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I was alonein the house when I returned upstairs, and the quiet rocked my soul. Neither Sage nor Luve were on the property, but I suppose I should have appreciated the silence. If Sage took one look at my face, she would guess what had happened, and I didn’t need or want to explain myself to her. She would never let me hear the end of it—even without using words.
The only thing I could do was start my night at the casino and pretend nothing had happened with Bianca in the first place.
With a heavy, sinking heart, I made my way to the Golden Halcyon in my wolf form, waiting for the run to purge the anxiety from my body. Every muscle rippled against the night breeze, testing the force of my strength until I stood at the back entrance of the casino.
Virgil jumped to see me in my beastly construct.
“Atlas!” he gasped, reclaiming his composure as quickly as he’d lost it. “Are you okay?”
“Let me in,” I growled, shoving past him.
The guard stepped aside without hesitation, and I stalked toward my office, forsaking the elevator. I was too jazzed to stand around waiting. I had too much pent-up energy. There were only a handful of others on the floor, each of them cowering at the sight of me in such a frenzy. Even I knew I was discombobulated, and that had bad connotations for everyone, particularly the most powerful shifter in Covale City.
There was only one thing for me to do, and that was to throw myself into work.
Sage carefully avoided me when I entered the office, although I caught her sneaking me sidelong looks.
“If you have something to say, say it,” I barked at her.
“Did you touch that girl?” she demanded bluntly.
I wished I hadn’t given her the opening to ask.
“What?”
“You heard me, Atlas.”
“You have no right to question me about my personal life.”
“Oh, gods,” Sage moaned worriedly. “How far did you go with her?”
I fixed my eyes on the computer, pretending her words didn’t drive into me with every syllable.
“Nothing will happen,” I told her flatly. “That curse is outdated, and who knows the virtue of its validity?”
Sage scoffed loudly, folding her arms over her chest.
“Are you denying that Gabriel was a powerful fae in his own right? That he had magic that could destroy your empire?”
“If he wanted my empire to fall, why didn’t he just do it?”
“Because he wanted to leave something for his own bloodline!” Sage fired back. “You were partners, in case you’ve forgotten.”
I tilted my head back and smirked. “Iwasn’t the one who forgot that,” I growled. “He was the one who never took the business seriously. That’s why he got himself in the predicament he did.”
“How far did you go with her?” Sage’s question was quieter now, more pointed.
I continued to stare at the screen, as if the numbers in front of me were far more interesting than they were.
“Sage, your job is as my assistant and my advisor,” I reminded her curtly. “I suggest you leave the subject.”
“I am doing both by pressing you on this matter, Atlas,” she insisted.
Her contrariness was unlike her, but I refused to budge. I didn’t need Sage telling me I’d done something wrong. I already knew that. Thankfully, Petyr appeared in the doorway.
“Atlas, some VIPs have arrived. They need your attention.”
I nodded, grateful for the distraction as I jumped to my feet.
