Buried and Shadowed (Branded Packs #3)

“Better?” His gaze remained on the various instruments, as they swooped through the air. “What are you talking about?”

She continued to open the various portals that would allow her to take control of the news media.

“This laptop is connected to the SAU internet,” she said.

“And?” he prompted.

“And they can take control of every network in the world.”

“Christ.” She felt him stiffen his shock beside her. “You mean you can show that video on every TV?”

“Every single one.” A smile of anticipation curled the edges of her mouth. “Even those at the Capitol Building in DC,” she added, recalling Markham’s statement that the head of the SAU, Colonel Ranney, was going to speak before Congress.

She heard the rasp of Sinclair’s breath through the headphones as he turned to send her a glance filled with blatant awe.

“You. Are. Brilliant.”

She hunched a shoulder, her face flaming with a combination of embarrassment and raw pleasure at his admiration.

“It’s not that hard.”

“Brilliant and modest,” he said. “Is it any wonder that I love you?”

Mira jerked, her eyes wide as she met his warm gaze. “You love me?”

Abruptly realizing what he’d said, Sinclair wrinkled his nose and returned his attention to his task.

“Damn. I didn’t mean to say it when we’re in the middle of saving the world,” he growled. “My timing sucks.”

A joy that felt too large to contain swelled within her. Sinclair had implied that he cared about her, and even that he intended to make her his mate.

But for her, those were very different things than being in love with her.

“You’re sure?” she asked in soft, hesitate tones.

The rich scent of his musk filled the cabin as his fingers tightened on the control stick until his knuckles turned white.

“Mira, I love you in every conceivable way,” he assured her. “And I intend to spend the rest of my life earning your heart.”

“Sinclair,” she breathed, trying to bend toward him, only to be halted by the rigid seat belt. With a rueful chuckle, she settled back in her seat. “You’re right. Your timing sucks,” she said, wishing she could throw herself into his arms.

She’d waited so long to find someone who could love her for who she was.

A nerdy, overly curvaceous woman who would never be glamorous, or beautiful, or blessed with a social skill that most men preferred.

She didn’t know why fate had been kind enough to offer her a male like Sinclair, but she wasn’t going to risk losing him. Not again.

This time, she intended to snatch happiness with both hands.

Just as soon as they saved the world.

Clearly agreeing that they needed to concentrate on the precious opportunity to expose the SAU as liars, Sinclair glanced toward the laptop.

“How long before the video is loaded?”

“It’s loaded,” she told him, glad that Donaldson was willing to spend government dollars on a top-of-the-line computer. It worked at lightning-speed. “Give me five minutes to make sure it’s streaming to every station.”

Sinclair pulled out his phone, waiting for the bluetooth to sync before calling his Pack.

“Rios,” he said when a male answered. “I’ve got what we need,” he said, a tense satisfaction edging his voice. “Warn Bree that the party starts in five minutes.”

****

Sinclair had just bathed and pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt when he caught the scent of the approaching jaguar.

With a glance at the naked woman who was tangled in the sheets of his bed, he reluctantly headed toward the mouth of the cave that served as his private lair.

It’d been almost twenty-four hours since the video had hit the television stations.

The reaction had been as cataclysmic as they had hoped.

It wasn’t just the videos that had been incontrovertible proof that the head of the SAU was responsible for the Verona Virus. Or the knowledge that it was the shifters that had provided the necessary blood to create a vaccine to save the human race.

It was also Bree’s press conference where she’d answered a seemingly endless barrage of questions with a calm composure that soon had even the most rabid journalist satisfied that they were telling the truth.

Once it had ended, they’d joined together as a Pack and celebrated for hours, singing and dancing with a joy that they hadn’t experienced in far too long.

None of them were foolish enough to think it was all over. Although the shifters were leaving the compounds, they all understood that the prejudices against them wouldn’t vanish overnight. And, certainly, the bitterness the shifters felt towards humans wouldn’t instantly disappear.

It would take time and effort to heal the wounds and come together to build a new future.

But for now, it was enough to know that they were free.

And for Sinclair, the night of celebration was even more life altering.

Mira had not only agreed to become his mate, but she’d requested that they exchange their vows in a human wedding. It had been her way of offering her love and commitment for the rest of her life.