good idea to engage with a primal male.”
Ariel glanced back and took in the man who went with the voice. He was bigger than any shifter she’d ever seen, topping even Gabriel’s height. She knew who he was before Daniel spoke, but it was nice to put a face with a name.
“Aleksy,” Daniel growled. “Tony.”
Tony must be the man standing beside Aleksy. He was slightly shorter than Daniel, putting him barely over six feet.
“What the fuck did you give him, Tony?” Gabriel demanded, stepping forward.
Ariel was afraid he might try something with Tony, but Aleksy stepped forward in a way that positioned him firmly between them. The way he stood, feet planted wide with arms crossed over his chest, seemed to dare Gabriel to try anything. The woman stood beside him, looking so much like Reno she had to be his sister, Lyra. The sister he’d never known existed. She’d moved to Tony’s side, her stance similar to her mate’s.
“He’s fine.” Tony ignored them all and headed straight toward where she and Daniel stood. “You must be Ariel. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
His smile was charming, but she noted the concern in his gaze as he took a visual inventory of Daniel before grasping his wrist and checking his pulse.
“Slow it down,” he murmured softly, pitching his voice in a way that made her wonder if the others would be able to hear. “Focus on your mate, Daniel. Close your eyes and breathe in her scent. Talk to him, Ariel. He needs calm, and you, my dear, seem to be what brings him that.”
Tony met her gaze, his assessing as he gave her his full attention for the first time. “You’ve got this handled, so I’m going to head back and help diffuse what’s happening over there before Aleksy loses his temper.” He shook his head. “Never a good thing. He’s a bit protective when it comes to me. Something Lyra has apparently decided to do, as well.” He sighed, trying to give the impression it annoyed him, but Ariel could tell it meant something to him. He brushed his fingers along her shoulder as he turned to go. “We’ll chat soon. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”
Tony was definitely an interesting man.
“You didn’t flinch.”
Daniel’s voice snapped her attention back to him. “What?”
“When Tony touched you. You didn’t flinch,” Daniel said, curiosity in his gaze.
She shook her head. She opened her mouth to speak then slowly closed it. Daniel was right. She hadn’t flinched away from Tony’s touch. Then it had really been nothing more than a brief glide and her focus had been on Daniel at the time. And Tony had distracted her with what he was saying, so she wasn’t focused on his hands but his words. It was as if he’d known how to approach her. She wasn’t sure what to think of that, so she refocused on Daniel.
“Are you okay now?”
He slowly nodded as he exhaled a hard breath. His fingers flexed against her. So did another part of him as he became aware of how close they stood. Her breasts were flush against him, and though she’d been able to ignore the heaviness of them before, she acknowledged it as she watched him begin to notice. He took a sharp step back, placing distance between them once again. She fought the instinctive need to follow him even as fear threatened, once again. How was it possible to want someone and yet be afraid in equal measure? If she’d had any doubt on just how fucked up she was, that would suffice to remind her.
“I’m good. I didn’t mean to… I…” He broke off, obviously struggling with what to say to her about the erection he hadn’t been able to hide from her. He appeared gutted, which wasn’t what she wanted for him.
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not,” he growled. “Do you think I don’t see the fear in your eyes?”
“Fear, yes. But not of you. I swear. Not of you.” And knowing that surprised her, as well.
“Daniel. Ariel. Come join us,” Tony called.
“Stay with me,” Daniel ordered, linking his fingers with hers. She nodded, reminding herself that he needed her.
It wasn’t until they headed toward the others that she realized Vic and Gideon had joined them at some point. Gideon watched her with narrowed eyes while Vic simply smiled, offering encouragement without words.
“I managed to secure a place for us to stay while we’re here,” Tony offered. “Talbot won’t be easy to find. I’ve got another