There would be no other women around to keep her company. There would be no protective Species to make certain no one bothered her. As much as it sometimes annoyed her, those women were also comforting. She’d lose access to her friends. It wouldn’t just be a short trip to Reservation to stay in a cabin if she lived with Shadow. Her uneasiness increased. There was no way possible that she could leave NSO lands.

The helicopter was loud and a bit scary as Shadow swept her into his arms and settled her inside. Some of the team was already seated but they kept to one side of the interior. Shadow followed her in, had to duck his head, and guided her to a seat. She allowed him to belt her in while he settled down next to her until they were hip to hip, thigh to thigh. One arm hooked around her, drawing her close.

She felt safe within the circle of his hold. Shadow always had a way of settling her fear. They’d need to talk about what he planned to do about the task force. It was impossible to discuss the subject in the helicopter. She’d have to wait until they were alone. Beauty decided it was probably going to be the longest ride of her life. Her eyes closed as she leaned against Shadow, holding on to him, afraid their time together might come to an end soon.

I love Shadow and losing him is going to rip me apart, she admitted, fighting back tears.

Shadow knew something was wrong. Beauty’s fingers dug into his arm through the shirt he’d tugged on after Trey had tossed him a spare. He held her tighter when she turned into him. Flying might terrify her, something he could relate to since he didn’t enjoy it either. He’d had to adjust while working with the task force as flights were part of the job.

His friends on the team seemed threatening suddenly. They wouldn’t harm Beauty. The reasonable part of his mind knew that but his protective instincts were kicking him in the ass. The men were too close and the scent of her fear drove him a little insane. He resisted glaring and snarling at them. A few smiled when he caught their gazes while making sure they didn’t pose any danger to Beauty. He forced his lips to curve but kept them closed, hiding his sharp canines. It wasn’t their fault she was afraid of males.

He hadn’t liked Shane touching Beauty but believed it had been innocent. Of course it had taken him time to control his anger. His teammate was easygoing and spoke well of females. He had a lot of sisters he talked about often. Shadow had viewed hundreds of photos of them—the male was proud of his family. Shane wasn’t a threat to Beauty.

He inhaled, the sweetness of her fear a little diluted. Trey caught his attention, a reminder that he was expected to return to the task force. That would mean leaving the female he held. They hadn’t known each other long but he couldn’t imagine just walking away. They’d agreed to share sex and she only wanted him but he wasn’t certain how long she wanted him around. He’d hate to lose his position with the task force if she planned to tell him to get lost soon. He was feeling deep emotions where she was concerned and they were only growing stronger. They needed to talk.

First though, he’d have to meet with Justice and the other Species males. Douglas Miller still posed a threat to Beauty. It wasn’t acceptable, having him out there plotting more attempts to harm Species while the son of a bitch tried to recapture Beauty.

She’d be safest inside the women’s dorm while he attended those meetings. It was situated almost in the center of Homeland and they’d corrected flaws in the building design after a previous attack. He’d demand a team of females be assigned to guard her around the clock too.

As much as he didn’t want to leave Beauty, he needed to. He wanted a say in what was going to happen to keep her safe. He could be of more use working with the task force to eliminate the threat than holding Beauty’s hand. He’d even have to sideline his plans to go after the member of the team who’d given the mercenaries his location to help them get to the Gift. The male would die for his betrayal and for putting Beauty at risk of being returned to her abuser.

They’d have to work out their relationship after the danger passed. He only hoped she’d want him to be part of her life. Giving her up would be nearly impossible. Everything inside him ached in a bad way at the prospect of saying goodbye. Their time together had been short so far but he hoped to change that into something permanent.

Mate. That one word did odd things to his heart. It beat erratically and he realized how much he wanted her to always be his. They’d sleep together every night and he’d wake to her in his arms. No uncertainty was present as he searched his feelings. He wanted that, with her. They would grow closer and he’d experience the happiness Wrath had discovered with Lauren.

Beauty snuggled tighter against his chest and he adjusted his body to make her more comfortable. She felt right in his arms and perfectly fit there. It was where she belonged. He smiled, his gaze studying the males again for any sign of threat.

Trey winked, smiling but Shadow recognized the longing reflected in the male’s eyes. He’d felt it himself when he’d watched Wrath with Lauren. It was the heartfelt desire to have a deep bond with a female. Wrath had been lucky to find that and now Shadow had Beauty. He wasn’t going to push her away ever again because of fear caused by the damage he’d once suffered. He wouldn’t allow his past to ruin his chance at having a future.

He would have to speak to Slade, Fury and Justice about living arrangements if Beauty agreed to be his mate. They couldn’t very well live in the dorms. They’d need their own space. Perhaps they could be assigned to a house next to Wrath and Lauren. He really liked that idea. It would give Beauty a female friend nearby and it would be more secure if both he and his best friend were in close proximity to guard each other’s mates.