Page 144 of The Price of Ice

“Crazy ideas?” she turned on him, voice going sharp. “Like joining an organisation for fair sports?”

A motorcycle speeding ahead on his left distracted him long enough that by the time he could answer, he’d actually processed the words. “I just mean... Levy doesn’t need to bomb his own life for this. We can all help a bit, and it will be enough.”

Analisa grumbled. “Okay, yeah. No martyrs, I can allow that. But he could give an interview and say he’s against the practice.” She redirected her attention to Levy. “I mean, you have already quit pro hockey, right? So what would be the harm?”

“It should be fine,” Levy agreed.

“Unless your new job minds,” Kallen counteracted. He just couldn’t help himself, he didn’t want Levy on the line of fire.

He was already braced for Analisa to snap at him for it, but instead it was Levy who responded, “So if your next job minds, you’ll quit?”

“What?” He glanced up at the mirror, meeting Levy’s clever eyes on it for a moment. He huffed. “I wouldn’t get a job that minded.”

And even though he couldn’t see it, he could imagine Levy’s smirk very clearly indeed. Analisa laughed with real delight next to him.

“Wow,” she said, and Kallen felt her shift next to him and on the mirror, caught her offering Levy a fist to bump. “Welcome to the team.”

Chapter 46

It was not even eight by the time they got to the civic centre, but since they were going back to Kallen’s parents to eat the grapes as the clock struck midnight, he’d figured he’d want to get in early.

Levy was behind them as they came in, all but hiding from the people milling about. Kallen slowed down and offered him his hand, which his boyfriend took, hazel eyes a little too wide. But when Kallen raised his chin in silent question, he nodded and smiled tightly.

It wasn’t like he didn’t know why Levy felt like he was out of place in a party for an omega organisation. The beautiful night they’d spend on his heat had gone a long way to reassure him that Levy was handling his own issues with what he’d been pushed to do. But in the same way Kallen wasn’t going to feel comfortable with any strange alphas any time soon, he couldn’t ask Levy not to feel guilty.

Maybe it was logical, but humans were illogical. “Come on, I want you to meet Taylor.”

Taylor was all smiles, offering a hand for Levy to shake without easy confidence. If anything, it took Levy a second to reach out and take it. “Nice to meet you, Kallen says you have been great to him.”

“Is that translation for I have managed to outstubborn him on occasion?” Taylor joked, shooting Kallen a mischievous grin.

Kallen laughed. “Yeah, that’s it,” he agreed.

“Then it’s true,” Taylor told Levy. “Come try the food, my partner’s a chef.”

They followed him to one of the tables on the sides of the room, which were piled high with a variety of finger foods and some salads. But once they got there, it was a tall dark haired alpha woman who caught their eye instead. Her heavy-lidded eyes were lined in kohl and she wore a red dress that wouldn’t have been out of place in a five-star hotel, form-fitting but elegant. “And this,” Taylor announced. “It’s my beautiful partner, Amoia. These are Kallen and Levy, love.”

Kallen was shocked when her eyes turned to him first and not Levy, like was customary for alphas. But he took her proffered hand and returned her smile. “The famous Kallen, I’ve been wanting to meet you.”

“Oh, um, thanks. I don’t know that I’m famous—”

Levy elbowed him gently. “Take the compliment.”

Kallen rolled his eyes at him, but nodded at Amoia, and in a burst of bravery, clarified, “Levy’s my boyfriend. He’s never been to aFair Sportevent before.”

Amoia’s eyes were lit up with amusement. “Ah, fresh blood. Don’t worry,” she added,winkingat Levy of all things. “We don’t bite.”

Levy had burst into laughter and before Kallen knew what was happening, Amoia and he were talking recipes.

***It wasn’t until he found himself talking to an older woman in a modest blue dress about policy that he remembered to think of Analisa. He glanced around. “You know what? You should really be talking to my friend Analisa, I don’t think I’m getting my point across, but she’s going to be a lawyer and— Would you excuse me a moment?”

Analisa had been in a corner with a shorter woman, dark-haired and pale-skinned, that hadn’t looked pleased to have her stolen away.

“I’ll give her back, I swear,” Kallen told the stranger, and his friend had fallen into the conversation with the older lady like a lion upon its prey. Within moments, Kallen was simply watching them argue back and forth the finer points of the law, just about able to follow but most definitely wishing he could record them so he could listen to it again later and look up the references he was missing.

He sipped at his wine and even stepped up to one of the tables to try some of Amoia’s cooking—she’d made ham from scratch that tasted more real than anything he’d tried from a store before and since he was drinking and would later need to drive, he allowed himself some of the freshly baked bread as well.

By the time he got back, they’d truly moved past anything he could understand, so he stepped away and looked around for familiar faces. Leo was there with both his grandfathers, Richard nodding an invitation Kallen took without hesitation.

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