Too fast they reached and breezed through the exit gate. One of the ticket booth clerks called a merry goodnight to Claire by name as she led the way out. Claire smiled and waved but didn't slow down until she reached her Pathfinder at the far side of the lot. It gleamed in the overhead light, its shadow stretching toward the entrance to the fire road, as though desiring its own adventure there.
In that shadow, a familiar red Jeep lurked when Claire rounded the Pathfinder's rear hatch to get to the driver's door. She fingered a scratch in the fiery paint, a souvenir of her race down the winding dirt roads the last day she'd spent time with anyone from Aspire. She jumped when his gloved hand closed over hers. The lightning under her skin was undeniable and oddly welcome. She marveled that the reaction between them no longer required skin on skin contact.
His voice vibrated the air around her. "Trent wanted to fix it. It's his Jeep, after all. I wouldn't let him, not until I found you again. He allowed it, because he knew once I could shift anywhere, nothing could keep me from you."
She spun, and he was right there. Of its own volition, her hand stretched out and brushed his cheek. His stubble tickled her fingertips through her fleece gloves, and she allowed herself another pass with her palm. He leaned into her touch, the heat of his skin searing into hers as though her gloves didn't exist. His hands cupped her hips and drew her even closer to him.
"To answer your first three questions," he murmured, "Yes, I need help, but the only person that can provide it is you. I'm here because I needed to see for myself that you're all right and to plead my case for our future."
Her shattered heart melted a little at his declaration. The ragged edges of its many pieces softened just enough to be tacky. A gust of icy wind froze them—and her nose— all over again, and she shivered, shaking off his hold. She reached around him to yank open the rear passenger door.
"Hop in before we turn into icicles. I'll sit next to you once I get the engine started." She gave him no time to protest, pulling open the driver's door as well and climbing up.
Less than a minute later, she couldn't procrastinate anymore. She'd started the engine, revved it a few times to hurry its warm up, adjusted the angles of the vents, and fiddled with the position of her seat and mirrors. In the warming air, her gloves felt hot and tight, so she took them off and laid them neatly on the passenger seat. Her hand gripped the door handle, but it wouldn't obey her command to pull so the latch opened and she could switch seats. What if his idea of a future didn't include her? What if it did, but only because he felt obligated to her with the whole "mates" thing?
Soft words warmed her ear. "If you'd rather stay in that seat, I can tell you a story, then get in the Jeep and drive out of your life. No further conversation or physical contact required. But that's not what I want. I would prefer you come sit beside me back here where I can hold your hand, encourage our bond, answer all your questions, and make you feel for yourself the truth of everything I say. But you're in the driver's seat. It's up to you."
Toni Braxton pleaded for her to end his pain, bring back his smile, "Unbreak My Heart."
Her heart softened a bit more. From his resigned tone, she wasn't the only one struggling with insecurity. She'd assumed he had delayed coming to her because he had changed his mind about them being mates. That he wouldn't want to spend the rest of his life with a regular girl like her when women around the world wanted to be with him. Perhaps that had been her own self-doubt talking. She'd never know for sure if she didn't take a chance and hear him out.
She climbed through the gap between the front seats, switching on the overhead light along the way, and sat down on his lap. May as well get a read on his feelings right away, she laughed to herself. Turned out, the joke was on her.
Colton immediately wrapped his arms around her and dropped his chin onto her shoulder. His left hand sought hers, and their silicone bands snagged when he laced his fingers with hers, his thumb over hers. Claire never took hers off, though she'd considered doing so when the link broke. The fact he'd kept the ring after shifting back to a human body added fuel to the electrical fire under her skin. She relaxed into his hold, her right hand caressing both rings before settling on Colton's wrist.
He draped his other arm around her and nuzzled her neck before beginning his story. Every breath sent faint electric tingles over her skin, and every few sentences he'd pause and press his lips to her ear lobe, cranking the electrical tingling up to eleven. It took significant willpower to sit still and listen, but she wanted to hear all he had to say. On her inner jukebox, Casting Crowns reminded her to "Just Be Held" as Colton wove his tale.
After she left the cabin in the Jeep, Charlie had returned to the clearing, and the four gorillas made short work of the second wave of lab agents. This batch wore uniforms emblazoned with the initials ATDAH Inc., information that enabled Gabe, the techie of the group, to track down a possible location for the lab itself. The initials stood for All The Devils Are Here, a quote from The Tempest and a reference to the lab's goal of trapping and exploiting anyone with unique abilities. It had taken months of scouting the Washington Springs location to find its weak points and recruit enough help to destroy the facility, and a few days of sorting through the rubble and data to determine that the threat had truly been eliminated. Only then did Charlie allow Colton to shift back and start rebuilding his life.
"I'm sorry I didn't come to you the first day I shifted." He hugged her tight to his chest. "I wanted to get my affairs set to rights so nothing would distract me from finding you and completing our mate bond, however long that took. I planned to celebrate my 'resurrection' with the guys tonight, and fly out here tomorrow, after telling them to leave us alone for a while."
He paused, and when he continued, his anguish tainted every word. "But then the connection broke this morning. Our agent had a panic attack when I told him I needed to leave for Colorado on the first available flight. He insisted I stay for the press conference—my press conference—but I only agreed after he arranged a ride to the airport and a flight to Denver leaving less than two hours later. I even asked him to prove there wasn't an earlier flight before I waved off the rideshare I called for myself."
Colton huffed out a laugh. "Pretty sure he thought I'd lost my mind, hurrying off like that without a proper explanation. I hope the guys convinced him I hadn't gone crazy from my 'ordeal.' "
Alabama shouted the chorus of "I'm in a Hurry (And I Don't Know Why)" from Claire's inner jukebox. Claire smiled but resisted bursting into song, refusing to interrupt Colton yet.
"I picked up the Jeep in Denver and came directly here," he continued. "The other keeper for the apes told me you had the day off, but she expected you to attend the Electric Moonlight event tonight with a friend. So I waited."
Claire shoved herself back, hands pressed against Colton's chest. "You've been here most of the day?"
He tried to pull her closer and failed. "Of course. I didn't want to miss seeing you, and I don't have any way to contact you besides the zoo." He smiled softly. "I would have waited forever for you."
Claire relaxed enough to allow her arms to slide up and around Colton's neck. "What about getting back together with the band, touring? I saw you mentioned that in the press conference."
"The others got used to pursuing their own interests while I was gone. We're thinking of a casual tour, a weekend here and there, starting with venues here in Colorado Springs. I figured by the time we work our way through those, you'll have enough seniority here to qualify for some solid vacation time, and we can do a more rigorous—but still short— tour at that time. In between, we'll write new songs and collaborate via Zoom. That way, you and I won't have to be separated while pursuing our individual careers."
His detailed plan blew away the rest of her doubts. Her heart glowed with love as its pieces sealed back together. Her emotions swelled in her chest and cut off her words. She could only duck her head to his chest and wait for the tidal wave to pass.
Into her stunned silence, he asked, "What about Charlie and my bandmates? You've kept our secret, but are you really okay with everything?" His chest went still and tense, bracing for possible rejection. Claire appreciated the irony, but only for a heartbeat.
George Strait crooned the chorus of "Say Yes or No" in her mind. She knew her answer but needed one more piece of information before ending his suffering. She lifted her head so she could sink into his chocolate irises.
"You know, it's a lot," she said thoughtfully. "Not only the animal alter ego, but the 'one mate for life' deal. If I'd known I had a life mate in my future, I might have made different choices."
His face fell. She pressed on, "Maybe I would have sprung for a backstage pass at my first Aspire concert. Maybe I wouldn't have waited so long to visit the zoo again. Maybe I would have avoided Colorado and Aspire by becoming a cat-hoarding Swiftie and saved myself this heartache altogether."
His hold on her waist loosened, and confusion overtook his expression. She inquired, "How about you? If you knew beforehand who your life mate would be, would you make different choices?" She winked, hoping he would catch on to her tongue-in-cheek sense of humor.
To her relief, his confusion disappeared into a wide grin before he responded, "I'd have looked for you at every concert, even our first ones given in my parent's backyard. I would have gotten away from fans and the guys with a disguise and a trip to Colorado Springs, instead of seeking mountain solitude. I would have pestered you to give me your address and phone number as soon as you woke up in my cabin so I could stalk you at your house as Charlie when you left."
Claire burst into laughter, and Colton joined in after a beat. When she could breathe again, Claire hummed a few bars from the chorus of "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad," grinning at Colton when he started singing the titular line in perfect harmony with her.
She leaned toward his chest, staring into his eyes. He whispered, "You never really answered my question. Can you accept a gorilla shifter as your life mate? We can date for a while if you need time to be sure—"
"I want those dates, because we need to get to know each other better. At the same time, I don't need more time to decide. Yes, Colton, I want to be your mate, and I accept Charlie, as well." She brushed his lips with hers and asked, "How soon can we make this official?"
He tilted his head and nibbled on her ear lobe. "That depends. Do you want another temporary bond, or something that will last the rest of our lives?"
"I want forever," she breathed, threading her fingers into his hair. "No more fragile attachments between us."
He groaned and pushed her toward the front seat. "How fast can we get to your place? I refuse to bond with you in the backseat of a car like an overeager teenager."
As she drove away from the zoo a minute later, the Jeep's headlights in her rearview mirror, Randy Travis crooned about love that lasts "Forever and Ever, Amen" from the Pathfinder's speakers. Claire sang along as she drove as fast as she dared, impatient to step into her apartment and Colton's promising embrace.
She sensed more trouble lay ahead for Aspire, but she and Colton would face it together with his friends. The coming days were bright with opportunity and love, and Claire couldn't wait to see what happened next.