*Caine just wanted you to go away,* Fleance growled. *I want you to stay and make right what you did. All the world thinks you’re some great philanthropist. Now you’re going to actually be one. And if you get back to your old tricks…*
Sheena’s laughter sizzled against his mind. By the way Parker flinched, he felt it too. *Then you’ll have me to deal with,* she said.
12
Sheena
Hours later…
Fleance jumped as Sheena grabbed hold of the mate bond.
“Sorry,” she said, not sorry at all. “Just checking.”
He made a low sound in the back of his throat and tugged her into his arms. “You’re still my mate,” he said. “Hellsheep.”
She grinned, wide and lazy and thoroughly pleased. The mate bond sang between them, then roared as Fleance kissed her. “And you’re mine.”
They were back at the hotel. Getting there had been less of a mission than Sheena had expected. The car was munted—Sheena had explained to Fleance that that was the technical term for “has half its roof torn off”—but it still drove fine. They’d puttered back to Rotorua without incident. Sheena’s blood was still blazing with adrenaline when they pulled into the hotel carpark and she hadn’t been able to help taking her hellsheep’s shape again to sneak back up to the room.
Being able to turn invisible had helped a lot, there.
You’re doing a good job of holding back the fear, Fleance had said as she walked half through a wall to dodge a group of hotel guests coming down the corridor. He’d shifted back to human form. Clothes intact, the bastard. It took me months to learn that fine control. People kept running away from me and I didn’t know why.
I’m not holding anything back, Sheena had said. I’m just… being. She’d almost nuzzled against him, still invisible, wanting to smooth away the pain in his voice when he talked about driving people away with his unfamiliar magic. She hadn’t reckoned on her hellsheep’s phasing ability. She’d passed straight through Fleance, not touching him.
Which had sucked.
Sheena had shifted and re-solidified as soon as they were back in their room. She’d put on the dressing gown again, which was a mistake, because it was bad enough that Fleance was wearing clothes without her adding to the problem.
She slid her hands under his shirt and kissed down his neck to the thick muscle that joined to his shoulder.
Fleance buried his face in her hair. “Parker isn’t going to be a problem?”
“Only if you keep talking about him while I’m trying to take your clothes off.” She groaned. *Fine. He’s dealt with. Back in his own hotel room at the other end of town, sulking like a wee baby. And now that I’ve confirmed that, I’m going to pull the blinds on him for the next while, okay?*
It was weird and more than a bit gross, being the sun around which Angus Parker’s mangy psychic presence orbited, but she could block him out when she wanted. Like right now.
She pulled back to stare into Fleance’s eyes. Fire kindled in them, then he blinked, and they were pure ice melt gray-blue again. All human. He reached up, his fingertips brushing her face. “Have I told you lately how incredible you are?”
“Only every ten seconds on the drive over here.”
“Then I’m well below quota.” Fleance’s eyes were shining. She’d never seen him look this happy.
Sheena felt like she’d just woken up on Christmas morning. She couldn’t stop herself pulling on the mate bond again, like a cat with a piece of string. It was bright, and pure, and wonderful, and theirs, untainted by anything connected to Parker. As she focused on it, it seemed to expand to fill her entire body with golden light.
Fleance’s fingers tensed against her cheek, then gentled as the electricity thrumming through her skin met the same energy humming in his. *You’re incredible.*
“And you’re mine.”
Fleance laughed and kissed her. The mate bond sang, a single pure note that thrummed through Sheena’s whole body.
*I think I need to stop saying I’ve figured out how being a shifter works,* he said, his voice curling against her mind like a happy cat. A happy hellhound, she corrected herself. *Alphas, being turned into a hellhound… The world keeps proving me wrong.*
*That goes for both of us.* Sheena nuzzled against him. *I thought I had to go far away from my family to find out who I really was. Instead, protecting them showed me that I didn’t need to pretend to be strong. I already was.* She paused. *Well, except for the whole snorting fire thing.*
*I think your sheep always was a hellsheep at heart.*
*And you must have been a hellhound.*
Fleance froze. Sheena stopped kissing him but kept her arms around his shoulders so he knew she wasn’t going anywhere. *Not the way your dick uncle does it. Which clearly isn’t working for him; the guy looks like a stiff wind would knock him to pieces. I mean… you’re a good person. You want to protect people. And that’s what your hellhound wanted to do, too.*
*It didn’t do a good job of it.* Fleance’s face went still, then he caught Sheena’s eye and let his mouth twist bitterly. *Hurting people isn’t justice.*
“It’s been through a lot. You’ve been through a lot. And now you’ve got me.” She smiled and bit him gently on the chin. “If your hellhound gets confused again, I’ll be here to sort you out.”
He let out a short breath. Almost a laugh. “My alpha.”
Sheena did laugh. “I thought we agreed that alphas were bullshit?”
“Being born an alpha, maybe.” Fleance ran one finger along her jawline. “Sheena, you’re my mate. But any shifter who looks at you will know you’re more than that.”
She stared at him. “You’re biased.”
“Obviously.” He tipped his head back, regarding her with so much longing her knees went weak. “I’d be a fool if I wasn’t biased. And I’d be a fool if I couldn’t see that you
