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“You’re the one who told me it’s who you choose that matters.”
That’s also true. After I left Accalia the first time, I told any supe who would listen that fated mates are a crock of shit. What did Fate know? It’s who you pick that counts.
I said that to try to justify Ryker’s choice. A mating had to be accepted on both sides. If I wanted him, but he wanted Trish… well, why shouldn’t his choice count as much as mine?
“I know.”
“So why can’t you choose me?”
“Aleks...” I don’t know how to answer that. My life would be so much easier if I could forget all about pack life and go back to embracing being a lone wolf in Muncie with a powerful vampire mate at my side. “I wish I could.”
“Yeah? Ja tez maly wilku.”
Oh, boy. Aleks rarely speaks in his birth language around me since he thinks it’s being rude when he knows I don’t understand it. Except for the last part: maly wilku. I know what that means because Aleks told me once ages ago when I asked him why he always called me that.
Maly wilku.
Little wolf.
Ouch.
* * *
I’m outside,my forearms resting against the railing of our balcony, a can of ginger ale dangling from my hand. I take a sip every now and then, hoping it’ll do something to settle my queasy stomach.
It’s been two full days since I went back to Accalia. The last of the mercury has got to be out of my system by now, but I can’t shake the nausea. I kept thinking I was going to hurl when they were carrying me to Ryker’s place, and though my wolf is fully recovered, I still don’t feel right.
Of course, that could have something to do with how rough the last few days have been...
Hailey took one look at me when I went down to Charlie’s last night and, though I appear fine, my human friend told me to get my ass back to bed. Maybe humans are more perceptive than I thought, or else she knows me better than I expected, because I didn’t bother arguing with her.
Even if I hated the idea of returning to an empty apartment…
I’ve got work in a couple of hours. I’m not letting Hailey cover for me for another night, and I already texted her so she knows that it’s her turn to have a break. I’ll probably pick up the next couple of shifts to make it fair, but tonight’s a start.
I’m just thinking that maybe I could go in early, show Charlie that I still want this job, when my wolf perks her ears up. She’s been resting ever since I had her running up and down the side of the mountain, and for the first time in days, she’s alert.
A moment later, so am I.
My nose is working better than ever; I can deal with the queasiness so long as my other senses are back. Breathing in deep, I catch that familiar scent—of pine, of musk, of spice—on the breeze a moment before a moving target comes loping toward the backside of my apartment building.
Almost as if he knows where to find me—and when I tug on the bond stretching between us and get an answering tug in return, I have to admit that he does.
I watch his approach, a little bit curious, a little bit apprehensive, and a whole lot of turned on.
Luna, can he run. Even from a distance, I can see his bare arms ripple with his easy speed. And all that delicious tanned skin… unh.
I don’t want to know where he got those black pants from. No shoes, no shirt, so he was definitely walking around Muncie in his fur before he shifted to skin. A tentative sniff confirms that he’s not carrying any other scents, so they’re his. A shifter stash? A spare change of clothes around town? Maybe.
I guess I should be grateful that he’s at least got his bottom half covered even if my eyes are glued to his sweat-slicked chest.
Oh, mama.
Don’t stare, Gem. Don’t—
Holy shit, look at him just about fly up the fire escape. The pitted steel doesn’t tickle against the pads of my paws, and I can only imagine what they’re doing to his bare feet as he takes them two at a time, but yeah.
He’s on some kind of a mission all right.
