Page 61 of Shadow

Her gaze locked onto mine in defiance. “Terrified,” she admitted, but her expression betrayed nerves along with a hidden quest for adventure.

I smiled, though it was far from comforting. “You only live once.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You don’t have helmets, do you?”

“Nope.”

“Will you at least promise me a quick death?” she asked, raising her hand to chew on a nail. The gesture was almost endearing, though I’d never tell her.

“If it comes to that, sure.”

Her hesitation lasted a beat longer. Then she climbed onto the bike. Once she was settled, I reached back to secure her hands around my waist.

The old engine roared to life, its growl echoing in the quiet morning as I glanced over my shoulder and nodded at Beck. His disapproval was written all over his face.

Beck wasn’t thrilled about me taking her out alone, not after I went out solo a few weeks ago. The Warriors had been tracking more hellhounds, and tension was running high. The hounds were moving toward the southern coast, and we needed to figure out where they were going and why.

But not today.

Today was about freedom.

Marinah’s arms tightened around me as we took off, her grip panicked like I had expected. Beast internally rumbled his discontent at the contact, though he didn’t seem to mind as much as he pretended. I grinned as I pulled back on the throttle, picking up speed.

Her face buried into my back, and I heard faint, whispered prayers against my ear. It made me laugh, a deep, genuine sound that surprised even me, and I pushed the bike harder. The engine snarled as we tore through the city streets, heading for the open highway.

Within thirty minutes, Marinah’s fear started to ebb. She peeled her hair from her face with one hand, glancing around at the scenery as it flew by. She then locked her arms around me again, but her posture had shifted. She was less rigid, more curious. She might even have been enjoying herself.

That was what I was counting on.

With this ride and the lunch packed in the saddlebags, I was hoping to unravel a little more about the enigmatic Ms. Church. At the same time, I needed to figure out what was going on with Beast and his relentless aversion to her.

Something wasn’t adding up, and it was time I found out what.

For now, I had a beautiful woman on the back of my bike, and I intended to savor the moment. Yeah, I was getting soft. This felt like a glimpse of the younger me who had dreamed of a normal life, of raising a family and working the land like my father.

Greystone was never a farmer, but I learned early on that it was in my blood. The earth had a way of cooling my beast blood like nothing else. Our Shadow Warrior ancestors knew what they were doing when they chose farming as a way to blend in with humans. They grounded themselves in the soil while keeping the beast at bay.

The sun beat down on my head, the wind brushed my face, and my braids whipped back, tangling lightly with the woman behind me. It was a strange kind of peace and one I hadn’t expected but was starting to appreciate.

After an hour, I pulled the bike over to the side of the road. The engine rumbled as I hopped off and dug through the saddlebag.

“Stay on,” I told Marinah, pulling out a long piece of blue silk and handing it to her.

“For your hair,” I said, securing my own braids with an elastic band I always carried.

Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the scarf, disbelief written across her face. “You’ve had this the entire time?”

“You needed to unwind, and the only way to make that happen was to get you on the road,” I replied, smirking.

“You are so aggravating,” she snapped, her jaw clenched in frustration.

She adjusted the scarf over her head, tying it securely before wiggling on the seat to settle in. Her glare didn’t let up as I climbed back onto the bike. She squirmed on the seat, and her thighs pressed against my legs.

Beast stirred instantly; his interest impossible to ignore.

There was no denying it. Marinah was the most aggravating woman I had ever met.

Maybe Beast and I had finally met our match.

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