“Very funny.”
“I know,” she preens, tugging me along toward him. When it’s clear she’s not naturally letting go, Cassian cocks a brow at her.
“Can I steal her back now?”
Her grip tightens playfully, but before they can get more into it, a worrying thought falls heavy on my chest.
“Where are the others?”
Cassian sighs, scrubbing the back of his neck nervously. “Beau arrived.”
“Beau?” I repeat dumbly, and he nods.
“Yeah, said his white lie was enough to keep the two of us here for the night, but not the others.” He says it all calmly, like there’s no reason to worry, but I’ve learned there’s always a reason to be concerned.
“Are they going to be okay?”
A smirk dances over his lips as his eyes narrow in on mine. “They might die of jealousy from the night I get alone with you, but otherwise, I’m sure they’ll survive.”
Janie’s hold on my arm relents as she shoves at me, pushing me toward Cassian. “Ew, the pair of you go. I can smell the pheromones from here,” she mutters, winking when I glance back at her.
“Janie,” Cassian grunts and a burst of laughter parts my lips.
“What? It’s true,” she insists, heading back toward the restaurant without a single glance over her shoulder.
“I think we’ve been dismissed.”
“I think you’re right,” I agree, still riding the high from spending a few hours with the crazy woman.
“It’s a good thing I got your steak to go then, isn’t it?” he states, lifting a paper bag off the ground, and my eyes widen with excitement.
“You’re amazing, thank you.”
Wordlessly, he takes my hand with his other before guiding me through the trees. He doesn’t try to use his speed or question me on mine. Instead, he seems content to stroll through the darkness.
“Where are we supposed to stay?” I ask after a while, and even though only the moon lights the sky, I see the apprehension in his gaze.
“In my old unit.”
Uncertainty twists in my gut. “Is that going to be safe?”
His lips purse for a beat before he nods firmly. “It’s the safest place here. I had Brody weave so much magic around it that it’s impossible for anyone but us to get in. Which is exactly why it stands untouched,” he explains, waving the paper bag in the direction of a small building barely noticeable in the darkness.
I can’t tell if it remains as untouched as he says, but he doesn’t falter as we near the property. It’s a two-story unit with a few windows dotted around the place, but in such low light, I can’t make much else out.
He releases my hand to grab the door handle, and I watch in awe as a fizzle of magic dances around his fingers at the connection before the lock clicks open. He waves for me to step inside first, turning the light on as he follows me in, and I take a moment to get familiar with my surroundings.
A small wooden dining table sits to my left, surrounded by a few kitchen cupboards and appliances, while a black leather sofa faces a television to my right. The staircase is against the far wall,breaking up the space as I assume it leads to the bedroom and bathroom.
“It’s surprisingly… cozy,” I admit, following Cassian toward the dining table as he grins.
“Maybe. It used to be the unit where women would stay in when in heat, but my father decided it was better suited for me.”
I can’t tell if that fact makes him happy or not, and even though I’ve been a wolf for all of two minutes, I’m aware of female wolves being in heat and what that can mean. If these walls could talk, I can’t imagine how much sex they would recall. I quickly shut the thought down when I consider the fact that Cassian could have had sex here too.
Fuck, who am I kidding? He definitely did.
“What are you thinking so hard about that you’re letting your steak go cold?” he asks, breaking my train of thought.