Nathan nodded—then shook his head. He shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know. It’s—I’m fine.”
“Tell me.” It wasn’t a question, and Nathan obeyed once again, sending a thrill through Storm.
His face twisted. “I figure the guild isn’t well-liked in there. And Iam… the guild, in a way. A representative of it.” He turned his left hand, looking down at the ring. “I’m just not sure how this meeting is going to go.”
Storm drew closer, delight simmering through him when Nathan didn’t move away. “The humans don’t talk much about their time with the guild. Ira’s probably the most open about what it was like. But they’re all in agreement that you were one of the good ones. Ira gave them your phone number in case they needed to contact someone they could trust on the inside. Some of the demons are probably going to be a little more wary, because their only experience with the guild is violence. Malachi, in particular, almost lost Luke because of them, and he’s a grudge-holder.”
“Malachi is… a halfling like you, yes?” Nathan’s gaze met his, darting between his crimson eyes.
“That’s right.” He held a hand out toward the building. “Come. It’ll be fine.”
Nathan fell into step with him, and when they reached the door, Storm opened it and gestured for him to go through first. He ducked his head bashfully, and Storm wanted to grab his jaw and force his head up to drink in the sight of his pretty blush.
The kids were absent, which was probably for the best. The others were all waiting around the air hockey table. Malachi hovered protectively beside Luke with his arms folded and a scowl set above his crimson eyes. His hair was tied back in a messy bun, like he’d gotten ready in a hurry. Luke and Alex both sat on stools. Alex was reading over something from a file folder, one of Talon’s arms draped over his shoulders. Ira sat sideways on the table itself, one leg curled under him and the other swinging idly, brushing Wolf’s leg on each pass. Xyra and Shadrach weren’t in sight, which was also probably for the best, in the latter’s case. Shadrach liked to wind people up, and tensions were high enough without his help.
“I suppose my companion needs no introduction,” Storm said, waving a hand at Nathan.
Luke and Alex stood, smiling easily, and rounded the table to greet him. They shook hands one by one, and Nathan said, “Thank you for allowing me to come here. I appreciate the level of trust you’ve given me, and I want you to know I won’t squander it.”
“For your sake, I hope not,” Talon said coolly.
The sudden urge to snarl clawed up Storm’s throat, and he turned away sharply to crush it back down. If Talon truly wanted to kill Nathan, there was nothing Storm could fucking do about it. As a halfling, he was plenty stronger than a human, but a leviathan like Talon would wipe the floor with him. Alex wouldn’t want Talon to hurt Nathan anyway, so he was just making idle threats to make sure Nathan didn’t try anything. But knowing Storm would be helpless to protect Nathan left him feeling… unsettled.
When he turned back around, Wolf and Ira were watching him knowingly. Wolf raised one hand out beside him, palm down, and gently lowered it.Calm down, the gesture said.
Storm took a deep, fortifying breath and consciously released the tension from his body. Being at odds with Talon wouldn’t do any of them any good, and he had no claim over Nathan yet—no matter what the selfish little voice in the back of his head insisted.
Mine, mine, he’s mine.
“Can we give you a tour?” Alex offered. “We’ve done a lot of work on the place.”
“Yes, absolutely,” Nathan agreed sincerely. “I’d love to see how you operate out of a place like this.”
Before they wandered off, Storm snagged Nathan’s arm. He turned automatically, his gaze bright and eager. It settled into something softer when their eyes met—no less bright or eager, but more vulnerable somehow. Storm smiled, gently tugging the laptop from his arms.
“I’ll take this. You can show us the footage after the tour,” he said.
The tension was fading from Nathan’s limbs, and he relinquished his laptop without question.
“I’ll leave it on the table for you,” Storm added, nodding at the table.
Nathan followed his gaze—and did a double-take. “Is that an air hockey game?”
Storm fought down a smile. “It is.”
Nathan’s mouth curved into a grin. “Does it work?”
Storm pursed his lips. He wouldn’t laugh. Hewouldn’t. “I don’t think so. That’s why we use it as a table now.”
Nathan clicked his tongue in disappointment. “Shame.”
Storm gave him a nudge. “Go on, take the tour.”
Nathan joined Alex and Luke, and they led him across the training area toward the back rooms. With nothing better to do, Storm wandered over to the table and carefully laid the sleek, silver laptop on the polished white surface of the table.
“How was he on the ride over?” Talon asked, watching them disappear into the back hallway.
“Fine. He was a little nervous to come, I think.”
