I froze for half a beat, a flicker of warmth and pride stirring. “She… does,” I admitted quietly. Then I shook it off, voice rumbling. “She loves a lot of things about me.” I sent a wink his way.
He chuckled. “You really are ridiculous sometimes.”
“Ridiculous?” I echoed, voice low and teasing. “Protective. Focused. Tall. The most handsome of our brothers.” I grinned—barely. “Ridiculous is optional. It’s her least favorite of my good traits.”
We laughed quietly, careful not to draw attention from the other courthouse visitors.
As we walked down the hallway, papers clutched in one hand and determination in the other, I allowed myself a tiny, private growl. The estate might have been tangled in forged documents, but my mate’s inheritance—and her—were untouchable.
Next, I would be dealing with her uncle. And that fight was going to be a big one.
CHAPTER 48
Emma
Ipushed my hair back from where it was falling down my face, yawning hugely and stretching magnificently. Krusk’s bed was the most comfortable thing I’d ever slept on in my entire life.
Ithelpedthat it smelled like him and I was able to snuggle his pillows when he wasn’t here. Frowning, I looked around, expecting to see him.
Where is he?
Grinning, I stood, sneaking my way to the bathroom door, wondering if he was naked and soapy. I opened it and lost my smile when I saw it was empty. Turning, I made my way into his living area, curious about where he could have gone.
When I found the rest of the apartment empty, I frowned, hurrying to my phone. I lifted it to my ear, his number already dialed.
He answered the phone with a soft, “Zemar,” that did things tomy heart I didn’t want to think about. This male would be the death of me.
“Hey,” I whispered, my hip cocking and twirling a lock of hair even though he wasn’t there to see me.
I’m ridiculous.
“I wanted to know where you were,” I told him, looking around again. “I thought you’d be here when I woke up.”
“I’m sorry, Zemar,” he said, regret coating his words. “I wanted to be there, but I had some things I had to do.”
“What things?” I asked, knowing he hadn’t mentioned anything to me. In fact, he’d said he was free all day, which was why we’d been able to go to my Grandma’s for a visit.
The silence on the other end should have been my first warning. There hadn’t been a time when Krusk didn’t answer me honestly if I asked him a direct question.
“Krusk?” I asked, worry coating my heart. “What’s going on?”
He sighed, and I could picture my male scrubbing his palm across his face the way he often did. “There’s been... a discovery.”
“Oh.” I frowned, not sure what else to say. “With work?”
“No,” he said in a low voice. “With your dad’s will.”
I froze, my entire body going still. “What do you mean?” I gasped, unable to take a proper breath. Even my lungs were fighting against me.
“Even before we visited Grandma today I thought the story of your uncle taking your house sounded suspicious. So I asked Savla to discreetly look into it,” he started, and I was so relieved that he was telling me that my body slackened, allowing me to move toward the couch and take a seat. “He found some things that I didn’t like, but Grandma also said that she had her suspicions.”
I was so glad that I was sitting down, because those final words would have levelled me. “G-Grandma knows about the will?”
His sigh told me he wished it wasn’t true. “I’m sorry, Zemar.”
My breaths were coming faster now, and I knew he could hear it across the phone. “Zemar?” he demanded, but I didn’t have the strength to speak.
If she knew about the will, then did she know about the jobs? Did she knoweverything?
