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“Yeah, I know.” I sighed.
“Wait.” He pulled back. “I think that sounded an awful lot like, ‘Croygen, you are soooo right—as usual—how are you so smart and also the most amazing, dirty, fucking god in bed? A truly magnificent virile beast.’”
“You meantvenerealbeast, right?” I snorted.
A cheeky smile took over his face as he yanked a bag off his back, tossing it to me. “Here.”
My hands grasped the sack he threw. Opening it, I stared down in stunned silence at the contents. Laying inside were my boots and jacket. His old jacket.
“Oh my gods…” I whispered. My throat tightened when I yanked out the long leather coat and my unique boots. “You had them the whole time?” I could barely talk, my voice raspy and emotional.
“Wanted to make sure you wouldn’t use those blades on me first.”
“And how do you know I won’t now?”
Naughty cheekiness curved his mouth, and he gave me a knowing glance.
Even while angry with me, Croygen had the forethought to bring me clothes, aware I would be naked. In giving me the jacket and my bladed boots, he was handing over his trust, his respect. The coat was officially mine. I was more than just an equal.
The gesture hit me deeper than I expected, flooding me with emotion I couldn’t handle.
“No pants?” I squeaked out, pretending to not be affected, pulling on the worn, soft jacket.
“Easier to spank you this way.” Walking backward, his arms open, he winked playfully at me.
I stood there immobile for a moment, watching the swashbuckler slip into the shadows, my heart thumping with emotion.
“Come on, Kitty-Kat.” His voice pulled me like I had no choice, no debate, no question about who I would follow.
It felt like some bizarro world where I was running to the villain, the man who killed my father and destroyed my life, instead of the supposed hero, my best friend, the one who had always claimed to love me.
Chapter 16
Croygen
Creeping back over the bridge to the Buda side for the second time in twenty-four hours felt quite different. This time I wasn’t tracking down a cat-shifter I wanted to strangle.
My gut had pinpointed Katrina like a tracking device, knowing where she was without hesitation. And all day I waited for my brain to acknowledge the truth, to understand what that meant, and totally lose it.
What freaked me the fuck out was Iwasn’tfreaking out. And that bothered me. I vowed never to let a woman take hold of me again, the sea my only mistress. But when Katrina caught up with me on our way back, her boots clicking on the pavement, my old pirate jacket flapping in the light breeze behind her withnothingelse under, I almost went down on my knees, ready to declare my allegiance and worship every inch of her. It took all I had not to, to keep my eyes forward and not take her against an alley wall like I had before. Her claws had already sunk into me. A prisoner of my own making.
I was pretty sure I cuffed myself freely to her.
Her presence next to me as we snuck toward the church caused my teeth to grind together, and the instinct to touch her, be near her, beinsideher, was making me crazy.
“Unless you’re going to put a white flag, waving in defeat on that enormous flagpole of yours, can you aim it away from me?” a voice huffed, climbing out of my jacket pocket. “I swear, butt bandit, you could float on it in the ocean. Use it as a harpoon!”
My teeth clenched down more, ignoring the tiny monkey-sprite clambering up to my shoulder.
“Oh, what’s wrong? Someone go cat-a-tonic?” He chuckled. “Get it?Catatonic.”
“Hilarious, sand puppy,” I grumbled. “Now zip it, or I’ll see ifyoucan float out on the ocean.”
“You can’t, poor-man’s-version-of-a-Viking. You need these too much.” He jiggled his hands in my face.
“Annabeth, you want to take your stuffed toy back?” I glanced back at the blonde, who would not sit home even when we threatened to tie her down. AB was so sweet and kind, but fuck, that girl was stubborn. She held her chin high, her hands on her hips, defying me and Cooper to the end. Kat stood behind her, telling us she had just as much right to go. This was her fight too.
One glance at Cooper and I knew we had lost.
