Chapter 38
ROYAL
FIVE MORE MINUTES
“Royal.” Leticia keeps her voice low. She pushes against my side, pulling me out of a dream. “Your phone is ringing. It’s Valor.”
I offer my hand out. “I’ll tell him to get fucked then we can go back to snuggling.”
Yeah. Since he told us to separate from our mate. My wolf yawns and flops back toward sleep.
With a little giggle, Leticia unplugs my phone before putting it in my hand.
Squinting through the dark at the offensive glowing piece of technology, I press the button to answer it.
“Good morning. Please fuck off,” I groan.
“No.” Valor is firm and assertive, and road noises are in the background of the call. “We’re on our way home. I didn’t know if you wanted to bring Leticia over to see Toni right away. I know Kerrianne is dying to come home. Mom said she’d bring her over but . . .”
Despite sounding like a suggestion, I know my older brother isn’t truly leaving the decision up to me. I’m to bring Leticia over to see her cousin shortly after Valor and Antonella get home.
I withhold the attitude I want to give him. “Okay. We’ll get up and ready. About an hour?”
“About an hour.” Valor confirms, and the call disconnects.
I roll from my back toward Leticia, sliding my cell phone back on the nightstand and pulling her close to me. I kiss her forehead and murmur, “Five more minutes.”
“Five more minutes only works if you set an alarm.” Leticia yawns and snuggles into me. “Get some more rest, I’m awake.”
“No, it’s only fun if we’re both sleepy and snuggly together,” I huff but then start kissing her all over.
Ten or so kisses in, Leticia is giggling and pushing against me, trying to escape. I slowly stop and let her go.
“It’s so dark in here, I could barely believe the time on the clock.”
“Yeah, I customized my lair with state-of-the-art blackout curtains because I work odd hours, and it’s just an added level of security for the computers when I’m working.”
I yawn and reach over to the bedside table. The remote is right where I left it. I push the button, and my blinds shift a little, letting in some natural light.
She pushes herself up to sitting and runs her hands back through her hair. “So, I get to see Toni today?”
“Yeah, we’re going to go over with Kerrianne.” I flop back, looking up at her from a new angle.
The most absolutely perfect woman on the entire face of the earth, and I’ve been blessed with this time with her. It’s hardly explainable.
“Should I be nervous?” Leticia uses air quotes with those words.
I shake my head, quick to reassure her. “No, she’s still the same person. Was Antonella prone to being grumpy or irritable?”
“Not really. No more than most people?” Leticia slides out of bed. “Why?”
“Then she’s probably not a grumpy or irritable wolf.” I sit up, moving to follow her. “Wolves tend to be just more intense versions of ourselves. Mine gets even more obsessed with things, people, than I do. But he’s also super loving and just wants everyone to get along.”
“Like when he was mauling me?” Leticia smiles despite the negative connotation in her words.
“Yeah.” I roll my eyes and correct her even though it’s not necessary. “Like when all he wanted was to give you a ton of licks and keep you warm from the cold weather.”
“Okay, if you say so.” Leticia stretches her arms up over the top of her head, and while I love seeing her in my clothes, I’m sad I don’t get a glimpse of her perfect skin underneath.
Something is wrong. My wolf and I feel it at the same time.
There’s nothing wrong with Leticia and me. We’re perfectly comfortable. But it’s like the whole world has shifted its atmosphere, and I can’t get a reading on what it is.
“Go shower. I’ll meet you there. I’ve got a little work to do.” I encourage Leticia.
But it doesn’t matter what program I check; all the camera feeds seem fine, and every system turns up with perfect security protocol. The nagging feeling that something is wrong stays seated in my gut, resting against my spine.