Raiden
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Nothing. How the hellcan there benothing?
Malcolm may as well be a ghost, and I’m struggling to keep my frustration in check. For the first time since Amara’s come into our lives, I’m not completely confident that we’re going to be able to dispose of her stalker before he does enough damage to shake her faith in us.
If I can’t fix this, and soon, it may very well ruin everything that’s finally within reach. We can’t go back to a life without Amara; we wouldn’t survive it.
“Raiden?” The uncertainty in Amara’s voice has me closing my eyes, seeking my solace in the midst of the chaos threatening to sweep us all off our feet. The familiar sensation is there, but takes a few extra moments to connect to.
Amara has one foot in the doorway to my office, and the other ready to make a hasty exit, and it makes my stomach churn with self-loathing. Taking a deep breath to center myself, on my next exhale, I shed the last of the riotous anger threatening my control. Amara may not be able to taste spikes in emotions the way we can, but she’s able to read a room like a second language.
“Can’t sleep?”
“Pretty sure I should be asking you that,” she counters. “Not to be insulting, but you’re looking pretty rough. I know you barely sleep, but you need at leasta coupleof hours to function. Did something new happen?”
Sighing, I tilt my head to the ceiling, taking in a few slow breaths to combat the urge to throw the computer monitor against the wall. “Yes and no. You were right, I didn’t give him enough credit, and thought this would be resolved by now. I all but penciled it into my calendar alongside the rest of my obligations.”
Scrubbing a hand over my jaw, I meet her worried gaze. It’s the least I can do, look the woman I’m sworn to care for in the face when I admit how I’ve failed her. “But I can’t find a single thing on this bastard. The man may as well not exist.”
She cocks her head, furrowing her brow. “Maybe he doesn’t.”
“What do you mean?”
Walking into the room, she leans against the wall near my desk, arms wrapped around her stomach. “My parents used my middle name for my birth certificate and listed me as a boy. As far as the government is concerned, Amara Quinn Bryher has never existed, yet here I am. Heck, birth certificates weren’t even a requirement until the nineteenth century. Malcolm might never have been registered anywhere and is most likely operating under a fake identity, or twenty of them, so it’s not your fault you can’t find something that isn’t there.”
I... hadn’t considered that. That alone is a testament to how fucking thin I’ve spread myself.
“It’s not just that,” I admit, cracking my neck. “My sister has been running things in my absence, but she’s more likely to start fires than put them out, and tensions seem to be running high everywhere recently. I’ve had countless reports coming in, along with requests for mediation and intervention. Some of it I’ve been able to handle through teleconference calls or emails, but you know how a shifter’s instincts take over when they feel their homes or families are threatened. A show of force is necessary on occasion to remind people that there are lines that aren’t to be crossed. Unchecked power leads to disaster, but an iron fist crushes the souls of those they once set out to protect. It’s a precarious balance that I’ve yet to master.”
Tossing back the last dregs of my cold coffee, I grimace. “I can’t afford to sleep; not right now. I need to make some headway before it piles up worse than it already has.”
“What’s the point of having a legion if you’re going to do everything yourself?” With a single finger, she pushes the bottle of whiskey on the corner of my desk beside my empty mug. “Stone and Kodiak aren’t working right now, right? Hell, neither am I, and I need to dosomethingto earn my keep around here. Delegate what you can, drink enough to shut your brain off for a few hours, then go take a nap.”
“You don’t need toearn your keep.” The words taste bitter on my tongue, and I scowl. Reaching into one of the desk drawers, I withdraw the envelope that arrived yesterday, but I got distracted shortly after and forgot to give it to her.
“Here.” Passing it her way, I watch her pull out the two cards, elaborating before she can ask, “The orange one is your personal debit card. I transferred a lump sum into a new account that’s solely yours. No one else can touch it, even me. The account number and banking information is on the paper in that envelope.”
Like a deer caught in the headlights, she blinks. “And the black?”
“Credit card. Everyone in the family has one, and the balance is paid off at the end of the month from our joint account. Buy whatever you need, no questions asked.”
She stares down at the pieces of plastic, a myriad of emotions passing through her so swiftly I can hardly keep up. Tucking them back in the envelope, she sets it on my desk. “Paid off from a joint account that everyone else contributes to but me. Basic necessities are one thing I’m not too proud to accept, but I can’t constantly be a drain on you guys and give nothing back.”
“Amara, you already gave us more than I think you realize when you agreed to give us a chance. You’re our mate; it’s our job to provide for you.”
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She shifts her weightbetween her feet uncomfortably. “There’s already a massive power gap between me and each of you. I might be desperate for the time being, but I don’t want to always be reliant on you. It feels too much like you’re buying me off to stick around.”
Using the excuse of filling my mug and taking a drink, I mull over her words, not wanting to spout off the first thing to come to mind and botch this any worse than I already am. The whiskey burns in the best way, warmth spreading throughout my chest.
“I see what you’re saying, but I promise, that thought never crossed my mind. Collectively, we have more wealth than we could ever need; the benefits that come with having someone as ancient as Stone in our legion, coupled with my investments. That’s not even considering the influx from our current lines of work. We could never work another day in our lives and be fine, so trust me when I say we’re actually looking forward to having a mate we can treat the way she deserves. People find their happiness in many forms, but for me?”
Another drink has the rest of the tension fading from my body, and I slowly rise to my feet so as not to startle her. Stalking closer, I reverently brush my knuckles over her cheek. “Coming home to my mate’s smiling face, knowing that I’d earned her affection by caring for her to the best of my ability? Giving her everything she could ever want, her happiness brightening up the halls? That’s a future I’d never thought I’d live to see, but you came along and gave me hope again.”
Resting my forehead against hers, I breathe her in, using her sweet, stormy scent to chase away every tumultuous thought. “It’s why I set up an account that’s completely yours. I never want you to feel trapped into being with us. You’ll always have the means to leave if you ever feel you need to, and I can rest easier knowing you won’t go hungry while I fix whatever problem made you leave, and convince you to come back home.”
