The only sound to be heard is the crashing of waves at the rocks far beneath us and both of their heartbeats picking up. It snaps me out of the withdrawn state I’d managed to find, the scent of four strangers slamming into me as a seagull shrieks overhead and I flinch.
Malcolm gives me a sympathetic look. “Scar, love,” but I cut him off, the sudden sensory assault making me short tempered.
“Better off practicing with one person in a controlled environment before risking hanging out in your office all day. So he doesn’t have an employee contract threatening him into silence; big deal, because that’s not going to stop anyone, anyway. When word does get out, which it will, he’s a real person that can vouch that your claims aren't bullshit and no one can claim that he’s biased since he doesn’t work for you. If you and Archer make some type of press release, people will be understandably skeptical. You’re part of the billionaire elite; someone that people will naturally assume have likely never even seen a vamp up close and personal while the rest of society loses their loved ones to the feral monsters. It’s the people like Kasen’s roommate that we actually need to get on our side, that can spread the word to people that would trust he isn’t lying because he has nothing to gain.”
Malcolm stares at me, mouth parted in surprise for a long moment before closing the distance between us. Stuffing his hand between the back of my head and Kasen’s chest to hold me tight, he presses a hard, enthusiastic kiss to my lips. “You gorgeous mate of mine, you’re a genius. I need to call Archer, I’ll be right back.”
A swell of excitement floods my system from his end, his mental block slipping as he scrambles off of the rock. After days of him retreating more and more when Kasen’s around, trying to spare my feelings, it’s nice. I hadn’t realized how quickly I’d gotten addicted to his comfort, even when he wasn’t in the room. It’s this strange sense of never being alone without becoming invasive or overbearing, and I make a mental note to talk to him later tonight about not holding back for my sake anymore, assure him that I’m perfectly okay with feeling him be happy, even if I’m not the one causing it.
“Well, you certainly made his day,” Kasen chuckles, body shaking with amusement.
Batting at his thigh, I slump back against him. “Mages don’t have super hearing, right?”
His laughter dies off immediately. “Last I heard, no. Why?”
Waiting until Malcolm’s far enough away, his voice muffled and keeping his words vague, I stare out at a splash in the distant water, sending a shock of ripples out as whatever it was slips beneath the surface again. Stomach writhing with anxiety, I swallow my nerves and rip off the bandage. “I know he’s your boss, but if you want anything to happen between the three of us beyond this being a job, you’re going to have to push back sometimes. Last thing any of us wants is to wind up in a relationship where we’re forced to tiptoe around someone’s moods or feel lesser.”
He tenses up around me, barely breathing. “The three of us?”
I close my eyes, grateful for the excuse not to have to face him as I rush out, “Whatever happens between you and Malcolm is fine by me, but that makes us pack, right? So you and I are in this together... however that pans out. It was hard for me in the beginning to accept anything happening with Malcolm partially because I’m already completely dependent on him for everything, so giving up that last shred of independence was terrifying. But now I’m at a point where I’m comfortable with everything because he goes out of his way to make me feel equal, if not more, rather than exploiting my position. So I get it, because even though our circumstances are different, the power dynamic was an issue for me too; still is some days, if we’re being completely honest.”
Wiping my sweaty palms on my leggings, I take a deep breath, promptly wincing at the sour flavor of another stranger’s scent, their raucous laughter echoing down their beach as another friend joins them. “I want to save you some of that struggle, since it’s really the only thing I can offer. I’m not in a position where I need to worry about getting fired, so I can lay the groundwork and push him a bit. Malcolm could do with a reality check that he can’t control everything all of the time, especially since the two of us know everything’s going to explode despite his optimism.”
I push past my nerves to twist and flash him an encouraging smile. “Ultimately though, you’re not going to feel at home in a pack where you’re worried that one wrong step is going to get you sent to the curb. But until you realize that you’re wanted instead of simply tolerated, I’ll keep reminding you.”
Vivid green eyes stare back at me, his jaw clenched so tightly I’m surprised that his teeth haven’t cracked. My smile falters, wondering if I’ve grossly overstepped, when another bark of laughter makes me cringe, my face twisting in a grimace.
Smoothing a hand down my arm, Kasen resituates me so that I’m facing the ocean again, clearing his throat before he speaks. “Back at it then, since you clearly need the practice. Shallow breaths.”
He restarts the process of walking me through the steps to bring my senses down to a manageable level, pulling my focus away from the world at large and into the cozy one I’ve found myself in. I shove the other people out of my mind, ignore the birds shrieking over the water and picking at the sand for discarded scraps of food. Through sheer force of will, I draw in the confines of my awareness to this rock, screaming at my instincts that this tiny space is our territory and the only thing I need to concern myself with.
I swear, my inner self snorts for all she buys into it, but to her -my?- credit, things become bearable again. With everything else gone by the wayside, Kasen’s scent becomes all consuming, the only thing beyond the sea air in my personal bubble; like the electric charge in the air right before it rains, mingled with a trace of wood smoke. I’m intensely aware of his heart beating faster, adding the sweet scent of his blood to the air until everything around me screamsKasen.
Squirming as I push my senses outward again so I can breathe some sense into myself before I do something incredibly stupid, I pause as something hard presses against my spine. He freezes against my back, fingers tightening on my bicep while his other hand bands around my torso, attempting to stop my wiggling. “Scarlett.”
Can’t really keep lying to yourself now, can you? Say something. Kiss him.
My fangs drop as I picture it, finally caving into the impulse to taste him. Imagining what would happen if he quit treating me like I was something delicate he had to protect and started treating me like something he wanted to break. Shifters are a stronger breed... but I’m not as human as I used to be, and for once, I consider that a hell of a perk to this vampire business.
There’s a curse far off to our right that makes me startle. With it, I draw in a sharp breath, the entire block I’d managed to put into place shattering in an instant.
“Motherfucker!” reaches me a moment before the coppery tang of fresh blood dances across my tongue. Jerking against Kasen again, he slackens his hold, letting me escape. I scramble forward, one knee hitting the stone and filed nails uselessly scraping for a hold to launch myself off of the steep cliff as a desperate need spurs me into motion.
“Scarlett, wait, I-” he draws in a breath to explain. “Shit.” In a flash, he lunges forward, banding an arm around my waist and tackling me to the ground as I push off of the stone. He barely manages to slip a hand beneath my cheek before we crash onto the rock beneath us, attempting to cushion the blow. “Snap out of it, Scarlett.” The words are practically a growl, the vibrations in his chest traveling into me from where I’m firmly pinned beneath him.
“Kasen,” I breathe, heart sprinting as I struggle to draw my senses back to the confines of the stone platform.
His scent nearly overshadows everything else with the way he’s stretched out over my back. Face pressed against the side of my throat, every word out of his mouth is like a caress against my skin. “You can fight this, I believe in you. Tell me how to help. Do you want me to haul you out of here, or give you a few minutes to get control of yourself?”
I arch into him, but as I drag myself forward an inch, he jerks me right back against him with a warning sound that has me squirming harder, every sense on overdrive. “Answer me, sweetheart. Do you want me to drag you to the car, or ride it out with you here?”
Fucking hell, this man’s talents are wasted in security. I’ve got about a dozen books that I’m going to insist he reads to me when we get home.
“Here,” I breathlessly manage, another wave of the metallic scent teasing my senses when I speak.
Wrinkling my nose, I crane my head until my face is pressed into his arm. The stranger’s blood pales in comparison to Kasen’s rich scent and I take a deep inhale to drown out anything beyond the two of us, whimpering as it only makes the driving need worse, like a punch to the gut.
“Then let me help,” he commands, leaving no room for argument, bringing his wrist to my lips.
