Page 122 of Harley & Her Ferals

Harbinger watches me warily. “Or are you going for that assassination attempt now?”

“Shut up.” I gently cup Harbinger’s swollen cheek, and he flinches. He watches me with wide, surprised eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t hit me, Kit. I would have remembered. Your jabs hurt.”

“So do your attempts to strangle me.”

“We’re really a match made in—”

“Hell?”

He chuckles.

I’m fixated by the mess of bruises across Harbinger’s beautiful face. There’s hardly an inch of skin that isn’t purple or swollen.

“I’m trying to say thank you,” I say, softly, “for what you did in the study. It meant everything to both Laurent and me that you’d risk your life for us like that. It’s obvious that Vinnie is forcing you to fight for him. If you need my help, then you have it. I promise, I’ll protect you."

“You’llprotectme…?” Harbinger looks at me in amazement. Then he sighs. “My brother was right about me. I am shit at this.”

“You have a brother? Is he safe?” My brow furrows. “Plus, shit at what?”

Harbinger’s eyes become icy. “What do you really want?”

Carefully, signaling my movements, I push myself up on tiptoes and kiss Harbinger’s injured lips like I’ve been dreaming about doing (if I’m honest with myself), from the moment that I saw him under the lights of the octagon.

I kiss him, as if I can kiss him better.

“Is this gratitude?” Harbinger asks. “Is it an Underworld thing to give kisses as a thank you? Or am I only getting this special treatment because I’m just that sexy?”

This is it.

I didn’t expect the opportunity to come this soon but I need to be honest with Harbinger.

He’s my Alpha, no matter how much he tries to hide behind his barrier of banter.

I rest my hand on his arm, indulging in the feel of his hard muscle and the way that he doesn’t pull away from my touch.

“This is me trying to tell you that my pack, all of us, have talked,” I reply. “We want to get to know you because if there’s a way to make it possible, we’d like to take you into our pack.”

I’m shocked, when Harbinger bares his canines. “Sorry, but I’m already owned by one psychopath. I don’t fancy belonging to another.”

Hurt, I take a step back.

Then realization dawns. “I’m not talking about my dad.”

Harbinger’s shoulders relax. “Who then?”

I give him a sideways glance.

There are too many mysteries surrounding this man to trust him with all my plans just yet.

The ball is happening tonight, when the different packs will be invited to the Battles estate as well.

If I can get through that, then I will find Harbinger again. The members of my pack will be known to everybody because I will have claimed them as my reward at the ball.

I can’t risk telling Harbinger, since he still belongs to my enemy.

What did Laurent say about keeping the information to himself because then only he will be interrogated for it?

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