Bottom line, Emerald had been clear she wanted to take control of Spencer on her own terms, and he’d have to let that happen. However, after seeing her in action through Felix’s eyes, he felt certain she’d figure out how to push Spencer to, and possibly past, his limits without breaking him.
It would be a claimingandan act of trust for all three of them.
Chapter 7
The workout room was blessedly empty except for Rhea when Emmy arrived. Her friend was already on the treadmill, earbuds in, and the console said she was running thirty-two miles per hour.
Emmy claimed the one next to her, and Rhea pulled out an earbud. “Morning! How’re you feeling?”
“Strong.” Emmy increased her speed to a jog. “Like I’m actually recovering instead of just pretending.”
“Good.” Rhea slowed to running twenty-five miles per hour. “You look better. Less like you’re going to fall over if someone breathes on you wrong.”
Emmy selected a mountain program, and the two ran in comfortable silence until Emmy finished her route.
Rhea shut hers down when Emmy stopped, her friend barely breathing hard while Emmy leaned over and gasped for air.
“So,” Rhea said casually, “you and Zander. And Spence.”
Emmy stood and tried to speak without sounding terribly winded. “Maybe.”
“You’ve been sleeping with Spence since you were poisoned, you kissed both of them at the Aurora Ball, and I figure Zander’s going to think you’re strong enough for more than a couple of kisses sooner rather than later.”
Emmy grinned. “You’re pretty smart for a birdbrain.”
“I’m happy for you.” Rhea’s tone turned sincere. “All three of you.”
“Thanks.” Emmy stepped away from the treadmill, her legs pleasantly shaky.
They moved to the weight section, and Emmy started with much lighter dumbbells than she would’ve used before the poisoning, but she managed three sets of twelve without her arms giving out, which was progress.
Rhea spotted her through a set of chest presses, then they switched. The familiar rhythm of working out together — the unspoken communication of when to push and when to ease off — reminded Emmy how much she’d missed this. The normalcy of friendship outside the intensity of everything else.
By the time they finished, Emmy was satisfyingly exhausted — and ravenous all over again. They headed tothe cafeteria together, grabbed protein-heavy lunches, and sat with Felix and Toby.
Toby launched into an excited explanation of some stellar phenomenon he’d photographed, and Emmy let the normalcy of it wash over her.
And she checked in with Felix,reallychecked in, to see how he was doing. The vampires were keeping him busy, and his bank account was growing by leaps and bounds. He assured her that, while he missed sleeping with her, he was happy for her. They both knew he wasn’t ready for a relationship, wasn’t ready to settle down, and if she was and had found it? He was just glad Zander wasn’t interested in trying to tell her who she could be friends with.
After lunch, Emmy returned to the lowest floor, showered, and changed into comfortable clothes.
She needed to dive back into her thesis work, but first, she needed to handle something.
She found Zander in his office, door open, sitting at his desk, looking over a spreadsheet. He looked up when she appeared in the doorway, and his expression softened immediately.
“Emerald.”
“Can we talk? About tonight?”
“Of course.” He saved his work and gestured to the chair across from him. “Come in. Close the door if you’d like privacy.”
Emmy closed the door and settled into the chair, suddenly nervous in a way she hadn’t expected. “I just … I want to make sure I’m doing this right. That I’m not going to mess anything up with Spence.”
Zander’s smile was gentle. “You won’t.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do.” He leaned back in his chair, studying her. “You know I’ve been in Felix’s head, so I’ve been able to watch you from his point of view. I’ve seen how you balance power with both pain and pleasure. You have instincts most dominants take years to develop. Spencer will be fine.”
