Eli’s nostrils flared. “It seems I have a lot to learn.”
“You and me both,” Olivia said. “But we have time.” She made eye contact with Jacob as he adjusted the mirror. “By the way, what’s the plan? I mean, do we even have one?” According to her father, he and her uncles were going to meet after the party to discuss the trip to Boston and they would take care of the details.
“Sort of,” he replied. “Since you and I don’t really know much about the Boston clan, we’ll need Sloane and Eli to fill us in on the way there. The Alpha would like us to put together a list of who are still active members, and a short list of who could lead the clan to give to the High Council.” He paused. “Informally, the Alpha and Uncle Killian would like to know who might cause trouble in the future.”
“We’re gonna drive about halfway there, stop somewhere for the night, and strategize,” Sloane said. “And if that stop could be somewhere nice and relaxing, I wouldn’t mind at all.”
“Oh yeah, baby.” Jacob leaned over to plant a kiss on her mouth. “That’s why we’re staying at a nice little cottage by the sea tonight.”
“Yes!” Sloane winked at Olivia. “Hope you guys brought earplugs.”
Eli grunted. “Seriously?”
“Don’t worry, the place is huge and there are several bedrooms,” Jacob said. “Though you guys are consenting adults and you’re already having a baby so …”
Mortification flooded Olivia at the implication and she covered her face. Sneaking a glance over at Eli, she saw him shift uncomfortably, though he said nothing.
Sensing their discomfort, Sloane swatted Jacob on the shoulder. “Just drive.”
As the engine roared to life, Olivia put her hands down, but she didn’t dare glance over at Eli again. Still, it wasn’t like she hadn’t thought about sleeping with him again. She didsometimes. Okay, maybe she thought about it more than just sometimes. Maybe she thought about it a lot. Like Jacob said, they were already True Mates, so it didn’t matter right?
She shook her head mentally. But no, it did. It was too soon and she was already dangerously close to falling in love with him. Not that that was a terrible thing, but she didn’t know if that was what she wanted.
Although her parents were True Mates, as was nearly everyone in their extended family, they never talked about what that meant exactly nor did they make a big deal about it. Though no one explicitly said anything, Olivia suspected it was because they wanted her and Arch to have a choice. They didn’t want them to be disappointed if they never found their True Mates. A lot of Lycans found love with humans or other Lycans who weren’t their True Mates. They were perfectly happy, though that meant that couldn’t have children and if they did, their offspring were fully human.
And now it seems, there was a case for the opposite. Eli’s parents were True Mates and they didn’t end up together. The need to know what happened to them, to his mother in particular, scratched at Olivia. Had she been from another clan? Or a human who didn’t know about Lycans? Maybe after some time, Eli would be comfortable opening up about her.
“So, Eli, how was meeting Aunt Luna?” Jacob said as soon as they turned into the West Side Highway.
Well, that didn’t take long at all,Olivia thought with a roll of her eyes. But that was Jacob—he just couldn’t keep his mouth shut for more than five minutes.
Eli didn’t answer, though his entire body stiffened.
“Jacob, leave them alone,” Sloane said.
Jacob snickered. “He called herma’am. When we were working with Renee, he didn’t even speak a word to her or to any woman.”
A bead of sweat formed at his brow. It was barely there, but Olivia noticed it, as well as a tinge of fear lacing his scent.
“Oh my God, were you scared of my mother?”
His nostrils flared.
“You were,” Sloane said, slack-jawed. “Aunt Luna is the sweetest human being. And she’s like a walking encyclopedia of fine arts. She loved my story about that time we broke into the MFA.”
“I’m so sorry,” Olivia said. “She’s not usually like that. I think the only men who are afraid of her are my dad and brother.”
“It’s okay.” His lips pursed. “I deserve it.”
“No, you don’t. You did nothing wrong.”
“You barely flinched when you told Killian,” Sloane snorted.
“Him, I could deal with. I knew how he would react after working for him for the past couple of months. Same with Arch.” Turning to Olivia, he said, “But I don’t know anything about your mother. And mothers are different.”
She understood what he was trying to say, but there was also something about the way he said it that made her think if he was talking about his own mother. She wanted to ask more, but she bit her tongue, at least for now.
“Olivia, do have any preference for music?” Sloane began playing with the controls of the audio system, then looked over her shoulder at Olivia. “Or should we listen to a podcast?”
