Page 24 of Slick

“I can help you with that, Mr. Vale.” I don’t know if the owner was watching us or listening at the door, and I don’t care. If she’s here, it means I don’t have to let go of Rowan as he says, “We’ll take the box and the brochure.” His warm, bright eyes dip back to me. “If you see anything you want, Maggie will get it delivered to the hotel.”

The woman nods and gives me a kind smile, sweeping ahead of us with the mysterious box in her hands. “It’s not going to be too much?” I ask as we follow. The hallway alone is more elegant than anything I’ve ever seen, and I think again of Rowan’s trailer. It was beautiful as well, but on a much smaller scale. Is he rich, or just getting by? I don’t know how to tell, and I bite my lip, wishing I could contribute more. “I want to pay for some of this, but I don’t have any money right now…”

“It’s okay. Maggie gives me an industry discount.” He squeezes my arm in reassurance, and when Maggie hands the box off to Kennedy, I step forward and give the older woman a quick hug. She makes a surprised sound, but she smells enough like Dex for me to cling a little longer, and eventually her arms tighten around me.

“You’ll be fine,” she murmurs in my ear. “There are no better hands to be in for your heat than Mr. Vale’s.”

Safe hands that don’t seem to mind my clinginess, even joining me under the protective tarp for the ride to the hotel. Rowan complains a bit about the plastic smell – which is way better than a slick suit, to be honest – but he doesn’t seem to notice it as much when he presses his nose against my neck. By the time Kennedy has parked in an undercover parking garage, Rowan’s pupils are blown wide and there’s a red mark on my throat that throbs with my heartbeat.

“Well, looks like we made it in the nick of time,” Kennedy snorts, handing Rowan the black box so she can drag the suitcase out of the trunk. I can feel her sharp eyes assessing me, and I try not to drool on her brother as he wraps his arm back around my waist. “They’ve asked us to take the service entrance,” she adds, directing us past rows of trucks and vans to an elevator. As we step inside, the sour stink of old scent sweat is heavy in the air, and I realize we’ve been sent this way because of my heat. Keeping me apart from other guests, given that I’m one second away from climbing Rowan like a tree.

He twitches under my grip, glaring around at the scuffed walls. “If this is the reception we get, maybe we should’ve stayed at the Emporium.”

“No, this is safer, I promise.” Kennedy ushers us out into a carpeted hallway, and while it smells a little better, it’s not nearly as good as the side of Rowan’s neck. “These are pack suites,” she goes on, hustling us to the end of the hall. “Each has its own entrance, and there’s extra security once you get inside.”

I nod, and Kennedy swipes a keycard over a panel. The door opens with a soft hiss, and we step into a small foyer with just a flower arrangement on a side table to greet us. There’s another door, this time with a keypad, and Kennedy enters a code before we can pass through. Some of the tension goes out of me at these extra security measures, but then I forget about them all together as I take in the view.

Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the setting sun, and I stare in wonder at the city I never knew I was a part of. I mean, I always assumed there was something outside The Serenity Center, if only because my alpha had to live somewhere. But I never expected so many buildings, or the lush forest, or the ring of mountains in the distance, like the spine of some snow-dusted dragon…

Rowan comes up behind me, his arms encircling my waist. “Have you seen this view before?”

“No, I… What are they called?”

“The mountains? They’re the Rockies.”

I can tell by the hitch in his voice that I should know this, and I bite my lip. “I don’t remember seeing them. Maybe once, before…”

“Well, we can go visit sometime. There are great hiking trails, and we could camp, or hire a cabin. Do you like the sound of that?” The thought is both enticing and overwhelming at the same time, and I turn and bury my face in his chest. “It’s okay,” he murmurs, stroking my hair. “All you have to focus on right now is you. Want to come see the rest of the suite?”

I nod, and he leads me around the room, pointing out the features, some of which are familiar, but some that go right over my head. When I start to feel flustered, I focus on the furnishings, like the dark, glossy floorboards, the colorful prints on the walls, and the exposed roof beams. In the bedroom, the last rays of the setting sun bleed through a domed roof above a huge, circular bed. Cushions in blue and green hues cover the surface, and the forest print on the comforter matches the woodland scene on the silk wallpaper. I turn in a slow circle, entranced. “It’s almost like we’re in the treetops.”

“That’s why they call it the Eyrie. Because each room is built around a nest, but only the penthouse suites have a skylight.” I’ve tipped my head back to look at the first stars of the evening, but when I glance back at him, he’s watching my face, a hint of anxiety in his scent. “Do you like it?”

“Rowan, it’s too beautiful for words.”

How can I tell him it’s as perfect as his cookbook, more like a picture than anything I ever expected to live inside? It’s luxury on a level I never knew existed, and I clench my thighs so theslick I can feel trickling down them doesn’t make a mess on the spotless floor.

“Wait until you see the bathroom…” A buzzing sound has Kennedy pulling her phone from her pocket and Rowan pauses, his scent thickening. “What is it?”

“Looks like we’ve located Dex.” My heart leaps, but as Kennedy reads something on the screen, her lips twitch into a thin line. “Unless you need anything else right now, I’ll go pick him up.”

Rowan gives a soft cough. “You’re leaving?”

Kennedy arches one of her imposing brows. “You don’t need me here, and it’s best if I do the pickup personally.”

There’s an edge to her voice that worries me, and I surge forward, my heart thumping so hard I can hear it in my ears. “Can’t we all go?”

Kennedy gives me a careful look. “Your friend was about to walk into one of the Carrillo clubs downtown. His plan was to confront them about you, but one of my guys got to him first and convinced him to wait until he talked to me.”

“But shouldn’t I be there? He might not trust you.”

Kennedy doesn’t seem to take offence, pointing out the window at a distant section of the city. “He’s right in the heart of the gang’s territory. I can slip in quietly, but your scent would be a red flag to every alpha in a ten-mile radius.” She steps forward and grips my shoulder, an anchor in my spinning world. “Trust me to collect him and bring him straight back here to you.”

I gulp, wanting to lean into her strength so much, but terrifying images of flying bullets and broken necks are playing through my head. “But he’s safe? They didn’t hurt him?”

“From what I’ve heard, he was armed, but he never got close enough to use it. This is a lucky break, Diana. If I extract him now, they’ll never know he was there.”

“Then go,” I urge her, but as she starts towards the door, I grab her arm. “If he needs more convincing, just tell him his mermaid is waiting for him.”

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