“Hey, perfect timing it seems.” She said, entering as she immediately shot an exasperated glance at Silas, continuing in the next breath, “Slade all but demanded I ‘ask’ you to go see him.” Her tone was tight, and I could tell something was off. Silas must have picked up on her strain, or maybe someone was communicating with him through the mind link, which he’d begun to tell me about. Either way, he left us alone after ensuring I was settled, giving me a brief squeeze that lingered a tad too long, but Katya didn’t say anything about my reddened cheeks after he’d strode out in a hurry. Be that as it may, he’d had plenty of time to share my most recent muscle spasms with Katya to my chagrin. I hadn’t been planning on telling her everything, knowing it would likely extend the amount of time she ordered for me to be on bedrest, so I wasn’t in the best of moods after Silas’s tattling. The pressure to rescue those girls who were still trapped in the abandoned silver mine with Robbie and

The others said a swift sayonara, hightailing it out of the room with Silas’s arrival, but I hardly noticed their departure. Clearly, they didn’t want to be present for this conversation, but I didn’t let the thought deter me. Silas greeted me warmly, disregarding everyone else in the process and not stopping until he’d yanked me against the chiseled lines of his bare chest. These shifters didn’t seem too fond of clothing, I’d noticed, but I supposed I wouldn’t bother with the cumbersome garments either if I was also shredding through them every five minutes. “Bell.” He growled, right before his lips came crashing down on mine, me having unconsciously risen on my tiptoes to meet his hungry mouth halfway as I caught a glimpse of Katya’s lengthy tresses flitting around the edge of the doorframe. I was overwhelmed by his greeting, the room around me wholly disappearing with his intoxicating presence, and any resolve I’d had to finally get my answers petered out when he speared his ton

Saint’s monologue was a bitter pill for me to swallow, but I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that he was telling me the truth. My heart already knew what I needed. It was my brain holding me back, reminding me of the suffering I still endured from Gage’s premature death, but maybe I didn’t have to shoulder my burden alone. Silas seemed determined to prove his commitment to me, and from what I’d gathered during my discussions with the humans turned shifters yesterday, the waiting period between completing our bond was unusual. Apparently, shifters were raised to go on their instincts, so it was easy for them to accept their goddess given mates without question, and I’d turned out to be the only human stubborn enough to resist the constant tugging coming from within. Silas’s self-discipline was undeniable, and I couldn’t fathom how he was able to keep himself in check if the sensations pouring through him were anything like the ones I constantly felt when he was in close proximity

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I braced myself to stand strong, just the same. I didn’t give a damn how attracted to him I was. There wasn’t a shot in hell I was letting him convince me to forget about my vow to return for the others. Mercifully, he didn’t beat around the bush once we were alone, declaring, “I don’t want to stop you from training with Kat, or doing anything you feel you need to do. However, I will insist on accompanying you when you go after those girls. I want to help you baby, but we’ll need to come up with a strategy first.” Silas’s outright honesty took the wind right out of my sails, but I couldn’t say I was disappointed by it. I also knew he was right, though I felt chagrined at assuming the worst of him. I would need help, and I felt more comfortable with the idea of him being the one by my side than anyone else. He’d been ensuring I was safe the majority of the time I’d been out in the open beforehand anyhow, but there were a number of things we needed t

The next few days passed in a blur as we fell into a routine like it was second nature to us. I spent the mornings with Silas, and we got to know each other better, discussing anything from trivial matters, such as our favorite colors, to life-changing decisions, such as whether we wanted children or not. It was a foregone conclusion that I liked red the best, but I wouldn’t have pegged Silas for a guy who favored blue. As luck would have it, we were on the same page about children being an extraordinary blessing, though I wasn’t ready for any little ones anytime soon. I’d never done this with Gage, never planned that far ahead into the future, and, admittedly, it felt nice to begin putting down roots de novo. More and more of our spare moments were spent with our hands roving and little talking being done as the days flew by, but I didn’t hate the way things were going. My emotions were a mess, but Saint was there to help me sort through the tangled web of my thoughts, allowing