His goofy grin puts me at ease. Maybe the Cavanaghs are different. Antonella told me they are, but I didn’t understand how. And maybe, just maybe, I won’t learn anything at all, or I can find enough noninvasive information to make him think I tried.
“So, was that your last final?” Royal gestures broadly to the building around us.
I nod and let myself feel the weight of studying lift off my shoulders. “It was. I’m officially free until January.”
“Very nice. Want me to hack into the grade system and fix anything for you?” he conspiratorially whispers.
“What? No. You can’t do that.” I gape at him. But he just raises an eyebrow in response. “You can?”
“There isn’t a lot I can’t figure out how to do with the right motivation.” He takes a smug sip of cocoa.
The black SUV rolls up into the parking lane, and my driver gets out. “Alright, let’s go convince the driver that you’re not a threat.”
Royal laughs. “Well, I wouldn’t go that far, but I’m not threatening to you.”
That’s when I notice it. His stride is a little short for someone so tall, and he kind of weaves left to right as he walks. “Are you limping?”
He tries to hide it, stepping more forward. “It’s nothing. I’ll be okay.”
“You’re sure?” I stop him, looking at him like I’d have any clue if he’s lying.
But with a soft smile, Royal steps forward and opens the door to the vestibule. “I promise.”
Surprisingly, lunch with Royal out in the middle of the mansions outside Chicago is a perfectly acceptable way for me tospend my time. The driver asks a few questions about what sort of vehicle Royal is driving, but after hearing things like ‘bullet resistant’ and ‘practical tank,’ I’m excused from the normal ride home. All the driver tells me is that if I need a ride home, to give him a call and he’ll come get me.
What in the alternate reality is this?
26
ROYAL
WICKED SMART MATES
What alternative reality is this?I grip the steering wheel a little tighter, then let it go. They say when you meet your mate, you’ll justknow. And holy shit, is that true. The gray skies are a little brighter. The wind is a little less cold. My cocoa tastes better than normal, and I don’t feel anywhere near as nervous as I was about showing her my wolf.
Not alternative reality. Perfection.My wolf swoons. He urges me to reach across the too-spacious SUV and hold her hand. Or to brush the lock of golden hair that’s fallen into her face away from her sea-blue eyes. Or to tell her that I love the way her shirt dress swooshes around her hips.
I can’t do any of those things. But the more he presses, the harder it is to hold back.
“So, can you tell me now that we’re in the car together?” Leticia turns in her seat a little bit so she can see me better.
“Well, I can give you a few details. There was a little coup within our ranks, and some bad things happened. I got pulled away during our lunch, and my phone was completely destroyed. I got a new one this morning, though, so we can text again.” I edit a bit and censor a lot.
I’ll give her all the details, but not when there’s a risk of her jumping out of a moving vehicle. And when I can adequately show her I’m not making up the whole wolf shifter stuff.
She’ll believe us.My wolf comforts me.She’s smart and will believe.
“And what happened to your leg?” Leticia pushes for more details, and I love her inquisitive mind all the more for it.
“I had a little run-in with a projectile.” I avoid the words ‘bullet’ and ‘shot’ in hopes of softening the blow.
“Ohmygod. You were shot?” Leticia is too smart for me and worked that one out.
Time to lie.My wolf urges me to de-escalate.
“Yes.” I don’t lie to her, and my wolf practically falls over with frustration. “But —” I hold up a finger, trying to slow down the panic that’s filling the car with tension. “I am fine, as you can see. I’m up and walking around like normal.”
“You should be at home, resting, and I don’t know... healing. Definitely resting,” she harrumphs.
