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THIRTY

Fiona

R eed was already awake and out of our room by the time I woke up, but when I went to the bathroom, I spotted a little handwritten note from him next to my toothbrush.

Off to work on some business. Enjoy your morning, and meet me for lunch in the restaurant at noon?

Yours,

Reed

I traced my fingers over the tidy lettering, a warm thrill shooting through me at the way he signed it. True to his word, he’d kept his distance, letting me lead the physical contact between us at my own pace. It was a little strange, sharing the same bed, living together in such close quarters, and just sleeping next to each other at night, with no expectations of sex.

But somehow, the closeness, the anticipation… It was like this constantly building tension, which was delectable in its own way.

Part of me was ready to take the next step, to try something small. The bigger part was still terrified. I had the lid firmly on Pandora’s box right now, and opening it even a crack felt utterly stupid.

When I walked into the gym a bit later, lost in my thoughts, I nearly bumped into Elodie, who was doing what looked like tai chi in an open area with squishy mat flooring in front of a wall of mirrors.

“Morning,” she said cheerily, sidestepping me with ease and adapting her flow like the pro she was.

“Geez, sorry! Good morning,” I dropped my phone and earbuds on the nearest bench and just watched her for a moment while I stretched.

“You into tai chi?” she asked as she seamlessly changed forms. Her dark hair was pulled back in a messy bun, and her teal workout set offset her light complexion perfectly. I was very certain I’d never looked that pretty in the gym in my entire life, but for Elodie, it was effortless. “You’re welcome to join me.”

“I’m not sure I’m coordinated enough for that, but it looks cool.”

She laughed, the sound melodic and free. “It’s not as hard as it looks, and you can go at your own pace. Come on, give it a try.”

“Okay, if you’re sure I won’t be in your way?”

“Not at all. This is just my warm-up.”

I stepped onto the mat beside her and started copying her positions. She slowed down so I could follow her, occasionally offering a minor correction to my pose. But within a few minutes, I’d sunk into the flow of the thing, losing myself to concentration on the physical.

When she finally stopped and went to grab her water bottle, I blinked as if coming up from a trance.

“Are we done?”

She shook her head at me incredulously. “You said you’ve never done it before, but we just completed a full hour-long flow, and that was a pretty advanced one. You’re a natural.”

“Wow. I had no idea it had been so long. Once you get into it, it’s so…” I faltered, lost for words.

“Meditative? I do tai chi when I need to think.”

I nodded, sipping my own water slowly. I definitely had a lot to think about these days.

“You want to talk about it?” she asked as she stepped up onto an elliptical machine.

I trailed after her, opting for an exercise bike instead. I’d had a seizure on an elliptical once. Not an experience I was eager to repeat, and my elbow twinged just thinking about it.

“I’m not even sure it would make any sense,” I finally said, once I had the machine set and started pedaling.

“Well, you never know until you try. I’m a good listener. No judgment, I promise.”

I swiped the sweat off my forehead and cast her a thoughtful glance. She seemed like such an open book, a happy, free person… It was hard to imagine her understanding my internal struggles over the evil lurking inside.

But then, I’d never have guessed she was orphaned at three or had essentially been pawned off by her adoptive family to spare their own bio daughter. She’d clearly dealt with her own demons, so what the fuck did I know?

“I’m scared to be intimate with Reed because I’m worried my powers will come out if I lose control and I’ll hurt him again. Or one of you.”

“So that was you on the plane, huh? Never would have guessed his uptight ass was that good in the sack.”

“Elodie!”

She chuckled. “Sorry. He just seems like he’s permanently got a stick up his ass. All those button-ups? It’s weird. But I’m glad you like him.”

We both worked in silence for a while, so long that I thought maybe that was all she was going to say about the issue, when she surprised me by breaking the silence again.

“Sometimes fear of a thing gives it more power. Power is like a sword. Sure, it could be deadly. It could lop somebody’s head off, if that’s what you want to use it for. But swords aren’t just used to kill. They can be used for protection. It’s all about how you train, how you use your talents. But if you’re too scared to even try, that’s a surefire way to hurt yourself, hurt those you care about because you don’t know what you’re doing.”

“Well, fuck. When you put it like that, there’s only one clear answer, isn’t there?”

She just laughed and turned up the elliptical to max speed.

* * *

Reed looked good enough to eat when I met him inside the doors of the hotel restaurant, which did nothing to ease the nerves consuming my belly at what I’d decided to tell him.

I was ready for the next step—to start training with my powers, learning how to control them. Just admitting it to myself was difficult. But opening that door with him… It was a whole new level of anxious anticipation.

He held my chair out for me like the gentleman he was, even helping me scoot it in once I was seated.

The waiter poured us glasses of water and told us the day’s specials, then left us to peruse the menu in peace.

“The pasta sounds good,” I said, eyes unfocused as I stared down at the menu.

“Pasta is always a safe bet when in Italy.”

I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t sit here and make small talk with my decision hanging over me like a dark cloud.

“I’m ready to start working with my powers. I talked to Elodie, and she said that it’s like a sword, and you’re more likely to chop your own arm off if you don’t know what you’re doing than if you just suck it up and put in the work to learn.”

Reed looked up from his menu, unfazed by my word vomit as he took a sip from his crystal-stemmed glass. It looked stupidly small and dainty in his large hands, and I couldn’t help but remember how those hands had felt burning me up with every little touch.

Desire knotted my belly, sending shivers of want down my spine. Fuck, I needed him to say something. Anything.

“Whenever you’re ready, I’m ready.”

That was it? After I’d been in knots for days, he was completely composed and unbothered?

I snatched up my own water glass, accidentally gulping down too much in an attempt to cool off and then coughing as I tried and failed to swallow too much at once.

He merely raised an eyebrow and passed me his cloth napkin. Suave bastard.

Finally, once I’d stopped sputtering, he asked, “Does it embarrass you, to think about working with your powers?”

“No, not that. It’s more the other things that go along with the powers that seem like something taboo we shouldn’t be discussing in public.”

He chuckled darkly, the sound sending a shiver through me.

“So, you’re over there thinking about my tongue in your pussy right now, and just the thought is enough to have you choking on your water? Good to know.”

“Reed!” I could feel the blush heating my cheeks as the waiter walked back up and took our order. I could barely mumble out that I wanted the day’s pasta special without tripping over my words.

He was completely and utterly shameless, in a way that was devastating as much as it was a turn-on. I’d never been with a man like him, and I wasn’t sure I could keep up.

Thankfully, he took pity on me and changed the subject.

“I finally heard back from the dwarven ambassador, and we’re going to be going to Neftheim for a welcome feast tomorrow night.”

“Umm, sir, that is way more important a headline than me deciding to work on my powers. How long will it take us to get there?”

“A couple of hours, but a lot of that is security more so than distance. We chose this hotel because it’s the closest to the tunnel road down to Neftheim. I’d recommend wearing your warmest clothes and packing an overnight bag. It’s pretty chilly underground.”

“You’ve been to the city before?”

“I’ve been to a dwarven city when I was a kid. But not this one. They’re pretty special. I think you’ll enjoy the trip.”

“And the king—do you have any ideas what he might ask for in exchange for the stone?” I had been trying not to worry about it, but everyone’s reactions when Lisanne had said there would be a price had made me nervous.

The waiter arrived just then with our plates, and we both thanked him and took our first bites before Reed answered.

“It’s more likely to be a task than it is a monetary price. The dwarven king is older than dirt and richer than Croesus. He doesn’t need more gold. It could be anything. Something he needs, or even just something difficult he thinks we won’t be willing to do, if he doesn’t want to give us the stone. Dwarves are often reticent, wary of outsiders.”

I nodded, soaking it all in. “Do you think it will be dangerous, this task?”

“It could be, or safe but highly unpleasant.”

“Like what? I feel like I know so little about your world, I can’t even imagine.”

He smiled, stroking his thumb over the back of my hand. “ Our world now. He could want us to bargain with the pixie king, secure him trade route access in the north through the tundra, or—and this is the one I think is most likely—he could want some kind of personal treaty with Kane. A new high alpha is an opportunity that doesn’t come along very often. Kane’s father ruled for nearly five hundred years, his grandfather a full thousand. The fact that Kane is young and unencumbered by ties to other species yet means the dwarven king could be one of the first to form an alliance with the superpower of the shifter world.”

“All things considered, that doesn’t sound too bad. But you say shifter world—aren’t there other species of shifters? Surely wolves aren’t it.”

Reed grinned at me. “Very perceptive, mate. Yes, there are many other types of shifters. Felines, avians, bears… It’s actually an impressive list. But most of them are loners, without the kind of pack structure wolves have. Bears are the second-largest shifter society, but they’re a hundredth the size of the wolves.”

“Wow. Okay, so Kane is actually a pretty big deal in the supernatural world?” He seemed so normal. Even I could tell he was powerful, but thus far, I hadn’t seen him flex any of it, aside from the little bit in the courtyard when he ordered the females away from Reed.

“A very big deal. That’s why Petró Varga wants to take him down and usurp his position as high alpha.”

“Don’t wolves just fight if there’s a question about who should lead? Can’t Kane challenge him to a duel or whatever the wolf equivalent is?” I scraped the bottom of my plate of delicious fresh pasta bathed in savory tomato-sauce goodness, then moved on to the bread and plate of tiny scrumptious cheeses they served with every meal here. I was learning so much, I didn’t want the meal to end.

“If it weren’t for Brielle, that’s exactly what he would do. But Petró started a rumor that Brielle is an omega, which means everyone is hunting our pack right now.” His expression turned dark at the reminder of his pack’s grim situation.

“Hence the reason she can’t leave the enclave, and he can’t leave her to deal with Petró.”

“Exactly.”

“So, we get this stone, she reins in her power, and then…what? He comes out of hiding, wipes the floor with Petró, and everything’s just gravy?”

“Not quite. Petró is only the first in a line of issues. We tried to get the IGC to adjust their laws on omegas, give them a chance to grow up and prove they were not a threat to society. But when Petró came out with his accusations, they threw out our petition. Brielle’s existence is still illegal. Kane is working on getting the other packs on our side as we speak, call by call with the other Alphas who’ve already pledged loyalty. But once Petró’s taken care of and the infighting stops, the packs are going to be up against all the other species who want omegas to stay dead.”

I sat back in my chair, saddened by all of it. It was nothing short of genocide to wipe an entire designation off the planet, and hurt the whole species as a result.

“What if they don’t listen, won’t bend?”

He tapped the table, staring down at the empty plates between us. When he looked up, his eyes glowed icily with his wolf.

“Then we fight.”