No one felt it was likely that the police would find something to link Zayne to Camden either. Zayne would have been a fool to leave a paper trail of his shifter poaching hobby lying around, including the document that Alex pinned to his wall. But if the police did somehow uncover such proof, they’d have no evidence to suggest that the tiger had any part in the human’s disappearance. Plus, Camden would have plenty of alibis in the form of pride members—all of whom the police thought were human so would be inclined to believe. And again, River would prove helpful in diverting their attention.
“I can practically hear you thinking,” said Luke, his voice low. He gave her hair a gentle tug. “What’s wrong?”
She propped her chin on his chest, meeting his eyes. “Nothing at all. I just can’t switch off. Sorry if I’m keeping you awake.” He’d no doubt feel her restlessness through their bond. Speaking of which … “I wasn’t conscious when our bond snapped fully into place earlier. What brought that on?” With all the activity around them, she’d forgotten to ask.
“It was my fault that it was incomplete until now,” he admitted. “I was holding back from fully committing to you, worried I’d go back to living in a fog and that you’d then be stuck tied to a man who was sleepwalking through life.” He stroked a hand over her hair. “I knew that being fully bonded to you would stop that from happening, but the fear was stupidly still there.”
“Not stupidly.” She traced the eyebrow that was now healed. “I think I’d have harbored that same worry in your shoes. It was probably something you were subconsciously working through all this time. But just so you know, I wouldn’t have considered myself being ‘stuck tied’ to you in a negative way if our bond hadn’t been able to prevent the fog from coming along again. You wouldn’t have been to blame, and I wouldn’t have looked to lay any blame anywhere. I’d have only wanted to be there for you. I would still have wanted nothing more than to be mated to you. If the situation was reversed, you’d have felt the same.”
His face softened. “You’re right, I would have.” He searched her eyes. “You’re not mad at me for subconsciously holding back, then?”
“Of course not. You’d be bleeding right now if I was.” She smiled as a chuckle rumbled out of him. Earlier, he’d been in no mood to even smile. It was during their shower that he’d confessed how much it had wrecked him to hear she’d been taken.
Blair had gotten a little growly when she realized that he idiotically blamed himself for not guessing that Donal would choose to act tonight. Luke had eventually agreed that it was dumb of him to feel such guilt, but she wouldn’t be surprised to learn that he’d only been placating her. Dominant males had a habit of shouldering blame that didn’t truly belong to them.
“I’m guessing your parents will turn up tomorrow,” said Luke. “They’ll want to see you in person; see with their own eyes that you’re fine.”
“Probably. It’s still hard to believe that it was Donal who did all those things. I’d agreed that he was a possible suspect, yeah, but that was different from being confronted with the knowledge that he was actually the culprit we’d been seeking.”
“It hit you hard,” Luke sensed, hating her pain, wishing he could pound Dolan into the ground all over again.
She nodded. “Just as it would hit you hard if you discovered one of the pride betrayed you. That was what he did. Betrayed my trust in him. Made me grow up believing that I knew him. Made me believe that the mask he wore wasn’t a mask at all. And not only did all kinds of weird shit but killed a woman who, though bitchy toward me, did not deserve to have her life taken from her. All the time I spent with him, I never felt in danger from him; never sensed he had some dark, creepy obsession with me.”
Luke gave her a fierce look. “That does not mean that your judgement can’t be trusted. You’re not at fault for not seeing through his bullshit. Nobody did.”
“I know. I’m pissed at him, not myself.”
“Good.” Lifting his head, Luke planted a quick kiss on that mouth he loved and then settled down again. Sliding his hand up the smooth skin of her back, he added, “I bet you never thought that you’d be happy to see Finley.”
“You’d be right on that. But she came through for me. As did you. I needed you, and there you were. Like always.”
He stroked a hand over her hair. “And that’s how it’ll always be.”
“I know. I’m lucky that way.”