Chapter 12
Amara
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Rapping my knuckleson the door, Raiden’s muffled voice cracks like a whip, “What now, Kodiak?
Wincing at his acidic tone, I inch the door open and peek my head in. “Just me, Kodi’s asleep.”
Across the chaotic mess of an office, Raiden releases a slew of foreign curses under his breath. “I’m so sorry, Amara, I never would have snapped if I’d known it was you.”
Taking a deep breath to brace myself, I step inside, shutting the door behind me. I should have taken another, because the air in here is stagnant, threatening to dredge up unpleasant memories. Mildly proud of myself for keeping my shit together, I still keep my hand on the doorknob, ready to make a hasty exit.
It’s like a tornado ripped through here. Shattered glass litters the floor in two separate spots against one wall, papers are strewn across every available surface, and there’s a massive map of the country mounted on the wall. On it are hundreds of blue and yellow push pins, various red X’s, and a few scorch marks. On the floor in front of it are several stacks of manilla folders, the top of the closest to me brandishing ‘Graves- assorted,’ in bold print.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that he’s working his way through every group of shifters in the country and marking their allegiance on the map. It’s smart. Gives us a picture of not only how many people would be happy to slit their throats, but which areas are safer in case we need to travel. The main problem is the same one we dealt with when trying to find Malcolm, only to discover he was going by Mason now, and hiding in plain sight. For every pack or legion that makes it onto that map, we may as well assume there are two more that we don’t know exist.
Finishing my thorough study of the room, my gaze finally settles upon Raiden, and it’s like a kick in the teeth. There’s no way this man’s slept since we came here. The unchecked five-o-clock shadow has gone on long enough to become a short beard, his eyes are bloodshot, and there’s a tremor in the hand holding a pen, pausing in his work to give me his undivided attention. I think that’s actually worse than if he were a distracted mess muttering to himself, delirious from sleep deprivation. Even when he looks like he’s been on a week-long bender, he puts everything he’s obsessed with aside to see what I need, to apologize for his short temper.
“No worries, Kodi brings out the worst in all of us sometimes.” Fighting the writhing pit of anxiety in my gut, I unfurl one finger at a time from the doorknob. Leaving the door behind, I wade through the chaos deeper into his office, careful where I step so I don’t mess anything up. “Figured I’d check in after you had your sister abduct me to let you know I made it home safe and only slightly molested.”
His eyes darken, and I hastily backpedal. “By her, no one else! Carina’s very touchy-feely and clearly doesn’t know what personal bubbles are, is all I meant. Bright side, she’s great for my self-esteem.”
Once again, my tongue itches, and I make a mental note to hit up Stone for an allergy pill before bed. I don’t know what’s in the air out here, if it’s a pollen issue or there was some spice in my lunch I’m mildly allergic to, but it’s getting annoying.
Despite my reassurances, he slowly runs his gaze over me from head to toe, searching for signs of injury. “Did anyone attempt to touch you while you were out today?”
“Nope. If anything, once they heard who I was, people were tripping over themselves to get on my good side.”
Releasing a pent-up breath, the stress lines on his face are replaced with his soft smile. “As they should. Did you have a good time?”
Carina’s story is still ringing in my ears, so I shove down all of my embarrassment and nerves, stealing some of her confidence. Rounding the desk, I offer a hand to help him up. “I was about to take a hot bath. Long day of walking around, and my muscles are kind of sore. Want to join me and I’ll tell you all about it?”
I’m pretty sure the poor guy stops breathing.
Patiently waiting, I hold my ground, and a few seconds later his brain comes back online. With a rough swallow, he looks at all of the papers strewn across his desk guiltily. “I have a few more files I was hoping to get through tonight, some emails to send out, and-”
“And all of it will be right here where you left it afterward. No one is storming the castle, and there’s no deadline where you have to have everything worked out by. The world won’t end if you take the rest of the night off, or at least a few hours.” I keep my hand extended in offering, waiting for him to come to me. “I feel like I should point out that when your mate offers to get naked with you, it’s a good idea to take her up on it. Wouldn’t want to undo all of Carina’s hard work hyping me up to actually put myself out there for a change.”
Yeah, it’s a little manipulative, but the only way I’m going to get through to him right now is by making it look like taking a break is actually formybenefit. If it makes me look needy, so be it. Whatever it takes to get this man a damn nap.
And some soap.
Warring with himself, he eventually takes my hand, rising to his feet. “Of course I want to join you, that was never in question. I just,” he trails off and I give his hand a squeeze, leading him through the maze of papers to the door.
“You want to take care of me, but the world sucks. Trust me, I get it. But, Raiden?” We reach my room and I press my thumb to the scanner. “It’s not like if you don’t come up with a plan by the end of the week, I’ll leave. You’ve got time. No need to kill yourself over this, okay?”
