“Look, Aleksander, I know you’re suspicious. I would be, too. I know what it’s like to be powerful and have to hide what you really are. To have everyone in your life think you’re nothing. To want to be more than what they say you are—and to have them fucking notice. But most of all, I know what it is to want to show them. To make them pay.”
Withers chuckles.
“You do get it. They’re holding you back, aren’t they? I was curious why your signature was all over the place—erratic and unpredictable. Are they forcing you to hide some of your power, too?”
“Obviously. I don’t like to show my whole hand. I know what it means to keep secrets.”
“The misery of genius,” he commiserates. “Still, I have to be cautious, as I’m sure you understand. At any rate, I’ve got big plans for Friday night. But after that…there won’t be anything they can do to stop me. So…we can get a drink then.”
Well, that sounds bad.
Leo has his phone out, and he nods when Grayson checks in. Carnell’s party is Friday night.
“How do I know your little Novice isn’t going to run to your new Pack Alpha with your plans?”
“He’s not telling anyone anything. I’ve made sure he can’t.” The implication is that Grayson has used magical coercion. “Besides, Allistair Carnell doesn’t listen to the nattering of an inferior-status omega b—bitch.” It’s hard to get the disgusting words out at all, and he only hopes Withers hasn’t noticed the hesitation.
Luca frowns, clenching his fists, and Leo grabs him around the waist to be sure he won’t come out swinging and take Grayson’s head off for the obvious lie.
Thankfully, Grayson feels Nix squeeze his hand as pure love flows along their bond. His mate knows his heart.
“Oh? That tracks. Like father, like son.” He smirks. “I rarely admit it, but his shields are some of the best I’ve come across—and I’ve triumphed over the best. Will you be bringing him along?”
He doesn’t wait for an answer.
“He likes to play hard to get, but I really felt aconnectionbetween us. Not that it would’ve stopped me either way.” He brays like the ass he is.
Grayson doesn’t dignify it with a response. No, he willnotbe bringing his pregnant mate to this meet-and-greet. Instead, he sidesteps the bait.
“Maybe we could meet before your party,” he says. “So if things work out, you’ll know you’ve already got backup for whatever this big thing is you’ve got planned.”
He hears a noise behind him and turns to see Ignatius entering with Jay and Finn.
He’s brought a tall, blonde woman as well as a shorter brunette with curly hair dressed in what looks like a police uniform, minus the hardware.
The blonde reminds Grayson of the queen of the elves—if Galadriel had a compass tattooed on her neck and wore a black leather jacket and ripped blue jeans.
She puts her finger to her lips and uses her other hand to ask for the phone.
Ignatius gives him a small, encouraging smile.
Just seeing his mentor gives Grayson a tiny twinge of fear at being so far out of his league—but also reminds him that they’re finally in the hands of professional allies.
The blonde woman winks.
Then her eyes lose focus, and she fades out.
The phone remains solid, but the hand holding it does not.
There’s an almost silent collective gasp, and Nix’s hand grips him tighter, to make sure Grayson won’t join her and fade away.
Grayson isn’t eager to join her as much as he yearns to be able to do it himself at will. He wants to unfocus and check The Plain—to see if he can see how she is doing that—but Gideon touches his wrist to get him back on track as the phone beeps its low battery warning again on Withers’s end.
“No can do, hot stuff. It’s my big night. I have no plans to share the limelight, no matter how hot you’d be on your knees.”
Luca is on his feet again, nearly bowling the short brunette woman over in his haste to get to the phone and tell Withers what he could do with his suggestion.
Leo barely manages to snag the (silently) hissing beta around the middle again, where he has to sit on him to get him to stop thrashing.
