Page 102 of Blood of Vengeance

She set her phone down, looking far too pleased with herself. “Yup. Absolutely. Let’s get back to the food.”

We ate more than we should have, both of us laughing and enjoying our time at the restaurant. The head chef came and thanked us when we were finished, giving Zella a hug and reminding her that she was welcome for family dinner anytime. He also invited me to come along, which had me hoping we might actually accept his hospitality at some point.

Once finished at the restaurant, I drove us home, watching the motorcycle headlights in the rearview. The two motorcycle headlights—Flinch had not been outside when we’d left. A knot had formed in my stomach when I’d noticed, and a surprising sadness had moved into my soul. Our relationship was a mess—an absolute mess. I loved him, missed him, and wanted to fix things but couldn’t because for some reason my brain was demanding that he do the work. All of the work, no matter how selfish that seemed at times. He had messed up big-time, and he needed to repair it for me to be willing to give him another chance. I just didn’t know if he would be willing to do that.

We made it back to our building without issue, me pulling onto the surface lot that Flinch paid for to park for the night. The knowledge that he cared, that he was taking care of me even when I was giving him absolutely nothing in return, hit me hard. Made me feel guilty. I missed him so much, and not telling him what I needed wasn’t fair, but I couldn’t get past my own shit to move us forward. Couldn’t stop thinking the man needed to fix his mistakes to prove he cared enough about me to try. I needed him to work for our connection, not just rely on what the fates had thrown in his way.

That realization unlocked something inside me I hadn’t even begun to recognize. I wanted Flinch to put in the work because a fated connection seemed like a cheat code. Like an easy button. Relationships needed a foundation stronger than that.

I was halfway to the front door of the building, still stewing over my view of relationships versus matings, when I spotted him. Flinch, in all his biker glory, stood on my stoop with flowers in his hands, looking more nervous than I had ever seen him before. His anxious eyes met mine, and heat exploded inside me. He was making his move, and I had a feeling I knew what had given him the confidence to do so.

“What did you do?” I asked Zella, still gazing at Flinch. Unable to break our stare.

“I pulled your head out of your own ass.” She walked past me, smiling at the shifter with the bouquet. “Hi, Flinch. Good to see you.”

“Zella,” he said, giving her a slight nod while still staring at me. “Hey there, short stack.”

My god, I loved him. “Hi. Are those for me?”

“Yeah.” He handed me the flowers. They were a mix of oranges and deep reds that reminded me of the desert back in Arizona. And thankfully, the bouquet was rose-free. I doubted I would ever be able to enjoy those again without the smell reminding me of the vampires who had killed my dad.

I brought the bouquet to my nose, sniffing softly. Smiling at the delicate scent floating around the flowers. “They’re beautiful.”

“So are you.” He stepped closer, his eyes locked on mine, the tension between us growing with every second that passed. “You’re so fucking beautiful, my love.”

I gasped, nearly trembling before him. Wanting so much to touch him, kiss him, feel his warmth against me. Wanting to stop fighting the need to be with him.

Thankfully, Zella made sure my internal battle was a quick one.

“Okay, you two,” Zella said, slipping past us to unlock the door. “Let’s head on upstairs so we don’t get some sort of obscene behavior charge. The sexual energy between you two is enough to turn everyone on this block into a cornball.”

Yup, battle forgotten.

We climbed the stairs to our apartment, all three of us silent. I didn’t know what to say—my emotions were running through me too violently to find words to match their energy. And Flinch, he just watched me with a hungry look in his eyes. One I could feel.

“Don’t start anything yet.” Zella disappeared as soon as we entered the apartment, coming back from her room with a small duffel bag thrown over her shoulder. “I’m out. Now you can go for it.”

“Where are you going?” I asked, feeling more than a little dumbfounded by the last five minutes.

“Your mate rented me a little escape for the night, so he could—what did you say earlier? Clean up his mess.” She smiled at Flinch. “Try not to fuck this up.”

“I’ll do my best.” He shot me a quick look, his expression almost shy all of a sudden. As if being alone with me worried him. “I got you a hot tub room—Cutter said the tub would help with any joint pain you might be having.”

Zella bit back her own smile, a flush deepening the color of her neck. “Cutter told you that?”

“He did. He also said you should be protected at all costs, so the Feral Breed are taking you to the hotel. You won’t need them after you get there, though.”

Wouldn’t need them…as in for protection. I had a feeling Flinch hadn’t been the only shifter to make the drive from Mesa to Detroit, but I wasn’t about to get Zella’s hopes up just in case I was wrong.

Though I had a distinct suspicion that Zella knew her man was in town if the look of absolute joy on her face was any indication. “Take care of Lock for me.”

Flinch growled, coughing slightly as if to cover up the noise. “You have my word.”

Zella squealed before giving me a hug. She then jumped right at Flinch, practically hanging from his neck as she said, “You know you’re my favorite, right?”

“Don’t tell Cutter that.” He huffed a laugh as he patted her on the back. “Kaija’s downstairs to take you to the hotel and do the handoff.”

“Cool. I’m out.” She stopped long enough to drop her smile and look at me with a serious expression. “Don’t be an idiot.”

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