Leo squirms and says, “Kincaid emphasized that work was a big deal to you, but let slip that you were working from home. So we thought if we made it so you couldkeepworking from home...”
He trails off as Merrick huffs, shaking his head. “It was a stupid idea, neverm-”
Before I can overthink it, I take a couple of quick steps to close the distance between us and throw my arms around Merrick’s waist, hugging him tight. “Not stupid at all. Thank you; seriously. It means a lot to me that you cared enough to acknowledge that it was important to me, let alone do something about it. You know, even if itwasbecause you were trying to bribe me into sticking around.”
While Sebastian is grinning victoriously, Leo nervously shifts from one foot to the other. “Wait a minute, were you not going to? Now that you mated into a pack-”
Releasing Merrick, I take a step away. “Means nothing.” Making sure they understand, I emphatically declare, “Do I appreciate the fact that I have several people making sure I’m never out on the street, alone, or starving? Absolutely. Is that enough of a reason to stay withanyof these guys? Fuuuuuuck no. They can stalk me all they want and give me sad puppy dog eyes through the window from out in the cold while I’m sipping hot chocolate and living my best life in a tiny, awful apartment that’s beautifullymine. I spent enough time being used; I’m not doing that again. I'll happily stick around if you actually want to get to know me, but if the only thing you want is information on Annika... I need you to tell me that up front now so I can manage my expectations.”
Furrowing his brow, Merrick asks, “And if we did say that? Killed your mates, brought you home with us until we decided what to do with you?” He slowly shakes his head like he’s legitimately confused and thinks he needs to make my situation clear. “Nobody is going to stand by and watch you walk away, Sabrina.”
My other half steps into the driver's seat of my brain in a motion so seamless, I almost think I’m the one that wraps a hand around Merrick's wrist. Siphoning from him, I slap a palm on Leo’s chest and funnel all of the volatile agony directly into his body, using my body as a conduit instead of a storage unit. Though they each snap a hand out to grab my arm, attempting to pry my hands from their bodies, I don’t budge more than an inch, doubling down on my efforts to drive the point home. A few seconds later, they drop to their knees, sucking down panting breaths, all three of them staring at me with varying degrees of horrified confusion.
“No, they’ll watch me walk away while on their knees.”
Slade sighs. “So much for keeping your abilities as an ace up your sleeve, mon soleil.”
Leo clears his throat, regarding me with more reservation than before. “Would you... like to stay for lunch?”
By the way he pales as I release his chest to offer him a helping hand up, I wonder what exactly he sees in my eyes. But while they make it impossible to blend into the human world, standing out in the supernatural one can either be a blessing or a curse.
For me, it’s both, so I choose to embrace that backhanded gift and spin it to my favor.
“I’d love to.”
Chapter 14
Kaige
––––––––
“Well... that was theweirdest lunch of my life.” Turning to Cinjin, I prod for a reaction, since he’s been more subdued than usual through the entire ordeal.
He ignores me completely, attention rapt on Sabrina where she’s speaking animatedly with the Slaughters, getting to her feet alongside them as they begin clearing the table. Glancing up at Slade for help, he subtly shakes his head before taking a drink. While I don’t like it, I leave things alone for now. Hunter may be the head alpha of our group for now, but it goes against everything in my nature to turn my back on someone in my pack that’s clearly going through something.
Most of our problems aren’t easy to solve, but this? All it would take is a little effort and I could lessen the weight that’s pressing down on his thoughts. But Slade knows him better than any of us, and if he says to drop it, I need to respect that. After all, things have gone far better than any of us ever could have dreamed, and I don’t want to ruin it by making a scene when it isn’t the time or place to address whatever the issue is.
