Page 141 of This Pack of Ours

“Faster!” I hissed frantically and swept the entire contents of the countertop into Adrian’s hands. I could hear voices, and footsteps coming up the stairs.

“What’s going on?” asked Vander.

“Sober up. They’re here,” I said, sitting down on a bar stool and then standing up again.

“What?" he asked again, his voice languid. The door opened and I sat down, crossing my legs.

“Just act normal,” I said desperately.

Vex was smiling as she came through the door, and Jhin stepped up, about to take her coat. I almost tackled him as I stopped him from doing that, wincing asEbony Starlessshot him a death glare. Kit was staring, his mouth hanging open, and his hand shot out to grip Vander’s arm.

“Dude,” he said slowly. “Are you seeing this?”

I gave him my coldest gaze, but he was too high to notice.

“Oh, is this your place? It’s cute,” said Vex. Love—Love fucking Hightower—took her coat and hung it on our hooks.

“Yes,” I said, as the rest of the Crimson Fury pack stepped into our apartment, which suddenly felt very, very small. Drake Jaccard was shifting on his feet, settling back against the wall and blinking at the window. Ebony and Love were looming behind Vex, and holy shit, they were so tall, and yes, their hair really did look that smooth in real life. The last one, Rook Harrison looked the most normal, and was giving us a friendly smile, hands casually in his pockets.

What was I supposed to do now? I tried to kick my brain into gear.

“Um, this is my pack. You’ve met Jhin.” I tugged him away from the coat hooks. “And this is Adrian, Ez, Kit, and Vander. Guys, this is Vex Eden, and, um, Love, Ebony, Rook, and Drake.”

Adrian was pale, and Jhin had suddenly stiffened by my side.

“Huh,” said Ez, eyes narrowing. “Y’know, Kit said you guys weren’t real.” He threw a displeased look at Kit, who was still just gawking.

“Please have a seat!” I said waving at the couches. “Do you want tea, or coffee?”

I gave the others a frantic look, and Ez beamed, stepping forward. “Yeah, we also have some pop, crackers, Cheetos, and Oreos—no, shit, sorry I think me and Kit just finished those. Actually—I don’t remember, hold on—” He turned and walked toward the spare room.

“Take them in there!” I mouthed at Adrian, pointing to Vander and Kit and then the spare room. He grabbed them and followed Ez inside. I could have cried with relief.

“Just some water, please.” Vex took Drake’s hand and they made their way over to the couches. Drake sat down heavily, leaning forward on his knees. He just blinked as I placed the cups of water in front of them.

Jhin sat on the love seat, and as I got close he smoothly moved over and tugged me onto his lap.

Uh. What?

I looked at him, but his expression was neutral.Tooneutral. Well, I didn’t want to make a scene, so I guess I was sitting here.

Ebony sat down next to Vex on the couch and tugged her onto his lap, too. She rolled her eyes.

“How can we help you today?” I asked, and then I blanched.

Shit. This must be about the meeting with the foundation.

“Oh god,” I said. “I am so sorry I left that meeting like that. It had been a really stressful day, and Jhin was supposed to be with me, but I was on my own and I’d never been anywhere like that before…” I trailed off, biting my lip.

“Yes, sorry. That’s actually why I came today,” Vex said gently. “I didn’t realize they’d invite you topside or I would have said something. I actually can’t believe you were brave enough to come on your own.”

“Really?” I asked, blinking at her, the roaring anxiety in my chest dying down, replaced by a hesitant pride. She thought I was brave. She nodded.

“I’d like to extend the offer to help again, personally. What does the Safe House need?”

“Oh. Well…” I gave a nervous laugh. “We’re about a month away from going broke. When Kit’s aunt was here, she found a way to make it work, but I was never good at that.”

“So, funds. And a bookkeeper,” Jhin said.

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