9

There wasn't even a bruise. He really is invincible, Savannah groaned with defeat as she studied Zion's perfect nose.

"That isn't the way back to your place, you useless rogue," she said harshly when he turned to leave. Sighing and keeping worse words to herself, she quickly followed him down the darkened lane.

"And you would know?" Zion looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow at her.

"I remember exactly the way I came here. And this isn't it." Savannah pulled her jacket closer against the cool breeze that blew through the city, chasing away the rain clouds and cooling her clothes that were still damp from the rain. She shivered, paying for her moment of blissful freedom earlier.

"You mean you weren't just wandering aimlessly in your attempt to get away from me?"

Savannah rolled her eyes. "Now that would be a dumb thing to do, given I'm in a strange city. No, I didn't just wander aimlessly, as you give me credit for. I came down Bourke Street, took a left into Gingham, kept going past the shopping centre, then went down Samford Road. From there, I followed the Inner City Bypass until I got snatched while walking up Heartbreak hill. I knew exactly how to get back when I was calm and ready to face you again. Seems your friend Darek had other ideas."

Zion looked at her curiously for a moment, skepticism clear on his features. "You remember the route that well?"

She tossed her hair over one shoulder dramatically, only to have it blown back in her face by the persistent wind. "As an Alpha, I'm an expert at tracking and carefully noting my steps. I'm not just a pretty face." Brushing past him, she kept walking while he stood dumbfounded.

"That's not what I meant—"

She interrupted him, wanting to not read too much into his insult to her intelligence. "How'd you find me so quickly, anyway?"

For a brief moment, Zion pressed his lips shut like he wouldn't answer, but he eventually replied. His serious expression morphing into his signature casual smirk, "I tracked your scent, despite the rain washing most of it away. I'm not just a dumb rogue."

"I never called you dumb," Savannah retorted.

"But you were thinking it."

"Don't pretend to know what I'm thinking. Not until we're marked and mated, anyway." She couldn't resist giving him a wink.

Zion coughed, his steps faltering briefly. "Crack in the sidewalk. Be careful," he muttered, looking back at the path behind them.

"Uh huh. Sure. So...tell me about Darek. What was it he stole from you?" Savannah asked, smirking to herself at his flustered reaction to her blunt remark about their future together.

"That's none of your business," Zion said instantly, again taking the lead. The night was late, the sky glowing with only a few reflected city lights, and the traffic noise died down to a gentle murmur. He nonchalantly yet purposefully strode down the street, stirring curiosity in the young Alpha about where he was going.

"It is, because I think I did a pretty good job of interrogating him before you got there. I nearly had a deal all worked out," Savannah stated confidently.

"Oh really? Just was what it you were offering him?" he eyed her suspiciously.

"I said I'd help him find Persia in return for letting me go. Either that, or I was about to just bust my way out of there, Alpha wolf style," she shrugged. "But then you came along and ruined all my fun."

Zion shook his head and tsked. "Alphas. Always so cocky."

She chose to ignore his dig. "So who's Persia, anyway?"

"A terrible thief."

She was surprised he answered so quickly, but not by his answer. "Aren't all thieves terrible? To steal and plunder from innocent people. I wish I could just lock them all up." She raised a pointed eyebrow at her rogue mate.

Zion sighed wearily. "Let me rephrase that. She's terrible at being a thief. I was with her when she stole those boots from David Jones," he looked down at her feet. "She was so conspicuously subtle about it, shoving them in her jacket for all the world to see, that we had ten security guys chase us down and pepper spray us. We only managed to get away because Phoenix accidentally pulled the fire alarm and had the whole department store evacuated."

Savannah laughed. "No way! How do you 'accidentally' pull the fire alarm?"

"Let's just say, a cute sales assistant was involved."

She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "So Phoenix is that kind of guy." It didn't take much imagination to see a girl pressed up against a wall, locked feverishly in a hot kiss with Phoenix. "Was Persia your girlfriend?"

Zion snapped his head towards her, curious about where the question suddenly came from. "No, she wasn't," he answered, sounding very honest, but it did little to make Savannah feel better.

"So she was just your lover, no strings attached?"

"That's a rather nice way of wording it. But she wasn't that either. I told you before, I'm not the promiscuous mutt you think I am." He spoke with an irritated edge to his rough voice, causing Savannah to bristle in defense.

She pressed her lips shut, not daring to push it further though she still couldn't believe the infamously dirty Silver Rogue would be saving himself for his mate. It seemed too good. "So...she was just a part of your gang." She tried a different tack.

He sighed heavily, running his long fingers through his wind-swept hair. "You don't give up, do you? I feel like I'm being interrogated."

"It's in my job description to interrogate. Now just answer the question, or I'll think you have something to hide."

"I have lots to hide."

Her eyes shot to his at his quick reply. His face was a mask, unreadable, shadows dancing over the hard planes of his face that could be obscuring any number of secrets. It took her a moment to catch up and say, "Same."

He chuckled, and she felt the brunt of his tease like she was in middle school again. "You wouldn't be so mysterious if you didn't. And to answer your question, she wished she was." Shoving his hands in the pockets of his jacket, he strode forward without a glance her way.

She hurried to catch up. "What happened between you two?" She'd push her luck and find out as much as she could while Zion was in a talkative mood, albeit teasing and downright frustrating.

He shrugged. "She tried her hardest to sweet-talk me, but finally got the hint that I wouldn't let her in when I left her stuck in a broken down elevator."

"You big meanie!"

"She deserved it. Didn't take her long to go running to Danny and Cruz and weasel her way into their gang. Their loss," he finished with a shrug.

Savannah felt her blood begin to boil at the cavalier attitude he persisted in having. She decided to be annoying in return. "Are we there ye—"

"Here we are," Zion looked back just as she spoke and grinned.

Beyond his shoulder, she saw stretched out before them a large suspension bridge, bigger and more impressive than any structure she'd yet seen in this city. Looking to the left and right, she could just make out glimpses of the broad and winding river between tall buildings, and felt excitement build.

"Come on, let's go. I want to be out there before the sun rises." Zion hurried her along, leaping up onto a low wall and reaching his hand back to help her.

Gripping it, she let him haul her up. His warm hand around hers sent tingles racing up her arm, and when she was standing within inches of him, their eyes locked. In that moment, she stared into the hazel depths and found only a mystery she wanted so very much to be a part of. She wanted to understand him, know his heart, and be a part of his life and everything he did.

Zion turned abruptly, dropping her hand, and leaped up to another level of the concrete structure that led to the bridge. She had no option but to follow, huffing at his rather abrupt mood. One minute his touch could be so tender, then he'd go back to treating her like she was a nobody.

Watching his steps carefully and following them exactly, she walked out to the middle of the bridge on a narrow path between the steel cables and fence beside the road. The number of cars driving past was minimal, but she shuddered every time one whizzed within a few feet of her, the wind and rumble lingering in their wake.

When Zion finally stopped, she took the moment to look out over the river and marvel at its beauty. The rich deep blue water reflected the brightening sky, the horizon of dark buildings and even darker mountains beyond, and a sky that faded from silvery cream to dark blue overhead. The last few stars winked out as the sky grew lighter, and the stillness around them was broken only by distant city noise and the light growl of the wind as it rushed past them. She shivered, pulling her jacket closer to her body.

Studying Zion's profile from the corner of her eye, Savannah watched him take in the scene, his body relaxed as he rested his forearms on the railing. The lines around his eyes seemed to soften, and his eyes sparkled as they reflected the sun that had quickly crept over the horizon.

"Why'd you bring me here?" she asked, pondering his kind gesture.

"I like to watch the sunrise from here every morning. I didn't have time to drop you back at the house, so here you are," he replied without removing his eyes from the glistening aqua ribbon far below them.

"Oh."

He looked at her then, studying her as intently as she had him. He frowned upon noticing the way her arms were wrapped around herself. Shrugging off his jacket, he laid it around her shoulders and helped her arms into the sleeves. She smiled her thanks, but he just shook his head. "Were you expecting a more romantic reason? Such as, I wanted to get to know you better, my mate Savannah, so I brought you someplace important to me so we could bond?"

She bit her lip before chuckling, averting her eyes from his searching gaze. "A girl can dream, right?" she said while returning her grin to him. His intoxicating scent was strong, and she tugged his jacket closer around her neck and relished in the shelter it gave from the cool breeze.

He tilted his head, subtly lifting an eyebrow, and the graceful movement entranced her. "So can I."

And before she figured what he meant, he'd drawn her into his arms and placed his lips on hers, kissing her softly. At first, she wasn't sure how to respond. Then she kissed him back, hungrily and thoroughly. Despite their differences, she couldn't get enough of the taste of him and the strong scent that lingered long after they moved apart.

She suddenly pulled back. Taking a deep breath to fuel her voice, she said, "We shouldn't."

"You don't like it? Am I a terrible kisser?" he frowned, peering down at her intently as though he really wanted an answer.

She shook her head vehemently, not wanting him to get the wrong idea. "That's not it at all. You're amazing," she spoke quickly, then caught herself. Peering up beneath her lashes, she found him studying her lips, then lifting his eyes until they locked with hers. "But you're also a rogue," she pushed the distasteful words out of her mouth, still tasting the cleanness of him on her tongue.

"Ah," he leaned back and nodded in understanding.

"And I'm an Alpha. We are opposites. We should be killing each other, not kissing," she muttered, almost as if she needed to explain more thoroughly.

"Would you prefer I kill you?"

"I'd like to see you try," she blurted, before fully realising how he might take it. Under normal circumstances, she toyed with her enemies, parading her confidence and superiority without a care, knowing no measly rogue could take her down. But this one... This one was a different story, and he could very easily kill her. And not just in the literal sense.

One side of his mouth lifted in a smirk. "Is that a challenge? Because I love challenges. I'm very fond of winning."

She stared off into the distance, ignoring his heated look that could so easily trap her. "Enough games," she said abruptly, crossing her arms to put space between their magnetic bodies. "I'm being serious. How on earth are we going to work out as mates?" she turned her eyes to him again, satisfied that his teasing smirk had disappeared.

"If this is about last night, I'm sorry you had to be involved."

Shaking her head, she looked down and scuffed her toe on the ground. "It's not just about last night. It's about all the time. Being a rogue is who you are. You're not going to change overnight."

"Who said I'm going to change at all?"

She looked up at him quickly, frowning. "Being a rogue is against the law."

"Says you, the Alpha of one small pack. Who said I have to follow your rules?"

"But what you're doing is wrong! The Council—"

"The council!" Zion scoffed, shaking his head. "They're always so dramatic."

"They keep us safe."

"From rogues like me, right? Have they ever thought to keep us safe from wolves like you?"

Savannah opened her mouth, then closed it, before opening it again. Why couldn't she think of something to say to that? Why did he have a such a good point? After hearing Phoenix's story, about his search for justice for his sister's killer and the fact his former Alpha did nothing to help, she could see where Zion was coming from. Sometimes things happened out of their control that forced wolves to cross the lines of the law and turn rogue.

"Have you even tried speaking to them?"

Zion looked away, angling his body towards the view of the river, and pressed his mouth shut. Eventually, he said, "Don't think you can waltz into our lives and change them for the better. We were doing just fine before you arrived. We don't need the help of an Alpha," he spat the last word, making her cringe.

Drawing in a deep breath, she bit back some nasty retorts, knowing how their arguments always ended up going in circles. She hated arguing with him, especially when the morning was so beautiful and a new day was dawning for the both of them. She had such high hopes for them, and didn't want to spoil it more than it already was. "You're ri—"

Suddenly, Zion tensed, his body locking in preparation for a fight. He swivelled, looking over her shoulder and sniffing the air. Savannah watched his eyes scanning for something, and turned to see what had grabbed his attention.

Increasing traffic sped across the bridge, nothing out of the ordinary though it was an unusual sight for her. "What is it—"

"Get down!" Zion shouted, reaching for her and yanking her around.

Before she hit the ground, a sharp zing rang in her ears, a rush of air exploding around her, and the cables of the bridge vibrated with anger. As she found herself buried against Zion's shoulder, protected, she recognised the sounds of gunfire and bullets showering around them.

Zion cursed, his voice muffled. "Who is it now?"

She watched in terror as he rose, remaining half crouched, and peered around a thick structural beam. Tyres squealed from behind her, and a fresh rain of bullets greeted them. Zion ducked and pushed her forward, running toward the end of the bridge but halting when the stream of bullets followed. Adrenaline lit his eyes like verdant fields of grass, and he looked at her with cool calculation. "Do you trust me?" he shouted over the boom of the guns.

With my life. "No!" she screamed back.

"Good." He managed a grin, grabbed her hand, and tugged her between the cables and over the railing until there was nothing between them and the flowing sapphire river a hundred metres below. "Now jump!"