They’d both agreed the world was too messed up to bring kids into, which was a damn shame because she would have made an excellent mother.
As it turned out, the little mountain town had exactly one diner, which offered only breakfast and lunch, and closed every weekday at four o’clock. When they’d arrived at a quarter to the hour, he’d thought Mackenna was going to have a nuclear meltdown.
The owners of the diner—an elderly werewolf couple with silver hair and matching red shirts—hadn’t turned them away. Once Mackenna had explained the situation, complete with the lie about non-existent Raiders, they’d seemed just as worried as she had been that Cade take his medication on schedule following a well-balanced meal.
They’d been kind to him, treating him like a member of their own family rather than an animal they simply tolerated. So, he hadn’t complained. He’d eaten everything on his plate, even the green beans, then taken his antibiotic while everyone watched. It was weird, but his mate seemed happy, and putting that smile on her face hadn’t cost him a damn thing.
While the Revenant mostly traveled under the cover of darkness, Mackenna had a real aversion to driving after sundown. Given what had happened to her the last time she’d chanced it, he couldn’t blame her. So, after a lengthy goodbye to the owners—at least on Mackenna’s part—they’d gotten back on the road to complete the last leg of their drive.
Everything had been fine, right up until it wasn’t.
Ten miles away from the hospital, a Coalition cruiser pulled onto the highway behind them, lights flashing and sirens blaring. Mackenna eased up on the accelerator and looked over at him, clearly seeking advice. Cade thought it through quickly and nodded. Compliance really was their only option.
Slowing, Mackenna eased onto the shoulder of the highway. She even used her blinker when she did so, but she looked nervous, something the guard would surely notice. Even if he couldn’t see it in her eyes, he’d be able to smell it in her scent.
“Relax, baby.” He took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “We haven’t done anything wrong, right? We’re driving back home to Denver after a weekend in Vegas.”
“Right.” She squeezed his hand again before releasing it, then pasted on an impressively neutral smile. “Make sure your neck is covered.”
His mating mark was technically on the top of his shoulder near the crook of his neck, easily hidden beneath a simple T-shirt, but he did as she asked and adjusted the collar of his new jacket. Still, it rankled. As much as he understood the need for caution, he hated that he couldn’t wear the mark proudly on his neck for everyone to see.
Dressed in the standard black uniform of the Coalition, the soldier approached Mackenna’s open window. He looked young-ish, maybe in his late twenties, although it was hard to tell since large-framed aviator sunglasses covered the upper half of his face.
“Good afternoon, ma’am.”
“Hello.” Mackenna kept her hands on the steering wheel, her shoulders relaxed, and smiled up at him. “Is there a problem?”
“Just a routine patrol. We’ve had reports of things going missing from some of the nearby grocers. We think there’s a group of rebels in the area.”
“Rebels?” She pressed a hand to her chest in feigned surprise. “That’s awful. They’re not dangerous, are they?”
“Well, ma’am, we don’t think they are, but you can never be too careful.”
“Of course. We’re so lucky to have someone like you out here protecting us.”
If she laid it on any thicker, they were going to have to peel the guy off the blacktop, but he seemed to be lapping up the praise. It probably didn’t hurt that Mackenna was gorgeous as well as charming.
The officer bent, leaning closer to the window to get a better look at Cade. “This your pet?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Can I see your registration tag?”
“Of course.”
She held her wrist out, and Cade had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from growling at the asshole when he took hold of her arm. There wasn’t a damn thing he could do about the chemosignals pouring off him, but with any luck, it would go unnoticed. At the very least, he could hope to play it off as being overly protective of his mistress.
He hadn’t missed Mackenna’s reaction to the honorific back at the hotel. The revulsion on her face had been worth any amount of humiliation he might have felt at being treated like a stray dog. A dog that had bitten once and probably would again.
“Where are you coming from today?” the guard was asking when Cade tuned back into the conversation.
“Vegas,” Mackenna answered cheerily. “We’re just on our way home to Denver.”
The soldier nodded. “I’ll just need to run your pet’s registration. It’ll only take a moment.” He pulled a cell phone from his back pocket, tapped at the screen a couple of times, then typed in the number as he read it out loud. A moment later, he nodded and tucked the device back into his pocket. “I’m going to ask you to step out of the vehicle.”
Cade tensed. That wasn’t happening.
“Why?” Mackenna demanded, all traces of compliance evaporating. “Is there a problem with my registration?”
“It checks out.” He sounded disappointed about that. “I need you to step out so I can search your vehicle. I’m sure you understand.”
Cade kept his eyes forward, but he could easily picture the handgun and knives tucked safely into the canvas bag in the back. Even Gemini citizens weren’t permitted to carry weapons under the ARC regime. Even if they could come up with a plausible reason for having them, it wouldn’t matter.
“I’m sorry, but no, I don’t understand. I haven’t done anything wrong.” Mackenna’s fingers
