Page 42 of Ondine: Vol. 2

“Give me…give me a minute,” her breathy voice calls out from the other side of the door.

I turn to Shadow and say, “As soon as she opens this door, I’m grabbing her. You deal with the beta.”

“Deal with him?”

I roll my eyes. “Don’t hurt him. Just…be a better beta keeper. Get his location on our security app. Finish up the nest.”

The door flies open and I don’t even let my eyes focus before I’m yanking Ondine out of there. Shadow rushes past me, pushing Arnold in. The door shuts with me and Ondine alone in the alley.

“You naughty girl.”

I get my hands on her upper arms and pull her into me.

“Jake!” She cries.

“Yes, baby?” God, I love being this close to her. Her body pressed into mine. She doesn’t fight me at all as I pull us even closer.

“Are you mad at me?”

“No, baby. But I am wondering why you are fucking a beta in a bathroom when Freddie told me you were coming to the house.”

I won’t let her turn her face from me. I want every expression, every breath. I don’t want her to hide from me.

She darts her eyes all over, not wanting to meet my eyes. Finally she just closes them and says, “I needed some fresh air. The drive was long. I…Jake, I’m sad to be apart from Freddieand I needed a minute out of that car before I was suddenly at your house.”

I wrap my arms around her and tuck her under my jaw. She hugs me back.

“You weren’t having doubts?”

“No, I just got a bit in my head. I needed fresh air.”

“So you ran into a beta and decided to fuck him in a public bathroom?” I tease.

“Well, yeah.”

“Come on, let me take you home.”

I take her to my car, and open the passenger side door of my car and she climbs in. I shut the door and race to the driver’s side.

The car already smells of her when I get inside. And Arnold. The exact combination from the first day I’d found her. I push the start button but lean back and fill my lungs. It smells like all the anticipation and excitement from that day.

Ondine misses Freddie.

I understand being apart from your love.

“It’s been horrible without you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I don’t say that for you to be sorry…I’m sorry. I just missed you.”

I pull away from the curb and drive.

“What’s Shadow going to do to him?” She asks.

“He’s fine. He won’t hurt him.”

She hears the truth in my reply.