Page 23 of Unbearable Attraction
Marcus, barely sixteen and full of the kind of fearless enthusiasm that made him volunteer for the most dangerous scouting missions."I can handle it, Uncle Luka. The clan needs to know what's happening on the eastern border."
Sarah, the clan's healer, whose gentle hands had mended countless injuries but couldn't save herself from the curse that turned her own magic against her."Take care of the younglings, Luka. Promise me they won't face this alone."
His grandfather, ancient even by shifter standards, whose final words had been instructions about the protective wards he'd spent his life maintaining."The knowledge dies with me, boy. I should have taught you sooner."
Thirteen lives lost because he hadn't been strong enough, smart enough, fast enough to save them. Thirteen people who'd trusted him to keep them safe, only to die while he survived through nothing more than dumb luck and being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The weight of those failures sat heavy on his chest, even as Leenah's warm presence reminded him of everything he had to lose if he let himself care too deeply again. Because caring meant responsibility, and responsibility meant the potential for catastrophic failure. It meant watching someone else he loved pay the price for his inadequacy.
Leenah stirred against him, her breathing shifting from the deep rhythm of sleep to the lighter pattern of approaching consciousness. Luka forced himself to remain still, not wanting to wake her before she was ready but unable to resist the temptation to memorize this moment. The weight of her headon his chest, the citrus and spice scent of her hair, the way her fingers twitched slightly as dreams gave way to awareness.
Her eyes opened slowly, blinking in the morning light with the kind of confusion that came from waking up somewhere unexpected. When her gaze focused on his face, so close that he could count the darker flecks in her light blue eyes, recognition dawned along with something that looked suspiciously like panic.
"Oh," she breathed, her voice husky with sleep. "We..."
"Fell asleep on the couch," Luka finished, his own voice rough with sleep. "After your vision last night."
"Right. The vision." But she didn't immediately pull away, and the growing awareness in her eyes suggested she was as affected by their position as he was. "How long have you been awake?"
"A few minutes. How are you feeling?"
"Better." She finally shifted, putting some distance between them though she remained on the couch. "The headache's gone, and I don't feel like I've been hit by a truck anymore."
"Good." Luka sat up, immediately missing her warmth against his side. "Any lingering effects from the prophetic vision?"
"Just the memories. It's strange, having someone else's experiences so vivid in my mind." Leenah ran her fingers through her tangled hair, the gesture unconsciously sensual in the morning light. "I can still see Aiyana's face, hear her voice. She was so young when she performed that first ceremony."
"About your age?"
"Maybe a little older. But the power she channeled..." Leenah shuddered slightly. "I understand now why the medicine woman at the ceremony grounds carries such grief. Aiyana gave everything to create those protections. Her strength, her life force, probably years off her natural lifespan."
The casual mention of the cost involved in the renewal ceremony made Luka's bear snarl. The idea of Leenah putting herself through the kind of magical ordeal that had drained an experienced medicine woman was unacceptable on every level.
"We'll find another way," he said, his voice carrying more authority than he'd intended. "You're not sacrificing yourself for some ancient magical contract."
Leenah's eyebrows rose at his tone. "That's not really your decision to make."
"Isn't it?" The question came out sharp, loaded with implications that had to do with the growing certainty that he couldn't watch her walk into danger without fighting to stop her.
The air between them grew charged again, heavy with the recognition that they were venturing into territory that would change everything. Leenah's lips parted slightly, and Luka found his gaze drawn to the soft curve of her mouth.
It would be so easy to lean forward, to find out if she tasted as sweet as she smelled. To claim the kiss that had been building between them since their first real conversation at The Griddle & Grind.
But kissing her would cross a line they couldn't uncross, would add personal stakes to a situation that was already complicated enough. And if he lost her the way he'd lost everyone else who'd mattered to him, the guilt would destroy what was left of his ability to function.
"I should go," he said abruptly, rising from the couch before his self-control cracked entirely. "Let you get ready for the day."
Something flickered in Leenah's eyes that might have been disappointment, quickly hidden behind her usual mask of competent independence. "Right. Of course. You probably have actual work to do."
"Something like that." He moved toward her front door, every step feeling like he was fighting against a magnetic pullthat wanted to draw him back to her side. "Will you be okay today? No more visions or supernatural interference?"
"I'll be fine," she said, though her voice carried a note of uncertainty that suggested she wasn't entirely sure that was true.
Luka paused at the door, his hand on the handle while his bear raged against leaving her unprotected. "If anything happens, anything at all, you call me. Promise."
"I promise."
The simple words shouldn't have meant as much as they did, but hearing Leenah agree to reach out if she needed help felt like a victory of sorts. Proof that her walls were developing cracks, that maybe she was beginning to trust him with more than just research partnership.
