Chapter 3
The Sarge’s irritation soaked her office in tension as I sat beside Angel in front of her desk. “The military is already monitoring all our reports.”
“Our answer is the same,” Angel said.
“I’m sorry,” I added. “I don’t know how I did it.
” We’d returned to the SED precinct, and Victor avoided me.
He wouldn’t even let me apologize. Should I buy him a pastry?
Did vampires eat normal food? Maybe something from the supernatural bakery, like a blood-filled Twinkie or something equally gross?
Was there a standard Hallmark card to say, Sorry for controlling your vampire ass like a zombie; I was just trying to help?
Sergeant Hanna steepled her fingers, closed her eyes, and let out a long breath. “I don’t even want to think of what they will put him through to test his limits. Control would be the least of their worries. The military will do everything they can to make him a weapon of mass destruction.”
“They can’t have him,” Angel said.
“What he said,” I agreed. Who would take care of Grandpa? And Ivan? What if they separated me from Angel? I gripped his hand, worried about how badly I needed him already. “I can control this.”
“You don’t even know what you did,” she threw back at me.
“Isn’t that why you put Woodward on our team? A patron of Lilith?”
“And what if the military decides to target you? You’re the obstacle keeping them from him,” Hanna said pointedly to Angel.
I sucked in a breath as if I’d been sucker-punched and stared at Angel. “Would they do that?”
“Don’t ever ask if the government is willing to cause harm to get what they want.
History is filled with examples,” Hanna said coolly.
“The entire reason we have mate clauses is due to their actions during the demon uprising. If they think it is in their interest to eliminate Angel to have you,” she turned her attention to me, “they will.”
“Fuck,” I said. “What do I have to do to make sure that doesn’t happen?”
“Learn your power. Control and limits.” Her gaze flicked to Angel. “That includes the stuff you might find objectionable.”
“You want him to become a practitioner,” Angel said tightly.
“I want both of you to survive. I want my teams to succeed. If we could close the Veil and shove all the secrets back in the box... I’m not certain even that would make all the power-hungry humans happy. Many would try to reopen the Veil. Some on both sides.”
Angel sighed but squeezed my hand.
“Turns out, being the chosen one in a teenage dystopia is less sexy and more... running for your life between poorly timed love confessions,” I scowled, annoyed that the military and some shadowy god were playing tug-of-war with me like I was the last scrap of firepower at the apocalypse.
“It was not poorly timed,” Angel protested.
“You fucked me senseless, handed me terrible coffee, and called me ‘love’—all before my brain even booted up for the day. Then you told me I’d have a week of hazing before monster WWE began.”
Sergeant Hanna sighed. “Get out of my office.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said, standing up. Angel rose, too, but was slower to leave.
“We may need to keep Jude in the truck with Tiana,” he pointed out.
“You’re field lead. I’ll leave that up to you,” Hanna said.
I hated being sidelined, but I also didn’t want to endanger the team. “Maybe I can ask Lilith to teach me directly?” Having met her once, I got creepy Wednesday Addams vibes from her, but she hadn’t come across as the type to enslave me or demand my children or something.
“We don’t ask favors of gods,” Angel said. “We never know when they will demand a return of something terrible.”
“Oh,” I said, and sat back down, worrying at my lower lip with my teeth.
“I’ll request the archive pull texts on necromancy,” Hanna said. “Sadly, most of our records are journals rather than actual guides.”
“I’ll accept any help I can get,” I said.
“That includes Woodward.”
I swallowed another curse. Angel growled. “He’s handsy.”
“Then I trust you to teach him his place.” She stared at us a long moment before waving at us to leave.
I bolted for the door, desperate to be free.
Angel followed close behind as we headed to our desk to pack up for the day.
I had a long moment of excitement to be free and off callout for the next three days.
Even if it meant prepping my life to be without me for a full week.
“Can we stop at the bakery and get something for Grandpa and Ivan?” I’d grab some stuff for Nikki, too. The constant trips across the Veil no longer bothered my stomach, but I’d been training hard enough this week to feel like I was running on empty.
“Sure. We need to grab foodstuffs anyway,” Angel said as he wove around the bullpen, which was thankfully mostly quiet as everyone was packing up on our team for the weekend.
Even the NHVs would be out with us, stationed in two TVs—tactical vehicles, which were a bit like a cross between a tank and a mini motorhome built for war.
While I didn’t look forward to the week eating, sleeping, and fighting in each other’s pockets, TFW rotation was the reason for my giant pay bump.
I had dreams of increasing my nest egg to buy a house to fit all my weirdness, my little brother, my grandpa, and hopefully my new boyfriend.
I thought that maybe in a year, I could pay cash for something nice, and even afford help to look after Grandpa while I was at work.
Was it too small to be focused on building a home, when the military and some supernatural god were after me? Or deflection?
I jogged to our office and shoved my computer in my bag, hoping to bolt. But Remi walked through our door, a stack of books in his arms, his blue hair tied up in a messy but tiny bun, as he plopped the stack on my desk.
“What the hell, Woodward,” I growled. “This is a weekend off.”
“Just a little light reading to catch you up,” Remi said.
“History of Necromancers and some basic spell stuff.” His gaze flipped to Angel as my man growled.
“Nothing dark, kitty cat. Just simple light spells and tracking, that sort of thing. Not all variants have the ability to do structural magic, but I thought maybe with your supervision, he’d be willing to try. ”
Ezra walked by our office, and Remi stiffened.
“I’m willing to come over and provide more personal training. Show you my ropes,” Remi said, turning on the charm.
Was that how it was? Flirt with me to make Ezra jealous? Hmm.
I shoved the books in my bag and sauntered around the desk to play coy as I watched Ezra pause outside the open doorway at one of the many supply cupboards. Eavesdropping, obviously.
“Ropes, you say?” I asked. “Who’s tied up? You or me?”
Remi blinked. Angel growled low, crushing an empty stainless-steel coffee thermos as he tried to pick it up. Oops. I shot my man an innocent look, which he either ignored or didn’t believe.
Ezra paused in his quest for whatever supply had suddenly gone missing for him right at quitting time. Perfect.
Remi slipped his arm around my shoulders, floating just above actually touching me. “I have the best knots.”
Angel sputtered. The next second, Angel had me flung over his shoulder like a sack of flour, my bag and his wrapped around his other arm.
“Angel, what the hell?” I asked, suddenly staring at his fine ass. This wasn’t a bad angle.
Remi hooted with laughter.
“Have a good weekend,” Wade called after us.
“This is kidnapping, you know,” I said.
“You’re my mate; everyone in the building knows. Not a soul is going to intervene.”
“Good thing I like you,” I said as I relaxed and tried to find a spot on his ass I could bite.
“Don’t bite me unless you want to be ass up in the back of your hearse getting reamed in the parking garage.”
“Kinky,” I said.
He smacked my butt as we made our way down the elevator and out of the building. Everyone wished us a good weekend. I cheerfully replied to them all, though Angel ignored every one of them.
“I wasn’t really flirting,” I said as we hit the parking garage. “I think Woodward is into Ezra.” And maybe vice versa, since our grumpy puppy shifter had been his shadow the whole week.
Angel finally set me down next to my car, but not before giving my ass one last warning smack. I straightened my shirt and patted my stinging butt. “Ow.”
He studied me with his gaze, then finally sighed as he threw our bags in the back seat. “I noticed.”
“Woodward and Ezra?”
“Yes.”
“Then...?”
Angel backed me up against the side of the car, caging me in, his voice a low growl as his lips hovered above mine. “You’re mine.”
“But he doesn’t really want me.”
“You’re a means to an end.”
I swallowed hard as I stared into his dark amber gaze, floored that this beautiful, sexy man wanted me at all. “For everyone but you, right?”
Angel’s growl vibrated against my lips. “For everyone but me.”
Then he kissed me like we weren’t in a parking garage, all teeth and tongue and barely restrained hunger.
His hands fisted in my shirt, pulling me flush against him until I couldn’t tell where his heartbeat ended and mine began.
When he finally broke away, we were both breathing hard, and I was ready to climb him like a tree.
“Maybe we should order delivery and just go home?” I tried to sound neutral, like I didn’t want to drag him to my bedroom and plaster myself all over him.
He leaned into me; breath warm on my face. “It means we’ll have to go out tomorrow and get groceries and supplies. I’d rather run now and have you in bed all weekend.”
“Oh, that sounds nice.”
He yanked open the passenger door and stepped back so I could get in.
“Is this normal?” I asked as I sank into the seat and pulled on my belt.
“What?” Angel asked as he got in the driver’s seat.
“Needing you this much.”
He hesitated, fists tightening on the seatbelt he clicked into place. “Yes.”
“It’s your incredible charm that makes me want to ride you into the sunset? Or our bond?”
He tipped his head my way. “I’d like to think it’s both. The bond and that you like me.” He leaned over to kiss my cheek. “Is this better timing?” he asked.
I blinked, trying to remember what we were talking about. Then it clicked, and I blurted, “No, it’s too soon.”
“Says who?” Angel asked.
How did I answer that when I didn’t know either?
Angel turned on the car and backed us out of the parking garage.
I fiddled with the radio, trying to ignore the pounding of my heart aching to hear the very words that terrified me.
Thankfully he didn’t push the point, or say something neither of us could take back.
Why three little words meant more than a mate bond to me sounded like something I needed to work out with my therapist.