He wanted to stay and help with this one in the worst way, but getting Lily back to the clubhouse was more important. Besides, if she stuck around—and please, God, let her stay longer—she could try to track the buyers down. They’d still be contributing, just not in Idaho, so close to the danger.
He didn’t know much about computers, only the basics, but there had to be a way he could help her.
If she stayed.
Exhaling, he reached for his pants, looking up with surprise as the door opened. Lily stood in the doorway, her eyes roaming over his body appreciatively. His body was just starting to respond to the look in her blue eyes when her eyes paused on his leg.
Arching an eyebrow, she looked up into his eyes. “That was some healing you did to come away without even a scar from the injury.”
He froze, his mouth opening and closing a couple times before he could find his voice. “Lily—”
“It’s okay. We don’t have to talk in here. Just get your clothes on and join me out there.”
She turned, casually walking back into the other room, and he stood staring after her for a long moment. She hadn’t seemed surprised at all, and it made him wonder just how much she’d already worked out on her own.
Clearly, it was more than he thought she had.
Rushing to pull on the jogging pants he was using to sleep in while they were there and his t-shi
rt, he walked into the room, finding her sitting on her bed casually. She picked up the remote for the TV and clicked it off, looking at him questioningly.
“So. You’re not exactly human, are you?”
Shaking his head slowly, he walked over to his bed and sank down onto it, facing her. “No, I’m not. Was I that obvious?”
“Maybe not to a stranger, but I knew you before. I knew something was up from pretty much the moment I arrived at B&B. So, are you like Jacob?”
He frowned as he cocked his head. “Jacob?”
“Yeah, Jacob Black. From Twilight.” When he continued to stare at her, she laughed. “I don’t know why I thought you’d know who that was. Jacob is a character in the book, and he’s a werewolf. Well, technically, they said he’s a shifter who just happened to be a wolf, but they still called him a werewolf.”
Every one of his muscles locked up tight as he stared at her, barely breathing. She’d just guessed, out of nowhere, what he was. And she did it so casually, like they were discussing the weather. She wasn’t freaked out about what he was, or upset that he hadn’t told her.
“Noah?”
Shaking himself from his daze, he focused on her and their conversation. “I’m sorry, you just surprised me.”
“Why? Did I guess right?”
He searched her eyes again, looking for any hint of upset, but he still didn’t see any. “Yeah. I’m a shifter. I don’t know how you put that together, and you’re so casual about it. It’s throwing me off.”
She shrugged. “I’ve been wondering if you were more than human since the first night at the clubhouse, and it just came to me. Your reaction to the dragon festival, like it was a real thing, your eyes, how you didn’t have any lasting effects from your injury. You growled earlier, and I think you purred last night. Add in the weird descriptions on the website, and I worked it all out.”
He shook his head, amazed. “You say that like anyone would have connected the dots and drawn that conclusion, but they wouldn’t, Lily. That was something else.”
“You’re not a wolf, though, right? Wolves don’t purr. So what are you?”
Lips quirking, he nodded to the stuffed animal next to her. She frowned as she followed his gaze and then her eyes shot to his. Laughing, the sound full of disbelief, she shook her head.
“You’re a lion? Seriously?”
“I am,” he confirmed, still searching for any hint of unease from her. “Imagine my surprise when you picked that stuffed animal out. Still not freaked out yet?”
“I actually think this is all pretty cool, but I can pretend to freak out if it makes you feel better.”
Chuckling, he relaxed a bit, kicking his legs out and trapping her feet between his own. “So why don’t you go ahead and ask me all those questions I can see burning in your eyes.”
Her eyes lit up as she leaned forward. “Do you have superhuman strength?”