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Her eyes light, and she smiles. “A beach and a painter. Maybe she and I will be friends.”
Rolling her over, her small body is back under me, and I’m trying to decide if I’ll ever grow tired of having her near me. Our separation almost finished me.
“You missed out on so much being trapped here. I want you to have everything you dreamed about.”
Slim fingers thread in the sides of my hair. “I never dreamed about you, and now I wouldn’t want to live without you.”
Leaning down, I capture her lips briefly. “If you want to try New Jersey instead of California, I won’t argue,” I say. “I would like the chance to make amends with my mother.”
Doris’s revelation is heavy on my mind. I thought my mother had been a perfectly normal human when she raised me. I never knew the secret she was hiding.
“No decision is permanent.” Her soft lips cover mine, and my hunger for her returns quickly. “We can try one place, and if we’re not happy, we can go somewhere else.”
“You’re reveling in your freedom,” I chuckle. “I get it.”
“You’re damn right I am,” she says. Since her escape from Hayden, she’s grown even stronger, which I love. “No one will hold me prisoner ever again.”
* * *
The Riverside Condos on Tom’s River in Bayville are a far cry from the Quinlan-Strong mansion in Woodland Creek. They’
re a few steps above my garage apartment, but it’s still a shock for my girl.
“It’s so… quaint.” I hear the nervousness in her voice, and I laugh.
“You’re such a princess,” Walking through the small place, I survey the laminate flooring, cheesy wallpaper, and fluorescent lights. “I bet we can spruce this place up. Maybe no marble floors and limestone accents, but we’ll make it more homey.”
In a sweep she’s in my arms, holding my shoulders, her blue eyes urgent. “I don’t care about those things, Koa, you believe me?”
She’s so serious I kill the laughter, and hug her. “I do believe you, babe. I know what you’ve been through.”
“Even before Hayden, I didn’t care. I only ever wanted to be normal.”
“Well, this is about as normal as it gets.”
I’m just about to lean down to kiss her full, beautiful lips when my phone goes off. Pulling it out of my chest pocket, I see Slayde’s name on the face.
“Hey, man, what’s up?” I give her a peck on the cheek and walk to the small balcony.
The nice thing about our condo is it’s located right on the river. I can walk out and see the body of water most residents use to access the Atlantic.
“Hey, I know you’re getting settled in.” His voice is serious, and I’m impressed by how much he’s changed. “I appreciate you taking a chance on working with us.”
“Alexander-Knight saved Mercy,” I say, referencing our new employer. “Whatever went down in the past is water under the bridge.”
“I’m glad to hear it because our dealings have caused quite a stir in the subculture.”
That surge of protectiveness tightens my stomach. “What’s going on?”
“I’d rather not discuss it over the phone. Is there any way you could drive into Princeton? Derek would like to have a meeting with the team. That includes you now.”
“I’m on my way.” My fist has tightened over the slim phone, and my mind is already sorting through the possibilities.
So many things could set us up as targets for attack. Slayde and I personally took the Lord of the Underworld’s prize when we saved Mercy. In addition to that, Derek has hunted vampires, exiled criminals like me… Stuart and Patrick Knight have taken down countless rogue shifters through the years.
When I agreed to work with the paranormal Alexander-Knight LLC, I had no idea how twisted this line of work could get. Still, I like the prospect of being on the right side of the law. I want to make up for my past.
“What’s going on?” Mercy walks back into the room.
