Little Sylvie isprecocious as ever, crawling, wailing, constantly finding new trinkets to test in her mouth. Round green eyes widen each time I take away yetanotherone of Maurleen’s cosmetics pilfered from her purse. If she grows up to be anywhere near as good at pickpocketing as her mother, gods help us all.
The toddler’s frown inverts the moment her father walks through the front door of their cabin, stomping the snow off his boots.
“If you know what’s good for you, you won’t take one more step on my carpet,” Maurleen squawks.
Wyatt tugs off his shoes with a raspy chuckle. Reaching for Sylvie, his smile fades upon seeing me. "Vessa! Is . . . is someone here with you?"
"Nope. Just me," I say.
Wyatt strolls over to the fridge. "So, how is he? Your new Alpha?"
I look to Maurleen, whose messy topknot bobbles, urging me to carry on. I mention that Axe is awfully busy with all the fireshe's constantly putting out. And with a phone he can't put down, he doesn't have time for any women in his life, let alone a mate.
Wyatt tears a huge bite out of a sandwich. His gaze drops to my neck, noting the absence of a lycan’s claim. "He's probably keeping a safe distance until he can no longer resist the Beckoning."
Maurleen bites her lip. "About that . . . Vessa left a goodbye note."
"Oh, that's brilliant thinking. Might as well have just kicked a hornet’s nest."
“I doubt it will bruise his ego too much.”
Wyatt sets the sandwich down. "Who is he, anyway?"
Maurleen and I exchange a cringe. I take in a deep breath, finding the courage to say his name. “Axe Skornokovy.”
"No," Wyatt coughs. “No, you’re mistaken.”
Maurleen swallows tightly, nodding.
A vein pops in his forehead. “Forget how this is even possible. I amnevergoing to hear the end of this. We'll be lucky if Paul lets us stay here after he takes you back to Bleeding Sun. I could be put back on assignment."
I scowl right back. "I’m not going anywhere with him. It's not like I’m actually wanted back there. Half of those people look at me like they want to slit my throat. I’m not entirely convinced that Axe won’t once he figures out what I’m hiding.”
"Do you remember anything we taught you? He is theAlpha Commander. You defy him, you defy law."
"That doesn't make him entitled to me," I sneer.
Anxiety builds in his voice. “In the few days that you’ve known him, how many bodies have you seen him drop?”
I scoff, but then seriously consider the question. Seeing and hearing are two different answers, right?
“Only one.”
“Interesting. Guess he’s having an off week.”
I roll my eyes. “Please, he’s not a psychopath. He’s . . . protective.”
“No shit. That doesn’t change the fact that he could fill an encyclopedia with ways to butcher people. His augment gives him the ability to revisit kills, which he’s known to do if he blacks out in the middle of the act. There’s this one method where he?—”
“Wyatt!” Maurleen squeaks.
Sighing, I press on. “See, that right there isexactlywhy I have no intention of going back.”Wait. I backslide, running over what he just said. “You know his augment? How?”
He dabs at his damp brow. “Any Aux that’s ever been assigned by him knows. He has trace memory. He can isolate and retrace the last moments of a scent that is left behind on any surface. Play it back in his mind. It’s why he is so skilled at locating rogues. And vampires.”
Maurleen puts her hand down on the table. "That's enough. No one is forcing Vessa out of this house andover my dead bodywill anyone reassign you to Auxiliary again. Is that clear?”
He stands down at his mate's order. Furious as a boiling kettle, Maurleen snatches her daughter, readying her for a nap. I hold my breath as she walks away, wondering how much time I have before I hear Axe pounding on the door—or better yet, bursting through it.
