The magical hour that harkened each full moon was minutes away. Hannah would’ve much rather greeted it with Ethan by her side, but he had to meet his destiny alone. After that? Well, she never wanted to be separated from him again. At least she had Noah. His presence calmed her, even with the tension building in the room.
She glanced over her shoulder at Noah, who stood with Quinn and Sean on the opposite side of the kitchen. All three males appeared ready to go at each other’s throats.
Noah cursed and ran a hand through his hair. “Would you shut up for just a minute and listen to me?”
“No. I’m happy the threesome thing worked out for you guys, but it isn’t going to happen in my case. I am not attracted to Alex. End of discussion.” Quinn sidestepped him and walked toward the patio doors. “I’m out of here.”
Sean blocked Quinn’s path with his body. “Not alone you’re not.”
“You can’t stop me.”
“Until I’m confident you’re going to keep yourself together and not get in a fight with Alex, I’m not letting you walk away.”
Quinn balled his fists and got up in Sean’s face. “I want Maria back. I don’t care about Alex or if he’s upset. I am not attracted to him, and your insistence I talk to Noah about his love for men is not going to change my mind.”
Hannah gasped, and Noah spun Quinn with a hand on his shoulder. “I am not trying to convince you of anything. I’m trying to get you to understand that Maria might need more than what you can give her. If you love her, you’ll ask her instead of fighting with her. A threesome doesn’t have to involve you touching Alex. Ever. It’s about giving Maria what she needs. Both of your sorry asses.”
“What?” Quinn shoved Noah back. “Are you going to blame me for her run—”
The sound of the front door banging open preceded the heavy clunks of running feet. Chris burst into the kitchen with Owen on his heels and a human shifter agent.
Owen zeroed in on Noah. “The clearing where I dreamt about Maria and the bear shifter… Chris knows where it is.”
Chris nodded. “It’s not a clearing, but the field behind the backyard of the Kagan Industries’ office, out past the pond. Owen described the fountain in perfect detail, despite never having seen it.”
“We need to go there. Now.” Owen motioned toward the patio door. “Before the full moon rises. I know I’m asking a lot. I might be crazy but—”
“No buts. If there’s a chance you can help us get Maria back, I’m taking it.” Quinn rushed forward. “Let’s go.”
The human agent, a male in his thirties with a military haircut and dark brown eyes, spoke up. “I brought our largest SUV. We can all fit in it. It’ll be quicker to drive than if you shift and run.”
Hannah frowned. “All of us? What about Owen? Who’s going to take him back to the cabin?”
Owen glared at her. “I’m not unstable or crazy, and I don’t need a babysitter.”
“I never said you were, but the human government gave us strict orders to—”
“I told them about my dreams. I had to. I need to go along in case I see something else. During the full moon’s window, I get glimpses of the future while I’m awake.” Owen glanced at the human wearing black fatigues. “He cleared it with his supervisors. I just have to wear this tracking device.”
Owen raised his hand, showing off the metal-link bracelet. “More agents are meeting us there too.”
“Great.” Quinn jogged to the door, the human agent at his side. “Let’s get out of here. We’re wasting time.”
Owen and Sean followed, but Noah remained rooted to the spot. He turned conflicted eyes on her. “I don’t like the idea of Owen out there by himself. He’s going to run. He told me nothing would stop him from going back to where he’d been kept.”
“So he can free the rest of shifters?”
Noah nodded. “Or kill his previous owners.”
“Do you think you’ll be able to stop him?”
“No.” Noah focused on her. “But he’ll stay for you.”
“For me?”
“Yeah. When we get there, I’m going with Quinn and the others, and you’re staying in the vehicle with the human agent and Owen. I’m going to leave Owen in charge of your safety.”
“Proving that you trust him.”
He grabbed her hand and led her to the door. “Exactly.”
Hannah fell into step with Noah, but worry tightened her chest. She didn’t doubt Owen’s ability to protect her. What churned her stomach was knowing both of her mates would be facing danger without her. Who would protect them?