Page 4 of The Russos

“Is Hannah okay?” queried Luca.

“I think so,” I replied before continuing, “I’m sure I heard her tiger growl when we got to the shed.”

“Oh, you definitely did,” Miah assured me. “I was trying to help her stand, but she didn’t want me touching her.”

I was pleased by his words, not just because she didn’t want a strange male touching her, but also because it meant her tiger was alive and well.

We spent the rest of the morning getting to know the males, and the more time I spent with them, the more I liked them.

Now we just had to decide what to do with them until their clearances came through. The Chief hadn’t seemed to worry about having them here, making me wonder if he knew something we didn’t. Sometimes I wondered at how far his reach was.

We were already in March and things would quiet down for us here on the ranch for the next month or so. Quiet enough that the other three families could manage it for us. I’d been toying with the idea of getting away for a bit with Hannah, thinking a change of scenery may do her some good.

I knew that Zane would happily move here for a month to run it for us. Leaving Duke and Dex to run their place. There was no way that Renee could leave their farm long term, althoughshe was covering the hotel for the girls for a week while they were busy setting up another new nightclub, this time in the city. Plus, Luca and I could do our security work from anywhere as long as we could get an internet connection. We could put off the installation bit for a month and only book them in for when we were back.

I’d put a call out to the rest of the families if Luca and our guests were interested in getting away.

With that thought, I threw it out there, interrupting their chat and catching Luca’s eye, “What do you all think about getting away for a bit while we wait for the security clearance to come through? We can head out to Livingstone to see Victoria Falls, do the touristy stuff like a booze cruise, and if you want, you can do a bungee jump. We can then go to see Lake Kariba and maybe hire a houseboat for a bit. If you like fishing, you can fish?”

“That sounds like a great idea,” Miah exclaimed, seemingly thrilled with the idea. Sam and Drake just nodded, amusement on their faces at their teammate’s enthusiasm.

Luca agreed with a nod at me, “Yeah, that sounds good. It will probably be good for Hannah too, get her away from here for a bit. When do you want to check with Dex?”

Standing, I reply, “I’ll go and check on Han, then I’ll give him a call.”

Three hours later, it was all arranged. Hannah had woken and seemed excited by the idea of getting away for a bit. It was the first spark of interest I’d seen in her eyes for a month. She’d surprised us by grabbing a pen and paper to make a list and had phoned a friend whose family ran a Luxury Campsite with fully equipped tents. Being shifters, none of us wanted to be enclosed in four walls. We were more than happy with the tented accommodation. It would be quiet as the tourist season wasn’tgoing to be in full swing until April. Watching her as she talked to her friend about arrangements, I was finally getting to see a glimpse of the woman she had been. We’d work to get her back there again.

She managed to stay awake for most of the day until six o’clock in the evening, keeping busy making arrangements and co-ordinating with Julie to have Zane stop by to collect clothing for her to wear. She was in bed not long after that and I was content.

Later that night, after ensuring Zane was good with everything, I headed to bed. Both my heart and my animal settled at seeing our mate in our bed, her red hair spread out against our pillows, a beacon in the dimness of the room. Relaxing for the first time in a month. We were in my house, in my bed, and she was covered in my scent between my sheets and my clothing.

Quietly stripping off my clothes on my way to the shower, I made quick work of cleaning off the day and before long I was in bed gathering my fragile mate into my arms, wrapping them tight around her as I tucked her close to me. She let out a little sigh and rubbed her head against me before settling back down.

Smiling, I pressed a kiss to her forehead and allowed my eyes to close.

CHAPTER 5

HANNAH

For the first time in months, I’d woken up and felt a little like my old self.

I was completely enveloped in my mate’s scent between wearing his shirt and being snuggled deep in his sheets. I inhaled a deep breath and felt my entire body relax; in the distance, I could hear voices. I would have been content to lie there all day, but my bladder had other ideas, and it eventually chased me out of bed and into the bathroom.

Finishing up, I jumped in the shower, and once I was done, I rummaged through Anton’s drawers until I found a pair of tracksuit pants and another shirt. Pulling them on over my scarred legs, hiding them from view. Tying the drawstring tight around my waist, I rolled up the legs so that they didn’t drag on the ground and wandered out of the room to go and find my mate.

He was on the veranda with Luca, Miah the human who had sat with me yesterday morning, and the wolves. Even though I’d met them all yesterday, I still stopped in the doorway, a little wary of the shifters I didn’t know well.

I knew that with their senses, they were all aware that I was standing there, but none of them said anything. Once I felt comfortable, and even though my heart was pounding like a drum in my chest, I left the safety of the doorway and walked to where Anton was sitting, making a wide path around the wolf shifters. It seemed like I was always going one step forward and another step back in my recovery process. It was frustrating.

Anton’s face lit up with a smile as soon as my eyes made contact with his beautiful chocolate brown eyes, and I couldn’t help but smile back. Opening his arms, I made a beeline straight for their comfort and settled myself on his lap, tucking my head into the crook of his neck. Feeling a tap on my foot, I pulled my face away from Anton and smiled at Luca, who had hold of my foot.

Luca and Anton looked so much alike they could be twins; their only difference was their eye colour. Where Anton had dark eyes the colour of chocolate, Luca had eyes as blue as the summer sky.

“How are you feeling, Han, can I get you something to eat?”

Thinking about his question before I replied, “I’m feeling better than I have in a while, thanks, Luca, and yes, I would like something to eat. Whatever is easiest.”

With a nod, Luca gets up and goes into the house; he wasn’t gone long before he was back with a sandwich and a bottle of juice. Taking them from him with a soft thanks, before he disappeared back into the house, his phone to his ear.