“Seriously.” His lips trembled. “You just manhandled three hundred million dollars of experiments and testing.”
My blink was slow. “If it’s broke, I didn’t do it.”
His head tipped back, and his gray hair fell away from his face, exposing all those delectable features in sharp relief, as another laugh burst forth. I smiled on the inside as his eyes caught mine. With a smile on his face, indeed in his element, his love for everything technological showing, he was laid bare.
Wolfe stated, “I’ll show you what it can do so far. If you have any questions, let me know. I’ll explain it to you.”
“I’d love that.” I sat forward on the loveseat as he powered up and put in all of his encrypted passcodes, just as many as I had. My eyes zeroed in on the hologram wall. What he was doing was like magic; it was so far advanced of what I was used to. I asked absently, “What made you want to get into technology?”
“I always had an affinity for it. But after the war destroyed the world I knew and loved, I fell into everything technological. Shifters, mates, and humans had lost almost everything. I wasn’t okay with that, so I found the few engineers left alive on this planet, and we worked non-stop to bring it back into existence—and make it better and safer.”
His life…
It was awe-inspiring to someone like me.
“When I say this, I want you to know I really mean it.” I peeked at him, my voice small. “Thank you.”
His response was quiet, too. “You’re welcome.”
I turned my full attention back to the hologram. My brows puckered in confusion at what I was seeing. “I think I missed a step of what you just did. Will you go back a few?”
Wolfe’s fingers tapped over the computer board. “Here?”
“Yeah, right there. That’s perfect.”
* * *
I stepped off the train’s stairs onto the grass. Other corporate trains were lined up, all of Theron’s minions, all shifters. But we were in the woods somewhere. It was trains, grass, trees, and the moon. I didn’t see a party in sight, although Mina sure seemed to know where she was walking, heading straight into the forest.
I turned to Wolfe, who had left his transport open to the wilderness for some reason, and questioned halfway seriously, “Um, I don’t see a party. Did you bring me out here to let your friends off me? I’m guessing you don’t even need a shovel to bury me. You’ve got your paws to dig with.”
Wolfe snorted and shook his head. “This is Rune’s land. My property and his actually connect at certain points, although my house is much different than his.” He started walking and staring back over his shoulder at me. “Follow me. You’ll be safe. I promise.”
I glanced left and right, wondering if I should make a run for it.
The wolf-man stopped in his tracks.
He didn’t pester or push.
He simply waited for me to make up my mind.
Because he’d already said I’d be safe.
“This is weird for me,” I mumbled, running to catch up to him. I practically glued myself to his side as we walked through the woods. “It’s night time. It’s dark. And yesterday, you did choke me. I think I felt better on your train watching you work. At least there, I could see.”
Wolfe sighed and stopped walking, pulling me to a halt with a gentle hand on my shoulder. “I probably won’t make it any better for you either, Noelle, and I can’t take back what I did yesterday. It just is. Outside of work, I’m…lacking…in normal conversation skills.”
I lifted one dark eyebrow. “You said that just fine.”
“That’s because I’ve said it a million times to people over the years. I’ve had plenty of practice. On everything else, I try to collect my thoughts on what I want to say, but most of the time, I don’t express myself right when I say it. Feelings are difficult for me to express, whereas work is easy. I feel like you’ll probably need that warning.”
“Hmm. I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you for telling me.” A branch snapped nearby, and my attention turned in an instant. I slid behind Wolfe, peeking out around his arm, whispering, “What was that?”
He pointed to the right, deep into the night. His words were blunt, with no inflection in his tone. “Alaric and Faith were fucking away their sorrows. It sounded like Alaric gave her two orgasms before they were done. They cried some afterward and talked about Cass. They’re headed this way now.”
My shoulders shook behind him. “Actually, I don’t have to think about what you said. I get it now.”
Wolfe turned slightly to look down at me. “Exactly. It never comes out right. It’s annoying as fuck.”
Alaric and Faith Woods stepped through the trees, coming into view. It was no surprise when Alaric punched Wolfe in his shoulder—hard. Alaric growled, “Not cool, man.”
Wolfe rubbed his shoulder but didn’t punch back. He stated coolly, “Next time, go farther out, dipshit.”
Faith glanced back and forth between the two of them. “Are you guys in a fight or something?” Her tan features wrinkled with confusion. “You shouldn’t be fighting. I know tensions are high right now with Cassander’s passing—”
“No, Wolfe was just being an asshole earlier today.” Alaric placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, with a warning glare sent to Wolfe over her head. “I didn’t hurt him.”
Wolfe scoffed.
“Prick,” Alaric rumbled.
In return, Wolfe deadpanned and corrected, “Big prick.”
“Is this what I have to look forward to tonight?” Faith shook her head in amusement, but now that I looked closer, I could see dried tears on her cheeks. “A bunch of men acting like boys?”
“Yes,” they said together.
I poked Wolfe’s back as I stepped out from behind him, instead of cowering any longer. I waved at the newlywed couple. “Hello.”
Wolfe straightened immediately, introducing, “Alaric, Faith. This is Noelle Harvey.” His eyes caught mine, capturing them entirely, not allowing me to look away. “Noelle, this is one of my best friends, Alaric, and his wife, Faith.”
I shook my head to dislodge his gaze from mine, and then I shook each of their hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet both of you. Congratulations on your recent nuptials.”
Alaric merely nodded at me, a scowl set just for me. “Thank you.”
Faith scanned my person from head to toe, her gaze showing she was undecided if she liked me or not. “You caused quite the scandal in New City with your article. Catchy title, by the way.”
“I did.” I nodded. “And thank you.”
Tonight was going to be fun if everyone was like this.
Yes, people. I wrote the article.
Her bright eyes held on mine. “I have a request of you. And if you help me, I’ll convince Alaric to forgive you.”
I squinted up at Wolfe, and then quickly back to her. “All right.” I didn’t give a shit if Alaric liked me, but it could make the future easier not having a corporate head like him out for me. “What’s your request?”
Faith linked arms with me and prodded me along with her. “You see, I have this idea for a book. But I can’t come up with a great title. Nothing I write down sounds good enough. I need help with it. Would you be willing to listen sometime and assist with an appealing title?”
“Sure. That would be no problem.” I nodded absently and pointed up into the air where a light was coming from, hidden in the trees. “What in the world is that?”
Wolfe trailed directly behind me, stating at my ear, “That is Rune and Megan’s house. Where the birthday party is.”
Oh fuck. That wasn’t good.
CHAPTER TWELVE
I smiled at the eighteen year old standing opposite me. “Hi, Elara. I’m Noelle Harvey. I came with Wolfe. I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday.”
The birthday itself, so far, was a somber affair due to Cassander’s death, but everyone was faking it well for the sake of the young woman before me. There was even laughter in the
air drifting out of other rooms. I did find it extremely odd that no one was talking about his funeral yet. I’d have to ask Mina in private if shifters didn’t have funerals. It was a possibility, though it saddened me to even think of that.
“Thanks.” Elara blew a bubble and popped it loudly, her eyes running over me in a silent evaluation. Her attention caught on my left hand gripping the table next to me like my life depended on it. Elara’s gaze flicked back up to mine. “Are you feeling all right?”
I kept my damn smile in place. “I’m not used to being up this high off the ground.”
No one had mentioned Rune and Megan lived in a goddamn mansion of a tree house. Had they mentioned it, I would have declined.
Give me a sturdy balcony? I’m completely fine.
Give me a train? Cool as ice.
But give me a rope ladder? I’d puke right on the rope and fall to my death. A tree house wasn’t much different than a rope ladder, in my opinion.
“You aren’t going to fall through, Noelle. It’s sturdy, I swear.” Elara jumped once in place, seemingly trying to prove her point.
The wood flooring below us shuddered.
Fuck. This. Shit.
I screamed as I gazed at the flooring with horrified eyes, and grabbed her shoulders, holding her in place lest she decided to exhibit that stupidity again. Honestly, did she want us to plummet to our deaths?
My shout eventually echoed out of existence, the air in my lungs depleted. I examined the wood below our feet further, and demanded on a harsh whisper, “Elara, you are a very lovely young woman, but, please, don’t ever do that around me again.”
A finger tapped, not so gently, on the top of my bent head.
“What?” I grumbled in the dreadful silence.
“Remove your hands from Elara now,” Theron snarled directly next to my ear so softly I knew no one else heard. “Or I will remove your hands from your arms entirely.”
My head popped up, and my eyes met Elara’s. Just around the rims of her eyes, there was a pain there, making her gaze squinty. My attention shot to my hands…and the death grip I had on her thin shoulders, practically digging into her bones.
I quickly released her—and grabbed onto the table next to me again. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
The tightness released from her features. “I’m fine. I’ve had worse. Don’t worry about it.” She popped another bubble, more loudly than needed. “I’m sorry, too. I didn’t realize that would scare the shit out of you.”
Theron was tilting his head just so, the light of a fire glimmering off his eyes. “Are you sure she didn’t bruise you?”
Elara slammed her gaze up to his and glowered hard. “I said I was fine. That was my fault anyway.”
The birthday girl beat a hasty retreat away from him.
I quickly turned to the king. “That went well.”
The man had been stalking her all night with his eyes.
It was hard to believe a two thousand year old man was crushing on a newly turned eighteen year old woman.
I couldn’t hold back anymore and cracked a smile. “You like them young, huh?”
“Don’t start with me, Noelle. I’m not even sure I like you. And you currently haven’t a damned clue what you’re talking about,” he argued. He rubbed at the back of his neck, his eyes still on her. Then more quietly, he muttered, “Got any tips on how to woo a young woman these days?”
I glanced at his attire. “Maybe don’t wear a suit to casual functions or use the term ‘woo.’ I’m not sure I have ever heard anyone say that before, much less use the word with a straight face.”
“I came directly from the office. I didn’t have time to change.” He quickly unbuttoned the suit jacket, removed it, and tossed it aside onto an empty chair. “Better?”
“Undo the top two buttons of your shirt and roll up the sleeves. And kick off your dress shoes. You’ll look much more relaxed then.” I nodded as he did as he was told. Then I smirked. “I wonder if you’d keep undressing if I told you to.”
“Watch it. As I said, I really don’t know if I like you yet.”
The threat was clearly there. I took it seriously.
“Noelle, quit teasing Theron. His bite is as bad as his bark,” Wolfe mumbled, trotting up behind me. His chest heaved like he was out of breath, and his gaze traveled over my body quickly and efficiently. “Did I hear you scream? I was down in the forest with Rune, but I could have sworn I heard something.”
“She’s scared of heights.” Theron thumped Wolfe’s shoulder and snickered. “Way to go. You brought her into a tree house for a night full of terror.”
The king was still laughing as he walked away.
Wolfe’s lips pulled back as he snarled at the taunting man before his attention jerked back to me. His features only calmed so much, still irritated. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I thought I could handle it. It’s not heights, exactly, that I’m afraid of. It’s the lack of sturdiness and safety that gives me anxiety.”
Wolfe’s expression cleared instantly, a new gleam entering his gaze, one full of mischief. “Are you saying you don’t think this structure is safe?”
“We’re suspended by actual trees. No, I don’t think it’s safe. There’s no way in hell I’d live in a place like this.”
The wolf-man grinned with glee. It transformed his face to the sexiest man I’d ever seen in my entire life, like a fire starting in the middle of a blizzard. It was miraculous. Then he ruined it by turning his head away and shouting with pure laughter in his tone, “Hey, Rune! Noelle thinks your pride and joy is a piece of shit. I knew I wasn’t the only sane person around here.”
My cheeks burned hotter than hell, a blush stealing all over my face as the homeowner walked directly toward us. “Oh, my God! I did not say that, Rune. He’s lying to you. Your house is beautiful.”
Wolfe was still grinning like a man on the moon. “Don’t let her sweet looks fool you. She’s really a hardass on the inside. But she’s scared of heights and is afraid you’ll throw her over if she says the wrong thing.”
I slapped his chest with the back of my hand, my eyes enormous on his face. Being around all his friends altered him into a…normal person, not so uptight and closed off. “I’m not afraid of heights. I explained that to you.”
Wolfe merely brushed my hand away, not letting me whap him again, and turned his attention back to his friend. “She’s scared of your tree house falling to the ground. It’s about the same thing as being scared of heights. A house should be firmly on the ground, not settled in the trees.”
Rune raised both eyebrows and made a valid point. “So says the gray wolf to the black panther.”
“I’ll give you that, but I still don’t like your house,” Wolfe conceded. “She really is frightened, though. I think we’ll head out before she starts screaming again.”
“You are a complete ass,” I hissed under my breath. “Why in the world would you bring up my screaming? And I’ve met everyone here now except Megan. It would be rude to leave without, at least, saying hello.”
“I can take care of Megan for you, but Wolfe will always be an ass. He also has everyone fooled, thinking he’s the quiet and polite one.” Rune waved to a woman with dark hair, and called loudly over the ruckus of the party, everyone now circling near the birthday cake. “Come over here a sec, Megan. The scandalous Noelle is here, and she’d like to meet you.”
“Scandalous, huh?” I murmured and nodded my head in thought. “I should add that to my online bio somewhere.”
Wolfe grunted and glanced down at me, holding my gaze. His tone quieted, a serious note to his words. “What you do is dangerous enough, wouldn’t you say? You don’t need to add more fuel to the fire. I’ve read the comments you receive. The last thing you need is a rapist coming after you.”
My face scrunched up. “Damn, you had to go and ruin a great word. Thank you very much, jackass.”
The wolf-man shrugged both of his
shoulders without care. “I don’t mind ruining things when it’s needed.”
“Like I don’t mind fighting dirty?”
The handsome man nodded his head, almost like he didn’t want to agree with me, but did so because I was right. He stated with a little hesitation, “Exactly.”
The dark-haired woman stopped next to Rune, a welcoming smile on her face. Then we locked eyes. We both froze in place as we recognized who we were gazing at.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“You,” Megan growled.
“You!” I bounced my brows, taunting her. “I’ve never seen a princess cuss before. That was very entertaining and a new experience for me.”
Wolfe eyeballed both of us before staring straight at me. He shook his head, reading the situation right. “Is there anyone here you haven’t managed to piss off?”
Rune’s regard jumped from person to person inside the room, and he answered for me, “It’s doubtful.”
Megan leaned toward me, probing harshly, “Are you going to continue with your articles on us, kid crusher?”
Great. Not a nickname I liked. Those tended to stick.
“I did not run into any kids, nor crush any kids, during my time at Sparkle World. I would like to clarify that to everyone eavesdropping on this conversation right now.” Half of the men in the room chuckled under their breath. That was what I thought. Everyone wanted to know if I was trustworthy enough to not take me as a prisoner again. “As for an article on the truth of shifters, mates, and humans, I have yet to decide. I can tell you, I am a little overwhelmed right now. I doubt I’d be running it anytime soon—if I ever do.”
“Work on something else,” Theron shouted from across the room, his attention turned from the girl to me. I’d rather he be watching her again. He lifted a glass of whiskey in my direction. “I’ll create something newsworthy for you if you want. Anything to keep you from running another article.”
“Uh…I have plenty to keep me busy. But, uh, thank you for the offer.” I bumbled through my words, scared of what the hell a shifter king would do to create a buzz.
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