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“Wait.” I scramble forward just in time, my heart racing as the door swings open. I have to prevent one of my two mischievous kitties from making a dash for freedom. A flash of gray fur shoots past Max’s legs, and Tuna narrowly avoids my arms. In the blink of an eye, she darts down the hall, heading straight for the exit.
Panicking,I spin around, relieved to find that they shut the outside door. Avery holds out treats to lure the cunning escapeartist. Tuna rushes to him, her betrayal stinging as she begs for treats like the little treat obsessed feline she is. “Traitor,” I hiss at her, a mixture of irritation and fondness bubbling up inside me.
On the other hand, Minnow gives me a friendly meow and starts pawing at my legs, making it clear that he wants to be picked up. I oblige because, in my eyes, he is the most perfect kitten in all of Terra.
Meanwhile, Max frowns down at me as we step inside. “How many of these creatures do you own?”
“Four,” Avery replies without missing a beat. “Don’t you pay attention?”
“I do,” Max growls at us, herding us farther inside. “But Seraphina never specifically mentioned how many cats she has.” He shuts and locks the door, ending my initial plan of kicking them both out as soon as we entered.
I try to stay calm. With Minnow purring contentedly in my arms, I flick on the lights, attempting to listen to them bicker about my cat collection.
“You know she did.” Avery tries to downplay it, but I realize Max is probably right deep down. I didn’t explicitly inform them about the number of cats I have.
“You’ve been stalking her,” Max accuses, his arms crossed as he stubbornly refuses to back down.
“No,” Avery says as he snuggles Tuna, who promptly falls asleep in his arms, the little turncoat. She would shower love on anyone who offered her treats.
The toilet flushes, and we all freeze. Max is the first to react, swiftly approaching the bathroom door. In the meantime, Avery gently sets Tuna down and takes Minnow from my arms, carefully placing him beside Tuna, then he grabs my arm and tugs me down to the floor on the other side of the kitchen island, out of sight from the potential intruder.
I find myself oddly unfazed, as if nothing else that could happen today would surprise me. After all, whoever is in here knows my passcode, and my main concern lies with the file the sanctuary handed over to the guys. What could possibly be in it?
The door swings open, and I hear two very different alpha voices exclaiming, “Who the fuck are you?”
I slap Avery away and quickly stand up, shouting, “Don’t hurt him!” Both Max and my brother Lex remain frozen in their positions.
Max doesn’t take his eyes off Lex while he grumbles, “I won’t.”
Lex scoffs, crossing his arms. “She was talking to me.”
I introduce them, saying, “Lex, this is Max. He’s one of Thea’s doctors.”
Lex doesn’t take his eyes off Max as he crosses his arms and shoots a suspicious glare in Max’s direction. “Why is he in your apartment?” Lex demands, his tone edged with concern and protectiveness.
Avery steps forward and answers, “Hey, I’m Avery, Seraphina’s castle sanctioned bodyguard.” He nudges Max out of the way and offers his hand to Lex, who takes it while finally diverting his gaze from Max. Avery adds, “This is Maximillian Harrington, one of my alphas.”
Lex turns his attention to me and questions, “Pack protection? What did you do?” He doesn’t hesitate to blame me, and I immediately go on the defensive, asking, “Who says I did anything? Why do you have to blame me?”
Lex realizes how offensive his comment was and quickly changes the subject, holding up his hands as if to prevent an argument. “I heard about this morning and wanted to check in on you,” he explains. “When I got here, there were deltas all over the block, and I heard someone had found a woman.”
Max pieces it together and comments, “And you couldn’t find her.” His voice is calm and analytical, as if he’s unraveling a mystery, which makes me feel a little less overwhelmed by the situation.
Despite the awkwardness of the moment, I can’t help but smile at the two of them squaring off. Lex is always the protective big brother, and Max is the cautious, observant doctor. It’s like watching two different worlds collide, and I’m caught in the middle.
“You didn’t search for her because you knew she was alive,” Avery chimes in, pointing to his temple with a playful grin. “Twin telepathy, right?”
Lex just gives Avery a strange look before turning his attention back to me. “I knew it wasn’t you because Violet filled me in,” he counters.
Sounding genuinely disappointed, Avery mutters, “So no twin telepathy?”
Lex, ignoring Avery’s comment, continues to scrutinize me. “You are okay, aren’t you?”
A denial hovers on the tip of my tongue, but I catch it just in time. If I answer honestly, I might not be able to get rid of my brother. As much as I adore and love him, I don’t want him to know I’m close to my heat, so I change the subject again, employing my masterful evasion skills. “Did Violet get assigned guards?”
“She was just summoned half an hour ago. I’ve been sitting with her all morning so she wouldn’t be alone,” Lex responds, which eases my worries a bit. “When she left, I waited for you, assuming you’d come straight home.”
I grumble a bit, feeling a tad annoyed. “I’m not that predictable,” I mutter, choosing that moment to check the cat’s water dish and clean it out. It’s one of those ones with a gallonjug on top that keeps the water flowing, but it gets grimy and gross. Besides, I need something to do with my hands.
