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“Really?” J.D. asked, the light returning to his eyes. “You think so?”
“For sure, yeah.”
J.D. let out a sound that was a mix between a laugh and sob and pulled Zoe to him, wrapping her in a hug. “Thank you.”
The bars of the cage rattled and shook as Leif suddenly lunged forward, shifting and snarling in rage.
Zoe pulled herself free of J.D. and stared at Leif’s bared teeth. “Lover boy is still in there somewhere. Uh, I’ll call that a good sign.”
“We should probably let Leif calm down and get some rest,” Kira offered, taking J.D. by the arm to lead him out.
“Yeah, okay. See you later, Leif,” J.D. said.
Leif growled, but it turned to a sad whine as J.D. left.
“So, Mika,” Zoe said. “Maybe, uh, you want to show me some of those techniques Wyatt and Kira were showing us earlier? Go a few rounds?” she asked, raising her eyebrows suggestively.
I rolled my eyes, but Mika was apparently too dense to get her subtlety. “Me?” he asked. “I think Wyatt or Kira would be of more help.”
Zoe nudged him with her shoulder. “Yeah, but I learn better in ahands-onsetting. And I think I’d like to haveyourhands onme.You know what I mean?”
Mika finally got the hint and became flustered. “Uh, well, I, um…”
Life was too short, and we might all be dead in a few days. There was no reason to hold back. I took a step forward and pushed Mika toward Zoe. “Have at it, big guy.”
Mika stumbled forward, catching himself by embracing Zoe. Zoe bobbed her eyebrows up and down. “Oh, Mr. Sheen, I don’t know what to say. I’ve never done something like this before,” she said in a faux-shocked voice.
Kira laughed as we left the two lovebirds to their own devices. Hunger clawed at my stomach, so I suggested we head to the dining hall to eat. J.D. agreed halfheartedly, and Kira continued guiding him down the corridor. The poor guy was damned lovesick. Just looking at him depressed me.
In the dining hall, the first person I noticed was Crew. I needed to talk to him about possible strategies for the attack on Simon, but it seemed like such plans were the last thing on his mind. He sat with a half-finished bowl of food, staring across the table at Chelsey as she spoke to him. He gazed at the woman like she’d invented happiness itself, and all because she was finally talking to him. Chelsey didn’t look upset, so maybe that meant they were figuring things out.
When J.D. headed off to get food, I tapped Kira on the shoulder and pointed toward Crew and Chelsey. “So, is everyone in this place falling in love, or is it my imagination? Aren’t we supposed to be planning the downfall of a mad scientist? Not sending out save-the-dates?” I joked.
“I think it’s nice. I mean, you and I have been having some fun on our own. Who are we to judge?” Kira eyed Chelsey and Crew as the two laughed quietly. “I’m happy to see it. I’m glad people can find someone who makes them happy whether it’sfatedor not.”
She chewed her lip, her eyes narrowing.
“What’s going on in that pretty little head?” I asked.
It took her a moment before she spoke again. “What do we do if we find out the fated mate connections reallyaremessed up?”
“Easy. We celebrate,” I said. “It means you were never meant to be with that jackass Jayson. That Serenity and I weren’t supposed to be together. It shows I wasn’t wrong for rejecting her, and you don’t have to be upset that Jayson rejected you. We’re free to forge our own paths.”
“Right,” Kira said, meeting my eyes. “Your connection to Serenity wasn’t real. So…if there’s a way for you to find yourrealfated mate, do you think you’ll go look for her?”
The question caught me off-guard. I hadn’t given that a second’s thought. After Kira’s rant on live TV about the connections being wrong, I’d never considered what it meant for me. I’d put fated mates behind me when I ran from my own.
“I haven’t thought about it much,” I admitted. “Wasn’t planning on doing anything, really.”
Kira moved to an unoccupied corner of the room and took a seat, beckoning me to join her.
“In hindsight,” she said, “I can’t believe I ever thought Jayson Fell could truly be my fated mate. It’s crazy to think about it now. It’s ridiculous. Now that I know the truth, I can’t stop thinking there’s someone else out there I was supposed to be looking for.”
It was like she’d twisted a knife into my heart. I didn’t want to talk about this anymore. Seeing her with Jayson had been bad enough, and the thought of her being with someone else was devastating. Even more so now that we’d admitted our feelings for each other. Internally, my wolf curled into itself, pressing its paws over his ears to try and block out whatever else she might say.
“Whatever happens,” I said, trying to sound reasonable. “I want you to be happy.”
“Well, you’re a better person than I am,” Kira said with a growl. “If I found out there was some other chick out there who’ssupposed to be yours, I don’t think I could stop myself from tearing her to shreds.”
