Page 27 of The Bookseller and the Alpha
I read her last text.
Elie: If you aren’t dead I’m going to kill you myself.
I typed rapidly.
Me: I’m fine. I had to get checked at hospital, but no concussion. I’m so sorry.
As I expected, the phone rang thirty seconds later. “Do you know how worried I was when you didn’t answer the phone? At least Luc called me.”
My insides twisted with a mix of relief and annoyance. Relief that Elie hadn’t had to worry all night, but it was another debt I owed to Luc. And right now I didn’t want to owe anything to the annoyingly overprotective Alpa. “I’m sorry Elie. Really sorry,” I repeated. “I didn’t think. I was groggy and forgot to ring you.”
“What happened? Tell me everything.”
I filled her in on what we’d learned. That someone was using a portal spell and had bypassed the wards she’d put on my shop. And they’d broken into my home.
“That’s high-level magic,” she said, after a long silence.
“That’s what Luc said.”
The next silence sounded… interested. Shit. I hadn’t intended to tell her anything about Luc. “On a first name basis already are we?”
“Um, yeah.” I worried at my lower lip.
“Do you like him?”
Did I? I could feel my face heating up. Like wasn’t the right word. He exuded such sexual chemistry that we’d nearly had sex in his lounge room. Last night and this morning I had liked him. That was the problem. I liked him too much. I’d seen past the aloof exterior he showed to the world. He’d shown me that there was another person underneath. A caring, compassionate man. A scorching hot man, who’d kissed me as though he needed me like air to breathe and played my body like a virtuoso. And my heart immediately wanted more than I could have.
“He’s not for me,” I muttered. "I’m just the job.”
Elie sighed down the line. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“No. I’m just stupid when it comes to men.”
“If he hurt you I’m gonna kick his ass.”
“Don’t!” The words came out on a shout. “Please don’t,” I tried again. “It’s no big deal.” Elie said nothing. “Promise me,” I demanded. “It’s my problem. Not his. You can’t fight everyone who makes me sad.”
“I can.” Her voice was hard.
“I love you for it, but just… don’t. Okay?”
“Fine, I promise.”
“Thanks. I gotta go. I’ve got a lot of cleaning up to do and someone’s coming later to ‘improve my security’ apparently. I want to get things tidied up first.”
“I’m glad you’re finally doing something more about safety,” Elie’s voice down the line was warm. “I’ve been telling you for years that you need to do more.”
“I thought maybe you’d organised it.”
“Nope,” she said. “But it sounds like something a high-handed Alpha would do.” She laughed and hung up.
Well, fuck. She was right. But I shut down the thrill that came with that thought. It wasn’t personal. I was part ofhis investigation. A witness. And maybe there was an ongoing threat.
It was only after the call that I remembered I hadn’t told her about my hair and my eyes. And the levitating. I’d tell her later.
Next, I needed to collect Pompy from Mrs S. When I followed my neighbour into her apartment, Pompy acted as though I’d been away for weeks, rather than one night. She was sitting on the couch, in front of the television and her entire body wriggled in happiness, when I walked forwards and picked her up. She kept wiggling her little body as she covered me in kisses.
“Are you all right?” Mrs S asked as she let me into her apartment. “And the young man?”
