Reno glanced at Tah. “We’ll talk more later.”
“I don’t want to interrupt,” Diane said. “I can come back another time.”
Reno shook his head. “You came here before you went to the labs. That tells us how important you feel the need to talk to Tah is.” Reno’s gaze bore into hers, making her feel as if he were seeing deep inside and uncovering all her secrets. “I remember the day you arrived. The Professor had talked my ear off about your accomplishments, and I’ll admit, I’d been expecting someone far older. I watched you like a hawk, just waiting for you to make a mistake.”
“I’m sure I made plenty,” Diane said quietly, lowering her head to glance at her feet.
Reno reached out and tipped her chin up. “I have no idea if you did or not. All I saw was a woman dead set on saving my best friend. You didn’t shy away from anything. Every challenge thrown at you, you met head-on. I can’t imagine this place without you. I hope I never have to.” He leaned forward and kissed her softly on the forehead before turning and leaving the room, shutting the door behind him.
Her eyes grew a little damp as she fought to blink back tears. She’d spent a lot of time with Reno when she’d first arrived. One upon a time, she’d fancied herself falling for him. But that had never been a possibility. She’d understood that the day Zane had arrived, and she’d felt a zing straight to her core the first time she’d set eyes on him. Zane—the whole reason she was there now with a foolish plan.
“What can we do for you, Diane?” Tah asked, breaking into her thoughts.
She turned back to face him and Abby. He stood behind his mate, one hip resting on the back of the couch she sat on, a hand rubbing over her shoulder. They looked so good together, so perfect and right. Even now, Abby had the fingers of one hand threaded through Tah’s where it rested on her shoulder, while the other rubbed circles over her distended belly. They were the embodiment of how Diane pictured mates. Watching them, she knew they had what she wanted with Zane.
“I want to discuss Zane,” she said. She was really glad Abby was there. It would be easier to spit it all out with the other woman in the room. Despite Tah’s confidence in Diane, he still intimidated her at times.
Tah came to his feet immediately. “Have you found something? A way to treat the feral cat virus?”
She started to nod, then shook her head.
“Well, which is it? Yes or no?” Tah demanded with that growl of his.
Diane knew him well enough not to take it personally. He was worried, concerned and feeling powerless, something that frustrated him to the point he growled.
“I’d like to talk to you about the possibility of sending someone to find Zane.”
Tah shook his head. “You know we can’t. He’s feral, and from what Clara says, is probably no longer in control of his animal. Going after him could get one of us killed, or get him killed.”
“That might not be the case,” Diane murmured, beginning to feel all her doubts trying to creep back in and make her unsure of herself.
“The only one who would be safe is his mate.” Tah reiterated what they all had been assured of. “So unless you’ve discovered who she is, there’s not much we can do.”
Diane took a deep breath. Now was the time. All she had to do was open her mouth and give voice to what she was thinking. Three simple words. I’m his mate. But what if she wasn’t? What if it was all in her head? What if Zane was meant for someone else? And why did just the thought of another woman in his arms, kissing and loving him, make her heart ache?
“Oh my God!” Abby said, leaning forward. “You’re Zane’s mate.”
“What?” Tah asked, shaking his head. “No way. You’ve been here since he arrived and I’ve seen nothing to indicate that you’re mates.”
Tah’s words confirmed all the doubts she had herself. This time, though, there was a little voice in her head that offered a challenge.
“What if he was avoiding me to protect me?” Diane asked.
“Why? And from what? A life you’re already a part of?” Tah challenged, once again repeating her own doubts. How did he manage to do that?
“Give her a chance, Tah,” Abby admonished. “Why do you think he’d protect you by staying away? And how? Tah could barely keep his hands off me when his beast awoke.”
Tah was right back beside his mate, touching her other shoulder. The man still couldn’t keep his hands off Abby.
“Zane was brought into this world knowing who and what he is. I’ve witnessed a bit of the connection you form when you’re mated. Tah knowing when you were in danger,” she said to Abby. “Reno knowing when Amia was in my lab and upset about the tracker. And the way Clara and Logan stood for each other from the moment they first laid eyes on one another.”