He barked out a laugh, which took me by surprise because I didn’t think I’d ever seen Rys so relaxed. Then he tapped his nose. “Never lies.”
“Fine,” I huffed, deciding there was no point in trying to deny anything. “But can you blame me?”
“I guess not.” Rys’s smile turned soft. “I mean, he’s no Gabriel, but I can see the appeal.”
Of course no one could compare to his soulmate. Which instead of making me want to roll my eyes again, evoked a curl of warmth in my chest. I loved Mase, and I was really fucking happy for him that he’d found someone who loved him like Rys did. He deserved it after all the shit he’d been through.
“Anyway,” I said, reaching for the papers I’d left on the kitchen table. “I should be going.” Despite me telling Mase otherwise, I probably should go check in with the rest of my coven about this. Not that I needed their permission. I hadn’t lied about that, but since moving up here, I’d tried to be as open about my life as possible. We were supposed to be a family, there to support each other no matter what, and we couldn’t exactly do that if we kept secrets.
As awkward as I sometimes felt sharing my thoughts and feelings, I wasn’t about to make the same mistakes I’d made that got me sent up here in the first place.
“Thank you,” I said as Rys walked me to the door. “I appreciate you taking the time to help me with this.”
Rys rubbed the back of his neck. “Look, I know I haven’t been the easiest to get along with these last few weeks, before…” He waved his hand, clearly not wanting to even speak about what went down with Mase and Tombs. “But you’re Gabriel’s best friend, so you’re always welcome here.” He gripped my shoulder, and I congratulated myself that I didn’t flinch like I would’ve this time last month. “Don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you need help withanything.”
Words caught in my throat. Rys was an alpha wolf, and I knew he didn’t make that offer lightly. Or to many people.
“Thank you,” I said, putting as much sincerity as I could behind the words. If my voice came out a little rough, so be it.
He gave me a nod in return and stepped back as he opened the door.
Walking back to my car, the weight I’d carried here had almost disappeared entirely. I felt lighter than I had in days, and how ironic that Rys, of all people, had been the one to make that happen.
Axel’s bike was parked next to me. Two helmets sat on the seat, and my mind was instantly full of dark silver hair and violet eyes. My heart rate accelerated like before.
I wondered if Axel would bring him to Midnight.
That alone gave me more incentive to get the place open again.
First things first, I had to go chat with my coven.
Then reopen my club.
My club.
It had a nice ring to it.
I smiled as I got in my car and started the engine, then another not-so-pleasant thought struck me.
I should probably go visit Zane too.
DATHAL
“Welcometo the Ravensdale headquarters for the paranormal police division.” Gabriel Mason opened one of the thick glass double doors and ushered me inside, Axel following.
I glanced back at him with a raised eyebrow because this was so far removed from similar buildings back home. Where were the protection wards, the defences?
They didn’t have fae working for the paranormal police, but as far as I was aware, they had witches, and I knew from experience that some had magic as powerful as any fae.
Axel laughed and nudged me, leaning in to whisper. “I know it’s not as overt as back home, but they have their own defences in place. Trust me.”
Gabriel looked over his shoulder with a questioning gaze, so Axel answered him.
“Dathal is concerned about your lack of obvious protection around the building.”
I shot a glare at him, but Axel being Axel, he just grinned and shrugged.
The last thing I wanted was to get off on the wrong foot with Gabriel or his partner, so I hurried to explain. “Back in our realm, the protection around our buildings is obvious to the naked eye.” I pointed back to the door we’d just walked through. “I couldn’t detect anything.” Or at least I thought I couldn’t. Maybe my magical instincts were more muted than I realised. And wasn’t that an unsettling thought.
