Chapter 8

The following day, August made breakfast for Ginny in the house and then, as they were cleaning up the dishes together, he said, "I've got a surprise for you."

"Oh?" she asked.

"Yep. We're going for a little walk."

She looked at him, her hands stilling under the soapy water in the sink. "What do you mean?"

"I've got a few people on the security team who are going to walk the park with us and talk about the upgrades to the security systems around the park."

She turned her head back to look at the sink, picking up a plate and giving a rinse. "What for?"

"Because I want you to know how safe you are here. When those males came looking for you, we realized there were vulnerabilities. The security team upgraded things to make it safer in the park."

"I don't want to keep upsetting everything because of my grandfather."

"You're not upsetting everything. Those males were assholes, no doubt, but they also showed weaknesses in our security, so in a way it's a good thing. I mean, not that they tried to find you, but that we were able to make it safer."

She set the plate in the drainer and wiped her hands on a towel. She turned to face him, folding her arms across her chest. "You think I'm going to run."

It wasn't a question, and there was a little bit of defiance in her green eyes, but also sadness.

"I think you want to. I think you're afraid you'll never really be safe." He wiped off his hands and then put his arms around her, drawing her close. She was stiff and unyielding in his arms for a long moment and then she uncrossed her arms and melted into him with a sigh. He kissed the top of her head. "Ginny, tell me the truth."

"I want to run."

His heart cracked at the way her voice was so soft and scared.

"Why?"

"Because you'll also be a target now. If I mate you, if I mark you and you mark me, and my grandfather finds out, then you'll be marked for death too. He never leaves loose ends."

"We don't have to mate each other right now."

She scoffed and lifted her head, her gaze narrowed. "How long can we really keep our hands off each other?"

"I'll have you know that I can totally keep my hands to myself, madam."

She laughed and put her head on his chest. "August, I'm scared."

"Just don't run, Ginny. I promise I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe, but if you run, I'll find you, I swear on my life."

"I know. I…couldn't sleep last night because I kept trying to talk to my jackal about leaving, but she wants to stay. The thought of leaving you makes me want to barf, but staying makes me panic."

He hugged her a little tighter. "Don't barf or panic, okay? If you feel like running, if you get scared or panicky again, you just tell me."

She lifted her head again and he saw the amber of her jackal in her eyes this time. "I will. I promise."

He pressed his lips to hers, and when she wiggled in his arms to get closer to him, he cupped the back of her head and deepened the kiss.

Sealing her promise with a kiss seemed like an excellent idea.

August held her hand as they walked across the private living space to the security door that would lead them up to the topside employee cafeteria.

"We don't have to mate each other," he said.

"What?"

"If you want to wait, we can. I'm just glad you're here with me. It's okay if we don't move forward like that right now."

"You want to wait?"

"Hell no, I want to put you over my shoulder and run back home right now."

She bumped his shoulder with hers and laughed. "I think my jackal would go on strike if I tried to wait too long. But I do want to get to know you a little better first. Hell, we haven't even been on a date, and as long as my grandfather is probably still planning to hurt me, it's not like we can just go out to dinner and a movie."

He'd thought of that, actually, among the million other things banging around in his skull.

"Tonight we're supposed to have dinner with the band, but I asked Lori to move it to tomorrow so we could go on a date."

"But we can't leave the park. Right?"

They reached the security door and she turned away so he could put in the code to unlock it. He hated that he couldn't share the code with her, but it was one of the rules of the park.

"No, but I've got some ideas and I'm going to give you a really great night out."

She hummed, giving him a curious look. He held the door open for her.

"What? You don't think I can pull it off?"

"I don't know what you're planning, but I do know you're a very determined male, so I think you can do anything you set your mind to."

"When it comes to you, definitely."

"So tonight?"

"Yep, we'll leave our house around seven."

He'd been planning since he got back to the house last night after talking to Atticus. Maybe they couldn't leave the park right now, but he could still take care of her and show her how important she was to him.

"Okay." She smiled broader. "You called it our house."

"Everything I have is yours, Ginny."

"I don't have anything, or I'd say the same back to you."

They reached the employee cafeteria at eight-thirty. The park opened at eleven, so it was just the employees out and about. The bears were in the commercial kitchen cooking and setting up for the day, the janitorial staff was scouring every surface, and the non-shifting animals—called norms—were getting taken care of by the elephants both in the paddock that housed them and the newly opened petting zoo, which Mercer and Rhomi were in charge of, along with Cael the vet and his mate, Novi, who was part polar bear.

"Morning!" Rhomi said when they walked into the cafeteria. "I'm so glad to see you again, how are you doing?"

Rhomi and Ginny met in the center of the room and hugged. "I'm great. How are you? Not freaked out about shifters anymore, right?"

"You scared the crap out of me!"

"We're glad you're doing well," Mercer said when Rhomi returned to him. "Lucius and Justus are going to walk around with us. They're waiting at the security office, but Rhomi wanted a coffee refill before we headed out."

The two females walked over to the self-serve kitchen talking quietly.

"How's it going?" Mercer asked.

"Good. You guys?"

"Rhomi's so happy in the petting zoo, she loves taking care of animals. And I don't mind it, except for this one little goat that keeps trying to eat my shoelaces."

August laughed. "I'm definitely thankful you and Rhomi found each other, otherwise I might never have met Ginny."

"Fate's a bitch, isn't it?"

"Facts."

The females returned, and Ginny handed August an energy drink. "I know you don't drink coffee," she said, "and I saw this brand in your fridge."

"You're adorable, thanks, sweetheart." He kissed her cheek. "Ready?"

"Yeah. You're sure we're safe? That Rhomi will be safe too?"

"Me?" Rhomi asked, wide-eyed.

"You don't have fangs and claws to defend yourself," Ginny pointed out.

Rhomi looked at her fingernails. "Well, I've got Mercer to use his claws and fangs if we need them, just like you and August have each other's backs too. It's what being soulmates is all about, right, babe?"

Mercer nodded with an approving growl.

The couple turned and walked to the exit leading out to the park.

"We'll all be safe out there," August said. "Do you trust that I can keep you safe? That you and I, together, can keep each other safe along with the other shifters in the park that have our backs too? Because if you run, sweetheart, you won't get far, I promise."

He didn't try to sound intimidating, he was just stating a fact. He wouldn't let her go out on her own when it was dangerous.

"I told you I wouldn't run and I mean it. Plus, I know in my heart that you'd find me anyway. I'm still…nervous about being safe in the park. I don't know how I'll get over that feeling, honestly. But I feel better now that we've talked, and I'm sure after seeing all the security around the park that I'll feel even better. You're really sweet, you know?"

"Just for you, Ginny."

He cracked the top of the orange-flavored energy drink and took a sip while they walked, hand-in-hand, from the cafeteria to the security office.

He wanted her to see and trust that the park was a sanctuary where her grandfather wouldn't be able to get to her, or anyone else.

And then tonight he was going to show her how gorillas wooed their soulmates.