Kira's heart leapt into her throat. Damn it. If the campground general manager had found out about the dead fish problem … Maybe someone had reported it and she was going to catch shit for not reporting it, or worse, maybe she would lose her job. She couldn't lose her job, not now that she'd found Nash and together they were going to have the perfect summer. If she had to move, it would mean-
"Kira!"
She blinked once, twice.
Sasha waved a hand in front of her face. "I need you to focus. What just happened there?"
"Sorry." Kira forced a smile on her face. Just because the GM was paying her a personal visit didn't mean anything negative. Maybe he was coming to tell her what a great job she was doing. Or just making a routine site visit. There were a million reasons he would come out to Riverside. "I was just thinking of something." She shook her head clear of any worry and asked Sasha, "Why would the GM be here? Did he say?"
Sasha's face twisted up in confusion. "The GM? He's not here. Although I did-"
A spark of panic lit in Kira's belly, followed by something else. A feeling she couldn't quite pin down. She froze and stared at Sasha. "Then who's here?"
"I guess I thought you knew," Sasha said. A hot shiver ran up her spine, and in that instant Kira knew. She felt it. She turned as Sasha continued. "He said he was your-"
"Brother." Kira's lips formed around the word while her eyes took in the scene before her. Kade.
Behind her, Sasha was saying something, but Kira didn't even try to understand what she was saying. A low-grade buzzing took over her hearing, the earth beneath her feet started to move, and for one terrifying moment, she thought she might pass out. What was Kade doing there? How did he even know where she was? How could he … had he sensed her?
Her knees buckled, but she caught herself and straightened. To his credit, Kade didn't try to help her or even move from the place he stood. He knew her well enough to know that she'd hate any kind of assistance at that moment.
He had known her well enough. She corrected herself. He didn't know her anymore. They hadn't seen each other in almost two years. He no longer had the right to say how she would react and how she wouldn't.
Except he did. He was her twin. A bond stronger than any other. Even that of a fated mate. It didn't matter what they'd been through, or the time they spent apart. He knew her. Kade knew her on a cellular level because they were twins.
"Kira." He finally spoke, and the sound of his voice speaking her name almost undid her completely. "You look good," he continued. "Happy."
He knew.
How could he know? It was a stupid thing to wonder. After all, how could Kade know anything after so much time?
Because he did. Her thoughts flew to Nash and what they'd just done. What would her brother say if he knew she'd just mated with a wolf? Did she even care?
Yes. She did. A lot.
"I am happy." She took a step forward, needing to touch him to really believe it was him. Sensing her need-maybe feeling it too-Kade stepped forward as well until they were toe-to-toe. "You're happy, too." It wasn't a question. It didn't need to be. He was radiating joy. But in a different way than she'd ever felt from him. It was pure, and heated and … "You have a mate."
Kade's face twisted into a broad smile. "There's time for that later." He laughed. "First things first." His broad, strong arms wrapped around her waist and she squealed as he lifted her up and spun her around.
As soon as she was able to wriggle her arm free, Kira swatted at him half-heartedly. "Put me down. I'm too big for that."
"You are not." And to demonstrate, he lifted her higher.
"Okay, okay. But I'm not a kid anymore." She smacked his back with a laugh. "Put me down."
Kade did as requested but then pulled her in for another hug. "Damn, sis. It's good to see you. I can't even-"
"You don't have to say it. I get it." And she did. Seeing Kade, hearing his voice, feeling his arms around her … he filled a hole deep inside her. It was a hole she didn't even realize she had, but now that he was there in front of her, she felt complete in a way that she couldn't explain. "It's been too long." Her voice was muffled by his shoulder. "Why now?"
Kade held her out from him so she was looking into his eyes. "You tell me."
It had to be last night. When she thought of him. When, even for a moment, she'd reached out to him. But how could he get there so fast? She shook her head. "No. It's impossible. There's no way. Not even you could travel that fast."
"What are you talking about?"