My Champion(60)

"Declan, we have years, centuries even."

She felt his chin move across her shoulder as he shook his head. "I could've lost you. I can't even imagine..." his voice trailed off. "There's a killer on the loose and here you are, falling down the stairs."

She grabbed his forearm at her waist. "Can you tell me more about the killer? I was with Magnus when Meryn showed him the security cameras, but no one filled in the details."

Declan began to rub her hand. "Just before you got here, we had three shifters murdered on Level Six. We think one of the wine vendors, a vampire, went feral when the refugees came in the first wave. There was so much blood, a lot of the vampires couldn't handle it. We think he snapped. Eva was able to track him down to the Pits, the lower levels underneath Level One. It's where city maintenance happens. She was attacked; we nearly lost her. Ever since Eva's attack, there haven't been any new murders. Poor Adriel is getting more frustrated as each day goes by without any new clues. We all hate to admit it, but unless he kills again, it may be impossible to find him."

"Maybe he left," she suggested.

"We sealed the maintenance shaft he used to get around the city, and he can't fly. He lost the ability when he became feral. No, he's somewhere still in the city, we just can't find him."

"What about Avery?" she exclaimed, "Avery is by himself, he..."

Declan nipped her shoulder "Do you really think Warrick is gonna let anything happen to him?"

She pulled her knees up to her closer to her chest. "Maybe we really would have been safer at home."

"No you wouldn't have. Three new families were discovered murdered just yesterday."

"What is going on? Why now?"

"I don't know, but it's like were being hunted. My lion doesn't like it."

Kari fought back shivers. "That is how it felt in the garden, just for a second before I got dizzy. There was this icy feeling of fear. I was dizzy, but I still looked around. I expected to see someone watching me."

"Why didn't you say anything?" He turned her in his arms.

"It was just a feeling."

"You and Meryn have said almost the same thing."

"It is difficult, I think," Kari started. "Being in a city you are not used to. There are so many tunnels and caverns. So many close spaces in darkness; in the shadows you almost expect something to be hiding there."

Declan shook his head. "I've been here for so long, it doesn't even bother me anymore. If you get that feeling again, you run, you find me, you find someone. I can't lose you." He pulled her against his chest and held her tight. "You see me. Not a mediator, not a Lionhart, just me. I can't lose that."

She rubbed her cheek against his chest. "I feel the same way. After my parents left, I was alone until my adopted brother found me. He helped me figure out what I could do and how to survive."

"Adopted?" he asked.

"Yes, I found him over one hundred and sixty years ago. It was right around the time the humans started heading west. I saw him doing some magic and stuck to him like a burr. He was the only paranormal I had seen since my parents left me. Eventually, I think he just took pity on me. He set me up with a piece of paper that changes depending on what I needed it to be: A birth certificate, degree, or a marriage certificate. Anything that would help me get by in the human world and blend in."

"Where are your parents?"

"I have no idea. When I turned one hundred, they said I was old enough, and they left."

"Are they dead?"

"I do not know. That is why you and Avery are so important. You are my family now. I cannot lose the two of you."

He rubbed his chin over the top of her head. "You're never getting rid of me. If you ever wonder where I am, just look behind you. I'll be there to catch you or give you a push when you need it."

"I would rather you walk beside me." She smiled.

He snorted. "No way. I'd rather walk behind you so I can watch your ass."

She poked him in the ribs, and he laughed.

She got serious for a moment. "Do you really love me?"

He nodded. "So much it's frightening."

"Even though I am take-charge? Some guys I have dated said that I was too dominant and they did not feel they were needed."

"They just weren't strong enough to allow you to be who you are. For the most part, I go with the flow, it's just easier. But when it is just the two of us, when we are alone, my lion needs you to submit. Will that be a problem?"

She smiled and kissed his chest "If it results in a repeat of earlier, no."

He chuckled. "It's just the beginning of our mating heat, my little general."