“You can tell them about me and bring them over to my house.” Axel smiled. “I want to help you.”
I wrapped him up in another hug, couldn’t help myself. “Thank you.”
Axel hugged me back. “There are no guarantees it’ll work.”
“I know that, but I know what a big deal this is for you. So thank you. Whether it works or not, I’m so fucking grateful.”
Axel laughed against my shoulder. “You’d better put me down, or Talis will be asking why I’m covered in your scent.”
I held on to him a bit longer just to mess with him, and Axel laughed again.
I was grinning by the time I let him go. “When do you want us?” I wished I could go now, but I still had a job to do and so did everyone else.
“Sunday?” Axel turned to Rys. “You don’t need Talis for anything then, do you?”
Rys shook his head. “No, and I’d like to be there too.”
I nodded. “Of course.” I’d assumed he would.
“Right. We’ll see you Sunday.”
I left them and headed back inside, feeling lighter than I had in ages.
Maybe we’d finally turned a corner. They might not know much, but they knewsomething. And I could guarantee that between now and Sunday, Rys would be doing his best to figure out what it all meant.
I’d wokenSaturday morning to blue skies and a crisp, clear autumn day. Weather that usually added a spring to my step. Today I sat in the kitchen nursing a lukewarm cup of tea while Jake was upstairs deciding what to wear for his date with Myla.
His date.
His date. His date. His date.
No matter how many times I said it, my lip still curled and the words sounded wrong in my head. But it didn’t make them any less true.
Jake was meeting Myla for lunch at Cassie’s for their first official date. He’d even had a text from Xen this morning, confirming that he was still going. Like he had a choice.
Fucking Xen.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and a second later, Jake appeared in the doorway. I let out a low whistle. “You look nice.” Even I heard the edge of bitterness to my voice. I scrubbed a hand over my face. “Sorry.”
“Hey.” Jake came over and crouched in front of me, hands resting on my knees. “You know this is just for show, right?” He stroked his thumbs back and forth and I focused on that. “It doesn’t mean anything.”
I sighed. “I know.” And I did. It made no sense for me to be this jealous over a date that neither Myla nor Jake wanted to go on. But shifters emotions weren’t always rational. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath in and then let it out slowly, hoping to expel the possessiveness coursing through me.
It didn’t help.
In fact, it made it ten times worse because now Jake’s scent filled every part of me, mixed in with the subtle cologne he’d worn for the occasion, and he smelled so fucking good.
All for someone else’s benefit.
The growl I let out surprised us both.
Jake stood and took a step back, his face a mix of hurt and confusion.
“Fuck, sorry,” I muttered, heading for the back door. “I need some air.” He didn’t try and stop me, and that only made me even more unsettled, which made no sense. Stepping out into the back garden, I breathed deeply, the fresh air replacing Jake’s scent. Something I’d never thought I’d want.
The longer I stood out there, the more in control I felt. And the more embarrassed I was about my behaviour.For fuck’s sake, Max.Jake was the one having to do something he really didn’t want to, and here I was acting like a spoilt child when what he needed was my support.
Before I could go back inside and apologise, again, soft footfalls sounded behind me. When a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist, I leant back against Jake’s solid warmth, smiling softly.
