“Lucifer threatened to expose me to Etan if I told her.”
MJ nodded, understanding smoothing away the pity. “And you fear you’ll lose her completely if you tell her now.” There was no reason to confirm what she already knew. “Make your story, Ronen.”
“What?”
MJ glanced out the large windows toward the Eternal Forest. The trees’ glow couldn’t be seen, only the splotch of light illuminating the night sky.
“It was something Knox used to say,” she said softly. “At first, he’d say it before we went on any dangerous missions, thinking it’d hype me up. His own personal pep talk. Eventually, when he finally weaseled his way beneath my skin, he said it before we did anything together, or I wasthreatening to stab him.” She touched her bone dagger, circling a finger around the handle. “He’d open his arms wide, flash his infuriating grin, and say, ‘Let’s make a story, Foxfire.’ It was his way of saying, come what may, let’s live life with abandon.”
“Did he regret his words after you stabbed him?”
She dropped her head, took a deep breath, and after a moment, she turned back to me. “No. It was good foreplay.” She winked, her smile suggestive, but then her teasing light fizzled, her charade failing. She hurt. “Live without reservations, Ro. Make your story. And maybe try taking her on a date.”
“A date? With everything that’s going on?”
She notched an arrow. “We all need a reprieve once in a while, or we forget why life’s worth living. Especially in a place designed to make us suffer.”
“Thanks, Mari?—”
MJ pivoted with her notched arrow. “You say my name, and this goes through your leg.”
I smirked, tempted to voice the rest of the lengthy syllables. Instead, I tauntingly bowed and left the temperamental female with her violent therapy. My own was spent drilling combinations into a punching bag and wondering about Lucille’s ideal date. Except every time I thought of something, a nauseous fluttering invaded my gut. Then I resorted to thinking about my missing Dread and the infected, which only made me exert myself more just to get rid of my anger. Which then led me to thoughts about a date with Lucille.
“Maybe Lucille would be fine with hunting for infected Damned as a date,” I muttered to myself.
Who was I kidding? Even if I thought of a nice date, she’d probably deny me.
I slammed my fist so hard into the bag grain spilled from the hole I had made.
Seven Hells, I wasn’t cut out for this.
I dragged a hand through my hair, grimacing at the amount of sweat. I shucked off my shirt, wiping my face and neck, then decided I was better off taking a break to shower.
Hearing her voice in our hall, I tensed as I rounded the corner.Alexei was in uniform and talking to her outside the pet’s door. His wingtips barely touched the ground anymore, and he had fewer bandages than before. Sam’s healing sessions must be going well. It loosened something in my chest.
I moved, and they both looked over.
Alexei smirked. “Pulling a page from my book, Ro?”
I had no idea what he meant. Not until Lucille’s eyes widened on my body, and desire seared through our bond. My cock twitched while I gritted my teeth and held my shirt in front of my erection.
Alexei’s grin turned wicked, and I knew I wasn’t going to like the next thing out of his mouth. “Why are you holding your shirt so low, Ro?”
Luckily, the pet opened the door just as Alexei asked, distracting Lucille.
I quickly leaned over to Alexei’s ear. “If you value your consciousness, I’d shut it.”
“If you even can. My mental barriers are sound,” he taunted.
I contemplated attempting it just to see how strong they were. Then decided if they weren’t that strong, I didn’t feel like carrying his unconscious ass to his room.
“What’s going on?” I asked to change the subject.
“Beautiful and I were just discussing our date,” Alexei explained.
“Date?” The pet and I spoke simultaneously. We had to stop doing that.
Alexei held out his hand with little bolts zipping between his fingers. “We’re going to the Shard Field to have some fun.”
