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“She doing better?” he asks.
I nod. “Yeah.” The dog returns the ball, depositing it at Braxton’s feet. He turns his snout up at his master, a tacit request to repeat the cycle. Braxton obliges.
“How are we going to handle her, Max?”
That's exactly the problem, isn't it? The complication making an already difficult mission even harder.
I draw in a breath of the crisp morning air, then sigh. “Are you hung up on her?”
His face softens in a way that's rare. “I think you already know the answer to that question.”
He’s in as deep as I am. As weird as I should probably feel about falling in love with the same woman as my brother, I simply don’t. Whatever competition that might have sprung up between us has been nullified by familial bonds, by shared experience. Our unlikely fit of passion earlier in the week tore down whatever barriers there would have been. It’s freeing, in a disconcerting way. Nevertheless, I won’t go sniffing around for conflict where there isn’t one.
“I guess we share her,” I say matter-of-factly.
Braxton nods, watching Trouble fetch. “I guess we do.”
I release a slow breath. At least we're on the same page of this insane book. I just wish I knew where Asha was at. What she was thinking.
“It won’t do her any favors if we let it get in the way of our mission. She’s powerful, which makes her dangerous. It’s our duty—was even before falling for her—to make sure she’s safe. To protect her from herself.”
Braxton clicks his tongue. “That’ll be hard to manage.”
I scoff. “You have no idea.” I turn to my brother and he turns to face me. “Are you ready for another war?” There’s no getting around it. This business with the Raven Pack will yield some bloody days ahead.
Braxton looks back at me with resolution. I hate for this mess to envelop him, but at the same time, I can’t deny I’m glad I’m not alone. “Oorah.”
The door near us opens, disturbing our peace, and out comes Orson in his boxers and sandals. He smiles when he sees us, as if completely unaware that him being half-naked with us is weird. As if, for some reason, he thinks he’s approaching friends.
“I thought I heard voices. Out enjoying the early morning air?” He stops beside us, grinning out at the sunrise.
“We came out for some peace and quiet,” Braxton tells him, throwing the ball for Trouble again a little harder than he had been, his gaze bordering on a glare.
“Peace and quiet, what a novel idea, but one that should be appreciated more.” He seems oddly content, gazing out at the world as if it’s something wondrous.
“Aren’t you cold?” Braxton asks, his voice a little chilly.
Orson looks down at himself and shrugs. “My wolf and I always prefer the cold to the heat.”
He and I are alike in that regard.
“So, when will Asha start feeding on me?”
My jaw drops, but I have to recover quickly, because Braxton looks like he’s ready for a fight. “That’s only one of the reasons you were brought onto this team. The main one was for your computer skills. From what we’ve seen so far, I don’t think it’ll be necessary for Asha to feed on you.”
And we’ll kill you before we let that happen.
Orson nods like he doesn’t sense the tension in the room. “How painful is it?” When I stare at him, he simply shrugs. “Like most shifters, I’ve never had much to do with vampires. Not that Asha is one. There was a lot redacted in her file, but that much was clear.”
“It’s not any of your business since she’ll never feed off ofyou,” Braxton snaps, puffing out his chest.
Orson eyes him. “Interesting.” Then, he turns back to me. “And is your relationship just a work one, with the occasional more social interactions, or is it something more than that?”
“What the fuck did you just say?” Braxton says, taking a step toward him.
Luckily, Trouble is back with the ball, and Braxton is momentarily distracted when he has to throw it again. I might have been annoyed about the dog coming with us in the beginning, but I’d more than seen his value over the course of this mission together. Including right now.
I clear my throat. “What makes you think our relationship is… anything but professional?”
