growl. “Of course, I love her.”
Nayla swayed on her feet, hearing the words aloud somehow even more wonderous than she could have imagined.
Jaw tight, he stalked closer. “I have loved her since the moment she told me her name. I will love her until my last breath, no matter what choices she makes or what she decides she needs for her happiness. But I will never be calm while she is in danger. Now, out of the way before I move you myself.”
Lana stumbled back. “Danger? What kind of danger?”
Poor female. At this moment, Grif was his true self and she was terrified.
Nayla’s reaction was altogether different. Her heart soared. Her fears settling as Grif’s ferocity worked its usual magic, stoking the fire inside her even as it soothed her soul.
She would never get enough of his intensity. Like a plant that had grown up in a dry desert and was always thirsty, proof of his affection sated her as nothing else could.
Stepping close to Lana, she gave her a gentle squeeze. “Thank you for standing up for me. For being a friend.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw some of the tension leave Grif’s shoulders as he registered her words. “But you never need to protect me from Grif. He is my sanctuary—and I am his. We will always find our way back to each other. We are bound by ties too strong to break.”