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Hendrix strokes a hand down my back. ”I know you want him safe, lovely, and we do too. But it's going to be safer if we play this a bit slower. Hit them with both at the same time."
“He’s right,” Jareth says. “You know he’s right. Let me do this. I won’t let them touch me, I promise.”
"Do you have a way to stay in contact with us without them seeing?" Ryder asks.
Jareth nods, his gaze still on me as he pulls out his phone. “Yeah, they're not keeping me prisoner. They're just keeping a close eye."
"I'll be careful what I send then." I take his phone and add my number to it. "Tomorrow's lunch is going to be brutal."
I don’t know how I’m going to stop myself from clawing their eyes out for what they’re trying to pull.
Jareth takes his phone back from me. “We'll just keep the conversation light. I've been well-trained in small talk so I'm good at it. Hopefully we can convince them to give us some time alone."
Hendrix rubs the back of his neck. ”I think Enzo can get this handled pretty quickly. We don't want you trapped with them for too long."
Jareth shrugs. “I’ve been with them this long, I can handle a few more weeks if need be. Anything for Moira and her daughter."
I swallow. “Her name is Lexie. Alexandra.”
Her name is something I've been careful not to give Brad and Nicole, though they probably know it from their research on me.
Jareth’s eyes shimmer with emotion, his throat working hard. “That's beautiful. I can't believe that's the name you chose all those years later."
Hendrix looks back and forth between us, expression curious. ”What's the story?"
"My middle name is Alexander.” Jareth’s voice comes out hoarse.
Hendrix pretends to swoon against Ryder. ”This is like a Hallmark movie."
Ryder snorts and shoves Hendrix off. “With the feral alphas and custody battles and stealth meetings, it's a little more Lifetime than Hallmark."
"Still romantic,” Hendrix insists.
Ryder nods, shooting Jareth an appreciative look. “That it is."
"None of that." I pull the scent canceling spray from my bag and aim it at Jareth. "We're running low on time and we don't have time for more flirting. I'll go straight from here to Enzo to get him this flash drive. I assume how they tracked me down is on here?"
“Yes, there's a PI they hired and his information is on there. If there's any further information they need, let me know, and I'll see if I can get it." Jareth closes his eyes as I spray him down with the scent canceling stuff.
I hate removing my scent from him, wanting him to march back to those damn alphas and show them exactly who he belongs to, but it’s not safe.
I curl my hands into fists to keep from reaching for him. “Thank you so much for doing this. I'm going to make sure you get away from them. You'll like it here in this town. It's not like the one we grew up in or the cities. It's more progressive and welcoming."
Jareth shakes his head. “Lexie is the most important. Get her free first. Whatever it takes."
I glare at his martyr-like attitude. “I will, but I'm not losing you again. Not after finally finding you again."
He smiles sweetly at me. “It's worth it just to see you again."
"Fuck, we're going to have to step up our game. He's way too romantic for us."
Hendrix's words do exactly what he means them to. They make us laugh and break up the tension. Romance is all well and good and it was something I always loved about Jareth, but there's something special about someone who makes you laugh. And Ryder is a safe space, someone I can lean on, someone who will pick up the pieces when I fumble. He's the caretaker who will help me shoulder the burdens. It's a relief after spending so much time being on my own. It's nice to laugh again. It's nice to be romanced. I want all of it.
I want a pack.
But first, I have to get rid of my exes.
