Jim stood, gave him a hard look, and led Raaum and Callum out.
“We can keep negotiating,” Candace reminded them before giving them privacy.
Once they were alone, Loken cast a spell to soundproof the room against eavesdroppers and simultaneously had his maedir check for hidden electronics. Only then did he signal for Ian (who was practically brimming with the need to give his opinion) to speak.
“That offer is bullshit. Are you actually considering this?”
“A year is nothing.” (Liar.) A year of surveillance, of restriction… Loken had been a fool to indulge in the freedoms that living with Ian had allowed, becoming accustomed to what he couldn’t have. “I can hardly fault them for wanting to control and regulate a dangerous weapon.”
“You’re not a possession, Loken,” Ian said emphatically. “And I won’t let ALPHA treat you like one.”
“So offended on my behalf,” Loken mused. “So outraged, but they’re only doing as expected. They want me under their control.” Wouldn’t you? he almost asked, but he knew the answer—confusing as it was. He studied the other man, as if trying to understand. “Did you expect otherwise from an organization like ALPHA?”
“No, this is exactly what I expected.” Ian gave an incredulous laugh. “I just didn’t expect you to be so eager to fall in line!”
Loken hummed, finding Ian’s anger interesting. “I don’t know why you’re so adamantly against this. Jealousy, is it? The idea of ALPHA touching your stuff upsets you?” Loken snorted. “I offered you the chance to own me, and you denied it.”
Ian gave him a vexed look. “I don’t want to own anyone. We talked about this.”
“Hm. Did I imagine you telling Jim Dylan not to ‘touch my stuff?’”
Ian raised a finger to argue but paused. “Not the best wording, I admit, but I didn’t mean—”
Loken cut him off. “I’m not of Earth. The desire to possess—” the word slipped from his tongue like delicious sin, “—is not met with fear or disgust on Rellaeria. Why should it?”
Ian, for once, was silent.
“Tell me why I shouldn’t accept their offer, or I’ll call them back in to do just that.”
When Ian didn’t speak, Loken looked to the door to prove he wasn’t bluffing.
“Wait.” Ian ran a hand through his hair, and when he took a breath, he was more resolute. “You deserve so much better than all this, and I promised to protect you. From ALPHA, from Rellaeria, from all of it.”
You impossible man. Ian had given himself a monumental responsibility, and he was taking it seriously. Like Loken, Ian would use every weapon in his arsenal to win a fight, but he still possessed his own brand of honor.
“And if you promised me the stars, I should hold you to that as well?” Loken gave the ceiling an exasperated look before resettling his gaze on Ian. “You’ve stretched yourself beyond your means. You’re only human; there’s no shame in that.”
“I don’t make promises I can’t keep,” Ian said heatedly. “You don’t even want this deal.”
“It’s a compromise, Ian. Neither party wants it, but either option will grant us time to think of a plan. At worst, I’ll be an agent once more.”
Loken’s fists clenched at the idea, but it was hardly the worst fate. He was good at killing, good at espionage. If, at the end of the day, he was able to return to Danika and Ian and do as he pleased, it would be well worth it.
“So, you’re doing this for us?” Ian looked appalled.
Confirming it would not appease the inventor, so Loken remained silent.
“Fuck that,” Ian said, surging to his feet, eyes raging like a storm. “Walk away with me. Right now. No compromise, no deal.”
Sweet temptation. Loken knew the right answer. Giving ALPHA what they wanted would be wise. It would spare Danika and Ian a lot of trouble... but Loken had finally found a place to call home. Wasn’t that worth fighting for?
(Selfish. You’d let them suffer for you?)
“They’ll come after us,” he said, unsure if he was truly hoping to dissuade Ian.
“Let ‘em.”
His conviction was contagious. For once, Loken didn’t mentally map out every consequence that could unfold. He merely took a metaphorical leap of faith, following Ian’s lead. Loken couldn’t say what this choice would bring, but he wanted the freedom to find out.
Asking permission to live his own life had grown tiresome.
With a grin, Ian pulled out his phone and made a call. “Candace? Give them the contract we drafted earlier, and tell them no deal. Consultants or nothing. We’re going home.”
As soon as Ian hung up, Loken held out his hand. A little ball of light, the size of a firefly, came to life and took off in a blur—a seeking spell designed to locate his daggers. When it found them, showing him a visual in his mind’s eye, he took Ian’s hand and teleported them to the storage facility to retrieve them. The feeling of having them returned to his hand was indescribable, and he caressed the cool metal as if checking for damage. Once satisfied, he teleported them home before the breach was ever noticed.
“So, how’d it go?” Danika asked, unfazed as they appeared suddenly in the kitchen. Blu, however, squawked and hopped down from the counter.
“We told ALPHA to fuck off,” Ian replied with a grin.
“We’re probably wanted,” Loken added cheerfully. “They're likely plotting my capture as we speak.”
Danika snorted, unconcerned. “Good luck to them with that.” Then, she gestured to the refrigerator. “So, who wants pie? I made chocolate mousse!”
Still riding the thrill of recklessness, Loken held out a hand to her. “A tempting offer. I counter it with a day in London. What say you?”
Jaw dropping, Danika took his hand without hesitation. “Hell yes!”
Loken looked to Ian and held out a hand to him as well. “Coming?”
Ian grinned and accepted. “Always, Princess.”
With a smirk, Loken teleported them away.
About The Author
Amelia lives in northwestern Illinois with her husband and a dozen various pets, including finches, a corn snake, and a cat named Minnie. She has a bachelor's degree in biology that she doesn't use because she spends her days writing urban fantasy novels (which is much better anyway).
https://acelinwolf.wixsite.com/ameliamoore
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