Free Guardian Bears: Lucas by Leslie Chase Page B

him through, and he hurried to the kitchen. She wasn't the only one who'd worked up an appetite, and the delicious smells filling the apartment were making his stomach growl.
    She was setting the small table when he came in, a large bowl of stir-fry sitting in the middle of it. The chair creaked under him as he sat down, and she joined him at the table almost hesitantly. It looked like her fears were reasserting themselves.
    Lucas shook his head, unwilling to wait, and took up the serving spoons to fill up her plate and his.
    "Oh no, that's enough for me," Emily protested after the first spoonful. Lucas laughed and added a second anyway.
    "You have to keep up your strength," he told her, taking an equally large portion for himself. There was still plenty in the serving bowl. "Anyway, you cooked enough to have twice that much."
    "I thought you'd be hungry," she protested with a little blush. "And whatever's left over will keep till tomorrow."
    Lucas laughed again. "You've as much reason to have an appetite as I do."
    With that, he dug into his own plate. Biting down on the first mouthful he paused, surprised, and then chewed with relish.
    "This is delicious," he exclaimed as he readied another forkful. "My god, Emily, you should be cooking at a restaurant not waiting at a diner!"
    Her blush deepened and she shook her head. "I can't really do much, but this is a recipe that my mother taught me and it's my favorite. I couldn't handle cooking it for a roomful of people, though."
    "Maybe that's just as well," Lucas said, shaking his head in admiration. "I'd be jealous of anyone else eating this."
    He enjoyed her pleased blush and turned his concentration to the food again, not looking up until he'd finished. Despite her protestations, he saw that she had nearly cleared her plate too. Taking a sip of his drink, he sat back and smiled happily.
    "Now that was a meal worth having," he told her. "I can't believe you made that in this tiny little kitchen."
    She shrugged, embarrassed. "I told you, it's an old recipe. I can make it anywhere. But I'm glad you liked it."
    Now that they were no longer eating, the silences felt tense, like empty space waiting to be filled with words. After a minute, Lucas sighed. There was no point in putting off the difficult conversation any further.
    "We have to talk about what you're running away from, Emily."
    She stood abruptly, picking up their bowls and moving to the sink to clean them. "I don't want to talk about it. Isn't it enough that I need protection?"
    "No," Lucas said, standing in turn and stepping over to her. He rested a hand on her shoulder, feeling the tension in her neck. The muscles felt like corded steel. "You know I can't work like that. If I don't know what you're in danger from, I don't know what to look for."
    He tried to keep his frustration out of his voice, but knew he hadn't quite managed it. She tensed even more under his hand and scrubbed unhappily at the bowl she held. "You wouldn't believe me if I did tell you."
    He sighed and took a step backward, leaning against the table. "Why don't you try me? You have to trust someone, and I promise you can trust me. Who are you running from?"
    "I don't know!" Emily almost shouted the words, dropping the bowl to clatter in the sink and throwing up her hands. "I don't know who it is, okay, just that they are after me."
    "Tell me as much as you do know, alright? I can't help otherwise."
    Lucas felt anger coursing through him as he spoke. The idea that someone had made Emily – had made his mate – so afraid that she couldn't talk about it… that was enough to make him want to tear someone apart limb from limb. The bear inside him wanted it too, rumbling a low and angry growl that carried into his words.
    Emily turned to face him, looking up, and he could see the tears in her eyes. Instantly, he regretted asking her about it. Whatever it was, it was too scary for her to think about, and he didn't want to make her feel any worse. The last