Page 17 of Orlando
“Do Ihavetime?”The way Orlando hesitated was answer enough, but Liam still wanted to hear it.“Please.”
“We’ll make time,” Orlando promised.“Cynthia probably knows where you live, so you’ll have to leave your apartment for a while.You can’t go to work, either.You need to go into hiding.”
“Where?”Liam didn’t exactly have the means to go on the run, especially from someone who’d been professionally trained to kill people.
“My apartment.”
“What?”
“You can stay with me.Cynthia doesn’t know where I live, and I can be with you twenty-four seven.I’ll keep you safe.”
Liam wasn’t sure that moving in with his mate the day he met him was a good idea, but what other option did he have?None.He couldn’t say no because if he did, he’d have to defend himself alone, and he couldn’t.He was an easy target for Cynthia.
He didn’t have any kind of choice.The council had taken all of them from him.
* * * *
ORLANDO COULD TELLthat Liam was freaking out, but he needed to get his mate out of the apartment as soon as possible.He didn’t want to risk Cynthia changing her mind or someone from the council contacting her to ask if she’d found her target.She might have told Orlando that she would back off for a few days, but if the council asked questions, she wouldn’t hesitate to obey.Her job was more important to her than Orlando, which Orlando understood, even though he didn’t like it.
“Is there any other option?”Liam asked.
For a moment, Orlando was hurt that his mate didn’t want to stay with him.He told himself not to be an idiot because they didn’t know each other, and Liam was being forced to leave his apartment because someone wanted to kill him.He was also staring at a cat sitting on the couch, no doubt worrying about what would happen to it.
“You can bring him with you,” Orlando offered.
Liam looked relieved.“Are you sure?”
“I wouldn’t force you to leave your pet behind.Cynthia wouldn’t do anything to it, but you’d be unhappy.”
Liam nodded and picked up the cat.The thing cuddled into Liam, pressing its head under Liam’s jaw.Orlando could hear it purr from where he was.“This is Parsley,” Liam said.
Orlando didn’t move.He didn’t dislike cats, but Parsley was busy.“Boy or girl?”
“Boy.”
“Cute name.”
Liam’s cheeks flushed, and he looked away.“My ex made fun of it.”
“Your ex was clearly an asshole.”
Liam laughed.“You’re not wrong about that, which is why we only lasted about two weeks.”
“And you call him an ex?It doesn’t seem like enough time to be called a relationship.”
“It’s easier to call him that than to explain that I have terrible luck when it comes to dating.”
“Luckily for you, you’ll never have to worry about that again.”
Liam squeezed Parsley harder against his chest.The cat didn’t protest.“This is all very confusing and scary.I know you said I was your mate, but I thought that maybe you’d said it because you wanted Cynthia to stop trying to kill me.It would be fine if that was what happened, I’d just like to know.”
“I wouldn’t do that.I said that you’re my mate because you are.I realized it when I slammed against you, and you kept me on my feet.I smelled you then.”
Liam nodded.Maybe he’d just needed a bit of reassurance.
“It doesn’t matter,” Orlando continued.“I would’ve helped you even if you hadn’t been my mate.”
“I know.You started protecting me before you found out about it.I doubt you’d invite anyone else to stay with you through all of this, though.”
