“Don’t get up,” I murmur when the doorman downstairs calls up about the food arriving. I slip on a pair of pants and pull on a t-shirt. “I’ll be right back.”
“Are we eating in bed?” she calls after me.
“Yes.”
I don’t ever want her to leave my bed. I’m going to keep her naked and available to me for the rest of the night. And tomorrow morning. In fact, we can ditch work and stay in between the sheets all day long.
That thought puts a cocky smile on my face as I open the door and accept the large bag of food. When was the last time I smiled? I can’t even remember.
All I know is my wolf is tremendously soothed by having Madi in my place. I love having her scent on my skin, her taste on my tongue. I know bringing her home doesn’t solve my bigger problems, but it’s a temporary reprieve from the need that was tearing me apart.
It buys me time while I figure out how to make this work. I wanted to mark Madi when we had sex. Or rather, my wolf did. It’s time to accept the fact that my wolf chose a human as his mate. I need to claim her forever as mine. I have to trust that nature knows best, despite the destruction mating her could bring on my life.
I need to talk to my team. I need them onboard with this. By my side. Maybe there’s a way to keep Madi and the pack. There has to be.
I grab a couple forks from the kitchen and carry the food back to bed, along with bottles of the fancy water I like. Madi rolls her eyes when she sees them. She’s sitting up in my bed, the sheet wrapped around her waist, her skin flushed like she’s a goddess.
“Oh my God. You have the same water here? You really do like it.”
“Of course I do.” I unscrew the cap and hand one to her.
“I thought maybe that was just one of those ridiculous challenges you set up to test me. Like the 6 degrees Celsius thing.”
My adorable, brilliant assistant. “You didn’t fall for any of it, did you?”
Her smile is unguarded. Warm. “You must know by now that I love a challenge.”
“I do.” I open all the containers and spread them between us on the bed. There are seven in all-steak, salmon, two different salads, scallops, chicken, and pasta. “Take your pick, Windows.”
She reaches for the salmon. I note her choice with interest. I want to learn all her quirks. What she likes. What she hates. What I can do to make her life fulfilling.
My wolf is desperate to take care of her. To feed her, protect her, satisfy her.
He’s desperate to mark her, but it’s far too soon for that. She just found out I’m a wolf. I’m not about to explain the entire fated mate situation and the fact that my wolf needs to sink his teeth into her and embed my scent in her delicate human flesh to prove she’s mine. Marking a human is a dangerous business-another reason shifters and humans don’t usually mix. She doesn’t have the natural healing properties wolves do. My bite will cause her lasting pain and permanent scars. If I hit an artery, it could kill her. Then, there’s always the chance of infection.
I pick up the container with the steak and devour it. Shifting makes me hungry as hell.
“Is your helicopter pilot a wolf?” Madi licks a drop of sauce from the corner of her mouth and my dick goes hard again.
“Acker? No.”
“So that’s why he was placed in the servant’s quarters at Thanksgiving, too?”
I take the empty container of food from her hands and set it aside on my bedside table. “They weren’t servant’s quarters. I told you that before, Windows. I wanted you as far away from me as possible because of your scent.”
“What about it?”
“It drives me insane.”
She blinks at me. “In a good way?”
“In an insane way. Like an itch I can’t scratch.”
“I’m an itch you can’t scratch?”
“You’ve been the worst kind of temptation to me, Madison Evans. Sassy and smart with this citrus and spice scent that makes me want to devour you.” I fist her hair in the back to pull her face to mine for a kiss.
The scent of her arousal blooms between us.
“What about Genevieve?”
“What?” I’m thinking about kissing those lips until they’re swollen, but of course Madi’s still putting everything together in that genius brain of hers.
“Is she a wolf?”
“No. Just a well-paid HR exec.”
I watch her as her mind turns. “Jerry!” She lifts her gaze to mine in triumph.
“The janitor? Yes. How’d you guess?”
“He doesn’t follow the same rules as the other janitors. He doesn’t wear the uniform. Indira said there are certain people who seem like they get special treatment at Moon Co.”
“That’s because I trust wolves more. Jerry is the only janitor I allow on the executive levels to clean. There’s too much at risk to trust a human.”
“I’d like to unpack that prejudice with you at some point, but I have too many immediate questions.”
I stack the uneaten food containers on the floor beside the bed. “Ask away, Windows.”
“Does it hurt?”
“What? Shifting? No. I mean, it’s not always comfortable, but it doesn’t hurt.”
“Will you show me your wolf again?”
I smile indulgently and stand up from the bed to remove my clothes. Madi sucks in a sharp breath when I shift, drawing back. I jump up on the bed beside her. She tentatively reaches for me and strokes my fur.
“My what big teeth you have,” she murmurs, but when I smile, showing more fang, she yanks her hand back like she’s afraid.
I shift back, chuckling.
“Does the government know?”
“There are some incidences of government captivity and testing on our kind. An attempt to create super soldiers or something. There are also private collectors and crazy scientists who have captured shifters for their personal gain. There’s a clandestine group called Venators who capture shifter juveniles to hunt them when they first shift.”
“That’s…horrible.”
“Yes. Two more questions, and then I’m going to ravish you again.”
Her eyes light up. “Are you?”
“Yes. Scratch that. You’re out of questions. I need to be inside you again.”
It’s not hyperbole. My wolf wants to mark Madi with a desperation I feel all the way in my bones. Sex is the only answer. I just need to tide him off with lots and lots of sex.
Madi
Madi
Driving into Moon Co with Brick is a surreal experience. He pulled a Big Bad Boss on me and insisted I “work” from home with him yesterday, which basically meant staying naked in his bed and getting pleasured so often my throat went hoarse from crying out.
This morning, he drove me to my apartment and picked up lattes for us while I changed into fresh clothes.
Basically the last thirty-six hours have blown all my synapses. Werewolves exist. And vampires. And my boss is not just the Big Bad Boss, he’s the Big Bad Wolf.
He pulls into the office building’s garage and parks.
I feel like I should duck down and hide, so people don’t see me driving in with the boss. I mean, how much more obvious could it get?
“I shouldn’t walk in with you,” I say as we walk toward the elevator.
“You’re mine,” Blackthroat growls, almost like he’s responding to some invisible threat. “No one is going to interfere with us.”
I don’t know why it makes my lips tremble and my eyes burn.
The moment we step off the elevator, though, the bliss-bubble I’d been in bursts.
The top floor is filled with Brick’s execs loudly talking over one another. All eyes turn to us and silence descends. My paranoia kicks in. Is this about me? About Brick dating a human?
“What?” Brick snaps.
“You couldn’t check your phone at all over the last twelve hours?” Nickel asks.
No, it’s something else.
“Try thirty-six. What is it?”
“There’s been a security breach. We had to shut everything down to contain it.”
“Fuck.” Brick transforms into a formidable boss, storming into the room. “How did it happen? What do we know?”
“Come into the conference room,” Billy says. There’s something stony and cold about the way he speaks that makes the hairs stand up on my arms. “We have something to show you.”
“Madi.” Brick delivers the one-word command for me to follow.
“
Not
Madi.” Billy holds up a hand and blocks our path.
“
She comes,” Brick snarls, and Billy almost stumbles backward, like the force of Brick’s words or will pushed him.
I remember the way my body seemed to move of its own accord with Aiden Adalwulf and wonder if it has something to do with their alpha status. I make a note to ask Brick later when we’re alone.
The execs close in on us as we walk in, every one of them assembling at the table with grim faces.
I’m usually calm here at work, no matter what the stress. I had that detachment thing down pat. I didn’t care about the job or getting fired, and it made it easy to function in a demanding situation.
All that has changed now, though. I find myself trembling, scared for Brick about whatever it is his team is about to show him. Because I can tell it’s bad. Bordering on horrible.
“What the fuck is going on?” Brick can tell, too.
There’s a file folder in front of Billy, and he lays a hand on it but doesn’t open it. He looks at me. “Madi, since you’re in here, maybe you can tell us what’s going on.”
My heart thuds, even though I have no idea what he’s talking about. All I can tell is that this is an ambush, and I need to catch up, fast. “I don’t know what you mean.” I try to make the words sound even, but even I can hear I’m rattled.
“How long have you been working as an Adalwulf plant?”
The shock of the words registers far less than their effect on Brick. The color drains from his face, and he pushes away from me to take in my face.
I try to swallow but my mouth is dry. “I haven’t.”
“No? Aiden Adalwulf called this morning to ask if Brick enjoyed the gift from his mate.”
Brick stiffens even more. No, I think he turned to stone.
“What are you talking about?” I croak.
“We know the breach was initiated from your computer, Madi. My PI team followed you, and I have video of you meeting with Aiden Adalwulf in front of the building. I have phone records proving you’ve been having conversations with him. I also know you let Catherine Adalwulf onto the top floor and left her unsupervised to roam around.”
“Okay, that doesn’t prove-“
A wounded animal sound comes from Brick as he stands and backs up, like he’s afraid he’ll throttle me if he stays within reaching distance.
“What was your motivation in infiltrating Moon Co? Did they pay you? Or was it part of your Occupy Wall Street efforts?” He slips out the photo of me and Aubrey sitting on the sidewalk holding Occupy Wall Street posters that he must’ve taken from La R?sistance.
“I’m not a plant. I’ve barely even spoken with Aiden Adalwulf-“
“Don’t say his name,” Brick roars. His eyes flash with a bright light.
Billy flips open the folder and spills a number of photographs onto the table. There’s me standing, facing Aiden Adalwulf that day he caught me on the street.
It does look bad.
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