She turns sideways to face me. “Do they have a soda fountain?”
I smirk. “Yes, my little addict. They do.”
“Well then, count me in.”
I start the drive across campus. “You don’t have to work tonight, do you?”
“Oh, no. Hallelujah. That would be awful. When do you guys leave for your games?”
I let her redirect the conversation. “Wednesday morning.”
“I’m trying to work on my schedule to get off from work. I've already started the process of getting all my classes excused. I need to figure out a ride and everything.”
“Zane and Evie are coming. You can catch a ride with them.”
“I feel bad though because then Reid or Quint can’t come.”
I glance over at her. “Reid can’t come because he has games this weekend, so there will be plenty of room. I already asked Zane. And you can stay with them at the hotel too. Zane said he’ll bunk with Quint, and you and Evie can share a room.”
“Wow. You’ve really thought this all through.”
I almost reach out and take her hand but remember not to at the last minute. “I really want you to come.”
“Well, I really want to be there. I’m so excited. This is going to be so awesome. I just have to get my shifts covered.”
“You’ll get it.”
She spends the next few minutes thinking out loud about what her week will look like. I stay quiet and just listen to her talk, offering input when she asks. Honestly, I could listen to her talk all day, every day. I make a mental note to reach out to Alpha soon and see what he knows. I need to get that bracelet off; I need to be able to touch my mate. I need to know she’s safe.As long as she’s wearing that bracelet, she’s not. My mind goes back to her sleepwalking last night. Try as I might, I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind. The stark fear on her face when she woke up is something I never want to see again on her gorgeous face. That fear that the bracelet might have something to do with it has plagued me all day. I’m anxious for tonight; I'm hoping it was just a fluke. But something deep in my gut tells me it’s probably not, and I've learned to listen to my gut over the years.
Chapter38
Tessa
Dinner with Slater is...perfect. It’s not fancy, which is really good because of the way I’m dressed. But it’s a chance for the two of us just to spend time together without anybody else around. We talk for hours about everything and yet nothing. I never laugh harder than when I’m with him. And I never feel safer than when I’m with him. Somehow, we avoid talking about the bracelet and its ramifications. When we’re back in his truck, he brings up last night.
“I’m sorry about my parents.”
I turn my body, so I can face him while he drives. “Yeah, they weren’t big fans of me, were they?”
His jaw tightens, and I reach out and put my hand on his arm. He yanks it back, but the damage has already been done. I close my eyes and catch my breath. At least this one was super fast. “Are you okay? Tess?” he asks when I don’t answer him.
I cough and catch my breath. “Yeah, that was really stupid. I forgot for a moment.”
“When I get my hands on the people who cuffed you with that, they’re going to wish for mercy.” I don’t say anything, mostly because I don’t know what to say. I hate that I ruined our night and shattered the relaxing night we were having.
“Maybe you should let somebody else handle them when you find them.”
It’s silent for a moment, and then he speaks in low tones. “You do realize I’m the future pack enforcer, right? It's literally my job to track down people that threaten our pack. And add tothat, you’re my mate. It’s my right as your mate to track down your enemies and kill them.”
I flinch at his words. “Kill them?”
“Yes.” His voice is hard. He looks over at me. “I don’t take my job or responsibilities lightly both as an enforcer and as your mate. It's my job to protect you and our pack. There are those who want nothing more than to destroy our pack and bring it to its knees. There’s real evil out there. And while I don’t relish having to kill, I will do it in a heartbeat if the lives of my mate or my packmates are at stake. And I’ll do it without a single ounce of regret.” Silence falls between us. “Have they told you that the Master, the one behind Jace and Sam, the user of dark magic is after Zane’s family?”
I turn to him. “Alpha Blackwood said as much. Why?”
“The whole reason all this started was the Master fell in love with Zane’s mom, but she didn’t choose him. She chose Zane’s dad, her mate. The master wasn’t a wolf, but he decided he should be so she would give him a chance. So, he found a powerful alpha who would help him get what he wants. That’s why they came after Evie. He wants revenge. If he can’t have Zane’s mom, he’ll go after her kids and take away their mates.”
“What about Riley?” I breathe.
