appeared on the other side of the mine’s shaft. “You two had one hell of a battle, if the magic lingering on the air is anything to go by.”
“There were three of us—the White Lady was also here.”
“I take it she missed her quarry yet again.”
“Sort of.” I gave them a quick rundown and then added, “My tracker will probably last twenty-four hours, but the sooner you get me out of here, the sooner we can hunt this bitch.”
“You’re not chasing after the goddamn demon until you’re fully checked out and cleared by the hospital,” Aiden growled. “If I have to physically restrain you, I will.”
“How about we get her out of the goddamn mine before we start any arguments,” Ashworth said. “The rescue team has just arrived, lass. We should have you out of there in no time.”
His idea of no time and mine turned out to be vastly different, but I was eventually dragged up and carefully extracted. Once at the hospital, they ran me through a series of checks and scans, but aside from two cracked ribs and a blooming array of bruises across my stomach, there was no major damage.
Aiden did make good with his promise, however, sitting by my side all night to ensure I didn’t check myself out early. Which was only a little bit frustrating; truth was, between the ribs and the bruises, I could barely move without it hurting like hell. Painkillers helped, but it was pretty obvious I’d be next to useless in the café for the next week or so.
The following morning, after the doctors had given me the all-clear to go home and supplied me with painkillers and prescriptions, Aiden help me dress—replacing the hospital gown they’d stuck me in after they’d cut off my clothes with a spare pair of track pants and a sweater he kept in his truck—then grabbed my pack and took me home.
Belle was waiting by the front door. “Do you want a shower or breakfast first?”
“Shower,” Aiden said. “Definitely a shower.”
I gave him a deadpan look. “Are you suggesting I stink?”
“Of sweat, antiseptic, and dank mine. Yes.”
“Charming.”
“That’s one word for it, though not one I’d personally use. Do you want help up the stairs?”
I hesitated and then nodded. While I could probably lean on the banister just as easily as him, I rather liked his closeness. The way his scent wrapped around me, warm and comforting. “But after I shower, we need to have a council of war—”
“Already on it,” Belle said. “Monty, Ashworth, and Eli should be here for breakfast in fifteen minutes.”
“We open in fifteen minutes.” I looked around. “Where is everyone?”
“I explained what happened and gave them the day off. Figured it was easier than trying to juggle plans and customers.”
“Good thinking.”
“Go,” she said. “I’ll start breakfast.”
Aiden carefully helped me up the stairs and into the bathroom. “I can see why you enjoy my shower—there’s barely enough room to swing a flannel in this thing.”
“Which basically sums up our whole upper floor accommodation.”
“Then why not move into my place on a more permanent basis?”
I touched his stubbly cheek and stared into his beautiful eyes. “I think we both know why that wouldn’t be a good idea.”
“Actually, no, we don’t. You’re all I want, Liz—”
“At this point in time—”
“Which is all I care about.” He brushed limp hair away from my face, his fingers warm on my skin. “You spend far too much of your time worrying about the future. You need to live for now.”
“I am. But I also can’t afford to deepen a relationship that realistically has no future. We both eventually want marriage and kids, Aiden, and that’s not something we can achieve together.”
No matter how much I might wish otherwise.
He didn’t immediately answer, but I could feel conflict in him. Could see it in his aura and smell it in his scent. His fingers tracked slowly down my cheek and caught my chin. Then he kissed me like it meant something. Like I meant something. Something far more than just another woman whose company he enjoyed.
And while I had no doubt he cared for me as much as he would ever care for anyone who wasn’t a werewolf, to believe the depth of emotion I could feel in this kiss was the short path to madness.
He eventually released me, but if the shadows and uncertainty I could feel in him were anything to go by, the kiss had comforted him no more than it did me. We