“I fucked up,” I blurt out, my heartbeat racing again. “I have this power, but I can’t control it. I just found out I had it. Apparently, it had been sealed. I was training with Apollo and Donatello in the car, and then it went out of control, and I think I sucked the shadows out of the car?”
“That doesn’t sound so bad.”
“It wouldn’t if Donatello wasn’t a vampire. The sunlight burned him, he lost control and crashed the car. All because of me. All because I should have some matter of control and don’t.”
Fuck, I’m out of breath. I gape at him. Why the hell did he suck all this info out of me without even asking? That was weird. I feel comfortable as shit next to him. Like my very soul knows he would never hurt me. Is it because I saw him changing from a wolf, and my brain somehow thinks pups are cute? Because those teeth and those ears were too big for a pup.
Ren opens a smile that could almost be described as smug, but I don’t think he’s the smug type. “You wondering why you told me all that? That’s because we’re mates.”
And there he goes again. I shake my head then press my hands to my temples to make the bouncing of my brain stop. “The mates deal is pinned for later, remember?”
“Of course.” He steels his spine again like he’s ready for serious business. He makes me think of a pup. He’s adorable, with this sharp attention that can quickly turn into a smile.
Focus, Cassandra.
I nod once. “Could you get me into the road? I hurt my foot, and I don’t think I can climb back.”
He nods several times, even before I’m done with the sentence. “I can carry you up there. Or I can shift into a wolf, and you climb my back. Or I can take you around that side,” he points to the general left, “where the slope eases up, so you can walk by yourself. Where did the wreck happen?”
I blink a couple of times, having a hard time following his machine-gun mouth with a headache. Should I ask him to carry me in his wolf form? That would be so badass. My brain fights between the rational and the emotional because the emotional wants to ride a wolf so freaking much. And I’m not even talking about him in the human form, though I’d totally ride him in human form too.
“Up in the road.” I sigh, my shoulders slumping. “That’s all I know.”
Ren nods then opens a smile. “My wolf is faster.” He narrows his eyes. “But you’re hurt, and you might slip off my back during the climb. I better carry you.”
I open my mouth to tell him he doesn’t need to pick me up, but Ren slings an arm around my waist and brings me up against his chest in a bridal carry. Wolf ride will have to wait. His steps part the ferns, and we enter an area of shade, leaving behind that weird spot of sunlight.
Propping a hand to his shoulder, I soak in his warmth. Is it a thing for shifters to be so warm? Apollo is too, but I thought it was because he’s a literal dragon. My fingers itch to race through Ren’s silky hair, but I hold that thought.
“You didn’t tell me your name,” Ren starts, and his mouth moves for a moment before he stops himself, pressing his lips together, the corners tilting up. Something tells me he was about to call me mate.
I narrow my eyes at him, and a smile blooms across his face. Crap, this guy. “It’s Cassandra.” I relax in his hold, soaking in the extra warmth of his body. “Thanks for helping me out. You don’t even know me.”
He raises his eyebrow. “I know we’ve,” he mimics, pinning something into the air, “pinned it, but you’re my mate. There’s no way I’d leave you down here by yourself.”
My shoulders drop in defeat. I’m not avoiding this subject for long, am I? “You sound like a nice guy, Ren, but I don’t get this mate thing. Apollo said I’m his mate too. How can a girl have more than one mate?”
“Well, you said he’s no wolf, so maybe there’s something there?”
I shake my head. “Apollo’s a dragon. He said dragonesses are rare, so they usually have several mates. But I’m not a dragon. As far as I know.” Shit is so crazy I don’t doubt I’ll pop a second head out of nowhere too.
Ren leans closer, and the tip of his nose brushes the top of my head. “No, you’re no dragon, sugar.” He grins.
I chuckle. “You can smell that?”
“Sure. You smell like magic. Some magic I don’t recognize. But then again, I don’t hang out with mages.”
“Where do you live? I mean, this place is pretty isolated, and you were just running around?”
His face changes, and it’s different from how serious he becomes when he means business. It’s almost... Melancholic. The drawl on his voice seems to deepen. “My pack lands were further south, but I live by myself now.”
Before I can ask why we burst into sunlight. I shield my eyes from the glare, my mouth dropping in surprise. “Wow, we’re already on the road.”
“Yeah.” Ren keeps moving in the road, toward the direction we came from. “It was pretty close, uh?” His dark eyes glint at me.
I smile, feeling safe when I’m around him. His boots grit against the asphalt for a heartbeat before footfalls catch my attention. I snap my gaze to the approaching shape.
Apollo doesn’t seem happy.