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)
I climbed on top of him, settling against him and then over him, sitting down hard. His body felt like home. He groaned as I moved, his fingers gripping my hips.
“I love you, Jess,” he said, the words riding a breath. “I need you in my life. You make me better.”
I worked him hard, jerking against him. My body wound up and the stress melted away.
“I love you,” I told him, reaching down to massage where I needed it. The desk scraped against the ground, moving across the floor. Maybe scratching it—I didn’t care.
Harder I went. Faster my fingers worked.
The explosion stole my breath. He shuddered beneath me, saying my name like I was divine.
In the aftermath, not totally comfortable in this position but good enough, I lay down over him.
“If ever there was an example of why you’re needed in this convocation,” he said, “you just proved it today. I couldn’t do this without you. I have part of what’s needed, and you are the other part. This place works because we work. Our people are united because we are united. You and me—we bring it all together.”
I felt his heartbeat against my palm. I breathed in his delicious scent. Home.
“You’re still in trouble.” It had to be said.
18
Jessie
“Ah, come on, really?” I asked softly, sagging in the front seat of the Porsche that Tristan had essentially claimed at this point. “This many?”
He had a front-row parking space in the large field we were using for challenges. People stood around the various squares sectioned off with cones, watching, waiting for their turn, or in charge of breaking up the fights. Gargoyles hovered overhead and basajaunak lounged off to the sides.
“Are we going to talk about it?” Tristan asked as he shut off the car.
After I’d left Austin’s office—we hadn’t had much time; he’d had to head here to start monitoring challenges—I’d chatted with Calvin for a moment, reaffirming that we’d host his pack at dinner if he needed a safe and quiet place to unwind. I was supposed to meet with Kingsley and Aljoe’s sisters and the other generational convocation shifters, but I’d met them before. They’d be talking politics and organizational structure. Or maybe alpha gossip. I didn’t want to say that Calvin was a great excuse to get out of it…but he really was.
I’d then met everyone for flying training, showing the new shifters what gargoyles could do in the air. It wasn’t as taxing as normal because I didn’t have to do much magic. I just had to follow along, essentially, grabbed here and there by a gargoyle to pick up speed.
And now here we were, another duty I didn’t much care to bother with. It looked good for me to be here, though. Just like it looked good when Austin joined the gargoyle raids. Didn’t mean I liked it.
And now I wondered if he secretly hated helping with the raids.
In all that time, I hadn’t said two words to Tristan. I was a little put off by what had happened earlier.
I entwined my fingers in my lap. “I’m not sure what there is to say.”
“Try.”
You don’t tell me when to try, I wanted to snap back. I kinda also wanted to blast him from the car. A part of me wanted to cry in frustration. If only a vacation was something I had time for. The stress was starting to get to me. So was the necessity of being an adult.
“Who do you answer to?” I asked.
He went still. “Most of the time, Austin.”
“Well, then. Now we know where we stand.” I moved to get out of the car.
“Wait, wait.” He put his hand on my forearm. “Wait. Stop. Talk to me.”
I sighed. “Austin needed you, Tristan. No one in the bar could call me because of what was going on—though Sue should’ve when he stepped out. He defaulted into the shifter culture, like Austin did. Still, both of you should’ve called me. When Austin gets in trouble, when he is backed against the wall, I need to help him. If Armendale had gone for him, I would’ve lost my true love, Tristan, and that terrifies me.”
Emotion bubbled up. I hadn’t thoroughly processed that information. Hopefully, Austin was right and Armendale was just bringing out his beast. That he didn’t plan to kill Austin right then.
But Armendale had also helped orchestrate a death to make Austin and me look bad. That was mage behavior, and mages did not at all care about rules. If Armendale wanted Austin gone, he and his boys would probably do it and only later come up with a reason why it was justified. Any reason would do.
Austin hadn’t kicked him out yet. He’d debate with the generational alphas tonight about the best way to handle it. Which meant Armendale was still roaming around this place. And now he was pissed.