Lance raised his head and glared at me, lips in a thin angry line. I knew he wanted to say something, but he was wondering if I was reeling him in for an argument. I was. I wiggled my eyebrows at him before looking back up at Daniel, who was still standing over me like an angry parent. “Do you want to have a seat?”
He gave a quick shake of his head, then softened his face. “Perhaps I should go meet her. I’m better at the charm.”
“Dude, I am an actual incubus. Your sexy fae shit has nothing on me.”
Daniel twisted his lips, seemingly considering my words. “Maybe if she meets the rest of us, she’ll be more at ease. She’ll know that we’re good guys who are gainfully employed.”
That was a dig at me. Daniel owned a trendy, five-star restaurant and bar that stayed busy. With Ty being a best-selling author and Lance being a firefighter, they all were giving off respectable members of society vibes. Right now, I am in between jobs. I could easily find one, but my motivation was weak. I’d done so many things in my life, I now just wanted a break. Although Daniel did have a point. If I didn’t look like a functioning member of society, it made me suspicious. Her dad’s backing of me could only go so far.
I nodded up at Daniel in agreement. “I see your point. I’ll work on getting a job. But if she meets another alpha, she’s gonna run, and we don’t want some asshole pack snatching her up. Now, before we get further into that argument, I wanted to call you all here because I’ve gotta go out of town for a bit. Seems Billie’s best friend planned a last-minute surprise trip for her to Puerto Rico, and they leave tomorrow. She wasn’t excited about me coming, but her friend, Lila, talked her into it. Lila might be an ally, she seems to approve of me.” That was a stretch, but they didn’t need to know that right now. I wanted Daniel to know I could handle this.
Lance scoffed. “Well, try not to piss her off. I know that’s your specialty.”
Ty shifted in his seat. “I offered to meet with her,” he said in a grim voice.
Daniel and Lance looked over to him with skeptical eyes. They were thinking what I said earlier. The grim reaper would have been a better choice.
Daniel gave him a patient, closed-lipped smile. “I think Kai is right. Staying the course is the best option.”
This is what made Daniel the leader. He knew how to be a nice guy.
Ty sighed, hanging his head, hands clasped tightly in his lap. He was so desperate to meet her that he was practically shaking. I felt bad for the guy, I really did.
“We’ll see her soon, my friend,” Daniel continued with sympathetic eyes. Then he looked back to me. “Talk her out of going. Her leaving town right now is too dangerous.”
I knew it wasn’t the best option. She needed to stay in her house until her change finally hit, and she managed her heat. She didn’t need to be spreading her scent everywhere and getting a trail of alphas after her who would be able to tell she was unclaimed. However, I got that she was afraid this would be her last hurrah, and this demon actually had a heart. “Her father just died and she’s struggling with losing what she tried so hard to fight all her life. I agree that her leaving right now is not good, but she’s not weak.”
Ty looked up, brows furrowed together. “What if someone grabs her and takes her away or kills her?”
I pointed at him. “Positivity. I love it. Look, she’s a witch, her friend is a mage, and I’m a kick-ass demon. If we run into any trouble beyond our means, you all can teleport to us. I’ll give you the hotel and flight information in a text.” I jumped up, completing what I needed to say. I didn’t want to argue or hear any more complaints. “Now, I’ve got to pack and jet before they leave without me.”
I raced to the steps, but I could already hear Daniel behind me. “You protect her with your life,” he shouted.
I raised a hand in a wave, not turning around. “I would do nothing less.”
* * *
BILLIE
Kai leaned across the aisle, poking me lightly in the arm.
He gave me a boyish grin, still looking very human but goth with his piercings and tattoos. My heart squeezed as I studied that grin, seemingly just for me. As much as I wanted to be annoyed by him, it did feel a little good having someone be so into me like this. I felt almost giddy, like finding out the popular guy in high school liked me. It was weird and fun at the same time. But he didn’t have to know that.
I let out an exaggerated breath and looked over to him. “What?”
“You like how I upgraded our seats to business?”
“It’s a four-hour flight, we didn’t need it.”
Lila leaned past me. “Don’t be rude, Bill. We thank you for your generosity and all the kindness you will bestow upon us going forward.”
I tilted toward her. “Laying it on thick, aren’t we?” I said through clenched teeth.
She raised her glass of white wine in an air toast to Kai. “You could stand to lay it on thicker.”
I looked back over to Kai, who was now watching a movie on his iPad with his earbuds in.
“Thank you,” I said in a low voice, sure he wouldn’t hear me.
