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“And you are?” I asked slowly.
“Sloan,” he introduced, reaching a hand out to me first.
Sloan was my new favorite name.
I shook his shockingly hot hand with a covert glance at the woman directly behind him, whose purple hair I envied fiercely. “Nice to meet you.” I flicked my eyes to the Shifter beside me, somehow remembering his name. “This is Nigel, the alpha of the pack helping us out today.”
Sloan offered Nigel a friendly smile. “Pleasure. Been a while since I got the chance to work with a Shifter. Can’t lie, I’m a bit eager to see how well your pack performs since it was Phillip who personally recommended you.”
The dude had a Jason Statham accent, and it was absolutely delectable to the ears. His charm stock was off the charts with it, and I fantasized briefly about the things I could coax him to say if given the chance.
Nigel’s expression betrayed his momentary discomfort. “Hope I can live up to all the hype.”
Sloan clapped a hand on my friend with a chuckle. “I’m sure you will. Phillip so rarely recommends anyone.”
Well, shit.
When I looked over at the Hunter in question, the Austrian didn’t seem the least bit sorry that his recommendation put pressure on Nigel and his pack to perform. By the tilt of the sexy bastard’s lips and small laugh, I’d say it was the exact opposite.
Phillip was enjoying every minute of it.
What an asshole.
Phillip greeted the woman behind Sloan when she finally looked up from her phone. “Kris.”
Her blue eyes beamed in recognition. “Been a minute since I last saw your pretty face.” Her red-painted lips rose sarcastically. “Still breaking hearts wherever you go?”
“That’s a pretty serious accusation you’re making,” my partner retorted, light eyes glittering happily.
Kris shrugged unapologetically. “It’s not an accusation if it’s the goddamn truth.”
The air scintillated with unspoken remarks, and the entire group quieted as the two looked at each other.
I wasn’t slow. Clearly the two of them had a history together, and it would make sense. The purple-haired woman was gorgeous.
In a black, glossy corset and tight pair of jogging pants, it was easy to see she didn’t lack on womanly wiles. Her weapons were on full display—throwing stars, daggers a similar shape and length as mine, and two long katana swords crossed over and sheathed at her back. With one look, I was confident she and I’d get along nicely. Her weaponry was kick-ass and I honestly couldn’t wait to see the woman fight.
But the way she talked to Phillip bothered me more than I thought it would. More than I wanted to admit to myself it did. It spoke of a strong intimacy—and I could hazard a guess what kind.
It didn’t surprise me.
By the way Phillip carried himself and talked, it’d be weirder if he hadn’t slept with her. It didn’t, however, spare me the uncomfortable feeling in my throat or the less-than-subtle tick in my lip, which I had to bite to avoid exposing. For some reason, it was difficult to swallow when I thought the two had been intimate in the past.
I’m literally going crazy.
Kris placed a hand on her hip, her beautiful figure nothing but sensual curves from top to bottom. “Well, most knew what they were getting into.”
“It’s good to see you, too. I look forward to working with you again.” Phillip grinned to himself, clearly amused.
Nigel touched my shoulder, his worried eyes on me. “You doing okay, V?”
I snapped out of my quiet daze with Nigel’s low, entreating voice. “Just dandy,” I lied, ignoring the tight knot in my stomach and hard lump in my throat. “Ready to get this thing underway, if I’m honest.”
Phillip’s eyes were on us. “You can go with these two, Nigel. They’d benefit most from your tracking abilities.”
Nigel’s expression instantly soured. “I’m good. I’ll stay with V. If you’d prefer, I’ll accompany her while you go off with them.”
Kris and Sloan watched the exchange, obviously intrigued, but it was like Phillip and Nigel didn’t see anyone around them. They traded short, irritated remarks, and then outright glared at each other with heat, neither showing signs of budging.
