“Damn, okay. I guess I could give you more. Just… stop looking at me like that.”
“Are you having a full-fledged conversation with a cat?” Evangeline asks, amused. “And he’s not hungry. There’s still food in his bowl.”
She points at the mat, and I check just to make sure.
The little liar.
I cross my arms as if that will ward off any ill intentions this tiny feline might have. “I swear cats are just trickster demons trapped in cute bodies to brainwash humans to do their bidding.”
Farrah snorts and covers her mouth with her hand.
My little mouse laughed. I made her laugh despite the intense night we’ve shared. My smile stretches across myface, a strange feeling since I’ve done nothing but worry since she passed out on my cock.
“So what do they need to do?” Evangeline asks her mom, getting us back on course.
Potato gives up trying to trick me and struts back over to Farrah. He jumps into her lap and takes a position that resembles a loaf of bread. She strokes his fur, and the cat closes its eyes, purring loud enough I swear the apartment next door could hear. Farrah sighs, the animal must be doing its job calming her, and she lifts her head to lock eyes with me. They’re full of need but also fear and concern.
“They should talk,” Mira says, giving us both an encouraging smile. “Spend time together. Figure out if they want the bond to stick.”
I frown because now’s not the time to talk and spend time together.
Sorry I’m such an inconvenience,Farrah’s voice says in my head.
I silently curse myself for letting that thought slip past my shield.
“That’s not what I meant, mou—Farrah,” I say out loud. “I just mean I can’t take the time we need because of the hunters…”
My voice trails off because the realization of her confession tonight is just now sinking in.
It’sherfamily who we’re trying to stop from killing us.
“I think we all need to sit down and have a talk,” Xander says with a sigh and runs his four-fingered hand down his face. “We should bring in Rorik too.”
Farrah’s eyes fill with tears, her bottom lip trembling. “You're not going to… you’re not… I’m not…”
My mate’s anxiety now coats my skin, and I’m moving to go to her. But Evangeline is already sitting next to her to offer her reassurance. “No, Farrah. The gargoyles don’t harm innocent lives. That’s never their intention. The hunters who have been killed were done so during battle. There’s a process…” Evangeline winces, possibly realizing she’s piling too much on Farrah right now.
Or maybe she stopped talking because we still need to be one hundred percent certain Farrah’s not working with her family to bring us down from the inside.
Unfortunately, that entails bringing Rorik in for the discussion.
“I’ll have Thorne take the lead for the next few days,” Xander says, walking to where I stand. He clamps his hand on my shoulder. “Take the time you need with your mate.”
He turns to Farrah and his wife, who’s still holding her best friend’s hand.
“Farrah, I hope you understand that until we speak, I’ll need to have someone guarding you when Locheran’s not here. I’d also like to monitor your phone calls and texts.”
Evangeline frowns at her husband but smiles before turning back to Farrah. “We trust you, we do. We just don’t trust…”
“My family. I get it. It’s fine. Do what you need to do.”
Xander nods and turns to Mira. “It’s late. Can I escort you up to the roof with us? I’ll have the same soldier fly you back to the suburbs.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
Xander walks to the couch where Evangeline sits and holds out his hand. “Kitten?”
Evangeline hugs Farrah one last time before giving her mate her hand.
