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She froze, her hand loosening its hold on his as she searched his face to seek the credibility of his words.
“I know it seems fast to you, hearing me say that, but for a shifter, the moment we find our mate, we just know. It’s innate within us. My panther recognized you that first night at the masquerade. Though I attributed my feelings to the haze of the evening and the full moon, my attraction to you was strong even then.”
He could tell she was listening, but she did not respond. He sensed she was not ready to speak on her own feelings. In an attempt to give her freedom over the situation, he continued. “You don’t have to say anything back. I just wanted you to know how I felt.”
She smiled at him and leaned forward to kiss him. “My time with you is … unforgettable. I enjoy every second we spend together, and I want to spend as much time with you as I can.”
Magnus stroked her cheek with a long finger. “For now, that’s more than enough for me.”
Ideally, they would have spent the rest of the day lounging in bed together, having lots of sex, and getting to know each other even more, but both had business to attend to in their ordinary lives. With whispered goodbyes and quick kisses, they departed, heading in separate directions to go to work.
What Magnus failed to mention was that his business had everything to do with Carvin Hibbard. The last thing he wanted was to darken their time together with the mention of his name, so he kept his itinerary to himself.
Once he was home, he showered and changed before doing a quick cleanup of his country home. Not that much was out of place, but he washed a couple of dishes, swept the floors in case any speck of dust might have had the audacity to land on the gleaming wood, and threw a load of laundry in the washing machine.
Just as he was switching the load over to the dryer, he heard the first knock on his door. He finished what he was doing before answering the door, and in front of him stood the six members of his pride council.
He stepped aside so they could enter his home. They went into the den and on sofas that faced the fireplace. His council consisted of three men and three women, all highly trained members who had proven their loyalty to him time and time again.
Barrett, a bald, dark-skinned shifter, took a seat and crossed an ankle over his knee. Out of everyone in the pride, Magnus found Barrett to be the most… animalistic. He was quick to anger and quick to attack but reasonable and usually had a very good reason for his actions.
“Alpha.” Barrett’s deep timbre boomed inside the living room, capturing everyone’s attention in an instant. Magnus’s eyes instantly lifted to his friend’s face, a brow arched questioningly. “Carvin Hibbard is rallying a group of human-hating panthers in an attempt to dethrone you. He wants to make you and your woman look weak and incompetent. I hate to say it, but it looks like he’s succeeding.”
Adira nodded beside him. Long strands of auburn hair cascaded over her shoulder like a waterfall that pooled into her lap. She left it loose and wild. Her dark eyes shifted from Barrett to Magnus. “So far, he has more than fifty panthers vying for your blood. While that number isn’t large in comparison to your supporters, it’s lethal when pitted against a frail human. And with that, I mean no disrespect to Alexis, of course.”
Magnus waved a large hand dismissively. “None taken. Do we have any idea where Carvin and his brigade are? I left Alexis alone this morning, having no idea the situation I was leaving her in.”
“We haven’t seen him for a while,” Bree said.
Magnus swore loudly. “Well, we need to track him down, and it needs to be done today. If we can’t find him, we’re going to have to spread out. Hudson, I want you and Ambrose to head over to Alexis’s job. Keep out of sight, but see if you notice anything out of the ordinary.”
He turned to face the rest of the group as he continued his orders. “Adira, you and Eric head to her apartment and keep a lookout. If Carvin is after her, I imagine this is where he’ll station himself. Right now, I know she’s at work. Barrett, Bree, I want you two to inform certain members of the pride that we’ll need them stationed outside Alexis’s apartment and her office.”
“You got it, Alpha,” Bree said, rising to her feet. Her short blonde hair had so much gel in it that it didn’t move even when the door was opened and the breeze blew in.
Once everyone was gone and he was alone, Magnus took out his phone and called Alexis. When she didn’t answer, his heart leapt into his throat. Had Carvin already gotten a hold of her?
He immediately headed for his car keys when his phone rang. Her name appeared on the screen, and he exhaled an audible sigh of relief.
“Hello?”
“Hey, sorry. I left my phone in my purse and didn’t get to it in time. What’s up?”
Magnus smiled at the thought of her frantically rushing about her office, trying to find her phone in that oversized bag of hers.
“Nothing,” he replied. “I was wondering what your plans were for the evening.”
“Oh, um. I don’t have any. I should be out of here by four, and I planned on going home and eating cold leftovers.”
“That sounds terrible,” Magnus said.
“It does. I could really go for Italian tonight, but I’m not in the mood to cook.”
Magnus chuckled. “Well, there’s a killer Italian restaurant not far from my place. I could pick up dinner and come over if you’re up for it?”
“That sounds fucking fantastic. There are a couple of things I want to talk to you about, as well. Nothing bad,” she added quickly.
“Sounds good. How’s seven?”
