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“I don’t know. Perhaps they wanted the documents I stole from their archives.”
“How do you know it was the Order?”
“They took Josh’s computer, his witch’s laptop and gaming equipment, every piece of tech they owned, but they didn’t touch Vori’s jewelry or designer clothing. Besides, who else would break into a penthouse so secure that I couldn’t leave it without help from your cousin and sister?”
“Shit. If you’d been there when they came…” Tightening his hold on her, he seemed to struggle with the same conclusions she’d been jumping to.
“But I wasn’t.” She didn’t need him getting more protective than he’d already been in keeping her here. “Josh says they’ll find a room for me in one of the witch safe houses.” Beggars and orphans tortured by the Order couldn’t be choosy.
“You’ll stay with me.” Alexei’s deep voice rumbled against her cheek.
She lifted her head, met his gaze. “Why?”
“Witches have been murdered in their so-called safe houses. You can’t take your chances with them when the Order has already broken into your brother’s place. I have extra rooms.”
Not the most romantic reasoning but logical. “No.”
“Why not?”
“With the witches, they feel obligated after I helped them stop the end of the world, and they let me do small in-house jobs to earn my keep, but I wouldn’t have a way to pay you back.”
“I wouldn’t ask.”
“Whichdefinitelymeans I’m not taking you up on your offer. I told you that I need to be independent, to stop being treated as the victim.” She wiggled out of his arms and stepped away before she lost the willpower.
“You said you wanted to work together on origins research. Alys needs a lab tech, don’t you? Her last went to Nita’s bookshop for a visit and the merchandise ate him.”
“What?” Joelle glanced at the demon hybrid couple.
Nita shook her head. “I told him not to mess with the books in the hazard room. We keep them chained for a reason. Who goes past a magical ward and unlocks a book calledMan-Eating Orc Species?”
“He probably thought it was kinky cannibal porn,” Alys added. “I own a BDSM club, andIcouldn’t get behind the guy’s fetishes. That should tell you all you need to know. I can train you as a lab tech if you want. Or you can play with Alexei’s books on magic if you prefer to help us research origins that way.”
Joelle waved her phone toward the room behind her. “His archived article collection?”
“No,” she answered. “But my brother will love that you call them archives and not woo woo weirdness. He has a huge library at the house. Or you can come stay with us at our apartment over the bookshop? It’ll be a tight fit, but we can call it cozy.”
Over the store where books ate people?Joelle didn’t know which sounded more terrifying—chained merch that could devour her or spending time alone with Alexei when she had no idea what he wanted from her.
Alys kept talking. “If you stay at Alexei’s, we can come over whenever you want. He has a full gym and arsenal if you want me to teach you self-defense.”
“I would love to learn, but I don’t want to be locked away again.” The admission came out quiet, because she appreciated everyone’s offers, she did, but the thought of not going outside for another few months made her nauseous.
“I’ll give you a key,” Alexei offered.
“A key to your place, huh?” Alys asked. “Remember what we talked about upstairs? You can sayyou were rightandI should’ve listened to youwhenever.”
“Not a chance,” he answered. “Joelle, no one will expect anything from you, but if you want to find the answers to where we supernaturals came from, we’re your best allies. We hate the Order so we can help you with anything that might take them down as well.”
“All right.” She agreed before she could talk herself out of the rational decision for irrational reasons like wishing he saw her as more than someone who needed rescuing. After the party with its emotional ups and downs plus everything that’d happened after they left, she was too exhausted to argue more. “We can try it for now. If it doesn’t work out for either of us, I’ll call Josh and find another arrangement which means you’ll have to be honest with me. Agreed?”
“Yes.” He answeredwaytoo fast.
But what could she do except try to make the best of the situation they’d been given?
“That’s our cue to take off,” Alys said. “I’ll grab weapons and wards on the way out. Welcome to the crazy, Joelle. You’ll fit in just fine, you’ll see.” She and her hacker who guarded killer books walked away with a look that spoke of shared secrets.
Joelle didn’t want to be jealous of such closeness, but fear and lack of sleep made her wish for the same—not to take away what they had, but to have someone who understood her on such a deep level. No sense in wishing for the impossible.
