Page 83 of Moody as a Minotaur

“If you change your mind about that, we can talk to Van about the SC’s plans for them.”

We didn’t speak for several long minutes, but it was like I could feel Parker’s mind whirling through everything that’d happened.

“There is just so much, you know? Like if Fin hadn’t broken that pipe—And, fuck, Fin is a supe, like how did I not know that? Or if that girl hadn’t started that fire… Jesus. There’re so many things that could have gone wrong.”

I’d thought by commiserating it would lessen hisworries, but instead I’d given him a new set. I sucked at this.

“Hey. You don’t need to worry about me.” I scrambled for the right way to say what was in my head. “But I get it. If something had happened to you tonight, I don’t know what I would have done either.”

He tightened his grip on me. “Me neither.”

I closed my eyes and savored the feeling of him in my arms. Safe. Whole.

Today could have ended so differently.

“Getting you out of there was my only priority. It kept me focused. I know I wasn’t at my best this past weekend. I’ve had more panic attacks than a minotaur my age should have, but I didn’t tonight. Maybe because I knew you needed me.”

He trembled against me, probably reliving everything that’d happened.

“Also, I’m a shifter,” I said, as if that explained everything else. Except, he wouldn’t know what I meant by that, would he? “Shifters are one of the strongest beings on the planet. We heal quickly. We live long lives. I would have been fine, but you…” I swallowed around the lump in my throat. “You heard how they talked about that guy Gord. What do you think they would have done to him? They would have used him to incite that girl to act…”

Parker grimaced. “I know, but…”

“Your cousin is a supe. You’re pretending to date me. Half your regulars are supes…” I inhaled sharply as the possibilities spilled through my mind’s eye until all I could see was blood. I knew exactly what it would look like because I’d seen it all before.

“Are we pretending?” Parker loosened his hold and looked up at me.

“I… Uh, what?” Whatever else I’d been about to say skittered away, leaving me to stare blankly into Parker’s gorgeous blue eyes.

“Are we still saying that this is pretend?” He tightened his hands on my waist where they were currently resting. “Because this doesn’t feel like pretend anymore. Not to me.” His Adam’s apple bobbed, betraying his emotions, but he didn’t look away. He didn’t step out of my arms.

“No,” I whispered. It hadn’t ever felt like pretend.

Parker nodded. “So, we’re dating?”

I licked my lips. “Uh, yes?”

Sweat sprouted up along my neckline. Was I really doing this again? It looked like I might be.

“Okay. I think so too,” he agreed. “Now, back to your other comment. Those other hunters, the ones in that room… They didn’t know about Willow Lake being full of supes. They didn’t know about you or Fin. And yet, I still fired a gun at someone. We could have overpowered them. There were more of us.”

“Parker…” I choked on his name. “They had guns too. They could have easily killed us all before we could do anything about it. Bullets trump claws and fangs nine times out of ten.”

“Okay. I know. I understand. It’s just… I have all these conflicting feelings. I think Nana knows someone I can talk to about all this. That’d probably help.” Then Parker’s eyes softened, and he brushed his fingertips along the side of my face. “But I would be worse off if they’d hurt any of us, especially you or Fin.”

“And if they’d touched you… I… I…” I sucked in a breath, hoping to rein in my runaway emotions as I imagined what could have happened too.

“I’m safe,” Parker whispered. “And you’re safe too. If I was a religious person, I’d say we experienced divine intervention tonight.”

“The Eternal Magic,” I murmured.

As soon as the words left my tongue, I knew I was right. She’d helped us save ourselves, I was sure of it. And I hoped she never had to intervene like that again.

I pressed my face into the base of Parker’s neck. He wrapped his arms around me again and held me tight. I shuddered against him as all the fear I’d been holding back all night swept over me.

He was safe. He was here. He was alive.

Then I was kissing him. Or he was kissing me. Our mouths crashed into one another like boats on a stormy sea.