Page 40 of The Reluctant Mate (Shifters of the Three Rivers #5)
Chapter forty
Sofia
W e’d torn out of the city, Derek’s SUV swallowing the highway while fire engines and police cars screamed past in the opposite direction.
I couldn’t believe Lucian had torched his entire club. A successful business. One of many, but still.
“Lucian and Darla,” I said, my voice calmer than I felt. “Do you think they’re—?”
Derek glanced at me. “Oh, I’m sure they’re fine. Lucian’s a dragon. Darla’s with him. She’s mean enough to make the devil apologize. They’re not the ones I’m worried about.”
Okay. He was probably right. The guilt gnawed at me, anyway.
“You’re handling the whole ‘dragon Shifters are real’ revelation remarkably well,” I ventured carefully.
“I just watched a man turn into a goddamned dragon. And burn down a building. ‘Well’ isn’t in my emotional vocabulary right now.”
“Well, you haven’t driven us into a ditch yet, so that’s something.”
“Exactly how long have you known?”
I hesitated, my fingers curling against the seatbelt. “About Lucian and Darla?”
“Yeah.”
“Since the night before they left Three Rivers.”
He blew air out through his lips. “That’s over a year.”
“Mmm,” I agreed. Small noises seemed safest right now.
“And you didn’t think the Pack’s intelligence officer deserved this information because…?”
“Well…”
“Don’t stop, Sofia. I really want to hear this.”
“I… Look, Lucian posed zero threat to the Pack. He saved my life. It was need-to-know, and you didn’t, um…”
Derek’s face darkened. “Need to know?” His voice had dropped dangerously low.
Warning bells clanged in my head.
“Er, no.”
“Is there anything else that you didn’t think I needed to know? If there is, now is the time to spill.”
Hmmm. I twisted in my seat so I could get a good look at him.
His eyes flicked to me. “What?”
“Just waiting to see if your head explodes.”
“Seriously?”
“Not so fun being kept in the dark, is it?”
He shot me a quizzical look.
“Not knowing the whole story.”
“Sofia—” The growl in his voice vibrated through me.
I held up my hands in a peace gesture. “No, there’s nothing else I’ve been hiding. What about you? Anything else you want to tell me? If there is, now is the time to spill.”
“You’re impossible, you know that, right?”
“And yet you still haven’t pulled over and left me on the side of the road. Fascinating.”
“Don’t tempt me,” he muttered, but there was no heat behind it.
Derek’s phone buzzed on the console. His eyes flicked toward the phone, then to me for a brief second before he put it on speaker.
“Sam,” he said curtly, his voice gruff. No pleasantries. No hesitation.
“You clear?”
“Yes.”
“Sofia with you?”
“I’m here, Sam.” I leaned toward the phone. “I’m okay.”
“Thank the Goddess.” Sam exhaled audibly. “I would say welcome to the family, Sofia, but let’s be honest, you’ve always been family.”
I blinked. What was he going on about? “Family?”
“Your mate bond with Derek. It sealed. Congratulations, although I hope you know what you’re getting into. You do know he leaves his smelly socks just lying around the house, right?”
I glanced at Derek, momentarily stunned. “How did he—?”
Derek gave a casual shrug, his eyes fixed on the road. “He’s my twin. He knows stuff.”
“He’s not wrong,” Sam said. “I know everything. But I’m serious, Sofia. You’ve always been part of this family. I don’t know what he did to finally persuade you to give him a chance, but he’s one lucky bastard, and I know he’ll do anything to make you happy.”
What did that mean? Did he know when Derek and I fooled around? Did he feel what we felt?
Heat blazed up my neck. “When you say ‘know everything’…”
Derek caught my eye and grinned, shaking his head slightly.
“Any updates on Kane?” Derek pivoted smoothly.
“Waylen’s got a contingent of Kane’s forces tracked to a location about an hour north of Cornwall on an old airfield. He’s been hacking into their comms, but he’s treading lightly. Looks like they’re mobilizing.”
“For an attack?”
Sam hesitated. “Yeah. We’ve got six hours, Derek. Maybe less. They’re set to move just before dusk. Their target is Three Rivers.”
The words punched the air from my lungs. My hand shot to the armrest, gripping it like it would keep me grounded.
Sam continued, “We’ve got a strike team assembling to intercept, but we’ll need everyone we can get. The location’s about three hours from where you are. Can you get there?”
“Send me the coordinates,” Derek said without hesitation.
“Sure,” Sam replied. “Sofia, you want to head back to Three Rivers? Ryan’s staying put. He’ll protect the Pack if we fail. I can arrange for a car to meet you and bring you back.”
Derek’s response was instant. “She goes where I go.”
My mouth clicked shut as a warm feeling spread across my chest. He really did mean it when he said he wasn’t going to leave me.
“Well,” Sam replied, his tone laced with amusement, “I guess that’s sorted. I’ll see you both soon. Try not to do anything that makes Sofia want to unseal the bond on the way, bro.”
Derek’s eyes flicked to mine. “I’ll see what I can do. Later.”
Derek touched the red button, leaving just me and him.
“You know,” I teased, “when I said I didn’t want you to leave me again, I think I could make an exception if you’re heading into high-risk situations where we might end up, oh, I don’t know—dead.”
Derek’s lips twitched, the ghost of a smirk threatening to break through his otherwise stern expression. “You’re mine, Sofia,” he said. “I’m not letting you out of my sight again.”
The simplicity of his words, the raw conviction behind them, made something that had been held tight in my chest unfurl. He really meant it. Maybe I could trust him. Maybe I was worth staying for.