“You’re telling me if that girl hadn’t found her mate, when she joined a pack, she would have had to…” I don’t want to say it, but I need confirmation. What I’m thinking is so frigging crazy, I have to be wrong.
“They would have expected her to service the males sexually if she joined a pack that still practiced tithes.”
I half flop back in my seat. “Well, why the hell would she?”
“I would hope she wouldn’t. Not after being here and seeing there are other options. But there are some people who don’t know they have alternative choices. You saw how Thomas ran his pack. It’s people like him who pretend to cling to old customs like tithes.”
I raise my hand to halt the conversation, wishing I never asked the question. No, that’s not true. I’m happy I know so I can help put a stop to it. What I’m sorry for is that it’s some poor woman’s reality.
“It’s not just shifters, Quinn. Humans sell themselves for many things, perceived security is just one of them.” He doesn’t deliver the words harshly or to reproach me, more like he’s trying to explain how it can happen.
I squeeze my temples between my thumb and forefinger. He’s right. I send up a prayer of thanks that I’ve never found myself in such a situation. “I know you’re right, it’s just…she’s so young, and I can’t imagine having that hanging over her head. I guess I can understand Jack’s reaction now,” I mutter.
“Does she need to talk to someone? We have people who’ve been through that and can help her,” Evan offers kindly.
“I don’t know. She said it was whatwouldhave happened to her had she not found her mate. God, I hope she hasn’t already…”
“I’ll have someone reach out to her,” he interjects. There’s a lapse in our conversation as I mull over the events of the past fifteen minutes. It brings my lack of supernatural knowledge to the forefront, which is something I plan on rectifying immediately.
“Should I make that call to the janitor?” Evan finally speaks up.
I turn my head to the right and look at the drops of blood on the rug. They appear almost black against the short nap of the gray carpet, but they blend in much easier than I would have anticipated. I wonder if that was by design. “Yeah, I suppose.” I push up from the chair, and Evan rises too, tugging his phone off his hip as he does.
“Hey, I’m up in Ms. Shaw’s office. I need a small mop up.” Evan darts his eyes to me. “Just a one,” he adds, then ends the call.
“Just a one what?” I question.
Evan purses his lips in a slight wince. “Level one. This kind of incident isn’t uncommon.” He motions his hand over to the small stain. “Level one tells them they need a spot cleaner, not a whole cleanup crew.”
“How high does that scale go?” I inquire hesitantly.
“Just to ten, and we don’t have anything like that happen often.”
“What was my room with all the blood?” I bite my bottom lip, mad that the question slipped out.
Evan gives me a sideways glance and grimaces. “Maybe an eight?” I blink and swallow, regretting the question even more. “There usually isn’t that much blood,” he rushes out. “But if there’s a fight, there may be broken furniture or blood smears… It’s really not as bad as it sounds.”
I nod my head rapidly. Holy hell, sometimes I forget just how out of my element I really am. “Why did you do that?” I point to the stains. “I mean, to his arms.”
Evan takes a few steps closer, but he seems to hesitate before reaching me. “I saw a kid sneaking around your door. Before I could ask him what he was doing, he charged in here, growling. I reacted. I didn’t hurt him.” He looks down at the ground. “Well, not too badly anyway. He’ll be completely healed in an hour or two tops. Even quicker if he shifts,” he adds hurriedly, sounding more reassuring.
“He wasn’t going to hurt us,” I argue.
“But I didn’t know that at the time, and neither did you.” Evan rolls his shoulders back before continuing. “I would never chance it, Quinn. Not with you. Especially after what just happened. It’s just not who I am.” It’s a subtle reminder of just how different we truly are.
I feel guilty immediately. I’m being judgy, yet I don’t know what to say to him to make it better. Instead, I close the distance between us. Evan’s eyes are a little wide as he gazes down at me. I open my mouth to tell him I understand when I hear a soft knock on the door before a woman announces, “Janitor,” in a light voice.
I don’t know if I should feel like I’ve been saved by the bell or regret how truly efficient the workforce is around here. Evan grabs my arm, stopping me when I move to turn away from him so I can answer the door. I look down at his large hand wrapped around my wrist, noting how gentle his touch is. He immediately releases me, making me feel as if he may have just misunderstood my gaze.
I make sure to look right into his eyes when I reach for his fingers and state as plainly as I can, “I get it. I may not understand everything, but I get it. Sorry I have so many questions. I’m still learning.” I squeeze his hand before releasing him to hustle over to the door.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” I say as I twist the doorknob, but it jerks out of my hand and the door snaps shut before it could even fully open.
I look over to find Evan standing next to me, his palm flat against the heavy wooden door. “Give us a minute,” he mutters while staring down at me. “If there’s something you want to know, a question about anything, ask. Don’t feel bad. I just don’t want to overwhelm you.” His eyes search my face before landing on my lips.
“Right now?” My voice comes out soft. The way he’s looking at me doesn’t make me want to ask questions.
His hand slides down the door, and he reaches for me, skimming his fingers along the side of my neck. He lets his thumb caress my jaw. “Anytime, anywhere,” he replies, and I feel like he means more than just answering questions, especially when he leans down slowly and places a kiss on my lips. I respond instantly, pushing up on my toes so I can reach him better. All the concern I had for making the person on the other side of the door wait disappears as his tongue sweeps into my mouth.
