Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 109329 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109329 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
“Imagine having to tell an alpha that nearly half a day had gone by in my territory and I’d just heard his family member had died. Imagine that, Austin,” I said. “Imagine being the only one who didn’t know all this was going on. How could I possibly call myself a leader? We’re a team. You need to act like it.”
He sagged. His shoulders slumped and remorse came through the bonds. “It would’ve been nicer if you’d yelled. The ‘I’m disappointed in you’ approach is always the worst.”
I huffed out a laugh. “I didn’t realize I was reaching for that approach but…yeah, it fits.”
“It does.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I wanted to try to get ahead of his rumormongering, but he was trying to take control of the discussion in the bar and”—he shook his head—“my beast got in the way. He knew which buttons to push. At one point, I wanted to explode. Kingsley had to step in to distract him and calm things down. Armendale was trying to make me into the hotheaded mess of my youth. He nearly succeeded.”
I put my hand on his chest. “He has a fragile ego. It’s not built on confidence the way yours is. That’s why he has to be the loudest in the room. He was given everything he has, and it doesn’t seem like he’s had to fight to keep it. His leadership isn’t based on strength and power; he just pretends like it is. Which would be fine in the gargoyle world, but shifter culture is different, so he postures. He raises his voice. He talks over people and won’t give Aljoe’s powerful sisters the time of day. He pokes at you and calls you names. You need to stop giving him the power of your attention. Ridicule him. Ignore him. That’s the best way to deal with a guy like that. Assuming he won’t ever challenge, and it doesn’t seem like he will.”
“No, it doesn’t.” He paused, his eyes delving into mine. “Can I hug you?”
I took a step back in answer. We weren’t done yet. “What was the deal with sending the basajaunak away? And the garhettes? And letting the gargoyles hang around and watch?”
He deflated that much more. He’d stand up to a phoenix, but he wouldn’t take on his disappointed mate.
I teared up for no reason and reached out to him. He pulled me into a tight embrace.
“I’m sorry. I fucked up,” he said into my hair. “I was struggling for control. It got to the point where I thought Armendale and his crew were going to attack me. I wouldn’t have survived that, so I told Sue to get everyone away. He passed that on to Tristan—”
“What?” I yanked his head back by his hair. “And you didn’t blast me with emotion, so I’d wake up and come help you?”
He tightened his arms around me, drawing me back in. “There were witnesses. I don’t think he would’ve taken me with a crew just then, but my head was spinning. My beast was raging. Kingsley got there just in time, then Aljoe’s sisters, then Aljoe himself. Sue came back in, and by that point, Armendale started backing down. I regained my footing. As I said, I think he was trying to show people I was still the wild-tempered Black Sheep Barazza…and he almost did.”
I leaned back into him, and he hugged me close, gratefully. “Please don’t get to that point before you call me, okay? I can help with that. I was married to a fragile ego for twenty years. I’ve learned how to handle it.”
“Okay.”
“You’re still in the doghouse, even after I tell you that I faced off with the Elder at very close range. I hit a bunch of gargoyles with stinging pain to make them do what I needed. And—”
“Wait…” He paused for a long moment. “You did what?”
I grimaced into his chest. “Hit gargoyles with—”
“No, no.” He gently pulled back, looking down into my eyes. “What about the Elder?”
“Ultimately, that was your fault.”
“Explain.” I did, and he stared at me with hard, disbelieving eyes. “Jacinta, you are an idiot. She could’ve killed you!”
“That wasn’t one of her options. I only gave her the options of helping or leaving.”
“Why did you stand so close?”
“To make a point that I wasn’t afraid of her. And in that moment, I wasn’t. Mostly.”
“Your gargoyle,” he said in annoyance, bending to glide his lips up my neck. “Truce?”
“Not even remotely!”
He chuckled. His hands reached low and pressed against my thighs. He slid them up, under the fabric. “Bang it out?”
“Bang, sure, but you’re still in trouble.”
His lips settled over mine as he let me work down his pants. His kiss turned needy as he hopped up onto the desk. His keyboard crashed against the ground, followed by his pencil holder and whatever was inside it.