She gestured for me to open the duffle, and I choked on laughter at the contents. The giant plastic bag was filled with exactly what I’d requested. I was about to become a very minor annoyance to one dragon shifter.
In the bag was a note that I had to slowly read, hoping Cora wouldn’t think anything of the time it took. Thankfully she’d written it in large, block letters, which made it easier.Use the spray to block your scent. It should last about an hour. This is Reeves tech, and the device will briefly knock out the cameras. You’ll have ten minutes.
Slade would notice the security system go down, but I was banking on it taking him longer than ten minutes to get home. More than enough time for my first prank.
Lifting the spray, I quickly doused myself, and when Cora sniffed me, she nodded. “Safe.”
I grabbed the device from the duffle next. “It’s already connected to this system,” she murmured as we both pretended to peer into the bag. “Warrick got Kellan to help, and he said this device would get us where we needed to go. It’s patented Reeves tech, and not even out in the world yet.”
She spoke so softly that there was no way anyone could overhear, but I remained paranoid as I looked around.
“I knew Kel would be in,” I whispered back, “He’s been dying to mess with Slade, and believes I’m the only one who’d get away with it.”
What I had planned was an inconvenience at best, and nothing that should piss the dragon off into a murder spree. I was at least seventy percent sure of that assessment.
Taking one last fortifying breath, I tucked the plastic bag under my arm and hit the button on the device to scramble the security. Cora met my gaze briefly, and she nodded before shoving me toward the exit.
Out of my room and through the hall, I raced like my ass was on fire. I took the stairs to Slade’s room three at a time, attempting to keep my footsteps light so as not to alert Hunter. Like all brilliant,barely thought-out plans, this one had a lot of holes, but it appeared that luck was on my side today. I didn’t run into anyone on my way to his room, and the door was unlocked.
Cora had included a kit to pick the lock, but it would have eaten up valuable time. My stealth skills were a little rusty—it’d been years since I’d needed to escape my mom and her pack.
Slade’s confidence that no one would overstep his boundaries worked to my advantage, leaving his room open and ready for me to explore. When I stepped into the dark, cool space, I half-expected to hear a blaring alarm, alerting the dragon to my presence, but there was only blessed silence.
The bank of computers caught my attention, and as much as I wanted to have a little peek at what he worked on, my time was limited. Opening the zip lock on the bag, I got to work, placing each of the items into the perfect spot, which would ensure he saw them only when he was lying down ready to sleep.
Once everything was in place, I glanced at the stalker wall, curious if he’d added anything new. There was no time for that either, so I sprinted from his room, ensuring the door was closed behind me. By the time I made it to my bedroom, the device was beeping, which I could only assume meant security was up and running again.
My phone rang right as Hunter slammed open my door and raced inside. “Emme!” he shouted, and I poked my head out of the bathroom, forcing myself to breathe evenly.
“Hunter, what’s wrong?” I called back, a faked hint of worry in my tone.
He ran his gaze from the top of my head to my toes, as if searching out an injury. “Slade called and said the security system went down for a few minutes. He rebooted it from his device but wanted me to check on you.”
A quick glance at my phone showed Slade had called me too. Six times actually, starting about a minute after I hit that button. “I’m perfectly fine,” I told Hunter. “We’ve just been gossiping and figuring out what to wear tonight. Maybe it was a glitch in the system?”
Hunter stepped closer and peered into the bathroom, relaxing when he found only Cora inside. “Yeah, you’re probably right. We’ll have to fire the company who installed them.”
Okay, Mr. Jokester. “Wasn’t that Reeves Industries?”
With his worry fading, Hunter’s smile was dark and sexy. “I’ve heard they’ve been occupied with their new omega. Might be slipping.”
There was absolutely no slipping when it came to anything Hunter touched. “Somehow, I doubt that. They appear to be pretty on top of it all.”
He reached out to snatch me up, but I darted out of his grasp. “No,” I said, pointing my finger. “I’ve got to get ready, Hurricane. You can’t distract me, or we won’t make it out tonight.”
Hunter didn’t appear to care in the slightest. “Fine with me. I’d rather keep you to myself anyway.”
“Yes, but this is for Kellan too.” I shooed him away and he left with a grumbling growl.
Cora’s eyes were wide when she met mine in the mirror. “Close,” she mouthed.
I nodded, pressing my hand to my chest, pleased that my pulse was relatively normal. Hopefully, Hunter thought the slight elevation in heartrate was just my usual reaction to being around the alphas. Charismatic bastards that they were.
Getting ready ended up being an excellent distraction, and I immediately fell in love with the black and gold dress Cora had for me. “It’ll go perfectly with all that gorgeous strawberry-blond hair and tanned skin,” she said.
“I think you’re as good at designing outfits as you are at designing houses,” I said, twirling in front of the mirror, the short skirt flaring around my thighs.
The dress fit perfectly, the top half a bodice with corseted back and thick black straps that tied into bows on my shoulders. Cora curled my hair into loose waves and added heavier makeup than I’d normally wear.
