with the way her world changed.
When she told Deirdre she didn’t want anything to do with the supernaturals, it felt like she’d gutted him. Ripped him open and tore out his lungs. The wolf knew why. The wolf knew exactly why it physically pained him to think that Persephone would walk away from them – from him – without looking back.
How was it possible that she didn’t feel the same way he did? How could she not sense that there was a connection?
Not that Dodge wanted to admit it to himself. He wasn’t ready for a mate. He was probably too old for her and definitely too cynical and scarred and jaded. Persephone seemed all bright and shiny and excitable, looking for the good things in the world. His darkness would corrupt her, would dim her light. He didn’t want that. Not for a second. Even if it destroyed him, it was better that Persephone went back to her normal life, found happiness, and lived a perfectly perfect life.
Her hands curled into the material of his shirt. “I don’t think I can handle this. It’s too – big.”
“That’s what she said,” he murmured, and she tensed. He held his breath, hoping the joke would tease her out of the bleakness that paralyzed her.
Persephone leaned back from his chest and her red-rimmed eyes found his. He waggled his eyebrows at her and was rewarded with a very faint smile.
He found it encouraging, but didn’t want to release her yet. He liked having her close, feeling the soft give of her breasts as she leaned into him. He liked the way her hair brushed his neck and smelled like something flowery, the way her fingers stroked against his shirt as she tried to comfort herself. A sudden fear gripped him. Could he actually give her up? Could he stand by while she walked away? She wasn’t his; he hadn’t even asked her on a date or done more than kiss her, even with the opportunity to mark her. It wasn’t like he had any reason to assume Persephone would welcome his attention long-term.
He was just a somewhat familiar thing while the rest of her world fell apart. He’d rescued her from danger. It wasn’t uncommon for people to get super attached to their rescuers. Silas had always attracted followers of all genders after the team freed hostages from militias and corrupt corporations. Dodge never hung around long enough for the kids to thank him, much less fall in love.
Dodge knew her seeking comfort with him was superficial, shallow. It wouldn’t last. It was just adrenaline, nothing more.
But he still couldn’t release her. “Here’s the plan.”
Persephone tensed but didn’t pull away. She took a deep breath and turned her face to his throat. “Okay.”
“Silas and I worked together for a long time, and our team had a saying – worry about the closest alligator to the boat.” His fingers drifted down the length of her spine, almost to the swell of her beautiful ass, and he nuzzled into her hair. He couldn’t resist, not with her leaning on him. Needing him. “Of course, usually it was literally an alligator trying to get into the boat, but still. The saying holds. We have a couple of problems circling around us, right? So we concentrate on the closest one and deal with that, then find the next one, and deal with that. Sometimes you’ve got to slow down and just do one thing at a time. Okay?”
She nodded. “What comes first?”
Dodge smiled and kissed the top of her head, squeezing her tightly. “We can’t stay in this restaurant forever, as much as I would enjoy eating here for the rest of my life. So we have to get somewhere safe, which means the witch’s house. Once we get there, we can figure out what you want to do next. Sound good?”
She hesitated, then untangled herself from his embrace and wiped at her cheeks. Persephone tried to look resolute, although her determination was undermined by her red eyes and the wobble in her chin. “It’s a plan.”
“Sometimes that’s all you can hope for,” he said quietly. He still touched her arm, her shoulder; the thought of not being connected to her felt unbearable. The longer he spent around her, the more hopelessly ensnared he became. “We have the plan and we’ll modify it if we need to, but for now – we’re just going to get in the car and drive nice and careful back to