“Tilly. He’s Mathew.” She leaned back on her heel, bit her thumb slightly. “Castor said Bass was bad. Is he?”
Lowering himself to her level, John held out his other arm for her. She paused, her detached gaze watering with tears. “He’s the best man I know, Tilly.” She took one tentative step, then leaped the rest, flying into his open arm and holding on as tightly as Mathew. “It’s going to be all right now, Tilly. You’ll see.”
“Will my mommy know where to find me?” she whispered.
“Is she with Castor?” Tilly nodded. “We’ll do our best to find her, Tilly.” And though Bass or Jackson hadn’t agreed to help those Castor had forced to fight, John knew in his heart that Bass would have promised the same. And maybe in helping the remnants of the Indiana pack, Castor would find some of his soldiers less willing to fight. But either way, war or not, John refused to allow it to blacken his heart.
Chapter 27
Eva
Rolling over with a sleepy yawn, Eva reached out for John, only to find the bed empty. Sitting up, she searched the room with her gaze and found a folded piece of paper on the bedside table.
Evaline,
I could stay in bed forever with you, but duty calls. I’ll be home midmorning, John X
Eva grinned at the X. He didn’t seem like the type who would leave notes and kisses, but she was beginning to see the softness beneath the tough, sexy exterior.
“Eva?”
“Sis?”
“In here,” Evaline answered to her brother and father as the door banged shut. It wasn’t until her brother’s grinning face poked through the door that she realized she was in John’s bed, not her own. Heat washed over her face.
“Busted,” Zackary teased. “You’re going to be in so much trouble.”
After throwing a pillow at him, Eva jumped from the bed as her father pushed the door open fully, his face rigid. “This isn’t your room, Evaline.”
“Twenty-one,” Eva singsonged as she pulled on her jeans beneath John’s shirt. It reached her knees, but Eva thought it was best to look fully clothed around her currently fuming father.
“Where is he?” her father demanded.
“Working,” Eva answered, walking past him and entering the kitchen. “Coffee?”
“Me, please.” Zackary grinned, jumping onto a barstool at the kitchen counter. “He’s leading that mission to the Indiana pack, isn’t he?”
“What mission?” Eva gasped. She had no idea he’d be in danger, and she wasn’t sure she liked this sudden feeling of anxiety rushing through her veins.
“Oh, you’ve got it bad, sis.” Zackary chuckled. “But chill, Ev. John’s a total badass. He’s the only one I’ve seen come remotely close to beating Bass’s ass.”
She remembered watching him fight. It was good to know he was strong, but again, Eva wasn’t sure how to deal with the new reason to worry. It was another aspect she hadn’t considered, and something being with John would cause daily. He’d always throw himself into danger. It was just who he was. Which meant she’d always be at risk of losing him, and she’d already lost enough in her life.
“I need you to explain to me what is going on between John and yourself, Eva,” her dad asked as he took the offered mug of coffee from her.
“I’m not sure what you want me to tell you, Dad. I like him. Is that so wrong?”
“No. No, I’m not saying that, but what about your degree, vet school? I won’t let you give up on those things.”
“I’m not giving up on them, Dad, but that doesn’t mean I’m ready for them,” she explained, taking a sip of her drink.
“Eva, we’ve not been here long, but in that time, I’ve seen the way relationships are here, and I can’t see how you can be with John and go back to college.”
“We’ll figure it out. But you’re getting way ahead of yourself.” Eva didn’t want to look too far ahead. It frightened her. She was happy enjoying the here and the now and breathing for the first time in months.
“I’m not sure I am, Evaline. This pack likes to gossip, and I’ve heard more than once you being referred to as his potential mate.”
Mate. It should terrify her that the word didn’t terrify her, yet the idea of John being all hers, and no one ever being able to take him away, pleased a secret hidden part of herself.
“That’s serious, Eva. Mates are serious. Like ‘death do us part’ serious,” Zackary added, the grin falling from his face.
“Would that be so bad?” she asked quietly.
Her brother shrugged. “I like John.”
“You’re going to vet school,” her father instructed. “I don’t care what that man wants or how scary he is, you’re becoming a vet, Evaline. End of discussion.”
Smiling warmly, Eva reached across the kitchen counter and took her father’s hand. “I’m going to do all of those things, Dad. I told John I was finishing school. We’ll figure it out, but we are not there yet, so please stop worrying.”
“It’s my job to worry,” he countered, running a hand over his head. “And I promised your mom I’d worry for her too.”
Eva laughed sadly. “I’m not ready to look forward yet, Dad, but when I do, I’ll let you know what I see. Okay?”
He nodded.
“Cool! So, now that’s sorted, can we please go eat? I’m starving,” Zackary announced.
“All you do is eat,” their father muttered.
“I’m a growing wolf,” Zackary defended.
“Just let me throw some clean clothes on, and I’m there,” Eva replied, rushing off to her room. She put John’s shirt in her drawer—it was now hers or at least until it lost his smell, and then she’d let him wear it again. She pulled out a clean T-shirt and a sweater, leaving on her jeans. Thick socks were next,
