Page 16 of Under A New Moon

Galen

Darla seemed worked up even after striking their tenuous truce. He watched her storm away, eyeing the sensuous curves of her hips beneath the jeans.

The things this woman did to him.

He was poised to pounce without even considering the consequences, hating the way her scent drew him in. There was no question she was beautiful. It wasn’t that, it was- more than that. His head went fuzzy when he was near her, and if even the ghost of a smile crossed her face, something in his chest bloomed.

Galen wanted to be the one to light up her face. To make her breathless. To stop her in her tracks and make her scream his name.Where is this coming from?he thought to himself, shoving off the crate and storming in the opposite direction. There was only so much square footage in the warehouse, and after the PEACE agents obliterated their motel room, he wasn’t willing to risk a mid-afternoon stroll to clear his head.

Together, they worked well.

If they separated though, he had a feeling their enemies would pick them off easily. And apparently, everyone was their enemy today. She was upset. Understandably. They seemed more than happy to take her out with him.

Galen rubbed his neck, ducking his head down instinctively.

He didn’t like having a target on his back. But Darla and the wolves made it clear that he needed more practice in combat. He’d been sorely unprepared when she jumped him on that narrow stretch, and they’d been on the move ever since.

There wasn’t a spare moment for him to process these new feelings.

His gaze strayed to Darla again. She had her back turned to him, leaning against a reinforced beam. Her blonde hair blazed in the otherwise dim and dusty warehouse. He couldn’t miss her if he wanted to. Hell, if someone gouged out his eyes, he’d still be able to track her down by scent alone. The more time they spent together, the easier it was to keep track of her.

He wanted to grab her by the shoulders and confess to her all the ways she made him crazy. Instead, he stewed in his self-imposed misery, grumbling at the cobwebs. But when she touched his shoulder, electricity shot up his spine. “Hey- Galen?”

Galen turned on his heel, playing at nonchalance, knowing his face was likely set in an unfriendly scowl. “What’s up?”

She seemed calmer than a few minutes ago, the charming rogue of her cheeks already fading. “I’m, um. I’m sorry. About everything.”

He waved the notion away, banishing his irritation. “It’s nothing-”

“No,” she interrupted, glancing at her feet. “It isn’t nothing. I thought- well, that maybe there was some miscommunication within the agency, but I put us in greater danger. I haven’t forgotten that you dragged me out of that fight, either.

“I’d probably be dead if it weren’t for you.”

He leaned back as if to get a better look at her. “Nah, you’d have kicked all their asses.” He rubbed his jaw, remembering the strength of her hits. “You gave me a run for my money, that’s for sure.”

Darla issued a short laugh. “Right.”

“You thought fast back at the motel too.”

“Not fast enough,” she said, trying to avoid his gaze. “But we survived. At least, it could have been a lot worse if you didn’t have such a keen nose.”

Galen tried not to stare, gritting his teeth as he glanced away. He’d never felt this way before. It wasn’t going away, and the more time he spent with her, the more screwed he realized he was.Fated mates. Was it possible?

“What I meant to say was,” she continued. “-I think I have a solution.”

He perked up.

“Short term.” Darla put up a finger of caution. “It’s probably not going to get us out of this mess with PEACE but I know of a safe house. It’ll give us time to recuperate and get back on our feet.”

He considered it, wondering which group would be the first to find them. “It belongs to PEACE, doesn’t it?”

She bit her lip. “Yeah, sort of.

“But it shouldn’t be bugged or anything. None of them are.” When he issued a dead-panned look, she socked him in the shoulder. “Don’t look at me like that. I always check for that sort of thing.”

Galen was surprised that her strike stung after all the beatings he’d taken. He rubbed the spot. “Alright then, where is this safe house of yours?”

“The east side of town. Not too far from the diner, actually.” She moved to a busted window, disengaging with little more than a wave. “Those idiots are long gone. I don’t think they’re coming back this way. We’ll have just enough time during the evening rush to get there undetected. They won’t strike in a densely populated area, even if they do spot us.”

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