“Do you think they will issue a statement?” Vulcan asks.
“Absolutely.” Drake’s mouth twists into something that’s not quite a smile. “Based on what happened, they’ll spin it somehow to try to save face. But for now, they’re scrambling. The media are having a field day with this. Vector wants the vaccinations tested. I’m pretty sure the rest of the Council will approve it in the morning.”
“I wonder what they’ll find,” Becca says absently. “This is huge. I don’t get it.” She shakes her head. “What do they have to gain?”
“It’s all going to come out,” Vulcan says. “We’ll have our answers soon enough.”
“I hope so,” I tell them.
Drake’s phone beeps, and he checks it. “I’m organizing transport to take you both home. Two vehicles will be here in five minutes.” He looks at his watch. “Do you need a ride as well, Becca?”
She shakes her head. “Vulcan has offered to take me.”
Grim straightens in his chair, wincing as the movement pulls at his injuries, which are all healing nicely. He looks over at me, his expression hopeful.
“We can share a vehicle. They can drop Wren off first.” He raises his brows, looking my way.
My stomach clenches.
“Two vehicles are better,” I say quickly. “I’m eager to get home, and Grim needs his wounds attended to. You should go straight to your house…or a hospital, ideally,” I tell Grim.
“I’m fine,” he says, his eyes still on me. “Are you sure, Wren? We can share.”
“Very sure. You really should get home.”
Drake looks between us. “Okay, then. The vehicles will be here in a few minutes.”
He excuses himself, taking another incoming call.
“Can we at least talk before you go?” Grim asks quietly. “Out in the hallway.”
Crap! I don’t want to, but I can’t avoid this. It’s best we get it over with now.
“Yes, sure.”
We stand, and I follow him out. It’s completely empty, the building silent. It feels abandoned.
As soon as the door closes behind us, Grim turns to face me.
“I’m sorry I lied to you,” he tells me. “I know you’re angry, and rightly so. Please, can we talk this through?”
I nod, crossing my arms over my chest.
“I thought you were an honest, straight-down-the-line person. Turns out I was wrong.” I realize in that moment that I’m not just angry, I’m seriously pissed off…and very hurt. I trusted Grim. I opened up to him. I let him in.
“You’re not wrong. Iamhonest and straight down the line.” He winces, his hand going to the back of his neck. “I normally am, Wren. I swear it.”
“Just not when it actually counts,” I deadpan.
He scrubs a hand over his face and then squeezes the back of his neck again.
“It wasn’t important information for you to have. That’s why I didn’t tell you about the mind-bond situation.”
Something hot and sharp twists in my chest.
“How is it that your dragon trying to mind-bond with me isn’t important? If it weren’t all that important, you would have told me. It wouldn’t have been a big deal.” My voice rises despite my best efforts to stay calm. “I have a mental connection with your dragon now, and he happens to be part of you. A big part. I am connected on some sort of weird spiritual level with your dragon. It’s a big fucking deal, and you didn’t tell me that this could happen. That sex would make it a sure thing…because we had sex…a lot of sex.” I lower my voice on the last part, glancing down the empty hallway. “Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea. Maybe if I had known, I could’ve made an informed decision on whether to jump into bed with you. It was very important information for me to have had. Information you omitted.”
“We hadn’t bonded at that stage,” Grim says. “I didn’t think I would ever shift in front of you again. I didn’t think—”
