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God! Music to my ears. I never thought I’d crave hearing a man call me his. It just seemed so old-fashioned. But this felt right; I was his and he was mine. We were faking it so well that I was beginning to believe that it was real.
We stepped inside the office and were greeted by an impeccably dressed older Asian man. He had a clear accent but spoke English fluently, as if he’d been speaking it most of his life, perhaps for both school and work. Sitting behind him were the two goons who’d been at my apartment. We shook hands with the gentleman in the suit but Gunnar ignored the others, so I followed his lead. After some quick introductions, we sat down and got to business.
“Do you like the new friends I’ve given you?” Gunnar gestured to the photographers swarming around the Redrock office window. “Don’t worry. The glass is one way. They can’t see us.”
Of course Gunnar would start by antagonizing the opponent. I wish I had his unshakable confidence.
“They will not keep me from my mission.”
“No, but I will. This is mywifeyou wish to steal.” Gunnar stressed the word.
“She was not married when—”
“But she is now,” Gunnar said firmly. “Let’s not beat around the bush. Lillian is mine, and I will not let you take her. And if you try, no ocean could stop me from reaching her to get her back. Surely there are other candidates for your, for lack of a better word, breeding program? Candidates that wouldn’t draw the attention of reporters and the ire of a dragon? Desmon is a”…he paused for dramatic effect…“personal friend.”
I highly doubted Desmon would stick his neck out for me. But that didn’t stop Gunnar from name-dropping.
Dr. Shen didn’t answer; instead, he tilted his head pensively, turning to me. “I’m surprised your wedding was so…public. I have not been able to find out much about your life online. And nothing about this relationship until just before the wedding.”
“I don’t have social media. I don’t like to overshare.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. Most snow leopards are private people. It’s in our DNA. But still, I have to assume you have not been dating for long.”
I stuck with the story we’d been telling everyone. “Three months.”
“Gargoyles recognize our mates quickly,” Gunnar said. “There’s no need for a long courtship. Isn’t it the same for snow leopards?”
Mates? I gasped on the inside but I schooled my features, hoping my surprise didn’t show on my face. I hadn’t realized he was going to pull the mate card, but it made sense. Having someone like Gunnar as a mate would be a dream come true for me.
Of course, I didn’t have enough snow leopard DNA to know how recognizing a mate would feel. Or at least I didn’t think so…unless this intense connection that I felt to him after just a few days was it. But that was just a truckload of lust combined with gratefulness that he chose to help me, right?
“I wouldn’t know,” said the older gentleman. “I met all the eligible females when I was young, and none was my true mate. I married my wife because she was the best match. It does not need to be a true mate bond for love to grow; she became my mate over time. Do you feel the mate bond with this gargoyle, Lillian?”
I chose my words carefully. “I’m not sure I have enough shifter blood in me to feel a mate bond, but despite my short time with Gunnar, I believe that he is the one I want to stay with for the rest of my life.”
The words came out much easier than I thought they would, probably because it wasn’t exactly a lie.
“I see.” Dr. Shen nodded. His smile grew crafty. “It has been brought to my attention that thisgargoylehad you sign a prenup. I don’t pretend I know all the intricate workings of relationships here in the West, but does this not scream a lack of trust to you?”
What was his angle? That was not what I’d expected. I also didn’t like the way he saidgargoyle, like they were inferior beings or something.
“Prenups are pretty common here, actually.” I had no idea if I was lying or not. Up until now, I hadn’t needed to know.
The man rubbed his chin, then changed the topic again. “I seem to have misjudged you, Lillian. I assumed you were a commoner from the address we found linked to your name and the information we had on your place of work, a simple young American girl struggling to make ends meet. That is my fault. You’re clearly well connected.” He eyed the giant diamond staring him down from my hand; if an inanimate stone could challenge a man, this one had just done so. “And you are clearly accustomed to a good life.”
His eyes landed on the Hermes bag Gunnar had insisted I take to this meeting. It was one of the decoy purses Redrock gave to their ritzy female clients, especially when they needed to move them from place to place. Apparently, ditching an empty decoy was useful for distracting the paparazzi or crazy fans.
Dr. Shen took a folder from one of the lackeys sitting behind him. He opened it, turned it around, and slid it over to me, completely ignoring Gunnar. The page showed an image of a businessman in his thirties.
“This is Kang Pao. Thealternatecandidate we’ve subsequently matched you with after realizing our mistake. You should find him more to your liking. We certainly do not expect you to lower your standard of living for our program.”
Oops. I hadn’t even looked at the file they’d sent me through email with the original guy.
“Mr. Pao owns a chain of hotels across Asia.” He turned the page to show images of high-end hotels, then to another page full of numbers. “Here are his assets and his net worth. I assure you that should you decide to join our program that your quality of life will not suffer.”
Was that why he thought I was reluctant to leave? Because I’d jumped from my shitty apartment into the lap of luxury and refused to give it up?
Also, gah, that name! All I could think of was Kung Pao Chicken. Even with my limited Cantonese, I knew “pao” or “bao” could mean leopard, but still, talk about unfortunate.
