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“You eavesdropped on my conversation with Skylar, and now you’re trying to waste time so you can be here when she comes in,” Everett finishes for me, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Maybe.” I shrug, trying to act casual.
“Not again,” Arsenio groans as he strolls past me to perch on the corner of Everett’s desk. “You’ve both done enough bickering for a lifetime already. Is this really what I have to look forward to for the rest of my life?”
“Not if we make him leave,” Everett grumbles, his fists clenching on top of his desk.
“We both know that isn’t going to happen,” Arsenio says, glancing at the doorway behind me.
“Do I want to know?” Zeke asks as he strides past me, not bothering to spare me a glance.
“Probably not.” Arsenio grins, stroking a hand over his red beard. “I don’t even want to know what these two are arguing over now, and I’m not even related to either of them.”
My gaze flashes to Zeke, gauging his reaction. Of course, he doesn’t bother responding. Instead, he stiffens, his shoulders rigid as he keeps his back towards me. I frown at him, unsure what I did to piss him off. I haven’t really tried to figure out what his issue is, though. I’ve been wary around him just as he has been towards me. Honestly, I haven’t gotten over the fact that Skylar thought I was him, as though I’m blaming him for marring my first time with my mate. Eventually, we’ll have to sort things out, but right now, I need to focus on making sure my mate knows I’m here to stay.
“Anyway,” Arsenio continues, attempting to make things less awkward. “When is our fiery little mate coming?” He rubs his hands in anticipation, his amber eyes lighting up with delight.
“She’s almost here,” I answer, drawing two curious gazes and one enraged one. My cheeks heat as I remember her breathy tone, a goofy smile curling on my lips.
“So you admit—” Everett growls, cutting himself off. He braces his hands on the table, his knuckles red as he stands.
“Let’s pause the macho bullshit for a second,” Skylar says, striding into the room. My mouth falls open for a moment as I drag my gaze up her form. She looks like she’s ready to head into battle with a silver blade strapped to one leg and a gun holstered to the other. Her leather pants hug her form perfectly, drawing my eyes to her curves. She wears a black silk top under her leather jacket, the neckline just low enough to tease a hint of her cleavage. Her tawny brown hair is braided over her shoulder as she normally has it, the look effortlessly sexy, likely so she can easily switch between business and ass-kicking at a moment’s notice.
Having grown up in the human world, I’ve never dated anyone like her. I’ve never been intimidated by a strong woman, but Skylar is so much more than that. I know my lack of experience in this world is holding her back, but I’m ready to jump in with both feet. This is where I’m meant to be. I know it, and so does she.
Judging by the silence that has settled over the room, I have no doubt in my mind that the others are just as distracted as I am.
“Alpha,” one of the betas interrupts, clearing his throat. “We’re getting the room ready for Alpha Draven, but where would you like her beta set up?”
“You didn’t say—” Everett snaps, his eyes flashing to Skylar incredulously.
“Seline will be staying here at the compound with me, or I won’t be staying at all,” she announces, her chin raised high, her golden eyes unwavering.
“Place Seline in the room next to Alpha Draven,” Everett grinds out.
“Yes, Alpha.” The beta inclines his head and closes the office door before his footsteps echo back down the hallway.
“This is a surprise.” I grin, turning towards my gorgeous mate. “I know my day just got ten times better just by seeing your face, gorgeous.”
A hint of pink creeps into her cheeks as she glances at me, her throat bobbing before she refocuses on the others.
I’ll break her down. One cute remark at a time. Because I may not know how to shoot a gun or run drugs, but I do know how to make a woman smile.
“I hadn’t planned to actually accept your offer,” she huffs, giving Everett a pointed look. “But you were right. I don’t know what Monte’s capable of, and the plan just sort of came together while I met with him.” She grimaces, shadows seeming to pass over her eyes.
“Did something happen?” Zeke asks, his voice rising above the sounds of displeasure rumbling from Arsenio and Everett. My lips tighten into a thin line, trying to act like I have a clue as to what’s going on. I’ve tried my best in the last few days to eavesdrop whenever I can and piece together an understanding of the situation we’re in, but honestly … I’m not very good at it.
Skylar takes a deep breath before launching into her explanation, giving me more to work with than I’d gathered on my own already. My jaw ticks as she continues, explaining how Monte reacted to the pretend plan. Nervous energy thrums through me like electricity. This is serious. My mate might be in danger, and I really don’t have very many skills to help her. Hell, I worked at an accounting firm up until a few days ago when I parted ways with my shifter friends after meeting Skylar at the bar. I called and quit the very next day, knowing my life would be here now with my mate.
“Now that we know the killer was at a different vantage point, we need to go back to the city and search for any clue that may have been missed, any cameras that would’ve been positioned higher up,”
“We can definitely go back and search the buildings, but I might not get my hopes up about another camera,” Zeke says with a pained expression.
Skylar sucks in a sharp breath and nods. “I still have to try.”
“I know. And I’ll be there helping you search every inch of that city until we find something,” Zeke adds. He closes the distance between them and wraps an arm around her shoulder in comfort. My chest tightens at the easy familiarity between them, and I can tell by the tension that radiates around the room the others feel that spark of jealousy too.
From what I’ve gathered, Zeke has had the most time getting to know her so far. I don’t have the urge to keep her away from him, because of the shared mate bonds, but I do wish I could be on that level with her too. I stare between them, my heart aching with longing at the easy way he holds her. Despite the video last night, they seemed to have worked through most of their issues after we left, much to my chagrin. It would be nice if he gave the rest of us a chance to get closer to her too.
