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Doc beamed. Bruiser scowled harder.

After that, it didn’t take long for the alphas to pack up and leave. They called in the local authorities and arranged for help for the victims present. Then Uriel was left alone in the charred remains of the trafficking facility, Bruiser several steps away.

Fuck, Uriel wanted to say, but he couldn’t because of the alpha’s sharp hearing. Why the fuck is this my life?

3

BRUISER DISCOVERS SOMETHING ABOUT URIEL

This is some vacation.

Bruiser stared at the smaller figure of the mage, wondering what in Hell he was supposed to do.

Uriel didn’t like him; that was crystal clear. He didn’t like Uriel either, ever since he’d found the alpha in an omega’s restroom. The fuck had Uriel been doing in a place he didn’t belong?

And now their friends had set them up— Okay, it was necessary. But it didn’t mean Bruiser had to like it.

It didn’t mean they had to be near one another until this wrapped up, either.

Except it would be better for the mission if they did. Coordinate things together and all that. Damn it.

I can be professional about this, even if he refuses to be.

Bruiser straightened his shoulders and walked over. “Hey.”

Uriel glanced askance at him. Every line in his body was tense. “Yeah?”

“We should stick together for now. Until the mission is over.”

Uriel’s lips curled in one corner, mockingly. “And how well do you think that’s going to work?”

“It would if you stopped shooting me down at every single turn.”

“I would if you stopped doing stupid things.”

“They’re not stupid,” Bruiser growled, hackles rising.

The mage raised an eyebrow, arms folded across his chest. “Yeah? Like the time you fell into the mud and got stuck? The time a giant fake cock chased you down the street?”

Angry heat swelled in Bruiser’s chest. “Magic isn’t my thing. I don’t know how the fuck I ended up there.”

“Maybe you should’ve been more careful where you stepped, then.” Uriel turned away, a dismissal that wormed its way under Bruiser’s skin.

Before Bruiser knew it, Uriel was striding away.

He wanted so badly to throw a punch. To take Uriel down a notch, to prove himself victorious and wipe that smugness off Uriel’s face.

Not right now, he managed to tell himself.

“Look,” Bruiser growled. “Can we call a truce for now, for the sake of the mission? I just know that we’ll be better off working together to get those omegas home safe. You can do whatever the fuck you want after we’ve freed the last of them.”

Uriel clenched his fists, shoulders tense. “Fine.”

“We should stay together.”

“Really?” Uriel whirled around, one eyebrow raised. “You want to be around a baby all night?”

Bruiser’s thoughts crashed together like a multi-car pile-up. “What? You brought your kid with you?!”