That was the problem.
I'd already said what I had to say, and she didn't want to hear it.
Down the hallway, I heard the loud, annoying ding that was specific to an incoming video call. It was coming from the gym. Where Liv and Darius were riding stationary bikes she and I had spent an assload of time on.
My forehead wrinkled until it occurred to me who would be video calling her in the middle of the day, and I bolted.
Larson ran down the hall with me, skidding between me and the door. He blocked me with his body, his expression a clear warning.
He wouldn't have been able to take me down. Luckily for him, I hadn't been planning on going inside the gym anyway.
I needed to listen in. Hear how this fucker talked to her. Figure out the dynamic of the situation, so I could decide how to kill him and how she would cope with it.
This woman wasmine.
Whether she was ready to accept it or not.
"Hey Jonah," Liv said breathlessly.
I clenched my jaw.
She was breathless from the bike she was riding. Not because ofJonah. I needed to remember that.
"Where are you?" a male voice asked. "You haven't missed two runs in five months. What's going on?"
"I'm biking with Darius. The situation is... unique."
My eyes narrowed.
He didn't know we were here.
Hermatedidn't know that her ex, who she had fucking lived with for five years, was in her house again.
The man was dead. Whether or not he was even really her mate, which was debatable, considering she belonged to me. Long before the moment she'd told me about fated mates, I had known she was mine.
This bastard was just an obstacle.
So was the issue of our past.
"How do you run with her twice a day, Jojo?" Darius panted. "I'm living on caffeine right now."
"You’re always living on caffeine," Liv pointed out.
"Someone else should tap in," Darius said."I should ask one of the other guys."
Dare wanted Jonah to know we were there.
Interesting.
The fae king's grunt told me Liv had either hit him or thrown something at him. Probably a water bottle, based on the metallic thud it made when it hit the floor. Liv loved those insulated water bottles that kept ice from melting too quickly.She had at least a dozen of them.
"Who?" Jonah asked. "Is someone else with you guys?"
"Liv's working on the wards with a spellcaster, and his brother tagged along. Larson and Niall. They're eating all our snacks."
Larson didn't look even slightly guilty, though he was responsible for the majority of the missing snacks.
"Niall? Isn't that your ex's name?" Jonah asked.
