“I had to let my friends know what was wrong. Did you guys clean up my bar? After you brought me here?” I asked, changing the subject.
Nico gave me a half grin. “I thought it would be for the best.”
“You couldn’t have grabbed my phone while you were there? I had to dial my friend Abi from memory.”
“Uh…sorry. To be honest, I didn’t even think of it to be honest.” That had caught him off guard. Good. I was glad to see someone else as out of sorts as I had been the last twenty-four hours.
“It’s fine. I’m just in a bad mood.”
“Are you in that mood because you’ve made a choice you don’t like?”
“That’s a smooth way of asking whether I’ve made a decision,” I said.
He shrugged. “I try.”
“Okay, let’s talk. First off, having a complete stranger living in my house is totally off the table. Not gonna happen.”
Nico nodded once. “Understood.”
“So, hypothetically speaking,ifI did choose to stay with the pack, what would that look like?”
He raised an eyebrow and cocked his head. “As in?”
“Do I get to come and go as I please? Will I have my own place? Where would I live?”
“Oh.” Nico looked relieved, as if it was an easy question. “You’ll live with me. At my place.”
That information sent a wave of tingles through my entire body, my heart rate kicking up a few notches. For some reason, the idea of being in close proximity to Nico, living under the same roof, made my body react in a way I wasn’t ready for.
I couldn’t deny that Nico was attractive. Jesus, he was gorgeous. I still had to remind myself that nothing romantic was going to happen between us. This wasn’t him coming on to meor trying to seduce me. He was trying to protect me from certain death.
“You’ll have your own room with an attached bathroom,” Nico added. “Locks on all the doors, the whole nine yards. You’ll have all the privacy you want, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Okay. What about freedom of movement? Coming and going?” That was the big sticking point. I didn’t want to feel like a prisoner.
He nodded. “Whenever you want. Just let me or Luis know and we’ll make sure you have a tail. Someone following to watch out for you.”
“Free meals?” I asked, only half joking.
He smiled, and the tingling in my body increased. “Whatever you want. I grill a mean steak, and I can make a killer pasta sauce. Grandma’s recipe.”
“Not exactly what I meant, but okay.”
If someone had told me three days ago that I’d be getting ready to move into a shifter compound, I’d have called them crazy. But all I kept picturing was that other shifter’s face. Him snarling at me that I shouldn’t exist. The way they’d attacked me kept flashing through my mind, like a horror movie where the worst scene is on repeat. I’d come close to dying. Another two or three minutes without Nico and his friends, and Iwouldhave been dead. I owed Nico my life. The least I could do was trust him to protect me a little while longer.
“Fine,” I said. “It seems it’s in my best interest to take you up on the offer. When will I be moving in?” Once the words were out, I had the feeling that I’d crossed some proverbial Rubicon—the point of no return. Butterflies filled my stomach, but I couldn’t figure out whether it was from worry or excitement.
Nico grinned. “I’ll have everything set up and ready before you’re discharged tomorrow. I’ll be the main security point ofcontact. Doc said you’ll need to come in a few times so he can assess your wounds and healing. Those stab wounds were pretty bad—not life-threatening, but Doc wants to monitor them anyway. I’ll bring you to those appointments.”
“Oh my God. It’s like I’m gonna have a babysitter. Are you going to take me to play dates, too?”
“Having a babysitter is better than being dead, right? And I’ll let you change your own diapers if it makes you feel any better.”
“Very funny.” It wasn’t funny, but the situation was too dire to play totally straight. I appreciated Nico’s attempt to soften the blow of all that was going on with a little humor. “One question. Why would this Javi guy leave me alone because you’re watching out for me? Why wouldn’t he say ‘screw it’ and still come for me?”
Nico crossed his arms and furrowed his brow, seemingly thinking how best to answer. Finally, he said, “Because I’m stronger than he is. He’s a strong alpha, don’t get me wrong, but I’m stronger. My pack is bigger and more powerful. He’s probably still thinking of ways to get to you, but he’ll think twice, and probably a third time, before going up against me. Knowing you’re under my protection will make him nervous and worried. He doesn’t want a war with me, so he won’t make a move. That will give us some time to figure out why he’s after you in the first place.”
“If you say so.” I stared at Nico in the eyes, hoping to get the importance of what I was about to say across. “I’m trusting you. With my life.”
