"And Milo? Rook? Fenric?" I couldn't help asking.
"Like I said, complicated and messy," he smiled against my hair. "But we'll figure that out too. One step at a time."
I believed him.
Zane pressed his lips to my temple, his voice a low murmur against my skin. "Next time, we'll make it to a bed before the world tries to end on us."
I laughed, the sound light and free in a way I hadn't felt since this whole prophecy business began. "Is that a promise?"
"Absolutely," he sealed it with a kiss, soft and sweet and full of possibility.
Outside, we could hear the distant sound of approaching vehicles, Bureau backup finally arriving. But neither of us moved just yet, clinging to these final moments of peace before facing whatever came next.
Chapter
Twenty-Eight
Rook
Istood outside the safe house apartment, listening to the approaching footsteps. The Bureau extraction team had brought them back an hour ago, and I'd been stationed here since, standing guard while Fenric filed his reports and Milo tended to Horrace, who'd been frantic since Winter's departure.
The elevator doors opened, and I caught their scents immediately. Winter's familiar scent and old books mingled with Zane's electric, storm-like aura. But there was something else, something that made my wolf stir restlessly beneath my skin.
They smelled of each other. Of sex and blood and intimacy.
My jaw clenched so hard I heard my teeth crack. I'd known this was coming. Had sensed the connection between them growing stronger with each passing day. But knowing and smelling were two very different things.
They rounded the corner, Winter flushed and slightly disheveled despite her obvious attempts to look casual. Zane walked close beside her, his usual cocky stride more careful now, favoring his left side where I could smell the lingeringscent of magical injury beneath fresh bandages. His eyes met mine over Winter's head, and something passed between us, acknowledgment, challenge, understanding.
I said nothing as they approached, but my nostrils flared involuntarily, taking in more of their mingled scents. Winter noticed, her eyes widening slightly as she realized what I could smell.
"Rook," she greeted me, her voice carefully neutral. "Everything okay here?"
"You reek of sex and blood."
Winter's cheeks flamed brighter. Zane's smile never reached his eyes.
"Nice to see you too," Zane hand settled protectively at Winter's lower back.
The wolf inside me snarled, clawing to get out. I fought it down, keeping my expression carefully blank even as rage boiled through my veins.
"The apartment's secure," I managed, my voice rough with the effort of control.
Winter nodded, clearly relieved to focus on something other than the tension crackling between Zane and me. "Thank you."
She moved toward the door, but I didn't step aside immediately. Our bodies were close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from her skin, could see the pulse jumping in her throat. Her gray eyes met mine, questioning, uncertain.
"Rook?" Her voice soft.
I stepped back without a word, allowing her to pass. As she moved by me, her scent washed over me again, of Zane. The wolf howled in protest, furious at the other male's claim on what it considered ours.
Once Winter was inside, I turned to face Zane fully. He leaned against the wall, watching me with those mismatched eyes that saw too much.
"You going to hit me?" He was calm. "Because I should warn you, I'm already injured."
"That supposed to stop me?" I growled, my fingers curling into fists at my sides.
Zane shrugged, wincing slightly at the movement. "No. Just thought I'd mention it."
