Page 44 of Out of the Darkness

“Just watch, Melanie,” he interrupted harshly. “I don’t have the time or the patience to explain it all in detail.”

Melanie pressed her lips together as Xavier nodded at Isabelle, who moved closer to the good detective in case she needed to grab her. Considering the way the conversation had gone, he had hoped that he wouldn’t have to go to these lengths. But he didn’t see any way out of this. It might be the only way to convince Melanie to let him handle this.

Xavier cracked his neck and mentally prepared himself for the pain that was about to come. Usually, shifting wasn’t painful, but he was still healing. He probably shouldn’t be shifting at all due to his injuries, but it was probably better that he do so and get a feel for the kind of pain it was going to cause now rather than when he came face to face with the enemy. When Madelyn needed him.

Without giving himself the time to think, he ground his teeth together and shifted in the blink of an eye. It hurt like hell, but it was bearable, which was good to know. He chuffed and shook out his fur.

When he looked up at Melanie, her eyes were nearly bulging out of her face as she began to scramble for her gun. Isabelle stopped her by shoving her against the wall and clamping a hand over her mouth to keep her quiet.

“Perfect,” she huffed, glaring at him in his wolf form as she fought to keep a hold on Melanie. “What now, Einstein?”

Chapter Twenty-One

Xavier

“Alright, just keep me posted,” Melanie said into her phone before she ended the call and sat down in the chair he had brought into his office for her. She dropped the phone into her purse before leaning back against the chair. “They don’t have any leads yet, but they will let me know if that changes.”

Xavier only nodded as he began a new search parameter on his computer.

It hadn’t been his intention to bring Melanie back to his place as he didn’t want her involved in all this. That was why he had gone to see her and told her to back off in the first place. However, once the shock of discovering what he was had worn off, she insisted he bring her along and didn’t give him much choice in the matter. She said that, if he didn’t, she’d arrest him for obstruction, and even she seemed to know that his kind would not do well in county lockup.

The whole situation was awkward as hell because they despised each other. Their love for Madelyn was the only thing that was uniting them right now, and he wasn’t going to be the one to make Madelyn choose between them. He knew how important Melanie was to her. So, he’d tolerate the pushy detective for Madelyn’s sake, at least, for now.

“Is any of this even legal?” Melanie asked him pointedly as she stared at the screen from over his shoulder.

“You aren’t here as a cop, remember? You don’t get to sit here and question our methods, nor do you get to use anything you see or hear against us in any way. That was the deal.”

He had already gone over all of this with her before he agreed to bring her here, but he also felt it was necessary to reinforce the issue.

Isabelle and the others Rodrigo had sent were in the living room, coming up with a plan of action for when he found out where Colby was hiding. Despite being told otherwise, they had decided to work together, and Melanie’s presence had them all on edge. He wouldn’t put it past any one of them, especially Isabelle, to kill her if they thought for one moment that she was a threat. This meant he also needed to keep an eye on her so that Madelyn didn’t lose her best friend, another meaningless task that he wanted no part of.

“I am aware, Xavier,” Melanie said. “But that doesn’t mean I have to like this arrangement.”

“What do you know—something we have in common,” he grumbled in response.

After a few moments, she spoke again. “So, I’m guessing that Madelyn knows you are not human.”

“She does.”

“And she agreed to be with you anyway?” The way her voice held a hint of disgust pissed him off.

His jaw clenched in irritation. “Yes, because, unlike you, she’s not a judgmental bitch.”

“Hey, I’m not judging,” she retorted, causing him to snort. “Okay, maybe I am a bit. But I just figured that someone like you would want to be with your own kind. Surely, another shifter could handle your… proclivities a bit better than a mere human can.”

Xavier turned to face her then, his hands balling into fists so tightly that his claws punctured the flesh of his palm. He was really trying to keep his anger and irritation in check, but Melanie wasn’t making it easy. If it were any other time, he wouldn’t mind the questions, especially if it helped her to accept his place in Madelyn’s life. But right now, Madelyn was in danger, and he needed to focus on finding her.

“Madelyn handles my proclivities just fine,” he snapped. “And for your information, there are no female shifters. Even if there were, Madelyn is my fated mate. She’s it for me.”

Melanie’s eyebrow lifted in question. “What the fuck does that mean?”

He debated not telling her as he didn’t owe her a damn thing. He knew how she felt about him, and he wasn’t exactly fond of her either, especially after she had hurt Madelyn so badly. But she was still important to Madelyn, and when he found her, she was going to need Melanie too. Even he could set aside his own pride enough to admit that.

“It means that she’s my soulmate, my wolf’s other half. We have a kind of bond that is impossible to ignore and impossible to break. It’s hard to explain because it’s a shifter thing, but before you even ask, she knows about that too.”

“Well, I’d hope so,” she muttered. “Jesus, that’s a lot to unpack.”

Xavier didn’t respond. He didn’t feel like he needed to. How well Melanie understood what was between him and Madelyn didn’t matter. He had done his part and had told her what she needed to know. At least, that’s what he thought.

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