Page 18 of Snowbound with the Alpha Wolf
“Do not insult what exists between us, Darcy.” Adrian leaned forward, his gaze locked to hers. “This is not mere sexual chemistry but something deeper. You know it. You cannot denyit.”
Denial was better than admitting the truth. Darcy could never fit into his lifestyle or become part of his pack. Attachments weren’t easy for her. Each time the goddess sent her to a new one to helpan Other or guard them as she had Ella, saying goodbyehurt.
Better to say goodbye than to have someone she cared about discover her trueorigins.
Leaving Adrian would hurt the worst. Better to keep him at a distance than dream they had a shot at making a lifetogether.
She removed his hand, dropping it into his lap. “We’re too different, Adrian. You’re a wolf, and I’m a shifterwho can’t remain in one form forlong.”
“Unless you remain in that form for longer than ninety-six hours straight. Then you lose your magick necessary to changing into other animal and insectforms.”
Surely the airplane dipping low was the reason her stomach pitched. Nausea rose up. “How did you findout?”
Unsmiling, he regarded her. “I did some studying on Changeling Shifters.I needed to know the parameters of what I was dealingwith.”
Parameters? As if she were a science experiment he could manipulate. “Study this. I’m unique, Adrian. There’s no textbook rules, so get it out of your handsome head that you think you know how to controlme.”
He wagged his thick eyebrows. “Handsome, eh? I knew you harbored a secret admiration for me, Darcy. It means weare meant to betogether”
“I can admire an ice cream sundae, but that doesn’t mean I want to sleep with it, or marryit.”
He looked out the window at the flat plains below them, the jagged sweep of the Rocky Mountains in the distance. “Ice cream,” hemuttered.
Was that a sudden shiver she detected?Odd.
“I loathe the cold,” he said absently, almost talking more tohimself.
“Is that why you moved the entire pack from North Carolina toFlorida?”
Adrian glanced at her, his gaze expressionless. “Perhaps. The elder ones cannot get comfortable in the winter snows. Old bones need warmth andsunshine.”
The answer surprised her. He’d moved to keep the senior Lupines comfortable? Then again, Adrian was filled with surprises. And however he’d treatedher, he’d been nothing but considerate and tender with the elderly and the frail in hispack.
It was the main reason she respected him. He might be a scoundrel and annoying as hell, but no one could accuse him of mistreating anyone in the pack. Darcy understood an alpha had to rule with a strong hand. She’d seen other packs that fell apart when the alpha was too weak, too accommodatingto try to pleaseeveryone.
Darcy reached for the nuts the flight attendant had left on the tray. Goddess, she was starving. She’d slept through the meal and regretted it, although her body required sleep more thanfood.
His gaze sharpened. “Are you feeling up to this assignment? Do you have sufficient strength to shift into anotherform?”
The wolf was far too observant. Shenodded. “I’mfine.”
Another whitelie.
Darcy changed the subject. “Why the urgency to find this snow crystal? And what exactly is it we’re searching for? What does it do? Is it worth a lot of money, or does it have powerfulmagick?”
Adrian dug into the backpack in front of his seat, withdrew an energy bar. He handed it to her. “Here. This will ease your hunger until we canget raw meat intoyou.”
In her eagerness to rip the covering, her fingers trembled. Hunger gnawed at her, the ache in her belly growing each minute. Never had she felt this drained from hershifting.
Darcy wolfed down the snack in three short bites. She gulped down water and instantly felt a little more relieved andclearheaded.
He stared out the window. “The crystal is importantto me because it belongs to a member of my pack who needsit.”
Turning in his seat, his dark gaze piercing, he tightened his grip on the armrest. “It can infuse you with power and the ability to heal. It is priceless to the greedy, who would sell it for the wealth it could bringthem.”
Darcy’s breath hitched. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Adiamond.”
Surprise flickeredin Adrian’s eyes. He gave the barest nod. “A blueone.”
