The brief kiss turned into something deep and hot. Ellison felt Andrea’s gaze on them as he eased back, but he enclosed Maria in a tight hug.

“Stay here with Andrea until it’s safe. And thank you for alerting us. They sure knew how to pick the right moment.”

Maria’s dark eyes glittered as her brows came down. “I wasn’t about to sit and finish my exam when Connor was in danger. I can always take another test.”

“I know.” Ellison kissed her forehead. “That’s why I love you.”

He turned away, pretending to ignore Andrea’s interested look, left the house, and started across the street.

Maria banged out the screen door and followed him. He should have known she wouldn’t stay put.

“You don’t think I’m letting you go after Mr. Bradley by yourself, do you?” she demanded as she caught up to him.

“Yes, I do,” Ellison said, not turning around. “You’re not Shifter; you can’t fight.”

“You also didn’t wait for me to answer,” Maria said as Ellison let himself in his front door with his key. Deni had locked up too.

“Answer what?” Ellison tossed his keys to the table and sniffed, scenting that no one was home. He needed to call Jackson and Will, make sure they were still safely at their jobs.

“That I love you too,” Maria said.

Chapter Thirteen

Ellison’s body went so still that Maria barely saw his intake of breath.

She’d known he’d thrown out the That’s why I love you, offhand, Ellison always joking. But he had murder in his eyes, rage so deep that he wouldn’t stop to think before he attacked Mr. Bradley.

Maria knew that Pablo wasn’t wrong to say that Bradley was untouchable. She might not have another chance to tell Ellison what she felt.

“What?” Ellison asked, his voice deadly quiet.

“You heard me.”

Maria started to push past him into the house. Ellison clamped a hand on her shoulder, drawing her back, turning her around. She looked up into gray eyes that held hunger and silent need.

“I know I heard you,” he said. “I want you to say it again. Like you mean it.”

“I do mean it.”

Ellison’s eyelids slid down in a slow blink. When he opened his eyes again, they were lighter gray, the wolf in him coming out. “Say it again, Maria.”

Why not? She wasn’t ashamed or afraid. Maria drew herself up straight and looked into his eyes. “I think I love you, Ellison Rowe.”

His fingers bit down. “You think? What, you’re not sure?”

“I don’t know what real love feels like. I loved my parents and grandparents, but I was a child. I thought I loved Luis, but I never really knew him.” She swallowed under Ellison’s burning gaze. “All I know is, I can no longer imagine my life without you in it.”

Ellison yanked her against him, his hands remaining on her shoulders. His grip held raw power—strength, but not imprisonment. Never that.

“Then mate with me,” he said, his voice low, savage. “Let me mate-claim you, and join with me sun and moon. I’ll give you . . . everything.”

Maria warmed against his body. “Will you stay alive for me? And stay with me?”

Ellison started to smile. “You bet. But I hope you’re not gonna ask me to stay home and not go after Bradley.”

“No.” Maria said. “I want you to get that sucker. We need to, as Spike would say, take him down.”

Ellison’s eyes narrowed. “Who’s we? You are staying with Andrea.”

“We need to stop him, Ellison,” she said.

Ellison stilled again, the laid-back human with the smiles and jokes fading into the Shifter who took care of his family at any cost. “We will. But not with you. I don’t want him knowing anything about you.”

“He already does. Like you said, he had his men following me with the cubs, and he knew Connor went with me to the test today. He must have planned the abduction by watching me, figuring I wouldn’t be able to stop anyone taking Connor.”

“Yeah, but to Bradley right now, you’re just the human female who lives with Shifters. He’s an idiot if he thinks you’re nonessential, but I want him to think that, if it means he’ll ignore you. You flash yourself in front of him, he’ll have you in his sights as a person trying to interfere with his lucrative business.”

“If you’re so confident you can stop him, it won’t matter.” Maria balled her fists. “We have to stop him, Ellison. They can’t keep trying to hurt us.”

Ellison’s eyes flickered slightly, and Maria realized she’d said us.

Well, she was one of them now. She’d lived with the Austin Shifters, laughed with them, helped take care of them, and loved them, for months now. Ellison had imprinted himself on her, and she knew that no matter what else she’d do in life, she’d somehow be bound to him.

“We will stop Bradley,” Ellison said, a deadly edge to his voice. “But my way.”

“Fine, but I will be with you every step of that way.” As Ellison started to turn from her, Maria put herself in front of him. “You know that if you go without me, I’ll find a way to follow. Unless you intend to lock me in the basement?”

“No.” Ellison’s tone was harsh. “I’d never do that.” He’d never be like Miguel, he was saying. Never imprisoning her. Never. Then he grinned. “Although, there’s a new flat-screen TV down there. Doesn’t have cable, but Elizabeth has been smuggling me DVDs.”