Page 106 of Devoted

Micah slipped back inside the office, giving us a few moments of privacy. “I’m sorry. I really do want to have this talk with you now.”

“I know.” He smiled. “It’s alright, really. Whatever it is, I’m sure waiting a few more hours won’t hurt.”

I blew out a frustrated breath. He was right. I’d waited this long, a little longer wouldn’t make a difference. “Are you sure you’ll be okay without me here?”

“Sure.” His shoulders were tense, his fingers tapping. It was funny, I’d never really paid this much attention to anyone in the past, but already I knew so many of Sam’s tells. “I really do have work to do.”

“Okay.” I pulled him close and dropped a kiss on his forehead. “Hopefully I won’t be long, but I’ll have my phone on me. If I’m not back by dinner and you don’t feel like company, just drop me a text and I’ll have someone bring you some food.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “I don’t need?—”

I cut him off with a kiss, not stopping until I felt him relax. “I know you don’tneedus to wait on you, but we want to. Okay?”

“I’m sure your housemates have better things to do.”

Better than making sure my mate felt comfortable and happy? I bet they fucking didn’t. The twins might not have made the best first impression, but I knew that even they didn’t want to fuck this up for me. “Trust me, it’ll be fine.”

Rami appeared at the end of the corridor, Benji on his heels. A few seconds later, Noah, Grace, and Breann rounded the corner. Nox and the twins walked past us from the kitchen, the twins glancing sheepishly at Sam. All of them filed into the office wearing matching grim expressions.

A chill crawled up my spine. Whatever was happening, it wasn’t good.

Suddenly, it was easier to walk away from Sam. If there was something coming that might threaten his safety or well-being, I needed to know every detail. “I’ve got to go, but we’ll talk later, okay?”

“Okay.” Sam gave me one final peck before nudging me after the others. “You go work and I’ll do the same.”

I waited until he’d disappeared up the stairs before storming into the office. “This had better be fucking life threatening.” The heavy silence around the conference table confirmed my worst fears. “Shit, what is it?”

“Sit down, Ez,” Micah said, indicating the empty spot beside him. The old guilt panged as I realised I should’ve been here already. As his second, I should’ve been here before the rest of the unit had been summoned.

“Stop feeling bad,” Rami said, correctly guessing the direction my thoughts had taken. “No one here blames you for wanting to spend time with your mate.”

“Rami’s right,” Micah said, giving me a kind smile I wasn’t sure I deserved. “This is a special time for both of you. If this wasn’t so urgent, I wouldn’t have dreamed of summoning you.”

I slid into my seat. “I still feel bad. I’ve basically just thrown you in the deep end on your own.”

“What are the rest of us?” Theo asked indignantly. “Chopped liver? We might fuck around, but we’re more than capable of picking up your slack.”

“When I find my mate, I don’t plan on leaving the bedroom for at least a month.” Nate propped his chin on his hands, staring into the distance. “I’ll make you bring us all the sustenance we need so we can keep fucking like rabbits.”

Noah’s mouth twisted as he undoubtedly lined up a sarcastic diatribe. Before he could deliver it, Micah rapped his knuckles on the table.

“Settle. We don’t have time. Ez, you’re more than entitled to spend this time with your mate, so stop feeling guilty. Besides, Theo’s right, everyone else is able to help. And what’s more, you came when I asked. That’s good enough for me.”

With how everyone was peering at me, I felt like a creature under a microscope. I sank down in my chair, grunting. “Okay. Get on with it then.”

Micah’s back straightened as he surveyed the table. “As I was saying before Ez entered, myself and Ezekiel have been summoned before the court.”

My brows shot up. “For what?”

“The summons doesn’t say.” He slid the paper in front of me so I could read the message myself. Sure enough, there was just the one sentence requesting our presence upstairs within the hour.

It was the signature at the bottom that made me pause. “Gloria. She’s the one summoning us.”

“Indeed.” Micah’s lips thinned into a line as he tapped his finger on the table. “On the plus side, she didn’t send a messenger this time, which implies we aren’t necessarily in trouble.”

“But on the flip side, she could’ve just sent the orders in an email,” Nate said. “That’s how missions have all been given in recent years.”

“All with the exception of the time she instructed me to murder my mate,” Micah said darkly, his eyes flicking to the demon in question. “Which is why I’m suspicious.”

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