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“Hearing me out as to the threat that the Order poses to every supernatural, regardless of species or kingdoms.”
“Agreed.” She glanced toward the stairs. “I’ll leave you to your guest.” She said the last as though she’d seen through the lie. Of course she had. He hadn’t been subtle when he’d stumbled over his explanation of Joelle.
Yet he didn’t correct Yulia or give her additional information that she might use against him later. Instead, he simply showed her out, secured the house’s tech and magic behind her, and went upstairs. Except he didn’t go into his room with the big bed and expensive sheets far more comfortable than any he’d found in the nonstop travel since he’d left. No, he paused outside Joelle’s door.
No light escaped from beneath. Had she gone to bed? He listened for sounds from within—maybe the sound of talking or the shower if he really wanted to torture himself. He lay his forehead against the cool wood. He’d left her sleeping on his pillow, a smile on her lips, and now, he’d hurt her yet again.
So much for making things up to her with a dinner. What had he been thinking? He’d kidded himself with the possibility of earning her forgiveness. For what? To have her thinking he might deserve her when he didn’t? To have her putting trust in him that he hadn’t earned?It was better this way. So why did he feel so terrible?
He wouldn’t find whatever answers he wanted in the hallway. Taking a deep breath and imagining he could smell that sunshine sweetness that was exclusively Joelle, he made himself go to his room, telling himself that leaving the door cracked in case she had another night terror was purely for her. Not for his own selfish desires.
Except she didn’t wake him with screams or even come out of her room in the morning. He hesitated, wondering if he should knock or check on her, but no, she’d wanted time to herself, and he could honor that. Besides, he needed to prepare the warehouse for Yulia’s tour and the restaurant staff for tonight’s dinner.
Checking his cufflinks one final time—not that he paused in case Joelle might come out so he could see her for whatever seconds she allowed, no not that—he dialed Eddie and headed out of the house for the day. It was probably better that she stay here instead of being subjected to Yulia all day. Hell, he wished he could hide at the house with her and not deal with demon hybrid politics. He and Joelle could work out whatever this was between them when they were home tonight.
Home.
He’d begun to think of his home as including her. Hell, perhaps shewashis home.
Pushing those thoughts aside, he promised himself he’d return to them later—after Yulia committed troops to helping them fight the Order, after his world had settled into less chaos and returned to some semblance of normal.
Hours later, he had managed to get the warehouse presentable with most of the black market goods and the valuables locked away. Picking up the leg shackles, he pushed down the bitter taste of revulsion at the weight of the things and theclankthey made. He shouldn’t have let Yulia into the house, especially not with these. Joelle shouldn’t have had to witness the literal chains that the Order had used to bind her.
Roughness inside one of the ankle cuffs tore at the calluses on his finger. Crude welding covered the part that would’ve met her tender skin, joining jagged rocks to the metal surface. The scars she’d mentioned came to mind. He’d needed the shackles so Alys could test them for any possible clues as to Joelle’s origins.
For his whole life, he’d known who he was, what role he would play, and the importance of family. He couldn’t imagine having grown up deprived of those things. So in addition to ridding Joelle of the worry of the Order, he wanted to help her find where she came from. If he didn’t deserve her, he’d damn well make sure she found someone who might, someone who would love her the way he did.
Shit. He had gone and fallen for her. Sure, being fated mates forced him to care for her, to feel intense attraction to her, but helovedher. The way he would never love anyone else. If he didn’t let the crippling sense of honor she brought out in him stop him from doing what he wanted, he could hide her away from the world and keep her so he could prove his love to her. Yet she would be a prisoner as she had been her entire existence. He couldn’t do that to her. Could he?
The groan of the big metal doors to the warehouse raising interrupted his thoughts. Below the deck where he stood overlooking the main floor, three military grade Humvees zoomed inside, tires squealing against the cement. His guards with assault rifles and witchcrafted protection spells directed them where to park.
Security in dark suits swarmed from the vehicles, and Yulia climbed out of the middle vehicle’s backseat. In a fitted navy dress with tasteful jewels, she looked every inch the princess and daughter of the second wealthiest demon hybrid dynasty in the world. Scanning the room, she seemed to count the guards and visible wards. Finally, her gaze landed on him, and she nodded once. “You can come out now, Tai.”
The lanky boy got out of the backseat, an electronic tablet in his hands that looked to be some sort of puzzle game or a complicated flowchart he was working on. With Tai, either could be possible. The kid glanced around at the armed entourage with disinterest and went back to his screen.
Aclang, clang, banglater, and the massive door began its slow descent. Within seconds, a car’s horn blasted through the space, echoing off the cement. Alys drove inside, the lime green Porsche unmistakable with its bright colors and throaty rev. Behind her, a more sedate black SUV with tinted windows rolled to a stop.
His sister jumped out of the Porsche like an evil Jill in the Box.
“Alys!” Tai ran toward her, all thoughts of his game abandoned. “Will I get to tour your lab today?”
Alys ruffled his hair, and the kid didn’t move away. Hell, he had become almost as tall as her. “Sure thing, boy genius. Meet my lady love. Tai, this is Nita.”
“Malonu.It is a pleasure.” The formalness of his greeting and the stiff bow he gave seemed completely at odds with his earlier bounding-like-a-pup enthusiasm.
“She’s a hacker.” Alys’s whisper carried as loud as a shout. “An amazeballs one.”
“Really?” Tai sounded as though he’d met a celebrity. For a kid infatuated with math and tech, Nita probably counted.
Alexei leaned against the railing of the second floor landing, enjoying the effortless banter between the three. If only political meetings could be as easy as this, he wouldn’t feel anxiety buzzing at the edge of his senses, tugging on his magic like a poltergeist yanking on a grenade’s pin. He couldn’t dare to surrender an ounce of control now. Not when he needed the restraint and discipline like a drug to keep a tight leash on his power’s death wish. He soothed his nerves and pushed down the magic, smoothing each as he would a wrinkle in his crisp dress shirt.
Then Joelle stepped out of the SUV. With part of her hair twisted up in a braid that circled her head like a crown while the rest fell long and loose down her back, she looked like a benevolent queen who’d walked out of a fairy tale. Dressed in a sleeveless jumpsuit the color of peaches, she seemed more ready for a picnic or garden party than a diplomatic mission. She should be anywhere but here where demon hybrid politics could be brutal. He wanted to rush forward and get her away to somewhere less likely to spark with ugly cynicism. That was until she took Eddie’s offered hand.
Rage and jealousy blasted through Alexei, making his heart trip into a triple beat and his pulse pound in his temples. Only he couldn’t tackle this problem right now, not when Yulia waited. Showing any weakness in front of her would be a colossal mistake, one he couldn’t risk right now. Instead, he locked every emotion under a strict mask, bolstering his mental and magical defenses with each step down the stairs.
Unfortunately, he didn’t remember what he held in his hands until all four women on the main floor stared at him.
“What are those, bro?” Alys nodded toward the leg shackles. “Better yet, why do you have them? Planning to make politics kinky?”
