night?”
“I forget you’re not part of this world.” Another smile, but there wasn’t any teasing to it, just polite understanding. “Ring fights. Have some drinks, maybe make a wager. If you’re brave enough, throw your name down for a brawl. It’s a way to blow off steam, not to mention a hub for some unsavory characters.”
“If you’re not a shifter, shouldn’t you avoid going there?” Lilah held her breath. There was a lie somewhere, she was sure of it. She just didn’t know exactly where.
Seth stiffened, then slashed his eyes away from her. “Don’t worry about me,” he said gruffly. “I’ll be fine. Looking forward to it, actually.”
Lilah stared at the door after he left. She was finally alone, but there wasn’t any comfort in it. She wasn’t safe. She didn’t feel protected. If anything, she had more questions than ever before.
Who the hell was Seth Foster, and what was he hiding from her?
Chapter 10
Lilah woke for the third day in a row unsure of where she was and groggy beyond all belief. The first, at least, she had some excuse. A handful of hours after nearly being killed didn’t exactly contribute to a complete sleep cycle. The second, too, she had a little leeway for her confusion. Waking in a strange barn, in the bed of a strange man, and still fearing for her life made sleep hard to find between the tossing and turning.
The third night, and second on the ranch, that was her fear whispering in the darkness.
Strange place? Strange people? Of course her mind ran a thousand miles a minute. That was even before the added dash of, say, her life being in the hands of a man she barely knew.
And yet, they’d been nothing but polite to her. The women had delivered her a stack of clothes that, even if they weren’t her size, fit well enough. They’d opened their doors when they were home, and offered to give her a ride if she needed. Seth rejected the offer with a growl and warning for her to stay on the ranch, but the intention was still nice even if she was grounded.
Lilah showered and dressed just in time for the morning circus to begin with a rumble of truck engines and yelling.
“Colette, baby, love of my life, queen of my world, it pains me to say you’re being selfish,” Dash teased.
“Oh, fuck off,” Colette laughed. “I’m not doing your work. I have my own job to get to.”
“Then why are you still here?” Lindley muttered loud enough to be heard.
“Mostly to annoy you,” she snarked back. “Is it working?”
Lilah stepped through the door before the argument broke out over whether Lindley had had enough coffee that morning, or if enough even existed in the world to deal with the dual force of Dash and Colette. She didn’t hear Trent yet, which meant they could easily descend into a full, fist- and fur-flying brawl like the one that left her wide-eyed and heart racing the previous afternoon.
Seth dropped down from the hayloft above the stalls as the door closed behind her. The fresh bruises on his face made her want to wince. They were for her, she supposed, but that felt worse than him getting into fights for the hell of it. Those, at least, wouldn't have been laid at her feet.
“Morning, everyone,” Lilah greeted with a tiny wave of her fingers.
Two days, and she still wasn’t sure the right protocol. The whole situation gave her flashbacks to starting a new job and the pre-shift water cooler mingling. She didn’t know them, they didn’t know her, and everyone was trying to sniff out how the newbie fit into the company culture. Only they were actual big cats sniffing at her and the culture was like a family reunion with the most vicious jokesters in the world.
At least they didn’t hold it against her. With murmured greetings of their own, they turned to argue over who gave the orders and why Dash would never listen to Lindley.
Lilah turned to Seth. She lifted her hand before she could stop herself, then pointed with her arm stretched halfway between them. “You have hay in your hair.”
He ran a hand through his messy bedhead to shake out the stalks. “Thanks.”
“You don’t need to sleep up there. I’m taking up your room. I’m sure I could bunk with one of the others and—”
“Not happening,” he denied with a growl.
Lilah took a step back. Not the first time she’d heard the burr