by Juniper Hart
“We don’t.”
The words shocked him, and he jerked his head back to look at Wren, who had skilfully averted her eyes.
“You don’t think so?” he demanded. “Am I feeling something that you don’t?” Wren drew her legs up and slid away from him, hastily looking about for her clothes.
“We’re too different, Landon,” she muttered. “There’s no way that someone like me could be your mate.”
“Someone bright and tough and beautiful?” he asked incredulously. “Gee, thanks.”
She shot him a sidelong look. “You know what I mean,” she grunted. “Don’t make this any weirder than it needs to be.”
“Is this about Linda?” Wren looked at him in disbelief.
“Landon, this is about everything!” she snapped, the irritation in her voice stinging him. “You’re on the Seven, and you’re a Lothario. I’m an Archer. I haven’t been on a date in three years. You’re rich. I’m—”
“I’m not a Lothario! I just haven’t found my mate until now.”
“How could I possibly be your mate?”
“Haven’t you ever heard the adage that opposites attract?”
“You’re investigating my family.”
A heavy silence fell over the room.
“That shouldn’t bother you if you aren’t in contact with them,” Landon said quietly, the hairs on the back of his neck rising. Had she come to find out what he knew about her family?
The idea made him feel slightly nauseous, but he dismissed it. No matter what she said, their connection defied reason. No matter what their circumstances, they belonged together.
“I’m going to go now,” Wren told him softly. “I’m sorry I bothered you.” She managed to button up her shirt and fluff out her mass of curls before casting him one last look.
“I’m not letting you go so easily now that I’ve found you,” Landon promised, and a pink blush touched her face. “You promised to go with me to the ball.”
“I’m sorry,” Wren said. “I made a mistake.” She hurried out of the office, and the moment the door closed, Landon’s headache returned.
Crap. She’s not kidding. She’s done with me.
Landon knew he was just going to have to find a way to convince her that she was wrong.
13
“Where were you?” Jordan demanded the second Wren entered the apartment. “You can’t just leave me here without telling me where you’re going!” She didn’t answer as she threw her keys onto the side table near the love seat. “Wren?”
“I just went to find out what the word was on the street about you,” she answered.
That’s kind of true, she reasoned. Not that I really found out much except that I’m stupidly attracted to the completely wrong being.
“You’re blushing,” Jordan said slowly. “What’s going on?” Wren glared at him, trying to cover up her embarrassment.
“You don’t know me as well as you think,” she snapped furiously. “I’m not blushing. I’m tired.”
“I bet you’re tired,” Christiana hissed, storming into the living room. “Can I have a word with you? Now?”
Wren peered at her. “What?”
“Alone?”
“Is this about me?” Jordan wanted to know, panic coloring his face. “Because if it’s about me, I have a right to know!”
“Chris, what’s going on?”
“Do you really want me to say it in front of your brother?” Christiana cried.
“We’ll be right back,” Wren said and followed her friend into the kitchen, where the smaller girl folded her arms over her chest and glared.
“What the hell did you do with Landon Burke?” she whispered, hostility oozing from her. Shame flooded Wren, but she maintained her stoic expression.
“What do you mean?”
“Are you going to tell me you didn’t just come from his office where you did the nasty?” Christiana spat back. “Don’t lie to me, Wren.”
“How the hell did you find out?”
“Oh, my gods! What were you thinking? You were supposed to go over there and find out what he knew, not play Mata Hari and seduce him!”
“No, really, how did you know?” Wren insisted. “I just got back!”
“Well, I guess you weren’t exactly quiet, and his assistant is telling everyone who will listen that he banged you in his office. One of the weekend bartenders from the Quarry works for Landon in the agency’s mailroom, and he just texted me. Good news travels fast I guess.”
“It wasn’t like that!” Wren snarled, angered by the way Christiana was cheapening what had happened between her and Landon.
“Oh? What was it like? Did you make love?”
“I don’t need to discuss this with you,” Wren retorted. “You’re not my mother.”
“No, you ass, I’m your best friend! And the only one who has had your back for years! Why are you sleeping with that pig? Did he threaten you?”
“He’s not a pig, and of course he didn’t threaten me!” Wren’s face was bright red, and she wished Christiana would leave well enough alone. Her friend, however, had barely gotten started.
“Wren, I know you’re trying to help your brother, but sleeping with Landon Burke is not the way to do that. And I heard that he has a thing with Linda, too. You’re going to get fired on top of everything else.”
“I am not, and he doesn’t care about Linda!”
Oh, gods, I need to stop talking, Wren thought miserably. She knew how she sounded, but she wanted Christiana to understand that she knew what she was doing. Do I know what I’m doing, though? Do I really? She exhaled and stared at Christiana’s inflamed eyes.
“Wren, get your brother out of here and stay the hell away from Landon Burke before you get us all into a world of trouble we can’t escape. I don’t need to tell you what the punishment will be for harboring a fugitive.”
“Jordan didn’t do anything wrong!”
“So he says. Since when do you believe anything that your family says? What is going on with you?”
“I don’t know!” Wren howled. “I don’t know, okay? It just felt so right in the moment, and…” She faltered, wishing she hadn’t said anything. “I’m not sure if I did it for the right reasons or the wrong ones.”
Christiana’s face softened, and she sighed, sinking into a kitchen chair.
“I’m not giving you a hard time because you slept with him,” she told Wren. “Half the Enchanted have slept with Landon Burke. At least from what I hear, anyway. I’m just worried that with Jordan here—"
“I know,” Wren conceded. “It was stupid.”
“And I don’t want to see you get hurt,” Christiana continued, as if Wren hadn’t spoken. “That guy is charming, I’ll give you that, but… Wren, you have to know that whatever he’s said to you, he’s said to dozens of others.”
The words sent a pang of pain through Wren’s heart, and she loathed herself for feeling upset. Everything Christiana said was true, after all. There was no reason to trust anything that came out of Landon’s mouth. For all she knew, he was keeping her close to learn more about Jordan’s whereabouts.
She froze suddenly.
“Oh, shit,” she muttered. “He saw Jordan with me the other night. He saw us together.”
“What?” Christiana’s eyes seemed ready to pop out of their sockets. “Where? Are you sure?”
“I’m sure he saw us, but I don’t know if he put two and two together.”
“Oh, Wren, we have to get your brother out of here.”
As Christiana spoke, the sound of the front door opening reached their ears, and the women rushed into the entranceway. Jordan was gone. Wren bolted toward the hallway, but her brother was nowhere in sight.
“Damn it!” she swore. “He can’t run around like that; he’s going to get caught!”
“He has a better chance of being found here than he does anywhere else,” Christiana retorted. “You’re lucky Landon hasn’t come for him already.”
If Landon was looking for Jordan all along, he would have come for him by now. And I was the one who went to his office, not the other way around. Could this all be some kind of bizarre coincidence?
She didn’t dare voice her theory aloud. She knew Christiana already saw her as smitten with Landon and looking for excuses not to see what was in front of her face. The memory of his hot kisses on her skin was, unfortunately, incredibly difficult to ignore.
“What are we going to do now?” Wren muttered, more to herself than to Christiana. Her roommate answered regardless.
“We are not going to do anything. We are going to live our lives the same way we always have and forget any of this happened.”
“Chris, he’s still my brother, and he’s still in trouble!” Wren snapped. “I can’t just let him brave it alone.”
“You almost got him caught!” Christiana yelled back. “Wren, you need to be sensible. You’re not thinking properly.”
“Okay,” Wren relented. “Okay, I’ll leave it alone.”
“You need to stay away from Landon Burke, too,” Christiana insisted. Wren wondered if she was reading her mind somehow.
“Fine.” Her cell started to ring, and Wren rushed to her purse to answer it. She didn’t recognize the number, but she snatched it up, hoping it was Jordan. “Hello?”
“Hi. Meet me for lunch?” Wren’s eyes shifted guiltily toward Christiana.
“Is it Jordan?” her friend mouthed, and Wren turned away without giving her any indication.
“Yes,” she breathed into the phone. “All right.”
“Grab and Go Deli on 7th? I’ll send a car for you.”
“No,” Wren said quickly. “I’ll meet you there. What time?”
“Now.” She swallowed and disconnected the call, reaching slowly for her purse and avoiding Christiana’s gaze.
“Who was that?”
“I’ve gotta go,” Wren said, not wanting to lie to her friend again.
“You’re playing with fire,” Christiana growled.
“There’s something about him, Chris.” Again, she heard how lame the sentence sounded to her own ears, but she couldn’t deny that whatever she was feeling for Landon was more than just a one-time thing in his office. And if he’s calling me already, he obviously feels the same way about me, too.
“You’re going against everything we’ve fought to escape,” Christiana reminded her, making more shame course through Wren’s veins. She didn’t need to be told that she was acting against her best interest. It was clear she wasn’t thinking with her brain.
Christiana went to her room, and Wren left the apartment, her heart pounding.
I deserve to be happy, even if it’s fleeting, she tried to tell herself. In her gut, though, she knew that Christiana was right, and wherever this was headed, it was not going to be a happily ever after scenario.
To Wren’s utter amazement, Landon was waiting for her at the small, bustling deli when she arrived. He’d secured a booth in the corner.
“You’re here,” she said with some surprise.
“My office isn’t far,” he replied. “You look shocked.”
“I-I guess I’ve always seen you as the kind of guy who had people wait for him and not vice versa.”
He chuckled and nodded for her to sit. “I think you’ve had a rather skewed perception of me from the beginning.”
“Well, I did catch you making out with my manager in the parking lot,” she answered, the words just slipping out. The jealousy in them was evident, and Landon’s emerald gaze clouded.
“I was frustrated with you,” he said in a low voice. “It was stupid, and I ended whatever little fling I had with her.”
Wren didn’t know what to believe, but she also knew she had secrets she’d kept from him, too.
“It doesn’t matter,” Wren said quickly. “It’s none of my business, anyway.”
“It is,” Landon told her softly. “I don’t want to hide anything from you, Wren.”
“We’re not mates,” she insisted, hoping there was more conviction in her words than she felt. “We can’t be.”
“You said that earlier,” Landon chuckled. “And yet here you are, even though you said you wouldn’t see me again.”
“I-I just wanted to see what you wanted,” she lied lamely. “But you’re right—I shouldn’t be here.” Still, she made no move to leave. Landon sat back, satisfied, producing a large, gift-wrapped box, which he slid across the table.
“I bought you a present.” She blinked.
“A present?” she echoed, not touching it. “I don’t need a present.” Inexplicably, she felt defensive, like he was buying her affections.
“That’s the thing about presents—they’re not always what you need. Would you just open it please?”
Wren was torn, unsure of what to do, the confusion overwhelming her. I can’t take anything from him. I can’t let myself get too close to him. If he finds out that I was hiding my brother, he’ll see me executed… Won’t he?
“Please?” Landon begged. “I’d hate to think I went shopping for nothing, especially when I blew off my production meeting and annoyed a bunch of underlings.”
Wren touched the white box reluctantly and slowly undid the bow.
“Why?” she asked.
“Why what?”
“Why did you buy me a present?” He shrugged and watched as she lifted the lid, revealing a stylish and very expensive coat.
“I think that will be more useful than the one you have now,” he said lightly, and Wren looked at her worn, Walmart jacket that she’d owned for four years. “Try it on?” Landon suggested. “I guessed you to be a size small.”
Wren rose as if in a daze and slid off her coat, replacing it with the new one, and Landon eyed her appreciatively.
“I impress myself,” he laughed. “Red is completely your color.”
“I can’t take this,” she muttered, knowing that she was going to accept it either way. He hadn’t wasted his money on flowers or jewelry to impress her. He had seen that she had a crappy winter coat and wanted her to be warm. The gesture made her heart swell with affection.
“Thank you,” she mumbled. “I-I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you’ll stop fighting me,” Landon sighed. “And we’ll call it even.” Wren nodded slowly and sank back into the booth.
I should come clean with him about Jordan right now, she thought, gritting her teeth, but she didn’t. She knew his loyalty was to the Council and his own pack, not to some woman he’d just met, even if he believed they were mates. No matter how good this feels, it’s not going to last, and if you sell out your own brother for a few days of pleasure, you’ll never forgive yourself.
“Is something wrong? Your face went dark,” Landon commented. She shook her head quickly.
“No… I was just thinking about what people are going to say if they see us out in public together.”
Landon reached across the table and captured her hands in his, his eyes blazing.
“You’re not paying attention,” he mumbled. “It doesn’t matter what anyone says. We’re mates. They’re going to have to get used to it one way or another.”
And Wren wanted to believe him more than anything in the world.
14
“You’re in better spirits,” Laurel commented. “Headaches are gone?”
Landon smiled at her and winked.
“Like magic,” he joked, and the fairy eyed him speculatively.
“Lane told me that you found your mate. Congratulations, although I’m surprised you didn’t mention it yourself.” Landon shrugged nonchalantly.
“We’re taking it slow,” he replied. That’s only half of it, he thought. In truth, he was still a little on edge about how things were going between him and Wren. She had insisted on keeping their relationship quiet, forbidding him from visiting her at work, lest there be a scene w
ith Linda.
“I need the job,” she had told him earnestly. “And I don’t want to antagonize her.”
“You don’t need the job,” he had corrected her. “You can move into my place anytime you want, and—”
She’d held up her hand. “Landon, I know you’re convinced that we’re mates, but honestly, I think you’re jumping the gun a little bit.”
“Don’t you feel the chemistry between us?” Landon had demanded, trying to keep his exasperation down. He knew there was no point in getting into a fight with her about the matter. She was far too jaded to believe in mates, and he couldn’t blame her entirely. Up until a few weeks ago, he had felt the same way.
“I’m sure you’ve had chemistry with a lot of women,” Wren had countered. “And I’m sure that chemistry has fizzled when you’ve gotten bored.”
He had taken offense to her constant characterization of him being a playboy, but he also realized that it was her defense mechanism.
“She’s part of the Elliot Bay Pack, isn’t she?” Laurel asked, and Landon nodded.
“She is.”
“Does she know anything about your plan to dismantle the crime packs?”
Landon’s neck stiffened. “She doesn’t have anything to do with her family anymore, Laurel.”
“Family is a strong tie, Landon,” the fairy responded. “You know how deep the bonds run between packs.”
“What is your sudden interest in my business?” Landon snapped. “When I first talked about getting more hands-on with the lower classes, you turned your nose up at it. Suddenly you’ve got all sorts of sage advice for me?”
“The fairies don’t operate the way the other shifters do, as you well know,” Laurel replied, unfazed by his annoyance. “But I’ve been around as long as you have. I know there are things that are best left buried, Landon, stuff you don’t want dredged up.”
Landon’s brow furrowed. “What does that mean?”
“Can we call this meeting to order?” Raven yelled. “I’m starving.”
Landon continued to stare at Laurel, but she had moved her attention toward the rest of the Council as they prepared for their monthly meeting. What is she talking about? What things need to stay buried?