And somehow, despite this, I didn’t feel hunted.
I felt found.
6
— • —
Percival
The credits rolled on what had to be the worst movie ever made.
Three days of this, and I’ve turned terrible movies into a tradition. I pick the disasters, Mira tears them apart, and sometimes Lucian or Solomon wander in pretending they’re not interested. They always stay until the end.
“That was garbage,” Mira said from the other end of the couch. “Absolute hot garbage.”
“The best kind of garbage.” I tossed a piece of popcorn at her head. She caught it in her mouth without looking, and my wolf did a little backflip of approval. “You even laughed thrice so at the very least, it was entertaining.”
“I laughed at how bad it was.”
“Still counts.”
She rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched. Three days at the cabin and I’d become an expert in her restrained smiles. The tiny cracks in the armor she wore around herself. Each one is a victory for me.
Mine,my wolf rumbled.Ours.
Lucian and Solomon had left for a supply run an hour ago. They’d tried to argue about who should stay behind, but I’d shut that down fast.
“I’m technically the king’s bodyguard,” I’d said. “Guarding people ismyjob.”
Deep down, what I didn’t say is that I was the one who was supposedly on watch when Hudson slipped through. Even if they don’t blame me, I still blame myself.
My wolf snarled at the memory. I wanted to find Hudson and rip his fucking head off. To feel his spine crack between my jaws.
Lucian and Solomon understood this and let me stay. Because right now, protecting her was the only thing that quieted the rage.
“Okay.” Mira shifted on the couch, turning to face me properly. “We’ve watched four terrible movies in three days. I know your stance on pineapple pizza, which is wrong by the way.”
“It’s delicious and you’re a coward.”
“I know you burn toast consistently and that you’re a bad singer.” She tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear. The copper roots were getting more visible as each day passed.
My brain short-circuited.
It was just her ear. Just the neck exposed for half a second. But my wolf locked onto it, and suddenly I was thinking whether she’d make sounds or go quiet when I finally got my mouth on her.
My jeans got uncomfortable. Fantastic. Getting hard over a woman tucking her hair back. This was a new low, even for me.
I shifted on the couch, hoping she wouldn’t notice and couldn’t smell what she did to me the way I could smell every shift in her.
“But I don’t actually know anything real about you.”
“You know plenty.”
My voice came out normal, casual. As if I wasn’t imagining pinning her to these cushions right at this moment.
“I know surface stuff. Movie opinions and food crimes. Even your allergy, the other night.” She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. Defensive posture, but her eyes were curious. “You call yourself Percy. Is that short for something?”
My wolf stirred. “Maybe.”
