Savage Craving - Cecilia Lane Page 0,42

moment she neared the little bear cub, he veered away and shot underneath one end of the tables.

Lilah crouched down, meeting Hailey's eyes at the other end. They dropped their attention to the cub flattening to the ground in the very middle of the forest of chair and table legs.

“Hey, little one,” Lilah coaxed, edging down one side. “I hear someone is looking for you. Why don’t you come on out?”

The cub fixed her with his bright green eyes and sank lower to the ground. His little legs worked under him and his fuzzy butt wiggled from side to side.

“Uh-oh,” Hailey groaned.

The cub launched straight at Lilah.

She fell back with the cub on her chest. Her heart thundered against her breastbone. She readied herself for the flash of pain from the pricks of his claws. Smaller, for sure, than the ones she’d felt before, but dangerous nonetheless.

A warm tongue licked her cheek before fur nuzzled against her neck, and Lilah’s heart melted. “You’re okay, sweet baby,” she murmured to the cub. She wrapped her arms around the little one and slowly rolled upright.

“Lilah,” Hailey said with amusement warming her words, “meet Joss and little Jackson.”

“I’m so sorry,” Joss sputtered. She took Jackson from Lilah and tucked him against her chest. “He’s been doing this all week. As soon as his feet hit the ground, he shifts and bolts.”

A man jogged up behind her and laid his hands on her shoulders. He bent over her to drop a kiss on the wiggling cub’s head. “Fast little bugger, ain’t he?” he chuckled, voice full of pride.

The sheer love on their faces as they looked at each other and their child made Lilah’s stomach drop into her toes. There wasn’t anything conditional in their adoration. Running around or snuggled against a chest, the boy was loved no matter what.

Lilah pushed to her feet and caught Seth staring at her. The warmth in his eyes rushed the blood to her cheeks. She ducked her face and turned to head back inside to help Hailey, but stumbled when she bumped into another body.

“So—” she started to apologize, then cut her words. “Lorne?”

Lilah took another step back. Pure shock dropped her mouth open at the sight of the man at the center of her most painful memories. She blinked and shook her head, but no, he wasn’t a hallucination. Same eyes, same nose. He’d aged since she last saw him covered in blood. Added a few extra inches. Filled out with more muscle than he’d carried back in high school.

Back when they’d dated.

Back before her whole world changed.

“What did you do?” Seth demanded from her side. “Why do you make her smell scared?”

Scared, yeah. Terrified worked, too. She needed to leave. Flee. Get the hell off the planet.

The whole world rocked back and forth like she’d downed her weight in alcohol. Her stomach twisted and churned. She felt too hot and freezing cold at the same time.

Not hearing any of the words from Seth, Lorne, or the others, she darted for the barn.

Chapter 16

Lilah spun around at the sound of footsteps behind her. Seth entered the barn, the sunlight outside casting his shadow almost to her feet. It felt like an ominous and dire warning, and she worried what would happen if that darkness touched her.

“Stop following me,” she breathed. “I just need to be alone.”

He shook his head and took a cautious step forward. “You know I can’t do that, Lilah. I won’t risk leaving you unprotected.”

“Protected?” she scoffed. “I’m not protected here. This is the belly of the beast, no matter how much effort is made to dress it up. I have a bounty on my head and you’re best buddies with a man who ruined my life. Tell me how that’s protected?”

“What did he do, Lilah?” he demanded again in a tight voice. “What happened?”

The words were there on the tip of her tongue, ready to spill into the air. She wanted to trust him, but the past held her captive. She’d trusted Lorne once, too, and suffered because of it.

Seth’s eyes had changed. More than once. There hadn’t been any trick of the light when he snarled at Lorne.

Secrets everywhere. She had the smell of them in the air. They were strong enough to make her gag.

She spun away from him again, not giving him an answer. Her blood pounded in her ears. She didn’t know whether to cry or scream, and teetered on the edge of both as frustration boiled in