“All right, I’m here,” Lizzie announced as she bounded up to him.
“How long will this take?”
She smirked at him, then pressed her palm against the control panel by the door. “There.”
“There?”
The door slid open, and she pointed at the car. “You now have free, unfettered access to go wherever you please.” Her gaze narrowed, and she thrust a finger at his face. “Don’t make me regret this.”
“Never, ma chouchoutte.”
“I’m gonna Google what that means later.”
He walked into the elevator car and faced the infuriating computer. But this time, when he pressed his palm to the biometric reader and selected the floor to the command room, it replied with “access granted.” He grinned at her. “You’re a genius, Lizzie.”
“Thank you.” She shoved her hand between the metal doors as they were closing. “Wait! You haven’t told me how you managed to cover your digital tracks. Did you use a YRV64 encryption key? The Descartian-Gogol algorithm with a 865-bit modal frequency? Or was it a—”
He laughed. “Non. None of those things.”
“Really? Then what?”
She was probably going to hate him, but a deal was a deal. “No one can find information on you if it does not exist.”
“I—what?” Her brows knitted. “What do you mean?”
“My former clan lived off the grid, and members were under strict orders to keep digital activities to a minimum. We didn’t have internet connection in the bayou, and I’ve never owned a laptop, PC, or even sent an email.” Clan members kept a regular cellphone that could only call or text, but that was it. He had gotten so used to it, he didn’t bother trying to change his ways since he’d gotten this far without any of those things.
It took a while to dawn on her, but she finally understood. “Hey, that’s not fair!”
“You asked, I answered, ma chouchoutte,” he said before the elevator doors closed in front of her infuriated face.
As the elevator began to ascend, his inner wolf grew antsy, pacing impatiently. Truth be told, he was too. Maybe this was a mistake. Surely no one else would dare to hack into the elevator system and barge into the upper offices. He could be punished for that, but right now, he just couldn’t think about the consequences. That force compelling him to see her would surely drive him mad if he didn’t give in.
Luck was on his side as he reached the top floor, the place empty and dark. However, there was one source of light in the entire space—a large corner office with glass windows. He didn’t need to be psychic to know it was her, burning the midnight oil. How would she react to his presence here? Well, it was time to find out.
Not even bothering to knock, he walked right into her office. “It’s getting late, cher, you should get home and rest, non?”
Her head whipped toward him, and her expression changing from surprise to shock and then anger. “What the hell are you doing here?” She bolted to her feet and walked toward him. “And how did you get up here?”
“I have my ways.” He stepped forward, moving close enough to get a whiff of her delicious scent. “Now, I think we need to talk.”
“I think you need to leave.” Her voice took on a deadly edge. “Or you’ll regret it.”
“You’ve been avoiding me.” When she tried to sidestep him, he merely blocked her way. “Why?”
“Excuse me? Avoiding you? I’m up to my eyeballs in work and—”
“Don’t lie, cher.” He caught her chin and tipped her head up. Defiant emerald eyes shot up to meet his gaze. “Something happened back there. When we were in the shadows. It was like … you were glowing.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re the one with powers, you tell me what’s going on.”
“I can tell you one thing.” His finger traced a path from her chin, down her neck, to her collarbone. “No one I’ve taken into the shadows has done that. Or made me feel this way.”
She shivered, but didn’t move an inch. “I don’t—”
“I said, don’t lie to me. What happened back there?”
Her nostrils flared.
“You know, don’t you?” His wolf urged him on, scratching at him and growling at him to … what? “Why do I want you so bad? I can’t think about anything else but you. To take you. Possess you. I need to know.” The words spilled out of his mouth so fast, he couldn’t stop them. But it was true, all true.
She swallowed and turned her face away. “You can’t un-know if I tell you.”
Her words sounded like a warning. Maybe he should back off. But he was never good at taking heed of warnings. “What is it?”
“I … you understand that this doesn’t change anything?”
His patience was running short. “Just tell me.”
“I … I think we’re … True Mates.”
“What?”
A line appeared between her knitted brows. “You—you don’t know anything about True Mates?”
“Should I?”
Her head cocked sideways. “No one in your clan told you?”
Ha. As if Remy took his time to educate his Lycans on anything except what he needed them for. “Why don’t you tell me then?”
She took a deep breath. “I need some … please … just move away …” Her hands hovered over his chest, like she was afraid to touch him.
Obligingly, he stepped back. “Now talk.”
“Lycans supposedly … I mean, some of us have that one mate they’re meant for. Some call it magic, or fate, and others think it’s science and evolution. A survival instinct to ensure the continuation of our race because …” She took a deep breath. “I’m getting ahead of myself. Well, let’s just say that we could be True Mates.”
“Like … soul mates?”
Her face scrunched up distastefully, a move that sent a painful stab to his heart for some reason. “No, I … it just means we’re biologically compatible.”
“And how do you know this?”
“There are signs … see …” She hugged herself, her hands scrubbing down her arms. “My parents
