43. Harlow
Leaving my brother’s office, I shook my head and scoffed under my breath. He was really going to stay upstairs and pretend he wasn’t waiting for her.
Idiot.
When was he going to stop punishing himself for Clarissa?
If he would just give this a chance, and actually get to know Sina for himself, he would see just how different she was.
How perfect. I didn’t know how he stayed away all week.
I’d been with her earlier today in fox form and I already missed her, the hunger of it curling low and insistent, not just want. Instinct.
Ghost heated in my chest, content as ever, his presence a warm coil beneath my ribs. I grinned.
Yeah, well, she’s going to be sleeping with me tonight, not you . His eyes rolled through the bond and I chuckled. He didn’t really care which version of us was with her, just that we were, and I couldn’t agree more.
The ache to be near her amplified as I rounded the hallway and reached the staircase overlooking the foyer, my hearing sharpening, my vision adjusting automatically to the lower light.
Her scent hit me at the same time I stepped onto the landing. Fruity. That faint, impossible note that made my fangs itch behind my lips.
“Something smells good,” her voice drifted up the stairwell, soft and curious. “I’m starving.”
“Nik made dinner,” Kiron said. “Come on, princess, let’s get you fed.”
I smirked. Of course Nik cooked for her. Food was my brother’s silent way of showing he cared. His love language, if you will. Even Ghost hummed approval at that, tail flicking somewhere in my chest.
I started down the stairs, boots thudding lightly against the wood, and Sina came into view.
She looked so fucking tiny between Rafe and Kiron.
She shrugged out of her coat and Rafe hung it in the closet, her hair loose around her shoulders, posture easy in a way I hadn’t seen the first time she’d stepped into this house.
She had been unsure then, on the verge of running right back out the front door, pulse spiking sharp with fear. Now she looked relaxed, smiling as Kiron said something muffled against her neck, too low for me to hear even with enhanced senses.
Her scent sweetened, heat blooming just under her skin. Fuck . Smooth bastard always knew just what to say to turn her on.
My need for her hit me low and fast, that familiar rush. Light and reckless and addictive as hell. The kind that made my blood feel hot and thin, that made my fangs slide a fraction lower without permission. It made me want to laugh for no reason—giddy as hell.
Yep nothing like Clarissa at all.
I couldn’t wait a second longer to touch her for myself.
I took the last stretch in one move, vaulting from the second landing over the railing and landing in a crouch right behind her, knees absorbing the impact silently, predatory grace kicking in without thought.
Sina gasped, spinning around to face me, eyes wide and mouth parted in a perfect o of surprise, her pulse jumping hard enough I could hear it.
I moved before I could overthink it, hooked an arm around her waist, and lifted her clean off the floor.
I spun her once, growling softly into her ear just because I could, letting just enough of the monster bleed through for flavor.
She squealed, laughter bursting out bright and surprised, swatting at my shoulder as I set her back down.
“Harlow put me down!” she laughed, breathless.
There it was. That sound. It made my chest feel light.
Like I’d done something right in a world where I usually just survived things.
Even Ghost preened at it, smug as hell. I was getting dangerously hooked on being the one who pulled that laugh out of her, on the way her joy came easier the more time she spent with us, the more her body trusted the monsters around her.
I was still mostly gloved out of habit—old rules died hard—but touching her had been getting easier. Less calculated. Less like I was bracing for rejection or fear.
I set her back on her feet, my hands lingering just long enough to feel her steady there, before I let go.
And yeah. I already wanted to do it again.
“How was work, darling? I missed you.”
She huffed and rolled her eyes, but the smile never left her lips. “It was a slow shift.”
Her gaze flicked to Rafe before she could stop herself, then darted away like she hadn’t meant to seek him out at all. Curious . A blush crept up her cheeks, tinting her pale skin a pretty pink, her heartbeat skipping once.
Oh. Something definitely happened between her and the bear. I chuckled to myself, already filing that away for later, Ghost’s ears perking with interest, but before I could open my mouth and demand details, Kiron cut in.
“Harlow.” I looked up at him, brow raised. “Let’s feed our girl. Maybe save the questions and commentary until after she’s settled.”
He slipped an arm around Sina as he spoke, and she went easily, her arm circling his lower back as he guided her toward the kitchen like it was the most natural thing in the world, like she belonged there.
‘She does.’
I watched them go, my gaze tracking her until she disappeared around the corner, then turned my attention to Rafe, who was lingering a step behind.
“So,” I said lightly, falling into step beside him. “Did something happen with you and our little mate at work, Rafe? You dirty cub. I’m jealous. ”
Rafe huffed, shaking his head, but the small smile tugging at his mouth told me everything I needed to know.
“You kissed,” I said matter-of-factly.
He shot me a look.
I grinned wider. “Yeah. Thought so.”
I knew how strong his empathic abilities were through touch, how deeply he could sink into someone’s emotions, but an intimate one?
That was a whole different level of influence.
“Is that why she seems so relaxed?”
Rafe nodded once.
I clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Remind me to thank you later.”
He huffed a laugh and moved ahead, following Kiron and Sina into the kitchen, leaving me alone in the foyer.
I lingered behind for a moment, my gaze lifting to the corner of the room where the newly installed camera sat, discreet and easy to miss unless you knew exactly where to look.
Elias never did anything halfway. Same with the locks and security system he’d helped me install in Sina’s building. Protection layered on protection.
I smiled at it, fangs pressing briefly against my lower lip.
“I’m going to make you regret not coming downstairs, brother.” I grinned, lifting both hands to flip off the camera.
If Nik thought distance was going to save him, he was wrong. I was going to have to get creative. And the only way I knew how was to let a certain little temptress do what she did best.
Provoke a monster.
“Are you coming to eat?” she called from the kitchen doorway.
“I’m hungry for something else.”
She froze for half a second, then laughed it off like she hadn’t heard exactly what I meant.
But the blush betrayed her anyway, blooming slow and pretty across her cheeks.
There it was again. Every time she laughed like that, something in me tightened.
Addiction wasn’t the right word. Not quite. But it was close.
‘ Feral ,’ Ghost supplied.
“ Careful , darling,” I murmured as I closed the distance between us. “You keep looking at me like that and I’m going to start thinking you’re tempting me on purpose.”
She opened her mouth to argue. I didn’t give her the chance. I caught her gently, pulling her back against me, her spine fitting easily to my chest. She let out a quiet breath and tipped her head back without even thinking, resting it against my shoulder. That trust hit harder than any kiss.
I walked her forward like that, slow and unhurried, guiding her toward the kitchen with her back to my front. I dipped my head, running my nose along the curve of her neck and into her hair, breathing her in. Strawberry. Warm skin. That faint note that made my fangs ache.
She hummed softly, unaware of just how dangerous that sound was, and let me guide her the rest of the way into the kitchen.
Fuck.
Did I want to taste her right now?
Abso-fucking-lutely. Every instinct screamed for it.
Ghost urged me closer. But I didn’t. I nipped her sensitive skin teasingly, then eased back, pressing a soft kiss into her hair instead.
Patience. We’re going to play with our girl first. Force that stick out of Nik’s ass.
I grinned up at the camera in the kitchen.
I could be patient when I needed to be. Especially when the reward was her.