and he loves me. He may not be the kind of person we want as a poster child for the pack, but he’s not beyond redemption, Princess. And I was hoping if I could convince you of that, you might talk some sense into your uncle for me.”
Ahhh, there it was. His motive for coming. “You want me to convince Uncle Callum to let you go after Hank and the Church of Morning?”
“If anyone could do it, it would be you.”
“Then no one can do it.” I got up, and after a moment’s hesitation I sat next to him on the bed. I’d meant to leave some space between us, but my added weight made the mattress dip, and I ended up right next to him, our thighs pressed against each other. The sudden warmth of his body beside mine made me grateful for the darkness of the room because I was blushing something fierce.
“I figured—”
“I know what you figured. But believe it or not I can’t convince Callum to do anything he doesn’t want to. Talking him into letting me go to Tulane was like ripping out my fingernails with my teeth. If he thinks what you’re planning might negatively impact the pack, he’ll refuse it. Flat out. And frankly I agree with him. If you go after the Church alone, you’re going to do something that either proves their point or puts us all at risk. Or worse, gets you killed.”
“You think me dying is worse than the pack being put at risk?”
I didn’t need to see him to know he was smirking. How could he do that? Bare his heart to me one moment and in the next be flirting again like he hadn’t just told me one of his darkest secrets. This guy was something else.
“For you it would be,” I replied.
“Maybe. But if it meant I could help Hank, I wouldn’t think twice.”
“And therein lies the problem. You need to think twice. You need to think about it three or four or a hundred times before you go running after these people by yourself.”
“So come with me.”
“What’s more is, you’re associated with the pack, and because we’re out in the public now anything you do—” I stopped talking mid-sentence and blinked at him. “What did you say?”
“I said come with me. I know Callum said we shouldn’t act, but you know I’m not going to listen. And a nice, rule-abiding princess like you will keep me in line. Make sure I don’t cause more harm than good.”
Going with him had been my plan all along, but I wanted to hear his sales pitch. I feigned uncertainty. “We’ll already be doing more harm than good just by disobeying Callum. I’m sure he’ll love the idea of you taking a pack princess right into the heart of danger, when he brought me home explicitly to protect me from those crazy assholes.”
I was actively formulating a plan, in spite of my protestations. If I was going to run into the fray with Wilder, I wanted to sure we all came out of it alive.
“I’d protect you.” Wilder’s voice was low, distracting me from my thoughts. His lips were so close to my ear I shivered. “But something tells me you don’t need anyone else to keep you safe, Princess.”
Chapter Thirteen
What is it some people say when they’re about to do something completely idiotic? It’s better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission? I’d always thought it was a silly copout for getting busted instead of being smart enough to avoid trouble in the first place.
Now, with my arms wrapped around Wilder’s waist and the night air blowing by us as we sped down the highway, I saw the logic at last. There was no way in hell Ben or Callum would have consented to this. My brother would rather lock me in my room like a storybook princess in a tower if it meant keeping me from doing what I was doing right now.
And Callum? He wanted to keep me safe. On his terms. He’d be furious with me for leaving. But then again, given some distance and time to consider it, I think he’d realize I was making a bold choice. I was doing something a leader would do. He’d learn to respect me for it, even if he didn’t like it.
I had left a note under Lina’s door, knowing if she was the one to break the news to the men, they wouldn’t be able to