Page 62 of Shadow

I revved the throttle to hurry her along, and it worked. With her arms wrapped tightly around my waist, we were back on the road.

I had a spot in mind for lunch, but it was another hour away.

This time, it washerwho laughed when I pushed the speed.

For the first time in a long time, I felt free.

“Ilovedit,” Marinah said an hour later as I pulled the bike over. She was flushed, her hair a little wild despite the scarf, and there was a genuine brightness in her eyes. “I should learn to drive.”

“Walking and running first. Riding a motorcycle last,” I countered, watching as her tongue slipped out briefly.

The simple gesture stirred something in me. It was a sudden urge to close the distance and kiss her.

Instead, I turned to the saddlebags, pulling out our lunch and handing her the small blanket I had brought along with a pair of shorts she’d asked me to pack the night before.

I stepped away, giving her privacy to change, and did my best to ignore the rustling of fabric behind me. When she handed me her jeans, I took them without looking, stored them in the saddlebag, and nodded toward the path ahead.

“Come on. We’ve got a hike, but it’s worth it.”

Her skeptical gaze swept the area, taking in the cliffs rising to the right of the road and the ocean stretching out below. The faint trail ahead was nearly invisible unless you knew where to look.

She followed reluctantly as I led the way, her steps slowing when we reached the steep decline.

“You seem to forget I’m not exactly a gazelle when it comes to navigating down anything,” she muttered, eyeing the rocky path with open distrust.

I extended my hand. “Boot says your balance is improving daily. I won’t let you fall.”

Her fingers slipped into mine, and Beast jumped to attention again. It was always the same when we touched, a reaction I had asked Axel about more than once. He believed Marinah challenged Beast in some way, though neither of us could explain why.

Boot thought she was finally at the point where she could defend herself if it came down to it. Maybe notwinevery fight but at least hold her ground and not freeze in the face of danger. They had moved on to kickboxing and endurance drills, and he had even suggested weapons training.

But the thought of Marinah with a sharp object in her hands?Notexactly reassuring.

Her tendency to trip over nothing didn’t pair well with blades, and I wasn’t eager to test the theory.

Her progress was evident as we navigated the rocky descent through the cliffs. Not once did she stumble. The closer we got to the ocean, the more the world shifted around us. The crashing waves grew louder, mingling with the distant cries of seagulls.

A cove waited just beyond the next outcropping of rock, hidden from sight but offering shade and a spectacular view.

“Wow,” Marinah breathed as we waded through six inches of water, finally rounding the rocks to reveal the secluded spot. “This place is amazing.”

“I found it during one of my explorations,” I replied, watching her take it all in.

Once the blanket was spread out and we were settled, she turned to me, her tone teasing but curious. “So, what’s this about?”

I placed a hand over my heart, feigning injury. “You wound me,” I said with an exaggerated wink.

Her laughter was bright, and it jolted something deep within me. Beast stayed uncharacteristically quiet, and I found myself focusing on her rather than the surroundings.

“You haven’t threatened to kill me in at least a week,” she said, her humor edged with a touch of suspicion. “But bringing me to a desolate hideaway doesn’t exactly put me at ease.”

I leaned back on my forearms, my left hand sinking into the cool sand. The sunlight caught her hair, turning it a richer brown, while the breeze teased loose strands not secured by her scarf.

“Tell me about your job before you became Secretary of Defense,” I said, deliberately ignoring her jab.

Her gaze narrowed slightly, and I could see her debating whether to indulge me. For now, I let the moment linger, content to wait for her answer while the sound of the ocean filled the space between us.

She rolled onto her side on the blanket, propping herself up to face me. “I held the job right up until the day I became Secretary of Defense. It was nothing important, really. We compiled data and forecast success ratios. Most of it was centered on estimating how many people we thought were still alive. Four of us did a job that one person could easily handle. But we were all children of someone important, a fact none of us ever ignored. The job was just a way to make us feel semi-useful, even though we knew the truth.”

---