There was a celebration that night, and Jessica had stayed close to Marcus's side as he introduced her to his friends and comrades, the people who, like him, protected the world that existed side by side with hers. She nodded and laughed and enjoyed the music and the dancing, but she was grateful to go to the hut that Marcus said was hers.
When they made love that night, she felt as if she were falling into a sacred place made by their two bodies, a place that would never been lost. At the same time, she knew that this might be the last time they made love, and she strove to remember every touch, every kiss and every caress.
She had seen the way they looked at Marcus, how they regarded him and spoke about him. This was his place, his people. They needed him. She knew that she could have stayed with them and been happy forever.
However, she was needed as well.
Jessica rose early the next morning. She bathed in the cold-water basin that was left for them, dressing as quickly as she could. When she looked around for her sample bag, she couldn't find it. She was on the verge of panicking until Marcus appeared, holding it in his hands.
“Looking for this?” he asked, as he handed it to her.
“I am so sorry,” she whispered. “I’d love nothing more than to stay here and be with you...”
Marcus pulled her into his arms and silenced her with a deep kiss. She clung to him, but she knew that it couldn't last.
“I know. I know,” he said at last. “I also know that you have a duty just as I do, and I am so proud and humbled by the woman you are. You are here to save lives, and that’s what you will do. I love you for it. I always will.”
“Marcus, I don't want to lose you,” Jessica whispered, and he smiled at her.
“You won’t. You’ll never lose me. We are bound to one another. You belong to me just as I belong to you. Right now, my place is here, and yours isn't. I swear to you though, I will come to you as soon as I can.”
“I believe you,” Jessica said, smiling through her tears.
An hour later, she was walking away from the sanctuary, a slim young man walking beside her as her guide. The village she needed to reach was only a day's march away, and by tomorrow, she would be doing the work the WHO had sent her to Tanzania to do. Marcus stood at the gates of the sanctuary, and she knew in her heart he would look after her fading form long after she was gone.
I love him. My heart belongs to a shifter, she thought, and nothing about this world will ever be the same.
The End
I hope you enjoyed this story. The second book in this series, Pounced, will pick up where this one left off. Here’s an excerpt:
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