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matters what I felt. My two younger brothers weren’t old enough to look after anyone. It was usually me and Starla, in charge of the others.”
    “How many siblings do you have?”
    “Shifters usually have big families. I’ve got three brothers and two sisters. It was three sisters, with Starla.” His voice caught on her name, and he cleared his throat. “So how about you? What’s your family like?”
    She gave a little laugh. “Nothing like yours. I’d love a big family. Mine’s too small, just me and my mom. My dad left when I was six. He was a big shot scientist, and now you could say I have all sorts of daddy issues, since I’m following in his footsteps, trying to get my PhD and prove I’m good enough.”
    “But do you love it? The science? What you do?”
    She sat back and looked at him. No one had ever asked her that before, not even her mother. “Yes. I do. I’m doing important work, and I love it. I’d do it anyway, wouldn’t I?”
    His smile made her melt inside. “I wouldn’t know, but it sounds like you would.”
    “I guess I always questioned my motives before. But thanks to you, now I’m sure I’m doing this for the right reasons.”
    “Good.” He nodded and looked around. “I know I was too pushy before, but I’m worried. Your advisor said she’d be coming out. You should try calling her again.”
    The last thing Miranda wanted was for Dr. Gutierrez to show up and see Miranda in the throes of lust with Gabriel. Unprofessional at the very least, and highly embarrassing. Gutierrez would probably wonder if he’d been around this whole time, and if he was the reason Miranda was having such trouble getting samples.
    Well, he sort of was the reason, but not in the way Gutierrez would think.
    Picking up the satellite phone, Miranda punched on the power and dialed her advisor. It rang and rang before switching to voicemail. Miranda ended the call with a huff of impatience, and fought off a wave of irritation. “Figures. Gutierrez wouldn’t give me any help when I needed it, and now that I don’t want it, she’s coming out anyway.”
    He froze with his hand on her leg. “Gutierrez?”
    “My advisor at the UC, yeah.”
    “Evelia Gutierrez?” His voice was a harsh whisper.
    “Yes,” she said slowly. “Why do you know her?”
    He stood up and began pacing back and forth next to the cot.
    “Shit. Shit . I have to go. We can’t…I can’t…fuck. Fuck!” He punched the side of the shack, splintering a plank of wood.
    Miranda jumped back, clutching the old blanket to her chest. “Gabriel, what is it?”
    “You have to pretend, we have to pretend. Shit, you won’t be able to…this never happened.” His voice sounded broken, cracked, like he was talking through broken glass. He yanked on his jeans and pulled on a shirt. “She can’t know.”
    “She can’t know what? Gabriel, talk to me. You aren’t making any sense.”
    “I thought you were it,” he said. “I thought you were the one for me, my mate. Maybe you are, but we can’t do this, not anymore. Go back to your life, Miranda. Live well.”
    A hollow, empty feeling was spreading through her chest. “Could we please talk about this?”
    “No. And please, don’t say anything about me to anyone—especially not your advisor.”
    And suddenly, the best thing to ever happen to her in her entire life stood up and walked out the door.
    Exactly like her dad had done.

Chapter Nine
    Gabriel stalked through the darkening forest. Evelia Gutierrez. She was an award-winning scientist who had published books under a pen name, postulating the existence of shapeshifting humans. One of those crackpots trying to expose his kind. He knew because he’d been following up on her and a few others—not personally, but he knew who they were, what they were up to. The prides talked to each other, and he’d heard of her specifically.
    She couldn’t be allowed to access any kind of data on shifters of any kind, and now, suddenly, one of