Page 48 of Dead Heat

As outside my comfort zone as their arrangement was, I found myself appreciative of what they had together. It was unorthodox, sure, but it worked for them.

“Are you positive you wouldn’t like to stay a little longer?” Del asked. “I could make it worth your while.”

“My relationship is exclusive,” I said. “And trust me when I tell you that you wouldn’t like to see my guy angry.”

Gun looked at me. “You make it sound like you’re dating the Hulk.”

Del cleared his throat. “Actually, I wasn’t talking to you, Lorelei.”

Gun’s gaze slid to Del. “How about that drink now?”

“Mexican coffee?”

“Surprise me.”

I pressed the heel of my boot on top of Gun’s shoe, prompting a look from him.

“What? I told you I’d take an Uber home.”

“I thought that was because of my driving.”

“It was, and now I have an even better reason.”

Gunther was a grown mage who could do whatever and whomever he pleased. “Okay, if you’re sure.”

He smiled at Del. “I’m sure.”

“It was nice meeting you, Lorelei,” Del said. “Give my regards to Alessandro. I hope you’re able to resolve his problem.”

“Thank you.”

I left the condo feeling too much like Nana Pratt for my liking. I was hardly a prude, so what was my issue? The question swirled around in my mind as I rode home. Only when I arrived at the Castle did the answer become clear.

It wasn’t about sex. It was about fear. I felt protective of Gun. I’d delivered him to the home of a warlock with dark magic. It didn’t matter that Gun was a professional assassin with powerful magic of his own. A La Fortuna mage from a long line of tarot card practitioners. He was also Gunther Saxon, one of the first friends I made in Fairhaven.

And I didn’t want to lose him.

CHAPTER EIGHT

I parkedmy truck on the side of the dirt road that led to the Arrowhead trailer park. The big reveal with Chief Garcia and Officer Leo was set to take place in the building the pack usually reserved for their internal meetings, as well as game nights.

I opened the door, causing West to jump.

“Quite the alpha response,” I remarked.

“You’re late,” he snarled. “I thought I was going to have to do this without you.”

“Sorry. I had a crazy day.”

“Why do I get the feeling most of your days qualify as crazy?”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Hey, we’re friends now, remember?” My gaze drifted to the room’s setup. “Looks good in here.” There was a long metal table covered in bowls of snacks and bottles of beer. There were only a handful of werewolves in attendance so as not to overwhelm the guests.

“The beer was my idea,” Anna said proudly.

“We figured alcohol was a necessity,” West added.

“Can’t hurt.”

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