He comes closer to me and leans on the SUV. I shift a little away, and he definitely notices. “I’ve been thinking though.Areyou guys Blood Mages?”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“Well, you were made to be like them, but you aren’t actually. You’re something else. I kind of think you should have a different name.”
I stare and stare. He’s the first person to say something like this, but he’s absolutely right. Why do we call ourselves the same thing as the people who hurt us? “You’re right.”
“So.” He flashes another smile. “Maybe we should come up with another name.”
“Alright,” I say.
Then he hesitates, his smile falling away. “Sorry for touching your knee. I wasn’t thinking.”
“It’s okay,” I say too quickly.
He shakes his head. “No, it wasn’t. I’m a touchy person by nature, but I shouldn’t have assumed you would be okay with me entering your personal space.”
Fuck. I swear I actually think if he put his hand on my knee now, I’d let him.“Uh, thanks. I’m not… anti-touch though, I just have a big personal bubble.”
His pale eyes brighten. “Okay, well, you just let me know if I enter it, and I’ll try my best to be aware of it.”
I feel like that grumpy green guy who hates Christmas because I feel like my heart grows several sizes. “Agreed.” Then, I release a slow breath. “So, how mad do you think Max is?”
“Well, he was calm and patient… so probably pissed as hell.”
I laugh. “So, that’s just how he is? Because Mr. Robot Man is driving me crazy.”
“No, that’s just him,” Braxton says, standing up and smiling down at Trouble. “Until you get him really mad, and then that guy is not someone anyone wants to mess with.”
“Seriously?” I ask, lifting a brow, because I just can’t imagine that.
“Seriously,” Braxton says. “My ‘big’ bro has a dark side, and God help anyone who sees that side of him.”
“Maybe I want to see it,” I tell him, trying to picture it.
“You must have a death wish,” he jokes.
My smile vanishes.Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t know anymore.
Trouble moves away from Braxton and comes up to me. He stares at me, tilting his head like he’s trying to figure me out. I stare back at him unsure of what the beast wants.
“Trouble is good at sensing when someone is in distress.”
“I’m not in distress,” I tell him, trying not to sound offended.
He shrugs his shoulders. “That’s what everyone says.”
Ignoring his words, I go to the SUV, open the door, and climb in. The thing is that my heart is racing and my palms are sweaty. I’m not sure why, but I want to leave this place and find my pack member. That’s all that matters to me, thatshouldmatter to me. There isn’t room in my life for anything else, including my dark thoughts.
I just hope when I find my pack member, I can save him, because I can’t… I just can’t lose anything more.
ELEVEN
Max
I manageto get Mr. Vangardee to agree not to report Asha’s actions to any of my superiors, but I think he mainly agrees because he doesn’t want more people to know about what happened to begin with. He hands me the file, I say goodbye, and then the second I’m free of him I’m thinking about what the hell to do about Asha. Shecannotattack our leads. She cannot behave like that.
But it’s more than that. I’ve been watching for any signs of the dangerous Blood Mage within her, and I’ve seen nothing. Until now. So, was that just a woman on the edge after losing everything she ever loved? Or was that something more?