A thoughtful expression crosses his face. He turns to me fully. “Anna, I’d have you on the Alpha Team too, but I won’t stand in the way of your dream of being an editor.”
His words catch me off guard, and for a moment, I’m speechless. I hadn’t expected him to make such an offer.
“Thanks, Aksel,” I whisper, my voice wavering slightly with emotion. “Speaking of, the thought of abandoning my studies now is painful. I’m one semester away from having my degree, and now that I’ve started again, I can’t bring myself to quit.”
Aksel nods, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. “I wouldn’t want you to stop either,” he admits. “I have a contingency plan in place.” He pauses for dramatic effect before continuing. “Someone from your class will be sharing all their notes with you. You’ll only need to go back for the tests, which we’ll ensure are done safely.”
I stare at him, grateful as hell to him for supporting my dreams. It leaves me feeling overwhelmed and fiercely protective of this man.
“Really?” I ask, still unable to fully wrap my head around this.
“Really,” Aksel confirms, his eyes softening as they meet mine.
I close the distance between us and press my lips against his. It’s a brief kiss, full of gratitude.
As I pull away, I whisper, “Thank you, Aksel. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
“Your happiness is important to me, Anna,” he replies, his voice low and tender. “Whatever it takes, I’ll support you.”
Six
Anna
I slide into the passenger seat of Aksel’s sleek black car, the leather cool against my bare thighs. The engine purrs to life as we pull away from the house.
“Grocery shopping,” I muse aloud as we glide through the streets. “Never thought it would be part of a mission for an elite supernatural team.”
Aksel’s gaze flickers to me, a wry smile tugging at his lips. “Even shifters and dark fae need to eat,” he quips.
As we enter the grocery store, the fluorescent lights buzz overhead, casting an artificial glow on the linoleum floors. We move between the aisles with purpose, Rion’s meticulously written list clutched in my hand.
“Rion has a thing for organic tomatoes,” I say, plucking a ripe one from the pile and inspecting it. “He thinks they taste better.”
“Sounds like Rion,” Aksel replies, taking the tomato from me and adding it to the basket. His fingers brush mine, sending a shiver up my arm that has nothing to do with the chill of the produce section.
“Can’t believe he trusts us not to mess this up,” I murmur, half to myself.
“Rion knows we’re capable,” Aksel assures me, but I catch the glint of mischief in his eyes.
The shelves are stocked with a colorful array of boxes and cans.
“Almond milk,” I read out loud, reaching for a carton.
As I push the cart forward, Aksel strides next to me.
“Spices now,” I announce, steering us toward another aisle. “Rion wants paprika, smoked, not sweet. And turmeric. And—”
“Anna,” Aksel interrupts gently, his hand resting on mine to still the cart. “You don’t have to pretend everything’s okay. I know you’re furious with and worried about Blaze.”
I meet his gaze, the brown and light blue of his eyes swirling with concern. “I know,” I confess. “But right now, it feels nice to focus on something as simple as groceries.”
“Simple pleasures,” he acknowledges, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips.
“Exactly,” I agree, before resuming our quest for spices. I grasp a jar of smoked paprika, feeling the cool and solid glass in my palm.
“Hey, Aksel?” I begin, balancing a can on top of a steadily growing mountain in our cart. “Why didn’t we bring Rion along? He’s the one who crafted this list.”
Aksel had just found me in my room and told me we were going shopping.
