Page 131 of Shadow Blind

“Really?” Surprise nudged aside the worry. “Why?”

“Hell if I know.” Scowling, Aiden turned to face her. “He says he’s been informed that I need to speak with him.”

Her brows drew together. “By who?”

He shrugged, trying to squelch the irritation. “No clue. Guess I’ll find out when I meet with him.”

A frown pulled at the corners of her eyes. “Which is when?”

“Apparently now.”

“Oh.” Disappointment echoed through the word.

“Yeah.” After another annoyed growl and a head thump, he rolled out of bed. Damn, she looked so adorable lying there, the covers pulled up to her chin, her face flushed and mildly disappointed, her hair an aqua blaze against the white pillow. Every fiber in his body and synapse in his mind urged him to say fuck Benioko and rejoin her beneath the blanket.

But duty called. In the Shadow Mountain hierarchy, Benioko was the top dog. Wolf was his war commander, but the old man oversaw everything, which made him Aiden’s current CO. Hell, maybe this summons was about the nanobot weapon. If so, he couldn’t afford to miss it.

“I’d invite you to join me in the shower, but then I’d never make it to this damn meeting.” His good mood had soured amazingly fast.

He showered in record time and returned to the bedroom. Demi had already rolled back onto her side and fallen asleep. His chest warmed as he stared down at her. She looked so relaxed and comfortable. But even more importantly, she was back in his bed.

His. All his. Forever.

Because he wasn’t fucking things up this time.

He dressed as quietly as possible, then stopped at the desk in the living area long enough to write her a quick note and backtracked to the bedroom to drop it on the pillow beside her.

Don’t go. When I get back, I’ll make you my special French toast for you. PB bananas—the works.

Love you.

A

Love you was increasingly easy to say. A relief, as he intended to say it often.

He grabbed a utility vehicle and headed for the ramp and the main level. The old section of the base was easy to differentiate from the new. The tunnel was darker, the lights dimmer, the walls grimy and formed from stone, rather than that weird spongy shit. Numbers ran along the tops of the buildings in red-glowing paint. 1000…1100…1200. He slowed when he reached the 1300 block. He pulled in next to another vehicle.

The cold was more intense out here amid the stone and grime. Why the hell did Benioko live all the way out here? As the top dog on base, he could have any quarters he chose. One of the newer, brighter—hell, warmer—apartments was his for the asking. Yet he was buried out here in the bowels of Shadow Mountain.

He stopped in front of the first unit to the right. According to the 1301 stenciled above the door in red—faded to pink—paint, he’d arrived at Benioko’s quarters. The old man was obviously expecting him, as the door was propped open by a worn leather boot. A flash of irritation brought a scowl. Apparently, the old shaman was so certain Aiden would jump at his summons, he’d left the goddamn door open.

He almost turned around. But maybe the shaman had bot-related news to impart. Shoving the door all the way open, he stalked through, his patience for autocratic personalities at an all-time low. He stopped dead at the sight of Wolf.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Aiden’s tone skated awfully close to an accusation. Had Wolf been behind the texts?

A look of irritation flashed across Wolf’s face before it smoothed again. “I had business with the Taounaha.” He paused, his thick eyebrows quirking. “What of you?”

“I was summoned,” Aiden drawled.

Wolf cocked his head. “Summoned? Why?”

“Hell if I know.” Aiden mirrored his brother’s stance—shoulders back, feet spread, hands clasped behind his back. He strove for the same expression of bland indifference. “Ask your pet shaman.”

Everything about Wolf—his face, his body, his eyes—hardened at Aiden’s flippant response. “You would do well to mind your tone.”

“Enough.” A screeching-scraping sound came from around the corner to Aiden’s left. The shuffle of footsteps followed. Benioko’s fragile frame rounded the corner. The Old One split his disapproving gaze between Wolf and Aiden. “We have no time for squabbling.”

A flush heated Aiden’s face. Okay, yeah. He might be letting his annoyance with his recently fucked up morning sour his mood. With a grunt, he scrubbed his palms down his face and worked on an attitude readjustment. Time to get this meeting over with so he could get back to pampering his woman. He dropped his hands and raised his eyebrows at the shaman.

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