Page 15 of Grey (Little River Stallions #2)

Sunday afternoon, Grey and Tatum were keeping an eye on Daisy in the pasture with the livestock.

He’d almost told her he loved her a dozen times the night before while they’d been driving each other wild in bed, but he kept getting swept away in the passion.

Then they’d fallen asleep, and he’d stayed with her all night, which was his very favorite thing to do.

It had been a perfect morning. No rushing around, no pressure for anything. Just the two of them enjoying the day. She’d helped him with the animals and then together they’d made a big lunch for the herd with the eggs they’d gathered, and it was the best time he’d ever had in the kitchen.

He couldn’t get enough of her.

He’d been waiting for the right moment to tell her he loved her and to talk about the herd’s mating ceremony, and right now, as she smiled at Daisy’s antics and the sunlight had highlighted the whole farm in a beautiful summer glow, he knew it was time.

He turned to look at her, his heart swelling with emotion and his stallion whinnying in happiness. “Sweetheart.”

She turned to him with a smile. “Yeah?”

“I love you.” His eyes widened at how he’d blurted out the words with no filter.

Her mouth opened in surprise.

Taking in a quick breath to calm his flying pulse, he took her hand and said, “Tatum, I’ve honestly loved you since the moment we met.

I know it hasn’t been a long time, but that’s how it goes with shifters.

You’re my soulmate, and you’re perfect for me.

You’re the sweetest, kindest, most beautiful female I’ve ever met, and I could listen to you talk about legends and myths for days on end.

I find you fascinating and I love how strong you are, how you made the choice to change your life and struck out on your own.

I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I want you to join with the herd as my mate. But mostly? Tatum, I just love you.”

There was a moment of silence as she stared up at him, the air turning electric.

“I love you too. There was a little voice in my head telling me it was too soon, but that’s for humans, not for shifters and their soulmates.

When you rescued me that night? I started to fall for you.

I was so scared because I hadn’t been in town long, but I was so overwhelmingly attracted to you that I couldn’t stay away from you. ”

“I want you to be an official part of the herd,” he said.

“We have a mating ceremony—we can do it next weekend if you’re ready.

Now that I know you love me, baby, I really do want you to move into the farmhouse.

Not because it’s dangerous out there, and not because it’s convenient, but because I don’t want to spend any nights without you in my arms.”

“I’d love to,” she said.

She went onto her toes and kissed him, and it was the kind of kiss where the whole damn world dropped away and it was just the two of them.

When they finally parted, breathless, Grey smiled down at her.

He was about to tell her that he couldn’t wait to move her from the cabin into the farmhouse, and that they could go shopping for new linens and décor to make the bedroom a reflection of both of their tastes and not just his “thrift store chic” as Avi liked to call it.

But his senses flared to life and his stallion let out a grunt of worry.

He looked toward the woods beyond the pasture as a prickle of unease ran down his spine.

“Are you okay?” Tatum whispered.

Something was definitely wrong.

He pulled her a little closer and scanned the trees, his instincts screaming that something wasn’t right. He didn’t see anything but he sure as hell could feel something.

He was about to tell her that his mind must have just been playing tricks on him when a brief flash of movement caught his attention.

Sunlight reflected off something deep in the woods.

“Get inside, Tatum. Now.”

She didn’t question him, running directly to the farmhouse. By the time he heard the front door shut, he was already on the move, slipping through the trees and following whoever it was he’d seen.

He couldn’t afford to lose whoever it was.

It had to be one of Colton’s males.

As he moved, the figure in the shadows realized he was coming for him, and they darted away. Grey took off after them, aware that he’d just passed the line in the woods where they’d set up security cameras, so the bastard had been watching from just beyond where they could see.

The male was fast.

Grey pushed himself harder, sprinting after him.

The male wore dark clothing and a stocking cap pulled low on his head. He didn’t know which of Colton’s males it was, but he was sure it was one of them. The male ducked and wove between the trees and Grey snarled as he doubled down and pushed himself to move even faster.

The male disappeared into the thick darkness of the deep woods and Grey lost him.

He couldn’t even pick up a track to follow him, which was infuriating as hell since he was a trained tracker.

Listening carefully, he hoped he could pick up something like the snapping of a twig, but there was nothing. No sound. No movement. Just silence.

Panting, he turned in a slow circle and got his bearings and ensured he was alone, and then walked back to the farmhouse. Before he got too far, he saw something on the ground and picked up a monocular.

The male must have dropped it.

Lifting it to his eye, he adjusted the view until he saw the farmhouse.

The monocular explained why he didn’t need to come into the secured area because he could just watch their comings and goings without setting off the security measures.

“Damn it.”

He headed to the farmhouse.

Tatum was on the porch with Avi and Crew, pacing. When she saw him, she looked visibly relieved. Running off the porch, she met him by the storage barn and he hugged her, lifting her off her feet.

“What happened?” she asked.

He set her gently on her feet and walked to the porch, telling her and the guys what he’d seen and handing the monocular to Crew.

“Damn that asshole,” Crew said. He sighed. “I was genuinely hoping he moved on.”

“Doesn’t seem like it,” Avi said.

“I couldn’t find his tracks,” Grey said. “I’m not sure how he got away from me, but he’s good, whoever it is.”

“Should we just keep setting more monitors farther out?” Avi asked.

“They clearly are keeping tabs on where our monitors are,” Crew said, shaking his head. “I’d rather have the farmhouse and barns monitored.”

“So we’ll just stay vigilant,” Grey said. “I don’t like it, but I’m not sure there’s any other way to deal with him. If they’re trying to see what we’re doing to look for weaknesses in our security and patrols, we’ll just have to be sure there aren’t any.”

“Agreed,” Crew said. “I’ll call Ford, Khyle, and Dexter for a meeting, but I’m not sure what good it will do.

We’re safe in the farmhouse, that much I’m sure of.

And Tatum, I know I can’t ask you to just take off from the library until this threat is put down, but we’ll keep escorting you to and from.

It’s a public building and there are always people around, so it should be fine. ”

“I’ll be vigilant,” she said.

Grey gave her a kiss on her cheek. “I’m going to talk to the guys for a bit.”

“Sure,” she said. “I hear Tris and Zara talking in the kitchen, I’ll go see them.”

When it was just the guys, he said, “I know I can’t be at the library all day every day, but I need to be able to check on her during the day.”

“You should just go see her at the library whenever you feel the need,” Ford said. “Having a presence there will be helpful to deter Colton if he is watching.”

“That works,” Grey said.

“All right, let’s go to the den; Khyle and Dexter are on the way.”

Grey looked toward the kitchen where he could hear his mate talking to her friends. His chest was tight. He was worried.

And he hated being worried.

He needed Tatum to be safe and for that to happen, Colton Kane was going to have to disappear. One way or another, Grey would keep his mate safe from the asshole who was targeting the herd.