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15

Mason

“Not long now,Buddy. Your owner is almost ready.”

I sprinkled some fish food into the little aquarium and glanced at the clock on my wall. It was a little before two in the morning.

I hadn’t slept since five a.m. yesterday, but I wasn’t even remotely tired. A voice in my head kept me awake, telling me Jolie was close to accepting the truth about the world. She just needed one last little push. And I needed her. Needed to see her beautiful face. Needed to hear her sweet voice. One last time before she learned the whole truth, because for all I knew, she would hate me after it was finally out there.

I took a few little things from the bathroom and then slipped out of my suite. New Eden was still and quiet, save for a few faint chuckles and tinkling sounds coming from the dining room. It seemed like a few of the guys were still awake, drinking and shooting the shit.

I couldn’t avoid going past the dining room on my way out, so I’d have to confront them head-on. If I tried to sneak past without being seen, they’d realize something was up.

When I arrived at the double doors leading into the room, I quickly appraised the situation. Three men were sitting at a corner table with a bottle of whiskey. Danny Miller, Tom Anderson, and Dale Sardelic. They were obviously drunk.

This should be easy.

“Hey, guys,” I said, strolling toward them. “Late night?”

Danny picked up the whiskey bottle, nearly tipping its contents onto the table as he wobbled. “Yeah. Tom brought this back from the ‘Wastelands’ today, also known as the liquor store in Amiens.” He laughed uproariously, and the other men joined in.

I faked a laugh too.

“Join us?” Danny asked, trying and failing to focus his bleary eyes on me.

“Oh, man, I wish I could,” I replied. “But I have to head up to my room in the mansion for a while. There’s no Wi-Fi signal down here, and I totally forgot I had to send some emails today. Some shit about investor portfolios back in the city.”

All three of the men glazed over the second I mentioned ‘investor portfolios’. They couldn’t care less. Tom waved his hand. “Yeah, okay, bud,” he slurred. “Hey, if you get a chance, try and bring us back one of the bottles Jacob keeps in his private stash in the study. That’s the good stuff.”

“Will do.”

I turned and strode out of the dining room. Instead of heading to the shelter exit, I made a sharp right and slowed my pace as the hall darkened to pitch black. All of the candles in the women’s section were blown out after ten-thirty to discourage any of them from staying up late or wandering around at night. As a result, I had to rely on my senses and the occasional flash from my cell phone to navigate my way through the narrow halls.

When I reached the right room, I eased the door open as quietly as possible before shutting it behind me. I crept over to the bed, slipped a hand over Jolie’s mouth, and shook her left arm.

She awoke immediately, eyes wide, chest rising and falling in heavy, frantic breaths.

“Sorry, it’s just me,” I muttered, slowly removing my hand. “Didn’t want you to scream.”

During the last couple of weeks, that had almost happened a few times. As a result, I’d developed the habit of waking her with my hand covering her mouth. She usually didn’t mind, but tonight her eyes were wild with fear as if she were afraid that I was the Devil himself.

“It’s okay,” she whispered, letting me hoist her up to a seated position. “I was just having a terrible nightmare.”

I sat next to her and rubbed her back. “What was it about?”

She rubbed her eyes and yawned. “I’m not sure. I forgot most of it the second you woke me.” She shook her head slowly. “Something about darkness and fire, I think. And serpents.”

“I’m here now, don’t worry.” I pulled her close, wrapping her in a tight hug. I leaned down to inhale the lily scent of her hair, closing my eyes as I breathed her in. Fuck, she was so perfect.

One hand snaked over my right leg, heading for my crotch. I drew back and shook my head. “Not tonight, baby girl. I have a surprise for you.”

“Another surprise? It’s only been a few days since you brought Buddy to me,” she said with a smile. “What have I done to be so lucky?”

“This one’s a bit different from a pet,” I muttered. I stood and extended a hand. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?” she asked, a tinge of anxiety in her voice. “What if someone sees us?”

“No one will. I already checked. Everyone’s asleep aside from a few guys in the dining room, and they won’t see us.”

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