by R. E. Butler
“I gotta jam, lunch calls. See you both later,” Javan said.
“Would you like some company?” Atticus asked. “There are some empty picnic tables around.”
Her brow furrowed a bit and then she nodded. “Sure. I was just going to read for a while, but conversation would be nice too.”
They both ordered burgers and fries, but he got a double order of fries. They found a table, and he sat across from her. His nerves kicked up as his beast hooted in joy. Every time he inhaled, he got more of her scent, and he knew without a doubt that she was his soulmate.
But there were several problems. She had a dangerous stalker and was in hiding in the park. She clearly didn’t trust people, even if she did agree to have lunch with him. And she had no idea that shifters were real.
But he was nothing if not determined. All his wondering if he’d get a soulmate was now put to rest. He’d found her, he just needed to earn her trust.
It would be difficult, but he knew she would be worth it.
Chapter Three
Lori couldn’t remember the last time she’d agreed to have a meal with someone she didn’t know. But the park workers were all so nice, and Javan—who worked with Novi in the security office—wouldn’t introduce her to someone who was not a good person, that much she knew.
And…there was something about Atticus.
It wasn’t just that he was good-looking.
Well, that was an understatement. He was freaking incredible looking, all muscles and broad shoulders, with dark brown eyes and hair.
He looked at her like she was the most important person on the planet, and she liked it. So she’d agreed to some company, if only to get to know him a little. It would be nice to have someone to talk to besides Novi and Cael.
“So you’re a mechanic?” she asked after taking a bite of the delicious burger. The park had the best food she’d ever had, and she never had to pay for any of it. She was so surprised at how generous everyone was. Not only had they given her a furnished apartment for free, but she could have food delivered from the park any time of the day or night. She could also go to any food stalls, but today was her first time feeling up to venturing into the park.
“Yep,” he said. He put down his burger and took a drink of soda. “My father was really good with cars. When I was eight, I helped him rebuild an old pickup and I was hooked. My first car was a beater muscle car that I completely rebuilt.”
“Did your dad help you with that?”
“Ah, no. He died when I was fourteen.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Thanks. My dad raised me. My mom married another guy after I was born, and I didn’t see her much. She’s gone now too. It’s just me and my son, Zane, in my family. Well, Zane and his wife, Adriana, and their little one, Carson.”
“How long have you worked at the park?”
“I went to vocational school to get official training and came to the park after I graduated. Zane’s also a mechanic here.” Conversation stopped for a little bit while they ate, and then he asked where she worked.
“At a little discount store. I stock and handle the register.”
“Do you like it?”
“It’s work,” she said with a shrug.
He hummed and she liked the sound. Which was so weird. She was having the strangest trains of thought whenever he talked. And her main train of thought? How freaking sexy he was. She didn’t think she’d ever been around a guy who oozed more sex appeal than Atticus. There was something about him that just drew her in, and she couldn’t put her finger on it.
She liked it, but she also feared it.
She could not get attached to someone right now, not when she was planning to leave so she could draw Keir away from Novi and go on the run again.
“Are you okay?” Atticus asked.
She blinked. Had she said something out loud? “I...yes, why?”
“You’re rubbing your heart, and you look so sad right now.”
She was tempted—so freaking tempted—to tell him everything, but that was not the kind of person she was. She played everything close to the vest and never told anyone anything about her and Novi’s struggles. She didn’t like or want pity.
Then again, he worked at the park and so did Novi and Cael. Everyone she’d met seemed to already know what the deal was with their situation, which she found embarrassing on a hundred different levels.
Damn his eyes were hypnotic.
“You probably already know what’s going on with me.” It was a question and a statement.
He hesitated for a moment. “Yeah. I’m sure I don’t know everything, but I heard about your struggles. You are safe here. Patrols run all night, we’ve got security cameras and lights around the wall, and no one wants to see you or your daughter harmed again. If that asshole believes he can get in here to either of you, he’s going to be very disappointed.”
She was not going to smile and melt at how sweet and protective he sounded. She’d done just fine on her own with Novi all these years, and she’d continue to be fine when she moved on.
She said what she didn’t really feel because she didn’t want to argue. “I know.”
His eyes darkened and his mouth pulled down at the corners for a brief moment. Did he know the truth? Did he know she didn’t really feel safe anywhere?
But instead of calling her on what she’d said, he moved on and asked her a question she hadn’t expected. “Have you been on a park tour yet?”
How many times had Novi offered her the same thing?
“No.”
“After we finish eating, I’d love to take you around. You can see all the stuff no one else gets to see.”
“Oh? Novi gets to be with the animals because of Cael. I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”
“I was just going to offer to show you the garage where I work. I’m not a vet, so my access is limited.”
“Well, that would be nice too. Then I don’t have to worry about anything eating me.”
He choked suddenly, coughing hard and turning to the side as his face turned red and he tried to dislodge whatever he’d inhaled.
“Are you okay?”
He coughed a few more times and then wheezed in a breath. “Yeah,” he said in a strained voice. “Sure.”
“Really? Cause you look like you swallowed your tongue.”
He cleared his throat and took a long drink of soda. “You could say that.”
She tilted her head to watch him as he regained his composure. Was it something she’d said? But what had she said that had startled him?
“If you’re sure you’re okay. I don’t think I could get my arms around you to give you the Heimlich, you’re too muscly.”
He grinned at her, and a dimple appeared in one cheek.
Now who was swallowing their tongue?
Her whole body flushed, and she pressed her lips together. Was she blushing? There was something about Atticus. She was very drawn to him. So drawn to him that she wanted to tell him everything and ask him to stay with her and keep her safe. She’d never asked anyone for help, not since her sister had taken her and Novi in when Novi was a baby and hid them. Keir had found them, though, and her sister could’ve died from the altercation. Lori had never asked anyone for help since, and she didn’t want to now.
Not really. Not when being with her could put a target on Atticus’s back.
She sighed and rubbed the space between her eyes.
Focus on anything but how sexy he is.
“I’d like a park tour, thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
Oh it could be. And then she mentally slapped her inner hussy. Sure it had been ages—a decade?—since she’d had sex. She just didn’t like to let anyone get that close to her. It made her feel less safe, made her worry more. She’d gone the way of a battery-operated-boyfriend instead of a real one.
“Then let’s finish up and I’ll take you around. I promise no one will eat you.”
She smirked. “Thanks.”
“Hey, you’re safe with me. I swear on my own life.”
She lowered her gaze to her burger and lifted it. “You don’t owe me that, Atticus. You don’t owe me anything.”
“But I want to. When I said you’re safe here, it’s because it’s the truth. I wouldn’t lie to you just to make you feel better. I know you’re scared. I know you have one foot out the door. But you can relax, you can have freedom and safety here in the park.”
“It’s only temporary. Eventually someone in the park will need the apartment and I’ll have to leave anyway.”
“That’s not going to happen. We have plenty of housing, we just set up the apartment complex for future employees. No one would kick you out. I wouldn’t allow it.”
She glanced up at him and saw his eyes flash from dark brown to gold. It was so brief she almost wasn’t sure she’d seen it happen. But she had—she knew she had.
It seemed like there was more to Atticus than met the eye, but she wasn’t sure she would stick around to find out.
Chapter Four
Atticus felt like a teenager again as he and Lori left the picnic table and walked through the park. He wanted to hold her hand, because his gorilla craved the connection, but he didn’t want to push her. It was clear from their conversation that she’d been on the run too long to relax. Even though the park was protected by tall stone walls and technology, not to mention the patrols, she still didn’t feel safe. If only he could tell her that she was being protected by shifters, maybe she’d find some security in that.
Certainly he and his gorilla were not interested in anyone hurting her again. The asshole hunting her was a polar bear shifter. They were notoriously reclusive with their own kind, which wasn’t really anything new. The park was a unique place among shifters because there were so many different kinds living and working together. Not just gorillas and elephants, but lions, bears, and wolves. In the last year they’d added even more unique shifters: an owl, a red fox, a panther, and most recently a stallion. Because Lori was Novi’s mom, and Novi was mated to one of the park’s shifters, that meant that every single male and female in the park considered Lori family too.
And if there was one thing that shifters did, it was take care of their family members.
They reached the bird sanctuary, which was run by owl shifter Jess and her wolf mate Auden. Jess had an affinity for birds, and was even rescued from a male intent on harming her by some natural owls who came to her defense. The sanctuary took in injured wild birds, and Jess and Auden nursed them back to health, using Cael’s expertise when they needed it.
They stopped in front of a large cage with a bald eagle sitting on a tree branch in the enclosure. Lori looked so sad that without thinking, Atticus reached out to comfort her. When his hand touched her shoulder, she jumped and gasped.
“I’m sorry,” he said. He squeezed his hands into fists and mentally kicked his own ass. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
She shook her head and exhaled. “It’s not your fault. I’m just jumpy. I think...I worry I’m always going to be this way.”
“You’ve been traumatized, Lori. Don’t apologize for your natural reactions. I didn’t mean to scare you and I’m really mad at myself that I did. I just thought you looked so sad, I wanted to comfort you.”
She stared at him in surprise for a long moment.
“You did?”
“Of course.”
“Why?”
Because you’re my soulmate.
“Because I liked spending time with you today and I didn’t want you to be sad.”
She chewed on her bottom lip, then said, “I liked spending time with you too. I haven’t done that in a really long time.”
“Which part?”
“Relaxing.” She reached out her hand and he frowned.
“What?” he asked.
“You can hold my hand if you want to. I kind of want you to. But,” she rushed on, “I’m not trying to start anything with you. My life is ten kinds of complicated.”
He slid his hand into hers and his gorilla hooted with glee.
“It’s okay,” he said. “This is what I wanted to do since we started our tour.”
“I feel like a teenager.”
He grinned. “Me too.”
She looked back at the eagle. “I was just wondering if he’ll be alone forever. It seems like a lonely life.”
“I don’t know, but Jess and Auden take really good care of him.”
“I’m sure they do. It’s not the same as him having a mate, though.”
She clearly identified with the eagle. Maybe she felt like she was in a cage too. A cage built by the crazed shifter trying to kill her and Novi.
“No, it’s not.”
They finished their walk through the sanctuary and made their way through the park and to the employee section where the large maintenance building housed the vehicles that needed work. He could hear a pneumatic drill whirring when he entered the code to the door.
When they walked inside the building, Neo stopped using the drill and lifted his head. “Hey, Atticus.”
“Hi, Neo. This is my friend, Lori. She’s Novi’s mom, Cael’s girlfriend.”
“Nice to meet you. I was just about to take a break.”
“Don’t leave on my account,” Lori said.
“I’m not,” Neo said. “I’m just anxious to go meet my girl, and I don’t mind stopping work early to get to see her.”
Neo hurriedly put away the tool and said goodbye, leaving Atticus and Lori alone.
“So this is where you work?” she asked, turning in a slow circle. There were a handful of park vehicles inside. Some needed simple routine maintenance and some needed more complicated repairs.
“Yep.”
“You like it? Working on Jeeps and trucks?”
“I do, actually. Keeps me busy, keeps my mind at ease.”
She let go of his hand and sat behind the wheel of one of the VIP tour Jeeps that needed an oil change. His gorilla howled at the loss of contact with her, but he was thrilled to see her smile. “When I was a teenager, I wanted a Jeep so bad,” she said. “I’ve never even driven one. I like the blue camo paint job.”
“I’d let you drive it, but it needs work. We don’t really take these out of the park, but I’d love to let you drive another one back to the apartment if you’d like.”
“Really?” she asked, her face lighting up.
He decided right then to figure out a way to get her a Jeep to drive.
“Absolutely. We just need to go to the employee lot where we keep the vehicles.”
“Do you need to go back to work?” She hopped from the Jeep and gave him a thousand-watt smile.
He did, actually. But was he the boss or wasn’t he?
“Everything can wait. I’d like to spend some more time with you.”
“Me too.”
Ten minutes later, she was behind the wheel of one of the Jeeps and he was sitting beside her, navigating her through the employee access road that ran alongside the stone walls away from the park visitors. She floored it, the Jeep speeding along the dirt road. “This is so fun!” she shouted above the engine.
He just grinned. She looked so free and happy. He was one hundred percent glad he’d let her do this.
They drove around the park two times before stopping in front of the apartment complex. She turned off the engine and faced him, her cheeks pink and eyes dancing with excitement.
“Thank you so much. That was the most fun I’ve had in ages.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”
“I didn’t scare you too much on the hairpin curve, right?”
He’d absolutely hung onto the door handle for dear life, but he’d loved the look of joy on her face. “Not a bit.”
“Liar.” She laughed. “I had such a good time, thank you.”
“Me too.” He got out of the Jeep as she did. She looked up at the apartments and then
back at him. She seemed positively torn, the joy from the Jeep ride fading fast.
“I’m not asking for anything but to get to know you, Lori. You don’t have to tell me how hard your life is. I get it. I hate what you’ve gone through, but I’m not trying to pressure you one way or the other. May I see your phone for a moment?”
She pulled her cell from her pocket and unlocked it. He opened the contact list and entered his information. While he was tempted to send himself a text so he had her number, he didn’t. That would be her call.
“You can text me, anytime day or night. I won’t text you first, it’s all up to you. If you’re scared or just want to talk, I’m a good guy for that, I promise.”
She pursed her lips together as she took back her phone. When she looked at him, her eyes were shining like she was trying not to cry. His heart ached and his gorilla wanted to fold her up in his arms and bring her down to his home to take care of her.
“Thanks, Atticus.”
He gave her hand a squeeze as he walked by her to sit behind the wheel. “I’ll talk to you later, maybe,” he said.
He turned on the Jeep when she nodded at him then turned toward the complex. She walked up the stairs to the second floor and stopped in front of her door. She looked back at him for a moment, and he wondered if she might call down to him or come back, but she didn’t. She unlocked her door, stepped in, and closed it behind her.
Well, that sucked. He wasn’t ready to say goodbye. But he wasn’t going to push her. He had no idea how much hurt she was dealing with, how much fear choked out her wants and desires. He could only offer her his friendship and companionship if she wanted it.
He pulled away from the parking lot and headed toward the employee lot. As he drove, he called Jupiter, a lion in charge of security.
“Hey, Atticus.”
“Hi. I’d like to drive Lori to her work tomorrow.”
“Oh? Why?”
“She’s my soulmate.”
There was a long pause. “Her situation’s not good, you know.”
“I know. I’m going to talk to Cael and Novi, but I need to be the one to drive her to and from the park. My beast won’t allow anything else. But I’ll be careful and not pushy, I promise.”