I never thought that sharing a girl with Dredyn and Talon would be so easy, but somehow, it is. Even if it does seem like, at times, they steal the show, I know Mara and I have something they don’t. This unseen connection that tethers us together.
I pull out my phone and send a text. Across the room, Mara’s phone buzzes. She glances down.
Me:
Want to go get Ghost and bring him to the safe house?
Her eyes find mine immediately, lighting up with genuine delight. “Really?”
I nod once, the corner of my mouth lifting into what passes for a smile.
“Oh hell no,” Dredyn groans, dropping his head back against the couch. “That demon is staying at the house.”
“Ghost is not a demon. You’re just mad because he doesn’t like you,” Mara protests, but she’s grinning.
“He pissed in my shoes, Mara. My custom Italian leather shoes.”
Talon laughs. “That’s because you’re a terrible cat parent. You adopted him for her and then act surprised when he senses your resentment.”
“I adopted him to make her happy,” Dredyn says, glaring at Talon. “Not to be terrorized in my own home.”
“Your mistake was thinking you could buy affection without putting in the work.” Talon reaches over to ruffle Mara’s hair, earning him a swat. “Besides, watching that fur ball make you miserable is the highlight of my week.”
“You’re a sadist.”
“And you’re a control freak who got owned by a cat.” Talon grins wickedly, then looks at me. “Want me to come along?”
I catch Mara’s eye and shake my head slightly, gesturing toward the door with a tilt of my head.“Just us.”
“We’ll be back in an hour,” Mara says, standing and grabbing her jacket from the back of the couch.
“An hour?” Dredyn’s eyes narrow suspiciously. “It’s a twenty-minute drive.”
“Got to get all of Ghost’s things. His toys, his scratching post, his favorite blanket …” Mara says innocently.
“His collection of my destroyed belongings,” Dredyn mutters.
Their bickering fades as Mara and I head for the door, and I catch the grin on her face. She loves this—loves them. Loves the easy way we’ve all fallen into each other’s orbit despite the chaos of everything else.
The safe house door closes behind us and the tension I’ve been carrying in my shoulders eases fractionally.
I angle us toward my Porsche 911, making sure I reach the passenger side before Mara can. I open the door for her without comment, and she slides into her seat.
I lean in, reach across her body, and pull the seatbelt from its housing. My knuckles brush her hip on purpose before I click it into place. Only then do I shut the door and walk around to the driver’s side.
“You’re kidding,” she says as I settle in.
I glance at her, one brow lifting slightly.
“I can do my own seatbelt.”
I bite the inside of my lip and throw the car into reverse a little too fast, making her grab the door handle.
“There was never any doubt you could,” I say evenly, pulling onto the street. “Just that you don’t need to.” I glance over at her then. “Not with me.”
The engine growls when I sink my foot onto the gas pedal, the vibration thrumming between us. Mara’s knees angle toward me, thighs pressing together like she’s already feeling it. Her lips part, her breathing shallow, eyes locked on me.
“You’re talking. Out loud.”
