Okay, so I might not have. The bond between Declan and I was still a scary thing, but I was happy for it at the moment.
Jason walked over, rubbing his forehead.
“The kickback’s a bitch, isn’t it?” I snickered and the buried my smile against Declan’s chest.
He scowled. “I think that’s enough for today. Get some rest and we’ll do this again soon.”
Hopefully not too soon because after today, I needed a nap. Preferably one that lasted several days. And one that maybe included a wine break or two.
2
Declan sat in a leather chair facing the fireplace in our bedroom. Yeah, I said it. Our bedroom.
I’d finally caved and moved in with him.
It seemed stupid not to. Either he was in my bed, or I was in his. It’d been that way every night since rescuing Inarus, so it only made sense to make it official, and since his closet was bigger than mine—I took it over. Sometimes you made sacrifices for the sake of a relationship. In this case, Declan was the one to sacrifice and I was happy to accept.
Declan sighed deeply and I threw myself into the leather chair beside him, kicking off my steel-toed boots to feel the heat of the fire on my toes.
Mmm… this was nice.
Declan shook his head and reached for the glass of amber whiskey resting on the side table between us. His shoulders were tight with tension. His face etched with worry.
“That kind of day?” I asked.
A thread of guilt wormed through me. I knew Declan was under a massive amount of pressure. Running the largest shapeshifter Pack in the United States would run anyone ragged.
And I wasn’t helping the situation by epically failing in my training. I was just one more person on Declan’s endless list to worry about.
But really, if anyone should be drinking, it should be me.
James Shields—my werewolf best friend who also happened to be the Pack Hunter—was still MIA. He’d been gone a month now and it was starting to piss me off. Declan was being tight-lipped about where James had gone and when he’d be back. I had a feeling it had something to do with Noah Thorne, the South Atlantic Pack Alpha who’d kidnapped me and handed me over to my mother—the head of the H.A.C.— but I wasn’t certain and no one would tell me one way or the other.
Noah had visited our territory supposedly because he had business dealings in the area. Too late we realized his business was with the H.A.C. and he’d intended to hand me over to them on a nice shiny silver platter.
And he had.
But Declan and Inarus had rescued me. And I’d walked away with a few minor injuries and new telekinetic powers. Coupled with my pre-existing pyro abilities, I should be a force to be reckoned with. Instead, I was a disaster.
And now I understood Declan’s drinking. Not that it did him any good. I was pretty sure shifters couldn’t get drunk.
But I could.
I poured myself a three fingered glass and took a generous swallow, and then choked and coughed. Gah, did that burn.
Declan didn’t say anything. No jab at my inability to hold my liquor. No teasing remark or reminder that I should avoid alcohol entirely so it didn’t muddle my senses.
He just sat there, stoic and silent, as though the weight of the world rested on his shoulders.
I really wanted to poke him. To pester him with questions until he finally gave in and gave me some answers. But I’d done that once before and knew from experience it wouldn’t get me anywhere.
James wasn’t answering any of my calls. All I would get were single sentence text responses letting me know he was alive, unavailable, and working on Pack business.
You would think as mate to the Alpha of said Pack, I’d get the low down on what was going on.
But no. I was being kept in the dark and until Declan changed his mind, it would stay that way.
I tucked my legs beneath me and waited as Declan took another drink. He was the silent broody type so if I gave him a few minutes, he’d eventually give voice to whatever was on his mind.
Patience had never been one of my virtues but I was learning. In a relationship, sometimes all the other person needed was time. He’d given it to me when I’d needed it. I guess it was my turn now to give it to him.
The fire crackled in the fireplace, calling to my own flames. I stared at the fire as it swayed almost as though it were dancing to silent music.
Time passed. I didn’t know or care how long I sat there.
I just watched the flames and every now and again, I would use my powers to push them this way and that. It was an easy exercise. One I’d done hundreds of times when I was first learning to focus my abilities. Now it came naturally. I hoped my new telekinesis would come easy to me someday too.
Fire licked my fingertips and I shook the flames free before sinking back into my chair.
Declan rested his glass on his knee and leveled me with his emerald gaze, finally ready to talk.
“I know you’re under a lot of pressure but …” He ran his free hand through his white-blond hair. “We don’t have a lot of time. If we’re—”
A knock at the door had us both turning. Brock—the Pack’s head of security—peeked his head into the room. “Sorry but—” Before he could continue, Robert—Alpha of Clan Canidae—pushed his way into the room.
“Pardon the interruption, but there’s a situation that requires your attention.”
I narrowed my eyes. Pardon? Since when did the sneaky coyote develop manners? He had to be up to something.
Declan stood but Robert was already shaking his head. “Not yours. Hers.”
I lifted a brow. “Me?”
Robert rolled his eyes. “Yes, you.
