Page 61 of Vicious Luna

Of course, I’m not going to make this easy on him. The moment he steps into the hall, I grab for his arms, pinning them behind his back like he’s done to me so many times. It’s a shame he doesn’t resist. Wrapping my hands around his thick wrists, I urge him forward, directing him down the hall, past the locked door of the squad’s arsenal, and up the flight of steps.

We emerge in the supply room adjacent to the indoor arena, and I bark orders at Cam to continue through the door and along the wall inside the arena to the locker room further down. It’s only used when we have training drills in here- otherwise, everyone uses the locker rooms in the squad dorms- so I know it’s vacant. I also double-checked before heading down to the basement.

“This door is the only way in and out,” I say, yanking on his arms to jerk him to a stop outside of the locker room. “There’s showers and toilets, towels and clothes, everything you need in there to freshen up. Just c’mon out when you’re done.”

He casts me a suspicious glance, probably expecting this to be some sort of trick, but I just push against the door to swing it open and wave him through. “I’d give you five minutes, but I’m feeling generous, so you can have ten,” I say smugly, tipping my head toward the open doorway. “Chop, chop.”

Cam grumbles something under his breath that’s too quiet for me to hear, but I can only imagine it’s along the lines of ‘thank you Avery, you’re the best warden ever’- because I totally am. Then he breezes past me, disappearing into the locker room and the door swinging closed behind him.

I blow out a breath, moving beside the door and relaxing back against the wall while I wait for him to do his thing. I’m not actually going to time him, but it’ll be interesting to see whether he even attempts to cooperate. Part of me hopes hewon’t- his compliance thus far has been boring as hell.

I’m still standing there, absently inspecting my freshly pink-painted fingernails, when I hear the exterior door to the arena open. I snap my head in that direction and my eyes immediately narrow in suspicion when I see my friends Andie and Lo stepping through, looking like they’re up to no good. They whisper conspiratorially to one another before waving awkwardly and making a beeline toward me.

I push off from the wall, pacing a few steps away from the locker room door to meet them. “What are you two doing here?” I ask as they approach, arching a skeptical brow. I made myself abundantly clear in our meeting earlier that I didn’t want anyone else near Cam’s cell, so the fact that they’re here is pretty damning.

Lo at least has the decency to look sheepish, while her red-haired bestie boldly meets my eyes, coming right out with the truth.

“We just wanted to see what he looks like,” Andie admits, her lips curving in a coy smile. “C’mon, can’t we at least go down and sneak a peek?”

I toss a thumb over my shoulder toward the locker room. “He’s showering.”

“Alone?” Lo asks, brows creasing in concern.

“Where’s he gonna run to?” I scoff.

“Fair point,” she concedes, nodding. “I mean, he wouldn’t leave his mate.”

I snort a laugh. “Well, he doesn’t know the first thing about being a shifter, so he probably would. But also, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t even know we’re mates.”

“What?!” Andie gasps, eyes flying wide. “How is that even possible?”

I shrug. “Don’t know. Probably because he refuses to accept his wolf.”

“Some part of him has to know,” Lo reasons. “Either way, though, you should tell him. If he’s just figuring out the whole shifter thing, he probably needs a little guidance.”

“If his wolf isn’t telling him, then why should I?” I snap, suddenly on the defensive.

“How else are you going to get him to seal the bond?”

“I’m not.”

“Are you kidding me?” Andie interjects, gaping at me like I just sprouted a second head. “You heard what happened to Ace’s parents, right?”

I scowl, kicking the toe of my sneaker against the ground, because of course I have. Everybody around here knows the cautionary tale of Cal and Nessa rejecting their fated bond. I mean, they still got their happy ending, but only after months of pain and misery. The outlook is a lot bleaker for me.

“It’s fine,” I mumble, even though it’s definitelynotfine.

“Avery, be reasonable here,” Lo sighs, stepping closer. “Like Archer said earlier, fate had to have put you two together for a reason. You’ve gotta at least give him a chance.”

“This isn’t the same as you and Javi,” I mutter, hating how bitter I sound. I was never the girl who dreamed of running off into the sunset with her fated mate, but I sort of assumed he’d at least be an appropriate match, not my sworn enemy. With the way things stand, I have no idea what our path forward is, or if there even is one.

“Bullshit,” Andie declares, folding her arms over her chest and staring me down with a knowing grin. “If you didn’t care about him, you wouldn’t be protecting him from your brother.”

“Not true,” I lie.

“You just don’t want to admit you like him because of who he is,” she continues, pointing an accusatory finger in my direction.

“Are you done?” I snap, already sick and tired of her psychoanalysis.

---