The reminder I had to buy clothes at some point unless I wanted to wear my remaining outfit, which was dirty, until it fell apart at the seams wasn’t entirely unwelcome. Now that Midas and I had ironed out a few wrinkles, I could picture us trying this cohabitation thing long-term. That meant I needed cute undies. And, you know, shirts and stuff. But mostly sexy sleep attire to coax him out of his pants…and into mine.
“Actually, yes.” I wrinkled my nose at him. “I’ll have to borrow some sweats to go shopping in.”
The fresh reminder as my hair crunched when I pushed it out of my face made me regret the earlier cuddling session as I absorbed the gorgeous blond with warm, blue eyes on mine. The smell had to be eye-watering for him. “See you at dusk?”
“I’ll be here.”
After making a quick mental note to get yet another haircut before I returned home tonight, I attempted to exit without assaulting his poor nose again, but Midas drew me against him for a lingering kiss.
“Be safe,” he murmured in my ear, “and I’ll bring you chocolate for dinner.”
“That is a bribe I can respect and accept.” I wiggled my fingers at him. “See you at dusk.”
“You already said that.” Bishop herded me from the penthouse into the hall. “You two will have to be cutesy on your own time.”
The ride down to the lobby gave me an eyeful of the smile I couldn’t shake in the silver panels.
“As a person burdened with my own peculiar dining habits,” he said quietly, “I believe you should know Midas handpicked a meal for Ambrose. He fed him to heal you.” He read my expression with ease. “I wasn’t sure who else to trust or how to get you what you needed.” He frowned. “I hope what I told him won’t make trouble between you two.”
Leaning against the wall, I recalled Midas herding the creature, but I hadn’t grasped the full ramifications.
Midas knew about Ambrose, thanks to the sight. Now he knew Ambrose ate magic, thanks to Bishop. He had stayed with me, though. Through it all, he was right there. As promised. According to Bishop, he had been willing to feed Ambrose. That…changed things. How, I couldn’t put my finger on, but then I did.
The shift in my perspective was an emotion I had so little experience with, I had trouble identifying it.
Hope.
Midas’s swift rejection upon learning about me had been expected. I was used to that. It still sucked, but I could process it. I knew how to climb back to my feet after taking a brutal hit. But this was the opposite of that, and it confused me.
Midas wasn’t spouting crap about mating and love to slap a patch on us until he decided if he was in or out. He wasn’t pulling the same shenanigans as he had with Ford and me. He was showing me, and my friends, he was willing to accept the ugly parts of my nature, even the ones that scared me.
And let’s be honest—Ambrose, and my bond to him, terrified me.
Bishop and I didn’t talk much on our way to HQ, but the whole team was present when we arrived and chatting amongst themselves. I stole a moment to drag on sweats and a clean tee, but the chatter had turned to a roar by the time I emerged, ready to face whatever the night held in store.
“Tell her,” Lisbeth urged. “Tell her, or I will.”
“We might have the green light on the antidote,” Reece announced matter-of-factly. “Doughty and I have done all we can do short of launching a clinical trial. We’ve got Smythe checking behind us before we do that, but it could mean a cure in hand within the next week.”
“That’s amazing.” I did a little dance. “Do the gwyllgi know yet?”
“I sent Tisdale my notes,” he confirmed. “She’s cautiously optimistic, but she won’t share the news with the parents until we’re ready to ask for volunteers.”
“You deserve all the cookies,” I told him. “Thank you for your tireless efforts.”
“I’m plenty tired. Now that Smythe is on board, I’m going to sleep for a few days.”
The screen went dark before any of us could pat him on the back any harder.
“He’s been active for the last thirty-six hours,” Anca told us. “The poor thing is exhausted.”
“One more thing,” Milo added. “We ran down the location Remy gave us for the coven’s roach farm. No surprise, they’ve abandoned the facility. We can’t be certain if they brought any of their livestock with them.”
Exhaling through my nose, I managed a smile for him. “I figured we couldn’t get that lucky.”
“I also have news,” Lisbeth announced. “I’ve accepted a position with Abbott, working in the Faraday’s infirmary.”
There was no doubt in my mind what motivated her to accept a position that could get her killed: Ford.
“Wow.” I kept a smile tacked on my face. “Congratulations.”
“I start next week,” she said, almost bouncing in her seat. “Abbott said to come to him or you if I have any questions.”
What are you thinking? Are you crazy? Is a guy you barely know worth this? Do you have a death wish?
Those were the questions running through my head, but I was impressed when none of them escaped.
Humans weren’t allowed in the Faraday for a reason. One slip, and they were lunch for one of the predators in the building. But Lisbeth had a clearer picture of the inner workings of the Faraday than most thanks to her time nursing Ford back to health. She was a grown woman, and she was aware of the risks.
