Akira glanced toward the hall where they’d seen the demon in question follow after Nico. “You going to tell him?”
Miryam’s fingers tightened on her sleeve. “I think he already knows.”
Morgan grinned. “If he does and hasn’t bothered to say something to you, he’s dumber than a bear in a beehive.”
Akira rolled her eyes. “That’s not a thing.”
Morgan shrugged. “How do we know that? For all we know, my mate is that dumb bear in said beehive.”
Miryam tried to laugh, but the tension in her chest wouldn’t budge. She glanced back to the hall where Raphael had disappeared and forced herself to breathe. She didn’t like not being able to see him. In fact, he was so handsome that staring at him had become a new favorite pastime. And every time Raphael walked by her, the air seemed to heat and crackle. Miryam was sure she was losing her damn mind. She was scared, yes—but there was hope there, too. The kind that didn’t come with strings, but with the promise that maybe, just maybe, something good would come of all of this.
But hope was a dangerous thing in this new world she’d found herself in, and for some reason she felt like time was running out.
Chapter Nine
“Have you ever wanted to unhear something? Okay, good. I’m not the only one.”
~ Lola
Lola had never seen so much testosterone crammed into a living room before. Gage’s home, which was probably usually a sanctuary of calm and pine-scented peace, was now a den of shifter energy—lion, wolf, and panther all crowded together like a support group for overgrown predators with boundary issues.
It had been four days since Maddie and Roan vanished. Four days since Nico had gone radio silent. Four days of pacing, worrying, and watching her best friend Katy alternate between anxious muttering and threatening to maul anyone who suggested she “relax.” Four days of Callon shadowing Lola’s every move, a big golden lion shifter with a possessive streak a mile wide and a glare that could peel paint off the walls.
Currently, Callon occupied the couch beside her, his arm stretched along the back like a territorial warning. Wyatt—the panther with the most inappropriate sense of humor—was sprawled on the other end, grinning like he knew exactly howmuch he annoyed Callon. Rafe lounged in the armchair, boots up, arms crossed, looking like he was auditioning for the cover of Feline Quarterly—if that was a thing; if it wasn’t, it totally should be. Kian, ever the tattoo artist, perched on a kitchen stool, sketchbook in hand, occasionally glanced at Lola and Callon with a smug grin that said he remembered just how much Callon hated Kian being the one to have nearly inked his mate. Drystan was by the window, eyes restless and fingers drumming, while Bane, the onlypantherwho could actually shift, stood slightly apart, his presence quieter but somehow heavier.
Gage, the dire wolf shifter and resident grump, hovered near the fireplace, arms crossed and frown firmly in place. He and Callon might have been friends if they weren’t so pissy, but right now, neither seemed thrilled about sharing their territory—or their mates.
Katy was pacing. Again. Otto the crazy little lizard clung to her shoulder, bobbing his head and flicking his tongue every few steps.
“Any word yet?” Katy demanded, pausing mid-stride, the force of her glare enough to make even Bane take a step back.
Gage shook his head. “Like the last ten times you asked, nothing. But if Nico was in trouble, we’d know. He’s too stubborn to die without sending a group text, not to mention he’s not about to go out without making a big scene. He’s too vain.”
Wyatt grinned. “Can we vote that if we ever find ourselves missing, we just leave a note? ‘Gone to rescue friend, be back for dinner.’ Makes things easier.”
Callon’s growl was pure lion. “You’d better leave more than a note if you ever vanish with one of our females.”
Wyatt winked at Lola. “I’ll leave a love letter for her, then.”
Callon’s arm tightened, and Lola elbowed him playfully. “Relax, Simba. Wyatt’s just trying to see if you’ll roar.”
Wyatt flashed a grin. “I live for the roar.”
Lola snorted out a laugh. “Dude, don’t ever say that, inthattone of voice ever.”
Rafe smirked. “I have to agree with Lola, that was a tad disturbing.”
Kian looked up from his sketchbook. “Should we brainstorm rescue plans, or let the big cats stare each other down a while longer?”
Drystan shrugged. “I’m in for a plan. Anything’s better than watching Callon flex every time someone looks at Lola.”
Callon bared his teeth. “I don’t flex.”
“Says the flexing lion shifter,” Wyatt coughed.
“I’m not going to keep restraining him,” Lola warned the cheeky panther, who seemed completely unrepentant.
Katy, undeterred by the male posturing, crossed her arms. “If we don’t get news soon, we go. I don’t care what Taras or Nox says.”
