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“You’ve got both the kitten and the wolf,” he said, a twinge of envy in his voice. “You lucky shit.” That could be a huge advantage. There were plenty of times when a huge wolf wouldn’t work. Just about any mission in a town or city. But a cute little kitten? “You can go anywhere and fit in.”
Kit leaned his whole canine body against Yordan and purred. Or at least attempted a purr. Wolf bodies didn’t really do that like cats could, and the resulting sound was funny as shit. Yordan laughed as he dug his fingers into Kit’s ruff.
“So, now you’re back, better than ever.” He took a breath. “And Pee said she could have all the bets collected by now. That leaves only one thing.”
He glanced down at Kit to see the canine face looking at him. The expression was serious, as was the slow dip of his chin as he shimmered back to human. A second later, Yordan had his arm resting on Kit’s naked back.
“We can’t go yet,” Kit said, his voice starting gravelly but stabilizing within seconds. Then he stood up and crossed naked to the computer. The man was in work mode now, and his entire body went from giddy enthusiasm to focused leader as he quickly pulled up his email. “You’re right,” he said after a moment, though Yordan hadn’t said a word. He was too busy admiring the man’s lean body. “The debts are all handled now, even Marsha’s. Plus, Pee says there hasn’t been a spin cycle in over a day. That tells us we’re on the right track.”
Yordan looked up. “Right track? We know—”
“We never know anything for sure with fairies.”
True enough.
“But all the other glitches seem to be gone too.” He tapped a few more keys. “Even our Hawaiian fever dream helo seems to be miraculously fixed.” He glanced out the window. “Looks like I’m not in hot water after all for losing that one.”
Yordan straightened up to his feet. “Bonus.”
“Yeah, but…” Kit continued tapping on the keys. “Recovery crew is coming up tomorrow to get the pieces. Nero’s pack finished their mission and is heading home.” He started listing off what every combat pack was doing and what they would need in the next few weeks while Yordan watched, amazed.
He’d never really thought deeply about the sheer logistical challenge of managing seven combat packs. Kit seemed to know what every piece of Wulf, Inc. was up to and how each person supported the whole. It was impressive as hell, and he began to realize that Kit couldn’t leave everything to chase a fairy. He was too important.
Which meant it had to be him.
“It’s all right, Kit,” he said as the man continued flipping through things on the computer. Wow, Yordan could barely process the spreadsheets Kit clicked through in a rapid tap-tap-tap. “I’ll go.”
“Not without me, you won’t.” It wasn’t a growl or even a threat. It was a simple statement when Yordan wasn’t even sure Kit was listening. “Both our names are on that page,” he continued.
“But you don’t need to. I can handle it, and frankly, you’re way more—”
“If you say I’m more important than you, I swear I’m going to deck you.” Kit stopped typing and looked straight at Yordan. “You’re thinking hierarchically,” he stated. “You need to think laterally. Or holistically. Or like my fucking lover.”
Yordan held up his hand. “You’re my boss. That’s a fact.”
Kit shrugged. “Every piece in the organization is important. Every combat wolf—that’s you and Coffee—supports the whole structure. Every nerve that coordinates the wolves is important. That’s what I do. And you, too, if I have anything to say about it.”
Yordan rolled his eyes. “Let’s leave my future employment out of this.”
“Let’s not.” Kit stood up. “I can’t keep doing this job alone. It’s killing me. I’m exhausted all the time, and frankly, I’m not growing any younger.”
“What are you? Twenty-two?”
“Thirty-two and still pretty.” Kit grinned. “Just two years younger than you, and some mornings, I feel every mission I’ve ever been on. You’ve got to feel the same.”
He did. That was part of why he’d been struggling lately. He knew he couldn’t keep going in a combat pack. Eventually, his body was going to give out, and people were going to die. The younger wolves were faster, stronger, but they weren’t smarter. Smarts came with experience, and that Yordan had in spades.
“Come on, Yordan. Why don’t you want to lead?”
He didn’t think about his answer. Words spilled out that shocked him to the core. And once said, he gaped at himself in the mirror.
“Because it’s lonely at the top.”
“What?”
Wait, what?
Yordan’s mind was reeling, but once started, he couldn’t stop talking.
