Gabe studied Val’s sincere green eyes, until she became uncomfortable and looked down at her hands.
“I wasn’t sure whether I was being paranoid or not, but it makes sense now,” he said slowly, more to himself than to Valerie.
“What makes sense?”
Gabe’s chest burned. He was angry, yes, but he was struggling with being so near to the young woman again. It was easy for him when he was by himself to get angry and say he was never going to deal with her again; that he was better off without her and that he was going to love his wife and his wife alone until the last of his days on Earth.
But when Val was right there with him, beside him, looking at him like that, it was nearly impossible to fight his feelings for her. The wolf had staked its claim for a reason. She was his. And he had to fight tooth and nail to keep from making that claim on her physical. He refused to let his wolf take over. The only woman he wanted in his bed was Molly, and that was the end of it.
“Not every shifter in Stonybrooke is good, you know. Some of them come here with their own agendas. There have been a lot of rumors going around about a group of power hungry men who want to harness all the magic in Stonybrooke so they can use it toward their own ends, whatever that might be. I usually just blow off that kind of thing.”
“Yeah,” Val said, her gentle voice like a balm on Gabe’s soul. “It seems unreal that anyone could be so selfish.”
“Yeah…”
Gabe was captivated, once again, by the beautiful, flawless features of Val’s face. She was ridiculously pretty. He looked away, frustrated both at himself and at her.
“So, why aren’t you dating anybody anyway?” Gabe grumbled, standing up from his kitchen table and running his hands through his thick hair. “You’re a pretty girl. You deserve a nice young man to spend some time with.”
“Why am I single?” Val asked, looking suddenly very put on the spot. “I don’t know…I just have my own thing going, I guess.”
Gabe nodded. He wasn’t sure what he would have done if he had heard her say anything else about it. He knew he wouldn’t be happy to hear about her dating someone else, but he also wasn’t happy knowing she seemed to blow off male attention regardless of the fact they were continually drawn together, for one reason or another, as if the universe had made its decision. Didn’t he have any say in who he spent his time with? Why did it have to be this girl?
“Well, I guess it’s not your fault that SU is full of idiots like those guys you overheard talking. I didn’t realize how valuable the land is that my store is on. I haven’t completely paid off the mortgage yet, so it’s not technically mine. That must be why they have been trying to fuck with my business. If business is bad, I can’t afford the payments and then they can swoop in and steal it right out from under me.”
“But what do they want with it?” Val asked, her pretty brow knitted in confusion. “What’s so special about this area?”
“I’m not sure yet,” Gabe said, though the wheels in his head were turning now. “It could be anything, but I have a theory…”
Val sighed and stood up, carrying her empty coffee cup to the sink and washing it. She did it so naturally, as if she were fully at home in his kitchen. And for some reason, it didn’t even bother him. It sent a surge of heat through his body; the wolf was pleased.
“Is it a theory a human can hear?” she asked, glancing back at him from over her shoulder as she dried the mug and placed it carefully back in the cabinet she had seen Gabe retrieve it from.
“Well, it’s kind of stupid. I don’t even think they’re real; just myth. But I can’t help but wonder if what these guys are after doesn’t have something to do with the portals.”
“Portals?”
“Right. When the shifters came to Earth, it’s said that each group landing created a portal back to the world where we’re from. But that’s just myths and rumors that probably have no standing or any basis in reality whatsoever.”
“You think those guys are looking for a way back to the world where the shifters came from?” Val asked, turning to face him.
Again, the wolf longed to take over; he could take her right then and there, against the kitchen counter. And he knew she would want him just as much. He had already been able to smell it for himself…the memory haunted him in the dead of night, when all he wanted was a peaceful night’s sleep. His longing for her tortured him.
“I don’t think it’s as innocent as all that. The portals are rumored to be a source of great power. If you were to find their location, anything could happen. It depends on the person who located it. Maybe it would take you back to the original world where the shifters came from, or maybe they would use the portal to harness the power there and use it to serve their own twisted agenda. It could be dangerous.”
“We should tell the Council,” Val said, her beautiful face serious and determined. It took all he had not to kiss the firm line of her lip as she stared at him, her fists balled at her sides; ready and willing to do whatever it took to protect Stonybrooke right alongside him.
“We won’t do anything, kid. No humans are allowed at the Square without a formal invitation. But you’re right. I’ll let them know what’s going on. It’s better than being ambushed.”
Val’s defensive stance relaxed a bit and she sighed, nodding slightly.
“All right. If they think there’s something magical in this area, they aren’t going to stop looking until they get it.”
“You’re right,” Gabe growled, a sudden fierce urge to protect the girl consuming him. “I can’t let you go anywhere until this is resolved. You’re in danger. They already know your face.”
“What?!”
Val’s beautiful face changed from determined to outrage in less than a second, and Gabe nearly laughed.
“I’m serious,” Gabe said, shaking his head. “You’re not safe. Especially not in that shitty little apartment complex of yours. I’m going to drive you up to get whatever you need, but you aren’t going to stay there another second longer. Not until we know what’s going on.”
“You can’t do this to me,” Val said, shaking her head wildly. “That’s like kidnapping or something.”
Gabe sighed, locking his eyes on hers and mustering the most serious expression he could. He had to make her understand the urgency of the situation. She had nearly been abducted and raped, and now he was starting to figure out why. He had to protect her, no matter what the cost.
“It isn’t kidnapping if you can just see the damn sense in it!” Gabe said, his voice a low growl. “You know that place isn’t safe. And there isn’t anything in this house that’s going to hurt you. All you have to do is lay low. I won’t even charge you rent. Is that really so hard for you?”
Val glared down at the ground, her face proud and flushed. He had never been more attracted to anyone than he was to her in that moment. She was so young, and yet, she had the soul of a wizened warrior. To top it all off, damn was she attractive.
“Look, it’s just temporary. I’m not going to do anything to you. We’ll stay out of each other’s way. You can talk to your professors about finishing as much of your coursework from home as possible, and on days you need to go to lectures, I’ll go with you. Be your body guard. Just until we figure out what the hell is going on and how to make it stop. I’m not going to let anything happen to you, and that’s final.”
Valerie’s fierce eyes turned to him, her expression impossible to read. Her energy was all over the place, and when she opened her mouth, Gabe was convinced it was going to be so she could more easily bite his head off.
He was stunned when she finally spoke, and her words hung in the air between them as if stuck there by Velcro.
“All right,” she said quietly. “But we’ll have to protect each other.”