Warrior (Relentless #4)(179)

When she climbed up behind me and her arms slipped around my waist, I forgot all about dinner. I just wanted to ride for hours with her holding on to me like that.

I drove us through the gates and turned toward Santa Cruz. I wished we were going farther than that. Riding my bike had always been one of my greatest pleasures, but nothing came close to having Sara hugging my back, her thighs pressed against mine.

“You okay?” I asked when she began to fidget a few minutes into our ride.

“Yes, but I should have brought gloves with me.”

I reached down and laid a hand over one of hers. Damn, she was like ice. I didn’t need gloves because my Mori kept me warm. I should have reminded her to bring some for herself.

I needed my hands to drive, but I couldn’t stand the thought of her being cold all the way to town. An idea came to me, and I slipped her hand into my jacket pocket. The heat from my body would keep it warm there.

Following my example, she did the same with her other hand. I smiled when I heard her sigh happily.

“Better?”

“Much better.”

Her hands rubbed against my stomach as she warmed herself, and I found it hard to concentrate on the road. I inhaled slowly, glad she had no idea about the effect she had on me. As our bond grew stronger, so did my need for her. Every touch from her was pleasure and torture, and it killed me not to be able to be with her as I longed to.

My Mori grumbled unhappily as I denied us yet again. It didn’t understand or care about our human emotions; all it wanted was to be with its mate.

Soon, I said to myself as much as to the disgruntled demon.

“Where are we going anyway?” Sara asked.

“Santa Cruz,” I replied, glad to think about something else. “What kind of food are you in the mood for?”

“I love Italian, but I’m not picky if you want something else.”

“Italian it is.”

I knew the perfect place. Chris and I had found an authentic little Italian restaurant last week, and my first thought had been to bring Sara there. I’d seen her and Nate go to dinner a few times at an Italian restaurant in New Hastings so I knew she liked the food.

The place was already busy when we got there, but I managed to get us a table for two by the window. A waiter hurried over to bring rolls and fill our water glasses while we looked at the menu.

“I’ll have the linguine,” Sara told him quietly.

I handed him our menus. “Lasagna for me.”

The waiter left, and Sara chewed her lip, something she did when she was nervous. She looked at the tablecloth, out the window, at the dining room – anywhere but at me. Her shyness was endearing, but I wanted her to be comfortable with me.

“This seems like a nice place,” she said.

I picked up a roll. “It is. I’ve been here before.”

“Oh.”

“I came here with Chris last week,” I said casually as if I hadn’t noticed the flash of jealousy in her eyes. Tearing apart my roll, I smirked at her. “You should grab one of these before I eat them all.”

She laughed, her eyes sparkling in the candlelight. I smiled and ate half my roll while she buttered one for herself.

“Mmm, this is amazing.”

My mouth went dry at the look of rapture on her face, which made me think of things that definitely had nothing to do with food.

Jesus, get a grip. I reached for my water as I searched for something to say.

“I talked to Tristan today. He said Sahir is hoping to use Hugo and Woolf to patrol the grounds.”

Her face lit up. “I heard that too. They’ve been great with him ever since the night of the attack. I’m glad they don’t have to be caged all the time now.”

“You miss them, don’t you?” I said, hearing a little sadness in her voice.

“Yes,” she replied wistfully. “But I know Sahir is taking good care of them. He doesn’t have a lot to do without Minuet and Alex there.”

“The wyvern didn’t go as far as you think.”

Her eyes rounded, and I nodded. “They’ve spotted him twice in the mountains near Westhorne. Sahir thinks he’s found a cave to live in, and there is plenty of game for him to hunt. They’ve been too busy with everything else that’s been going on to try to catch him. So far he’s kept out of sight of the humans, and Tristan said he’s going to leave him alone for now, unless he poses a threat to people.”

She smiled fondly. “The night of the attack he could have hurt a lot of people, but he only went after the crocotta and vampires. I hope that means he’s no longer a danger to humans.”

“We’ll see.” Only Sara would have a soft spot for a creature that had tried to burn her.

The waiter brought our food, and I started on my lasagna. I soon noticed Sara wasn’t eating much. Instead, she was looking around the dining room with an almost sad expression.

“Heavy thoughts?” I asked, wondering what had changed her mood.

She gave me an apologetic smile. “Sorry. I was just thinking about New Hastings. It seems like forever since I was there.”

“Do you still miss it?” I asked. Her whole life had been in that little town with Nate and her friends. She had only left to keep them safe.

She toyed with her pasta. “Yes, but not as much as I used to. I miss Remy more than anything, but even if I was there, I couldn’t see him.”