Her brow creased in an adorable V shape. “Huh? In what way?”
“You know how in all those movies, someone is walking through the desert, starving and thirsty, and then they see a feast or a fountain that couldn’t possibly be there? It’s like that. You’re so beautiful I can’t believe you’re real.”
Color blossomed in her cheeks. “I feel exactly the same way about you.”
He leaned forward and pressed their lips together, kissing her soundly.
“Now the teeth,” Eve said after they’d separated.
This time, Liam didn’t even have to think about what he was doing. Eve was right, it was instinctual. He reached inside himself for his panther again, this time focusing on his teeth, and felt them instantly snap down out of his gums.
“Holy crap,” he said, and the words came out garbled around his new, incredibly sharp, pointy teeth. “This is insane.”
“I know, right?”
“How are you getting on?” Hawk asked as he walked back into the room.
Liam looked up at him and opened his mouth to show off his brand-new teeth.
“Hey! Nice work, my friend,” Hawk said, grinning from ear to ear.
The words were like a sucker punch to the gut.
They weren’t a bad thing, far from it—that was probably why they were so impactful. The only real friend that Liam had ever had was Silas, but in more recent years, Liam had come to realize that the only person Silas cared about was himself. But Hawk had just spoken those words as if he truly believed them, as if he and Liam really were friends. The idea that a man like Hawk, one of Eve’s peers and colleagues, could see Liam as a friend made him feel choked with emotion.
He'd always worried that outside of the Vipers he would never find a place where he fitted in—where people could like him and respect him. But here, with these people who had really only just met him, he felt accepted. Okay, so he knew it was different with Eve. They were mates and though Liam could barely wrap his head around that, it made sense that as fate had a hand in their relationship, they would be compatible.
That didn’t mean thatHawkhad to like Liam by default. He could have treated Liam with the same amount of animosity and disdain that the last FBI agents had treated him with. And Liam had lived with those other agents forweeks. But Hawk hadn’t once judged Liam as they had done. He didn’t know if that was down to the shifter in Hawk or if it was just his personality to be more accepting. Whatever the reason, Liam was thankful for it. More than he could ever put into words, and he hoped that hedidhave a new friend in Hawk. Nothing would have made him happier or more grateful.
It was only when Eve squeezed Liam’s hand that he realized she still had hold of it. He knew she couldn’t read his mind, but the caring expression on her face when he glanced at her made a lump rise in his throat. Jesus, what the hell kind of softy was he turning into?
When Hawk’s cellphone began to buzz, it drew their collective attention. Hawk swiped his finger over the screen before putting the cell to his ear and offering a greeting. He listened for a moment then sighed, his gaze coming to rest on Liam.
“Yeah, okay, I got it. I’ll let him know. Thanks, Flint.”
When Hawk hung up the call, Liam didn’t need the agent to tell him what had been said, because Liam had heard it all loud and clear and the hunch of his shoulders and downcast gaze must have informed Hawk of that fact. He chose to impart the information anyway.
“Silas’ trail has been moved up to tomorrow morning. They need you there to testify.”
The words were like a bucket of icy water being tipped over him, sucking all the air from his lungs. He’d known it was coming, but this soon? His good mood vanished, and an uncomfortable feeling settled in his stomach like a lead weight.
“It’s going to be fine, Liam,” Eve said. “You don’t have anything to worry about. Just tell them what you know. Silas’ defense attorneys will try to intimidate you, but you’ve got to just let whatever they say roll off your back like water.”
Liam nodded. Despite the way he’d chosen to live his life for the past few years, he’d been lucky enough to avoid being arrested and ending up in court. But while he had no personal experience of what went on in a courtroom, he’d seen them on television shows enough times to have an idea of what to expect.
“I can deal with the lawyers. They don’t bother me.”
“Then, what does?” Eve asked.
Liam met his mate’s gaze and held it. “Having to look my oldest friend in the face while stabbing him in the back.”
Eve nodded and squeezed his hand again and Liam took comfort in the show of support.
“I understand how difficult this must be for you,” she said. “But you wouldn’t have come forward in the first place if you were happy with Silas and the things he’s done, not to mention everything else that has been going on with the Vipers. You just need to remember all of that when you’re in the courtroom.”
Liam nodded. He’d come this far, and he’d see it through because he had to. But he wasn’t going to enjoy a single second of it. And Liam was fairly sure that his old friend Silas would enjoy it even less than he did.
Chapter Eleven
