“Mags, now is not the time for a midnight walk. Even in this neighborhood, it’s dangerous.”
I don’t bother answering Nik. I slip out the door and down the hall, hoping that I don’t wake anyone else up. I don’t need that on my work record, especially not the first night.
When I get to the exit to the servants’ quarters, I hit a roadblock.
They’ve got keycard entryandexit. I left my card back in the room.
I can’t leave.
A card appears in my peripheral vision, and I turn to see Kip standing next to me in a similar getup. He swipes his keycard and opens the door for me. “I noticed you forgot something.”
“Aren’t you mad at me, too?”
We walk down the main hallway towards the garage, where my car is parked for the duration of our stay. “Yes, and no. I’m feeling Nik’s anger and pain, so the bonded part of me is a bit pissed, but thanks to thirty years of experience with a twin bond, I can separate my own thoughts and feelings easily enough. I know which parts are Nik’s and which parts are mine. And I know that neither one of us wants you wandering around alone at night.”
“So why you and not Kaden—or both of you?”
“I won rock, paper, scissors.”
I stifle a giggle as we walk past the guards on duty. They don’t seem to care that we’re up late or that we’re wandering the halls, but they do check our IDs before letting us by. When I ask for my car keys—a valet parked it—they flat-out shut me down.
“Sorry, Ms. O’Bryan, but we can’t let you take a car out. Your contract allows for walks in the gardens during your off-hours, but that’s it. You’re here until the Langleys’ daughters are done with their heats.”
Before I can even open my mouth to argue, Kip thanks them and turns me by the shoulders in the direction of the garden doors. “Come on, Mags. We can still go for a walk.”
A spike of disappointment hits me, and I can’t tell if it’s mine or Kip’s. This is going to get very confusing—and very irritating—if I can’t start separating my own emotions from those generated by the bond.
“How do you sort this shit?” I ask as we head into the gardens. A path made by bent willow branches leads through, so we follow that for a while until we come across a small stone bench.
Kip sighs and pats my knee as he sits next to me. “Can you tell the difference yet whether an emotion comes from me or Kaden or Nik?”
I scrunch up my nose as I try to think. “Sometimes? Like, it’s usually contextual. If I mouth off at Nik, then it’s obviously him. But if I say something that could potentially insult or hurt any of you, I have no clue.”
“Okay,” he says, slowly, “first suggestion, if I may?”
“Shoot.”
“Trynotinsulting, or hurting any of us, for a start. That should make the bad vibes less frequent.”
I shove him so hard, he falls off of the bench. He cries out as his palms get skinned on the paved stone in front of the bench, and I feel slightly guilty.
A bit.
“Okay, so that was your pain, right?” I ask, leaning over to look at him sprawling on the ground.
“That’s technically one way to find out,” he grumbles as he picks himself up. “Again, another way is tonot hurt people. Then, even if you get the emotions mixed up, there are at least good feelings coming your way.”
I take Kip’s hands into mine and inspect the scrapes. They’re shallow, harmless, but thanks to the pack bond, I can tell they sting.
More guilt bubbles up from deep inside me, and since Kip hasn’t done anything to feel guilty for, I’m guessing that’s all my emotion. I lift his hands to my lips and kiss each palm, hoping to provide at least an emotional balm for the mild pain there.
Pride and contentment flow through me. Good emotions. Okay. “Yours?” I ask.
“A little. Some is through the bond from Nik. I think he’s glad you’re trying.”
“That’s cheating! How am I ever going to learn when there are always four minds in the mix?”
“It’s going to take time, Mags. You’ll get it. Don’t worry so much.”
