Page 22 of Asher

“No kiss?” he asks. “We’re getting married. People know we kiss.”

“That doesn’t mean you can kiss me in my place of work.” I fold my arms across my chest. “Why are you even here?” He planned to go back to Zurich sometime today, since he’s been here for ten days already. I’m still not sure if I’m grateful for the space that will give me, or if I’ll miss him.

“I wanted to show my support.”

Okay, I’ll miss him. That’s sweet. We still don’t know each other that well, but I’m starting to like him. We’ve argued a lot this past week, but it’s not nasty. We’re just trying to learn about each other and plan a life together under stressful circumstances and in a short timeframe. It makes sense that emotions are running high… well, mine are, anyway. He seems to always be remarkably calm for a demon. Or maybe I’m just learning to read him better. I can tell the difference between his real frowns and his neutral thinking expression now, which means there are fewer times when I fear death by dismemberment in his company.

“I appreciate that,” I concede, laying my hand on his arm and letting it rest there for a moment. It’s the closest I’ll come to showing him affection at work. It’s bad enough everyone seems so excited and interested about our forthcoming marriage. I don’t want them gossiping about my behavior as well. “What time do you need to go?”

He glances at the wall clock. “Soon. Now, really. I have a meeting at ten that I need to prepare for.” He meets my gaze. “I was thinking… I have a dinner tonight, but tomorrow night I might come back? If you don’t mind.”

Why would it matter if I… ohhhh. Of course. If he’s here, people will expect him to spend time with me. And everything I’ve heard indicates that he normally doesn’t teleport back and forth each day, choosing instead to stay in Zurich for whole weeks at a time.

So what he’s really asking right now is if I want to see him tomorrow night.

“That sounds nice,” I say brightly, as though he offered to bring home pizza for dinner instead of fuck me all night. At least, Ihopethat’s what’s on offer.

His subtle smile comes and goes so fast, I’m not entirely sure it was there at all. “Good. I’ll look forward to it.” His gaze intensifies as he leans toward me, and suddenly my lungs seem too small for my chest…

Then he steps back, and disappointment crashes through me. I didn’t want him to kiss me at school, of course. But now that he’s not going to… I totally want it.

“Have a good day,” he murmurs and is gone before I can think of a reply.

I suck in a breath and glance around to see how many people just witnessed me practically swoon at a mere look from my fiancé. This marriage may end up being less convenient than I thought.

CHAPTERTEN

Asher

Two MonthsLater

This marriage is the furthest thing from convenient that I can think of.

Staring out the window at the gorgeous peaks of the alps, I wonder why I ever thought this would solve my problems. It’s just given me a different set. The only thing good about it so far has been Garrett. Garrett in my bed, with his muscled frame that can handle anything I want to dish out. Garrett’s sly sense of humor, making me see the funny things in even the most irritating moments. Garrett’s inner hellhound putting in an appearance when I least expect it… cuddling beside me while I work at night, hiding my socks and laughing as I fail to find them, nagging me to play tug-of-war with him. Garrett’s sensible professor side getting embarrassed when Micah walked in on us playing tug-of-war. Garrett fussing when he realized all the extra teleporting I’ve been doing to come home to him instead of staying in Zurich has resulted in me losing weight.

Keeping Garrett forever is something I’d seriously consider. But this wedding is making me feel stabby. I finally understand why Gideon is always on his last nerve… it’s the hellhounds.

Not Garrett, of course. His hellhound side is adorable. But his family… Yeah, I wouldn’t be sad if something happened to prevent them from ever being able to contact us again. Especially since they’re bringing out a side of Grandmother that’s causing everyone to walk on eggshells.

Don’t misunderstand: we all know Grandmother scares the shit out of other people. She even intimidates us sometimes. And we’ve heard the stories about how she deals with people who annoy her. But she’s never been like this before. Garrett’s mother called her to talk about the wedding, and halfway through the call, Grandmother threw the phone through a window and teleported out of Hortplatz. Nobody heard a word from her for the rest of the afternoon, but when she came back, she was spattered with blood, her knuckles were all grazed up, and there was this tense gleam in her eye that had us all backing away fast. Not that we think she’d hurt us, but…

We’re still not sure where she went, but a few days later it was all over the news that an entire criminal organization in Geneva had vanished. Just… disappeared, leaving nothing but some smears of blood behind. Authorities are baffled. Nobody wants to ask Grandmother if she knows anything about it, but it seems like a big coincidence….

Since then, we’ve been trying to keep her away from the hellhound side of the wedding planning. Garrett had a long, very loud talk with his family about not calling her. Micah, Zac, and I sat outside and listened. He made a lot of threats, then finished with “As much as I wish you’d all disappear, I don’t want the only thing left of you to be a bloodstain and an unsolved mystery.”

My Garrett is so sentimental.

“Asher!”

As if on cue, he yells for me from the other room, and I hear stomping footsteps coming toward me. Sighing, I turn away from the window and wait for him to find me. It won’t take long—his hellhound senses are amazing, and it’s not like I’m trying to hide.

He appears in the doorway and glares at me. “I don’t appreciate this, Asher.”

I really don’t want to ask, but I do anyway. “Don’t appreciate what?”

“Feelinglike this all the time. I’m grumpy, Asher. That’s not normal for me. I’m the calm, rational member of my family. I’m the black sheep. The one they worried about because I was so subdued and never expressed my emotions at the top of my voice.”

Nodding, I say, “I’ve noticed that about you. Normally hellhounds make me crazy, but you’re very soothing.”

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