We stop at the clearing near the stream long enough for Lucian to dress in the jeans and t-shirt he was wearing before, and slip the rucksack of food containers on his back.
On the way to the house, Lucian tells me he and Orion shifted to wolf to come after me when I didn't return or answer the phone. Since Nova did nothing to hide her tracks, it was easy for him to follow the drag marks through the forest and to the clearing.
I fill Lucian in on everything that happened, including my mistaken belief that Zia or his father tried to bring a tree down on my head. He listens in silence, and then he scoops me into his arms and refuses to put me down again despite my telling him that I can walk just fine.
"I nearly lost you. I need my mate in my arms," he tells me simply.
So I loop my arm around his back and rest my head against his shoulder. "You're very good at knowing what to say to get what you want."
