He chuckled, his attention thankfully returning to the road. “What about you? Are you an only child?”
She turned her head to study the scenery that passed them in a dizzying blur.
“Yes, but I wasn’t spoiled.”
“Why not?”
She hunched a shoulder, her stomach cramping at the unpleasant memories of her childhood.
“My father was rarely home and my mother washed her hands of me when I refused to embrace my gifts,” she confessed.
“What about your extended family?” He was forced to slow as they hit the interstate. The morning traffic wasn’t heavy, but she was certain the last thing Lian wanted was to be stopped by a cop. “Your grandparents and aunts and uncles?”
“I never met them.”
She sensed his astonishment. Not surprising. From what she’d learned of the Pantera, they were a tightly knit community that put an emphasis on the pack.
“Never?”
“My father emigrated from England and my mother’s family disapproved of her choice to practice voodoo.” Her hand reached to unconsciously grab his hard thigh as they darted off the interstate and hit a side road with a sudden burst of speed.
She understood he was trying to determine if they were being followed, but…yikes.
“You must have been lonely,” he said, taking several more turns before they were back on the interstate.
It took a minute for her to catch her breath. “Yes.”
“I can’t even imagine,” he mused. “I was smothered to the point of near insanity. I love my family, but a male needs his space.”
Her lips twisted, hiding the envy that sliced through her heart.
How many nights had she dreamed that she was surrounded by a loud, loving family that actually cared whether she did her homework or ate her vegetables?
“Spoiled,” she said beneath her breath.
Naturally he heard her. It seemed they actually did possess the acute senses of a puma.
“Don’t worry, they’ll be anxious to smother you as well.”
Her head jerked around to meet his teasing glance. “Me?”
“Of course.”
“Why would they care about me?”
“Because they’re Nurturers and they’re morally compelled to fuss over people.”
She scowled, telling herself that he was being ridiculous.
And even if he wasn’t, she didn’t want complete strangers fussing over her.
Did she?
“I won’t be there long enough for anyone to notice me,” she protested.
A mysterious smile touched his lips. “We’ll see.”
Knowing it was pointless to argue with the stubborn man, Sage settled back in her seat and concentrated on the world that whizzed past her. Anything to keep herself from thinking of how far away she was from the safety of her tiny cottage.
She lost track of time as Lian concentrated on weaving through the increasing traffic, one eye on the rear view mirror to make sure they weren’t being followed.
Then, just as they reached the outskirts of Baton Rouge, she was jerked out of her inner thoughts as a black truck zoomed from a side ramp and slammed directly into their rear bumper.
“Lian,” Sage cried in fear, certain they were about to die in a fiery crash.
Lian, however, expertly turned into the spin, somehow managing to avoid the other cars as he whipped them around and then headed for the nearest exit.
“Hang on, sweetheart.”
* * *
Lian didn’t have the same skills as Jean-Baptiste behind the wheel, but he did have a car with a finely tuned engine that could hit two hundred miles an hour, and the lightning quick reflexes of a cat.
Within a few miles he’d managed to shake the black truck and disappear among the suburbs of Baton Rouge.
Still, he remained on full alert.
There was no way in hell the intruder could have followed them from his researcher’s house.
Which meant that the bad guy had enough cohorts to watch the roads for the very distinctive Lamborghini. Or he’d managed to tag the car with a tracking device.
Either way, Lian had to get off the streets.
Winding his way toward the older district that lined the banks of the Mississippi River, he at last turned onto a dead-end street that had seen better days.
Beside him Sage sucked in a deep breath, clearly suffering from shock.
“Why are you slowing?” she demanded in husky tones.
“We need to lie low for a few hours.”
She furrowed her brow, studying the dilapidated homes and air of aging decay that shrouded the entire neighborhood.
“Here?”
“Trust me.”
She brushed back a silvery curl that had come loose from her ponytail, her hand unsteady.
“As if I have a choice.”
Lian pulled into a narrow alleyway, regret stabbing through his heart.
When he’d gone to collect the mysterious Dr. Parker for Xavier, he hadn’t considered that he might put the man in danger. And even when he’d discovered that the researcher was a fragile young woman who was terrified to be forced from her home, he’d still insisted that she leave.
He’d been confident that he could protect her. That nothing could get past him to hurt her.
Now he realized that his arrogance had very nearly gotten both of them killed.
Shit. If something happened to this female he would never forgive himself.
Not only was she vital to the future of his people, but his cat was insisting that she belonged with him.
There was nothing more important in the world than keeping her safe.
Halting in front of a chain link fence that blocked the path, he reached beneath the seat to retrieve his gun. Then, rolling down the window, he used his acute sense of smell to ensure there was no one lurking in the shadows.
Once confident they were alone, he swiftly left the car to press his hand to the sensor hidden in a box on the brick wall that lined the alley.
Instantly the gate slid open.
The locks were rigged to sense the touch of a Pantera, which meant as soon as the gate closed behind them, nothing but another Pantera could open it again.
Returning to the car, he drove past the fence and through a garage door that lifted as they approached.
As the door slid down behind them, the lights flickered on to reveal a large, surprisingly well-maintained space that was attached to the two-story Colonial-style home next door.
Climbing out of the car, Sage glanced toward the steel storage cabinets that held the expected tools and auto parts expected in a garage, as well as several emergency firearms and ammo.
“What is this place?” she asked.
Joining her, Lian placed a hand on Sage’s lower back and urged her toward the door connecting the garage to the main house.
“A safe house.”
They walked down a short hall, then together they stepped into a large, airy kitchen that had been recently remodeled to include white cabinets, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and a white and black tiled floor.
Sage blinked, seemingly astonished to discover the inside didn’t match the dilapidated outside, but her attention was clearly more focused on what might be hidden just around the corner.
“Are we alone?”
“Yes.” He pulled his cellphone from his pocket, needing to pass along word of their attack, as well as getting help as quickly as possible. “Raphael has called most of the Pantera back to the Wildlands.”
She nodded, wrapping her arms around her waist as she glanced toward the windows.
“What if they find us?”
He moved forward, brushing the back of his fingers down her cheek. “They can’t get through the locks.”
“How do you know?”
His heart twisted. Man. He hated the fear that edged her voice.
And the knowledge that he was entirely responsible.
“They’re specifically designed to react only to a Pantera’s touch. There’s no way in hell any human could get past them,” he said, not bothering to share the fact that there were traitors among the Pantera. She was freaked out enough. “Besides, I made sure we weren’t followed.” Leaning down, he brushed his lips over her forehead. “If you need the bathroom there’s one just through the dining room, next to the office.”
She gave a jerky nod, wiping her hands on her sweatshirt before she forced herself to head out of the kitchen.
Lian resisted the urge to yank her in his arms and offer her comfort.
She was still trembling from their nerve-shredding trip to the safe house. She needed time to gather her composure before she would be ready to accept anything from the male she no doubt held to blame for her current situation.
Completing his phone call to Raphael, he searched through the kitchen for something to make for lunch.
It would be a few hours before the nearest completely trustworthy Pantera could reach them. Until then, he intended to do his best to prove to his companion that he wasn’t going to let her down again.
He’d demanded her trust.
It was time he earned it.
Opening a can of soup, he poured it into a pan and set it on the stove, then he pulled out a loaf of bread from the freezer along with sliced cheese.
He’d just laid the buttered bread in the hot skillet when Sage returned to the kitchen, her face pale but her expression calm.
“Are you hungry?” he asked, keeping himself busy as she settled on a stool that was pulled up to the breakfast bar.
The urge to touch and hold her was nearly overwhelming, but he compelled himself to be patient.
Not his finest talent.
Hell, it didn’t even make the top hundred.