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Disconnecting the call, I check around the property once again, before I head back inside, making sure I lock the door behind me. “Nicole?” I call out since she’s not in the living room. My gaze sweeps the room, but it looks as though she’s got everything packed out here except for the furniture and the television. I smirk when I see the throw at the end of the couch; her scent emanates from that area, so I know it’s ‘her spot’ and mentally promise to create a haven for her in our rooms, my wolf rumbling his approval.
“I’m back here,” she replies.
Technically, I have no problem finding her, since her scent is like a beacon on a lighthouse, calling to me and showing me my way home, but I need to remember that she’s human and I need to behave accordingly. Well, she’s human right now. Once I claim her, I’m looking forward to meeting her wolf. I suspect she’s going to be a gorgeous chocolate brown, maybe with some red highlights. I shake my head at my current thoughts; the priority right now is keeping her safe until my brothers arrive.
“What are you doing?” I ask, stepping across the threshold of her room.
“I’m getting my clothes packed into suitcases. Makes it easier to move them,” she says.
“Glad you’re still packing. How did your boss take your call?”
“She wasn’t happy, but she understood. I gave her the address for the clubhouse for my last paycheck. I hope that’s okay.”
“It’s more than fine, darlin’,” I state. “Spoke to Fox, they’ll be here tomorrow at some point with the truck. We’ll get it all loaded up and then head back to Zephyr Hills.”
“But… but Tressa said it wasn’t going to be a quick trip like that, we’d have time to donate what we didn’t want to keep,” she replies.
“Fox figures since there’s a stalker, it’s better to pack it all up, then worry about what’s going to be donated when we get back home,” I advise. I see some of the tension ease from her shoulders and realize she’s far more afraid and tense than I was aware.
“Maybe that’s for the best,” she murmurs before she turns to her dresser and starts putting clothes inside the opened suitcase once again.
“Tell me what you want me to take care of,” I instruct. She grins at me and goes over to the boxes that were torn open.
“Can you make me new boxes to replace the ones that were destroyed? Some will be able to be used, but I don’t want Tressa worrying, so figured I’d toss any of them that were damaged.”
“You won’t be able to keep it from her forever, Nini,” I warn.
“I’ll do what I can for the time being,” she retorts. “Once I’m done with the dresser, I’ll start repacking the stuff. Since it sounds like they’ll be here at any time, and now I don’t have to work tomorrow, I don’t have to worry about stopping at a particular time to go to bed.”
“You’re not staying up all night, Nicole. We’ll get it done so you can get some rest.”
“Whatever, Stealth,” she sasses. “I’ll stay up as long as I need to in order to make sure it’s taken care of and that’s that.”
“We’ll see.”
Nicole
“Insufferable man,”I grumble, punching my pillow. Once my bedroom was straightened and packed up, he sent me to bed like I was a small child. Granted it was two in the morning by the time we got it wrangled into a sense of normalcy, but there’s still a lot to be done before they arrive later today.
“I heard that,” he hollers down the hallway. “Get some sleep, Nini. It’s going to be really busy in a few hours.”
“Fine,” I hiss out between clenched teeth.
If there’s something I hate with a passion, it’s being told what to do. It makes me want to do the exact opposite, only if I did that, he’d know since it involves the remainder of the kitchen, and a few odds and ends in various closets.
“Not trying to be an ass, Nicole. It’s been a long day for you is all. My job is to make sure you’re safe and protected, and one of those ways I can do this is ensure you get enough sleep. Sheathe your claws, little one, and get some rest. We’ll knock the rest of it out when Tressa and the brothers get here with the truck.”
“I’m sorry I’m being such a witch.”
I feel strange talking through walls, but since he can hear me, and Iamsnuggled under my covers, I don’t want to get out of bed. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact I’m his mate. I mean, up until Tressa and Chaos, I thought shifters were make-believe, a fictional creature for lonely women to fantasize about. Only… they’re not fake, because now, my best friend is one of them! Wait, I wonder if that means I’ll be one too once Stealth claims me; it’s something to ask Tressa when we’re alone because I don’t want to sound stupid around him.
“You’re not a witch, or a bitch, or a shrew, Nini. You’re a woman who’s been thrown into a situation she’s never faced before. Besides, if anyone calls you any of those names, they’ll answer tome.Now, go to sleep.”
“Good night, Stealth.” I wish I had the guts to tell him I was scared, because I am, so he’d come in and hold me while I sleep, but I’m not quite that brave. Maybe someday.
I hear his chuckle since I just had to say one more thing, but his voice is like a caress when he replies, “Good night, Nini.”
* * *
