Page 37

JAXSON
Ring.Ring.
I grumble as I reach for my cell phone and see the general’s name flash across the screen. Fuck my life, this can’t be good.
Was I too hard on Aurora? Should I have minded my own fucking business?
Knowing I can’t ignore his call, I hit the green button. “Hello?”
It took forever to fall asleep last night because I couldn’t stop replaying my conversation with Aurora. “Did I wake you, Rivers?”
“No, Sir.” I rub a hand over my face. “Everything okay with Lykos?”
As much as I want to know how Aurora is doing after our visit yesterday, I don’t want to appear eager to ask questions. The general is very perceptive, and it would raise suspicions that his daughter is constantly invading my thoughts.
“He’s fine. Made himself right at home.”
“I was hoping he’d be a good fit.”
“Aurora asked me to call,” General Parks admits. Tiredness forgotten, I bolt upright and wait with baited breath for him tocontinue. “She asked me to have you come back over today, if possible.”
“Do you know what she wants?”
“No, and I didn’t ask.” He pauses. “I don’t know what happened between you two yesterday, but today was the first day I saw a glimpse of the old her.”
“General?” I need an explanation.
“She ate breakfast and smiled for the first time in weeks,” he says proudly. “Whatever you did, keep doing it.”
Little does he know, I’d do anything for Aurora. The more time I spend with her, the more her soul calls to mine. I’ll never press her for anything other than friendship, and if that’s all she ever offers, I’ll gladly accept the hand-out. Make no mistake, if she ever shows any interest, though, she’ll be mine. Either way, no one will ever touch her again without her permission.
“What time do you want me to come over?”
“As soon as you can. I don’t want to give her a chance to get inside her head and change her mind.”
Even though my heart is racing at the possibility of spending more time with Aurora. I pretend to ponder my schedule for the day.
“I have to meet up with the team before lunch.” I head toward the living room. “How about I grab a pizza and head over there after that? Around noon?”
“Perfect. Aurora likes supreme.”
“Supreme. Got it.”
General Parks clears his throat. “Appreciate it, Rivers.”
“I just hope I can help.”
“If anyone can, it’s you,” he says before disconnecting the call.
A million scenarios run through my head as to what Aurora could possibly want. Maybe she wants me to show her some more commands for Lykos, not that there’s much to show her.Yazzie told me to give her his number, and he’d be glad to give her some training techniques if there were more skills she wanted the Wolamute to learn.
Maybe she forgot some hand signals? Who cares? Either way, you get to see her again.
I step toward the bathroom when a knock at the front door stops me. “Fuck,” I mumble. This is what happens when you move into an apartment complex and live on the same floor as your entire team: easy access to each other at all hours of the day.
I should’ve bought a house.
I throw open the door and glare. “What do you assholes want?”