I am the strongest.
I chuckled and repeated Valor’s words.
“That explains it,” Maverick said. He chuckled. “Zephyr says he could do it if he wanted to.” He leaned forward and whispered. “I think he’s jealous that he’s never tried.”
“You’re going to have to negotiate with Valor until you feel Kara is ready for the truth,” James said. “Keep him leashed.”
Valor growled at that. He didn’t like the idea of being forced to do anything he didn’t agree to.
It wasn’t just Kara, though. I had to be ready. I still wasn’t at all sure I would be staying in Black Claw. I still wanted to go far away. Sure, I was having a nice time here, but would I want to be here forever?
As the sun set around us, and my family talked and joked and laughed, I realized something. The thought of staying wasn’t as bad as it once was. But still, I couldn’t show Valor to Kara until I knew I was ready. Until I wanted to take her as a real mate. With the bond and all that came along with it.
Even thinking it was possible spoke volumes. I was changing. I just had to decide how much I wanted to change.
15
Kara
Every time I thought about Rico coming over for dinner that night, butterflies invaded my stomach. I wasn’t even entirely sure what was in my shopping cart at this point, just that I probably needed it. At least I was fairly certain I was sticking to my list, except for this random box of Cheez-Ups that mysteriously appeared and went on the conveyor with the rest because, hey, why not?
These last few days with him had been nice, and I was coming to find that I really liked the person I was getting to know. He was nothing like what I had originally thought, that arrogant, self-absorbed guy he pretended to be. I’d lifted the mask and seen the noble heart behind it, and I hoped it would stick around.
Before I’d even made it to the parking lot, something began to bother me. A sense that I couldn’t explain made me anxious and on edge. Women’s intuition, I’d always called it. Quickly, I hurried to my truck and loaded the groceries as fast as I could. The hair on the back of my neck prickled, and I threw a subtle glance around as I loaded my bags. I didn’t see anything obvious, but it felt like someone was watching me. Maybe it was just my anxiety about the idea of getting serious with someone. Yeah, that might be it.
Maybe not, too. I had pepper spray in my purse, but it was in the truck. I hated carrying a handbag and usually left it under the passenger seat. A whole lot of good it was going to do me in there if I got attacked out here.
I dumped the cart off in the corral and skittered back to my truck, checking all of my mirrors for pursuit as I drove off. The feeling followed me all the way home, even if my invisible stalker didn’t, and I was nearing a panic attack by the time I got the shopping bags inside. Once the door closed and locked behind me, it dissipated, leaving only a hint of lingering tension in my shoulders.
After a quick shower to wash the feeling away, I cooked on autopilot. The smells didn’t quite reach me, my mind back in that parking lot. That was more than just anxiety, I knew, but who in the world would it have been? Someone I knew? A creepy stalker waiting to kidnap me? That sent a chill down my spine. Tye came to mind, of course, but we’d lived in the same town since high school. I’d never run into him in all that time until recently. Surely, he wasn’t so upset about it that he’d watch me. But there wasn’t anyone else it could’ve been.
It had to have been mostly in my head.
I was still on edge when Rico arrived. I was happy—relieved, even—to see him, but even I could tell my smile was strained. It wobbled at the edges as if it wasn’t sure it was supposed to be on my face.
He glanced around the apartment suspiciously as soon as I let him in. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, fine,” I answered a little too quickly, cursing myself.
Rico took my hands, my trembling fingers, and met my eyes. “Something is bothering you. Whatever it is, you can tell me. What happened?”
I took in a shaky breath and nodded. “It’s so stupid, but it… felt like someone was watching me earlier.”
“Here?” he asked, moving to the windows. An air of competence grew around him as if he could take care of any threat with ease. And somehow, I believed he could. I vaguely remember telling him once, in a drunken stupor, that he had predator eyes. It wasn’t just in his eyes, though; it was all of him, and it made me feel safe.
“No, no, at the grocery store, in the parking lot. I just—you know those scary stories where the hair stands up on the back of your neck when you’re being watched by something? It felt like that. As I said, it’s stupid—” I tried to downplay how much it had freaked me out.
“Always trust your instincts, Kara,” he said, stepping back toward me and cradling my face in his hands. “We have instincts for a reason. Listen to them.”
I nodded, feeling better that he believed me. It was time to move forward and forget this drama, so I gave him my best smile and pulled him toward the table. “I hope you’re hungry.”
“Always,” he answered with a suggestive glint in his eyes. He took a seat, glanced around the kitchen, then asked, “Do you own a gun?”
Frowning, I answered. “What? No, why would I?”
He shrugged and scooped a bite of food in his mouth, chewing not nearly enough before he swallowed. “Would you object to
