Page 55 of Conflicted

I leaned over, throwing open the door on the other side. “Then prove it. Get in the car.”

We glared at each other through the window for a few moments. Micah backed down first, rolling his eyesbefore stomping around to the passenger side. Internally I did a little fist bump.Step one complete.

I let the flames die away as he ducked through the door.

“See, was that so hard?”

“Did you have to set a car on fire right outside my house?”

My tyres screeched as I pulled off, not wanting to give Micah the chance to change his mind. “Well I thought about knocking, but I didn’t know if the rest of your unit is aware of our…situation. Thought you might not appreciate them knowing.”

“That’s…surprisingly thoughtful. Thank you.” He stiffened suddenly. “Wait, you can see our house?”

I snorted. “It’s not like I can miss it. The place is fucking huge. Honestly, it makes sense given you angels aren’t known for slumming it.”

The car sailed onto a roundabout, a cacophony of horns blaring as I weaved around other drivers. Curses and epithets were hollered from open windows, making my smile grow wider. Nothing like starting your morning off with a delicious dose of wrath.

I glanced at Micah from the corner of my eye, surprised he hadn’t commented on my antics. He was staring out of the window, seemingly oblivious.

“What’s on your mind, little angel?”

He jumped before scowling at me. “Don’t call me that.”

“I’ll stop when youaskme to, not tell me to.” I checked the map on my phone to make sure we were on the right road before asking him again. “What are you thinking about?”

Micah sighed, rubbing his temple. “The compound is warded. No one’s supposed to see it. The only people who know how to lift the wards are members of the Seraphim.So the fact that you can see the house is…unsettling. It means there’s something wrong with the wards. We’ll have to strip them all off and reset them.”

He pulled out his phone, opening the notes app and adding it to what looked like an already extremely long to-do list. His shoulders slumped further too, as though the thought of one more task was threatening to push him over the edge.

“Or I can see it because we’re mates.”

Micah’s knuckles whitened around his phone. “We aren’t mates.”

Technically, he was right. “No, but we’re fated. I imagine it’s something to do with that rather than anything else.”

“Maybe.” Micah sighed, tapping away at his phone. When he spoke again, it was almost to himself. “Still, it’s worth us checking it. I’ll ask Rami and Benji to start stripping them now. I can be back there in five minutes. It’ll take a day or so…oh fuck. I’ve got to get the report to Dermot about the clan today. Okay, so maybe—wait, what the fuck?”

I put the phone I’d just pulled out of his hands in the seat pocket next to me. “Nope. None of that is happening today.”

“Nox, you tosser, give me back my phone.”

“No.” This whole scene had confirmed my thoughts about what was behind Micah’s breakdown the night before. He didn’t know how to switch off, taking on everything without letting anyone else shoulder the load.

He cursed, reaching over me. I laughed, leaning forward and blocking him. “Want me to crash, little angel? Because while we’d survive, the same can’t be said for any humans in other cars.”

He sat back with a snarl. “Are you really going to do this? I am stronger than you, you know. I can overpower you in a second.”

I looked at him pointedly. “Yeah, you can. So what’s stopping you?”

He huffed, folding his arms over his chest. “Are you really not going to give me back my phone?”

“I will if you can promise you won’t use it to work for the next three hours.”

“Three hours?” Micah’s voice rose in disbelief. “You expect me to be out of contact forthree hours?”

“Yep.” I smirked at him. “You better get used to it. If I ever get you into a bed, I’ll be keeping you there far longer than that. Trust me, you won’t be thinking about anyone else then.”

“That’s not going to happen.”

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