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Nadia stays quiet as I finish the thermos, screwing the top back on and doing my best to stay cool and casual as I stand, placing the thermos on top of the small storage container that holds my clothes.

When I turn back to her, I have to admit that I’m surprised to see her again pouring fruit gummies into her hand. “Oh, come on,” she says, rolling her eyes at me with a long sigh, clearly sick of the silence and forcing herself to be casual too. “Can we please stop beingweird?” She pops the gummies in her mouth and I smile, sitting down on the bed next to her.

“I can’t believe youeatthem like that,” I murmur, watching another handful disappear into her mouth.

She frowns at me even as she chews and swallows. “Like what?”

I sit down in the center of the bed, studying her. “Like – you justeatthe rainbow. You don’t even sort them according to color or flavor –“

“Oh mygod,” Nadia groans, whipping out a foot and kicking me on the leg, making my smile deepen. “All youdois police my eating –“

“That issonot all I do –“

“What, do you want me to sort them into color? And type? And make a strategic decision about which flavor of gummies to eat in what order?”

I lean closer, holding her gaze. “Yeah.”

She bursts out laughing and smacks me twice on the shoulder before pouring more candy into her hand. “They’remeantto be eaten this way – you’re supposed to experience the entire rainbow at once –“

“Well, if that’s true, then you should eat a selection of one of each flavor and color so that none is overbalanced.”

“Control freak,” she mutters.

“Psychopath.” I turn slightly, my back to her, and start to lay myself down, letting my eyes fall shut.

“Hey!” Nadia scoots slightly to the right to make space for my head and shoulders as they move toward her. “Excuse you! I am sitting here!”

“Please, I am exhausted,” I mutter, shaking my head and stretching out.

“There is no room for two people on this bed!”

“There’s plenty.” I shake my head, nestling it into the mattress, careful not to mention that the true benefit of this position is that I can feel the warmth of her next to me, can fully smell her scent. Which is…very nice.

“Halfof you isoffthe bed, Cole!”

She’s not exaggerating – one leg is curled beneath me, the other stretched out with my foot on the floor, my butt right on the edge. Still, I wouldn’t move for anything. “Just…indulge me, Nadia,” I murmur, shaking my head, not giving in, knowing that she’s gotplentyof room next to me. “I have had thelongestday.”

“Fine,” she sighs, pretending to be pouty. Her gummy bag crumples again as she spills out some more. “So, are you going to tell me what happened at the Children of Solace town?”

I hum lightly, the sound affirming.

“Was it romantic?” she asks, teasing.

I snarl, indicating it was not. She laughs. I smile.

This is so great, my wolf sighs, laying flat as a pancake in my soul.

“All right, Kincaid,” Nadia murmurs, leaning back against the bed frame and putting her empty candy wrapper aside. “Spill.”

My heart very warm and cozy, I tell her everything that happened tonight.

Chapter 40 – Spoiled

Nadia

“Wow,” I whisper, looking down at Cole. “That’s…crazy.”

In my mind, I turn over everything he just told me about the trip to the Children of Solace and his meeting with my dad. Heconvenientlyleaves out the part about Rose being topless in his tent but…well. I forgive him for that because I’m pretty sure I caught everything.