Thinking of Lily reminds me of the dream I had about the girl who smells like strawberries. So much has happened since then, I can’t believe I forgot. I smack my forehead, and Kendrick takes a step closer.
“I’m such an asshole,” I groan. This seems to annoy Kendrick, so I appreciate Andrea waving her hand sarcastically.
“We’re all aware. But what is it this time?”
I shoot her a glare. Grayson and Orion also grumble at her, and I snuggle under Orion’s arm as he hugs me close. “What is it, firefly?”
“I had another dream, I forgot to tell you last night with all the drama of getting home. A different woman this time. Only she wasn’t in the basement. Maybe she hasn’t been taken yet?”
“Ghost and Silas filled me in,” Kendrick says gently. “Do you remember anything else about her? Her surroundings?”
I recount my dream exactly as I remember it: the cactus, the bar, the woman’s smile. Her scent. But nothing new stands out.
He says, “If you think of anything else, or if you have another, please let me know right away. Meanwhile, I have a call out to all the clan leaders. I’m waiting to see if her scent matches anyone’s description. The landscape is a helpful description.”
I tell him I will, and Kendrick thanks me. Then he lingers a minute too long, as if he wants to say something else, and I fidget under his gaze.
But he just smiles, dips his chin, and turns to leave. But before he does, I blurt out, “Did Ghost leave?”
Orion’s arm tenses around me.
Kendrick’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise, then a curious look crosses his face. “He’s hunting. He’ll be in and out, though, until we find Deidre.”
We have until he finds Deidre, Beep says, as though I didn’t literally just hear Kendrick say the same thing. I nod awkwardly before he smiles again and says goodbye.
Once it’s just the four of us, I turn to Andrea. “We’re not really doing this, are we?”
She smiles evilly. “Fuck yes, we are. Come on, we’re heading to the gym.”
My look of desperation only makes my mates laugh. “Nope. Not a chance. And you can’t make me,” I add petulantly.
Andrea crosses her arms across her chest. “Wanna bet?”
Orion dips low, grips the backs of my legs, then lifts, throwing me over his shoulder. I screech and pound my fists into his back as he follows Andrea into the driveway.
“Orion! Put me downrightthis instant!”
From inside the house, Grayson laughs. Oh, what a beautiful sound. He’s smiling wide, like all the turmoil and fear over the last week has slid right off his skin.
Orion stuffs me into the truck, then climbs in the back, and while Andrea drives us toward the gym, down the dirt lot, Grayson smiles, watching me as we disappear from view. Idecide being silly is totally worth the exercise if it means I get to see those smiles that I missed so fucking much.
Twenty minutes later, I’ve changed my mind.
“Andrea, you cannot be serious.”
She’s fitting boxing gloves on my hands, but refuses to give me a helmet. Apparently, there aren't any. When we arrived, I thought I’d get out of training because of all the hugs and well-wishers. A flood of Silent Peak enforcers hugged and patted my shoulders, and I got so swept up in their enthusiasm, I’d forgotten what she actually dragged me here for.
“Andrea, don’t you think you’ve punched me in the face enough to last a lifetime?”
“No. Also, I apologized for that.”
“Did you, though?”
She smirks wryly as she ties on her own gloves. “Look, I’m sorry about that. I… hate apologizing, so appreciate the rarity. I didn’t know omegas healed so slowly. I wouldn’t have beaten you so badly if I’d known you were that pathetic.”
Punch her in the face,Beep says.Now. I ignore her.
“Okay, well, I can see why you don’t apologize often. Could use some polishing. That said… I forgive you. But I’m still not going to let you punch me in the face without a helm—“
