Page 83 of Warrior Unraveled

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It felt good to be back.

“So, what’s new?” Wes asked his colleagues. “Anything happen while I was gone?”

John and Blake exchanged a look. Both grinned.

“What? Spit it out already.”

“Roxanne got hitched,” Blake said.

“You’re shitting me! The ice princess?”

Blake chuckled. “It gets better. Her man’s a witch. A pretty powerful one too.”

“What? Roxanne hates witches.”

John and Blake both laughed out loud.

“Well, apparently not,” Blake said.

John added, “Looks like she just didn’t—”

With a glare, Wes stopped John from finishing his sentence. Because he knew exactly what John had wanted to say: didn’t like you.

John cleared his throat. “—didn’t know she liked witches.”

Wes glanced at Virginia, feeling he should explain. After all he’d only moments earlier confessed to Virginia that he was falling in love with her. And now he and his colleagues were going on about another woman. A redhead he’d once had the hots for. Bad form. “She’s a colleague. Scanguards employs both female and male vampires.”

The diversionary tactic seemed to work, because Virginia asked, “How many are there?”

“We employ about—”

Blake’s hand on Wesley’s shoulder stopped him.

“A whole bunch,” Blake said and smiled at Virginia. “I’ll let Samson, our boss, fill you in on whatever you need to know about us.”

“I see.” She nodded tightly.

The elevator stopped, and the doors opened.

Wes ushered Virginia into the hallway and leaned closer as they walked toward Samson’s office. “Don’t take it personal, but they don’t know you the way I know you. They have to learn to trust you first.”

To his surprise, she turned her head and gave him a soft smile. “I know that. But you can’t blame me for trying to get the lay of the land. After all, I’m the one walking into a vampire nest.”

“We don’t call it nest here,” Blake said from behind them.

Virginia looked over her shoulder. “I forgot that your species’ senses are heightened.”

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” Blake said. “But it’s hard not to.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Arriving at the door to Samson’s office, Wes knocked briefly.

“Enter.”

“We’ll see you later,” Blake said, and he and John marched into another office.