Chapter 3
THREE
SLOAN
“Tell me you’re joking.” Sloan looked over to Kade, who stood beside Aareth in the laboratory. He still moved gingerly, the lump of white gauze showing through his cream-colored shirt. “And you should be getting some rest.”
“He’s not joking.” Kade grimaced in discomfort as he propped himself against a stainless steel table.
“And I’ve already spent a day in bed. I’m going to go crazy if you leave me alone for another twenty-four hours.
I need to be out and doing something. I’m not a domesticated shifter, if you haven’t noticed. ”
Sloan rolled her eyes. She wasn’t going to get anywhere arguing with Kade. He was a grown man and would make his own decisions. Aareth, on the other hand, wasn’t thinking straight. He was still reeling from the loss of his wife and the newfound knowledge that he had lost an unborn child.
“You’re giving every single one of them the bite?
” Sloan threw her own stack of files on the table next to Aareth’s.
The two had taken the afternoon to go through the recommended Azra candidates.
“I haven’t found anyone in my files remotely sane.
They’re all either hungry for power or driven to accept the bite out of desperation to stem the coming tide. ”
“Isn’t that enough?” Aareth crossed his arms over his chest. “You and I would do the same if it meant protecting the people we love.”
“These people aren’t thinking straight.” Sloan shook her head. “They don’t understand the sacrifice, the consequences that will follow.”
Sloan found herself in a familiar position. She and Aareth were at it again, both headstrong and stubborn.
“I don’t know, this guy doesn’t look to bad.
” Kade had made his way over to Aareth’s stack of files and began leafing through one.
“Jaxon Alexander, spent five years in the Azra guard. Says he has a quick temper, psych evaluation on the low end of passive-aggressive. He’s in his twenties. Sounds coach-able to me.”
Sloan raised her eyebrow, skewering Kade with a look that would have melted ice.
“Or not.” Kade closed the folder and put it back. “What do I know? I’m just a lowly shifter, not a super soldier or beast, like you two.”
“It’s not your decision.” Aareth shrugged toward Sloan. “They’ll be my responsibility, not yours. I’ll keep them in line.”
“We’re going to have a pack of unruly werewolves running around Azra if this goes wrong.
” Sloan shook her head, thinking of how hard it was to get Aareth to behave and what it took for him to control the animal inside.
“It’ll be on your head if they kill someone while they’re learning to harness their beast within. ”
“It’ll be on my head.” Aareth nodded over to Sloan’s stack of files, making a weak attempt at changing the subject. “So you haven’t found anyone, huh? Not a single winner in the bunch?”
“Before I let you change the subject, at least promise me you’ll actually meet them before you decide to give them the bite.
” Sloan sighed, realizing she wasn’t going to win the argument, but unwilling to concede without a fight.
“If you don’t do it for yourself, do it for them. They deserve that much.”
Aareth nodded his consent.
“So, now that that’s settled.” Kade raised his eyebrows at Sloan with an exhale of relief. “How’re you going to break it to the powers that be here in Azra that you’re not giving any of their prescreened candidates the bite?”
“That’s simple.” Sloan shrugged. “I’m going to be honest with them. I’m going to tell them exactly what I think. If they push back, I’ll meet with a few of their candidates, but I doubt they’re going to change my mind.”
“I’m still trying to get over the bomb you dropped on us earlier.” Kade shoved the remains of an apple pie into his mouth. He talked around the food. “Croft is the queen’s sister?”
Sloan looked at Kade, then to the tables around him, trying to figure out where he had gotten the piece of pie.
“Did you just pull that pie out of your pocket?” Aareth was smiling—a rare event. “I swear I just saw you take that out of your front pants pocket.”
“What? You guys don’t have pocket pie in New Hope?” Kade took another bite of the crumbling mess in his hand. “Elwood hooks me up with his little conjuring trick whenever I’m running low. I can share if you guys want some.”
“Did you just say ‘pocket pie’?” Sloan extended a hand, waving the offer away. “I don’t know how you stay in shape with what you eat.”
“Oh, not you, too.” Kade shook his head. “I have a fast metabolism. All the shifting tires out a sabertooth. I need to keep up my carb intake.”
“You know, I like you.” Sloan realized she was grinning from ear to ear. Despite how ridiculous Kade was, it was hard not to laugh. Whether he was doing it to lighten the mood or not really didn’t matter. “But that’s disgusting.”
“If by ‘disgusting,’ you mean ‘delicious’”—Kade offered the piece of pie to Aareth—“well then, yes, it’s disgusting.”
“Oh, what the heck.” Aareth waved over Kade. “I’m hungry and stressed. I deserve a bite.”
“That’s a good wolf.” Kade offered his sticky mess of apple and crumb goodness to Aareth.
Aareth took a large bite right out of Kade’s hand, laughing as he did.
“You two belong together.” Sloan’s laughter filled the room.
“It’s … it’s actually not that bad.” Aareth laughed out loud. “That little gnome knows how to conjure some pie.”
“Come on.” Kade extended the last bite of mess in his hand to Sloan. “Your mouth is saying no, but your eyes are saying yes.”
“Oh, my gosh.” Sloan was crying. “I have a feeling that’s not the first time you’ve used that on a girl.”
“Come on, give into peer pressure. You know you want to.” Kade took a step forward, stretching his hand out toward Sloan.
Kimberly walked in at that moment. The gargoyle looked from Aareth’s pie-stained face to Kade’s messy hand and Sloan’s hysteria.
“You humans are morons.” Kimberly rolled her grey eyes. “I don’t even want to know what barbaric ritual is taking place here. Croft says to get ready. She’s taken the lead on scheduling a few interviews for Sloan.”