“Caught a little of that through the grapevine.” He released Angel’s hand and quirked a brow at me. “Heard it’s more than a work thing.”
Hardy had never given me trouble for being openly gay. I knew the man was bi himself, though we’d never been a thing. Not that he wasn’t attractive—we just never sparked at all. What was his angle? “We’re mates. Shifter thing.”
He nodded. “How’s that treating you?”
“He could be less of a trouble magnet, but so far being mated to me hasn’t made it any worse,” Angel added.
“Hey now,” I protested.
Angel let out a noise halfway between a cough and a laugh. As if I could somehow refute that pandemonium gravitated my way.
“I’m good,” I said. “Could do with fewer middle-of-the-night unwanted preternatural visitors, but it was nice to not be alone when it happened.”
Hardy eyed him, then me, and said, deadpan, “You’ve got a type. Grumpy. Protective. Prettier than average. Probably bites. With questionable morals. At least this one is out of the closet?” He held up his hands at my glare. “Observation skills. It’s my job.”
“Prettier than average?” Angel wondered.
“Don’t be an asshole,” I said to Hardy, and then, “You’re way prettier than average,” to Angel. “And yes, everyone knows. It’s not a secret.”
“Anyone question you about Cassidy’s disappearance?” Hardy asked. “He heard about this mate thing, maybe?”
“I’ve already reported everything I know about him.” Including seeing him under the shadow thing that got handsy in the warehouse raid.
“Notes say he might be one of the cultists.”
“Maybe,” I agreed. “We’ve been unable to find him to confirm. You think he might have sent this after me?”
“It’s a thought. Seen some shady shit about these cultists.”
“I don’t think Cassidy cared that much about me. We were never a thing. Not like that.”
“Good,” Hardy agreed. “That man was shit to begin with.”
“Amen,” Angel muttered.
“I’m not disputing that,” I said. I knew Cassidy had hit on Hardy more than once, as it had become the point of an argument between Brandon and me at one of our lastget-togethers. It was one of my more brutal live-and-learn moments, watching a guy I thought I was into all over a friendafter a few drinks. That Hardy sent him packing made me like him more. “What little we had was over more than a year ago.”
Angel rubbed my back, and I leaned into his touch, grateful he didn’t snarl at any discussion about my previous bad choices in men.
Xavier stepped out of my apartment looking agitated. “Your ward is shit.”
I flinched. “Uh, hey, it’s new to me. I did the best I could. Running on fumes now.”
He stalked the few feet to loom over me, but Angel stepped between us, unafraid. “He’s training. Give him a break.”
“And how will that keep Ivan safe?” Xavier demanded.
“I’ve got them,” Angel said, gaze down as if unwilling to meet Xavier’s stormy eyes.
“Your priority is Jude. Mine is Ivan.”
“Mine is Ivan,” I corrected him. “He’s my brother.”
Ivan popped out of the apartment clutching Peanut Butter like a furry security blanket, fixing me with pleading eyes, ignoring the big supernatural dick who apparently had every shifter in the city cowed. “I want to stay with you.”
“It’s not safe here,” Xavier said.With your brotherwent unsaid, but I heard it.
“You can both come to my place,” Angel said. “It’ll be tight, but safe.”
