Page 48 of Balance

Titus pulled up beside Troy’s tan vehicle, and was the first out of the SUV, already opening the hatch while the rest of us scrambled out with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

Our group lingered in the back, while Damen and Julian organized the camping gear. My pink duffle was pushed to the edge of the pile, and I grabbed the black, sparkly strap, pulling it to me.

What had I been thinking, packing this much crap? A hairbrush was hardly essential.

Titus stepped beside me, gently tugging the strap from my hand. “I’ll take it. Carry mine,” he said, pushing a small gray backpack between us with his foot. “It’s lighter.”

“But—” That wasn’t very fair, and probably impossible. I’d been the one shortsighted enough to overthink our necessities. After all, did we really need toothpaste?

“Don’t worry about it,” he interrupted, swinging the bag over his shoulders. His movements were smooth, his expression hardly changing from the time he’d tied my luggage into place and, belatedly, began to pull his hair into a knot on the top of his head.

It was like he didn’t evencarethat the baby pink clashed with his super manly persona. Yes, he ownedHello Kittyboxers, but I had no proof that he actually wore them… yet.

They could just be for decoration.

Frowning, I picked up Titus’s bag with one hand—there was hardly anything in there at all; there was no way he’d packed anything more than a change of clothes, maybe two.

“Remember, stay close to me,” he murmured in my ear, gaze moving to the edge of the dirt lot where Troy stood, gesturing to the forest and deep in discussion with Finn and Bryce. “We only have to put up with him a little while longer. But I have to go hear this. You saved us the time in getting us here. I’m not going to let this go to waste. I’ll make it up to you later. Just remember how brave you are.”

Then he turned from me, stalking toward the two of them.

But… what did thatmean? I thought he wanted me to stay away from Troy.

It must be a weird shifter thing…

I frowned, hesitating only for a moment as a buzz echoed under my sweating palms. I stepped after Titus, pulling the backpack over my shoulders and my off-white scarf over my mouth. It wasn’t cold enough for gloves yet, not even up here. But the midafternoon air already held a bite—it would be uncomfortable tonight.

“We’re almost in the middle of the park, this is the highest point in the mountains,” Troy was saying. “This is the most commonly used trail for backpackers and campers. It’s likely your friend went in this direction.” He pointed to a dirt path; the width of a few people side-to-side. “It’s not recommended to venture off. It’s easy to get lost around here, even for us. I’m not sure why you’re convinced your friend came this way, but if you’d like, I can take you to the first—”

“No,” Titus interrupted, the tightness of his jaw fading slightly as my arm brushed against his. He twisted his fingers with mine. “We’ll be fine from here on out.” However, he looked at neither of us, his face a picture of concentration as his piercing gaze surveyed our surroundings. “We’ve done this before.”

I squeezed his hand, torn between askingwhenthey’d had to traipse across the wilderness before—obviously, it had never been in pursuit of Miles—and what, exactly, it was that I was supposed to be doing. Bryce and Finn were watching the two of us with matching, almost unnerving, expressions that did little to calm my increasing unease.

“You’ve done this before?” Troy said, tone thick with skepticism. “I can believeyou, but are you really willing to exposeherto the wrath of the Snallygaster.”

Oh no! My attention snapped to Bryce, who had jerked in interest at the ranger’s words. This was exactly what Brayden had been trying to warn me about—the moment we’d been trying to avoid. And now Bryce was going to ask questions—I could see the wheels turning from here. Bryce wouldneverleave if he heard about the people-eating dragon.

Stupid Troy, why couldn’t he suck at his job?

“She’ll be fine.” Titus lightly pulled at my hand, causing me to stumble into him. He didn’t seem concerned, or intrigued, at the introduction of the terrifying beast. Which meant, of course, he’d already known about it or he just didn’t care. But then he spoke again, wrapping his arms around my upper chest and holding me against him. “I’m not about to let anything happen to my mate.”

My mate…

I felt lightheaded. Suddenly, armed with the knowledge that nothing could get past Titus’s defenses, I was no longer afraid of Troy. My heart was beating wildly, and my skin burned—thankfully I was short enough that Titus’s arms, and the scarf, covered my lower face. What was this admission—and to another shifter too! Weren’t we supposed to be keeping this a secret?

And this position—it was so possessive and animalistic. My skin hummed with something almost primal, the vibe wild and untamed. We’d been in this position before, but neverexactlylike this.

“That explains a lot…” Troy’s presence seemed to deflate in on itself, and the weight of his gaze moved off me. He glanced at Titus, almost deferring, but not entirely either. “Whatareyou, anyway?”

“My father is a lion,” Titus answered, no hesitation—and why would he? It wasn’t a lie.

“Huh.” Troy sniffed. “My senses must be off. I still can’t see that.”

Damen and Julian remained near the growing pile of supplies outside the van. From the surface, they seemed focused on their duties. However, as Damen tossed an olive bag onto a small mountain of supplies, his posture was tight, movements shorter than usual; crouched on the ground in such a way that he could move to us quickly, if needed.

And Julian, although he looked the most tranquil and involved in counting bags and issuing instructions to Brayden, was unable to hide the wariness reaching across our bond.

For a moment, I thought the conversation had dropped, and that we were on to safer topics.