I slid out of Tate’s embrace and moved across the room.
“Kyren?” Tate whispered. “You’re going to freak her out.”
“She’s having a nightmare, I think.” I brushed my fingers along her brow. She leaned into my touch, even in her sleep. It made some unknown emotion swell in my chest.
With gentle ease, I shifted her over until I could lay down next to her and my arms wrapped around her.
She inhaled and snuggled in closer to me. Her whimpering tapered off until she sighed.
Tate didn’t say anything else as I laid there and just held her. Eventually, his breathing evened out, and he slept.
With both of my lusts having been filled by Tate, I simply enjoyed having her in my arms. It had been many years since I’d just slept with someone, Tate excluded. With most of the humans, even the supernaturals who I occasionally bedded or fed from, I simply wanted to get what I wanted and be done with them.
But this Jack Billings? She was something else. She drew something protective and possessive in me that I’d only ever felt for Tate.
I stroked her hair and peered down at her.
“What are you doing to me,la mía?” I murmured.
Chapter eleven
Jack
Iwoketotheannoying ringing of my phone. Only a few people were able to bypass my do not disturb mode, one of which was Tristen.
Groaning, I pawed at the desk for my phone without lifting my head. Someone had left the curtain open a slit so that the sun beamed right in my face. Finally, my hand landed on my phone, and I lifted it to my face, smacking the answer button without looking at it.
“Yeah,” I croaked, rubbing a hand over my face.
“Woah, already got the college party life going huh?” Tristen’s chirpier voice filled my ears. It was far too early for him to be calling, let alone with such abundance for life.
I only groaned.
“Haha, your dad owes me twenty bucks.”
Sniffing, I shifted on the bed. “Let me guess, Drake? One of these days, you’ll bet on something that will end badly and then we’ll see who has the last laugh.”
“Fine, fine.” Tristen gave in far faster than expected, making this not a social call. “I hope this isn’t a bad time. I tried to call when I thought your roommate might be sleeping.”
I looked at my phone briefly to see it was shortly after ten in the morning. Pushing myself up to a sitting position, I glanced around the room. Tate was gone, his bed rumpled. A vaguely familiar scent lingered on me I couldn’t quite place.
“If they’re sleeping, it’s not here,” I grunted, then saw the dress I’d borrowed riding up my legs. Ugh. Not even bothering with trying to stand, I slid to the ground on my knees, searching for clothes to wear.
“Nice,” Tristen said with a bit too much enthusiasm. He cleared his throat as if he’d been reprimanded. “Anyway, um, yeah, how’s it going? Any information to pass on yet? How’s college treating you?” Suspicion itched at his tone.
“Fine.” I paused for a moment to drag my shirt over my dress, not trusting that Tate wouldn’t come back while I was changing. I pulled my pants up over my legs under the dress, holding the phone between my cheek and shoulder. “I heard some rumblings last night at the party.”
“Party, huh?”
I ignored the teasing tone. “I didn’t get a good look at who was talking… I was a bit distracted.”
“You don’t say…?”
I shifted out of the dress until it was on the ground and huffed. “I have a bone to pick with you, by the way. Why in the fuck did you send Julian to babysit me?”
“Hey,” Tristen grumped, “I didn’t send him to babysit you. We’re treating this mission like any other, and we wouldn’t have sent anyone in undercover on their own. Especially not my goddaughter. You’re lucky you only have one partner. Your mom wanted to send in four others to watch your back.”
My eyes lifted to the ceiling. That wasn’t surprising. My mom might have agreed to let me do this mission, but that wouldn’t keep her from trying to protect me. The fact that she wasn’t blowing up my phone every hour of the day was a miracle itself.
