Page 57 of Corbin
“Exactly.” Eirene nodded. “No human would have heard the boy unless they were that deep in the woods at that moment. Pixie jumped at the middle-aged woman who had been in good shape, knocking her to the ground. The woman went crazy yelling at Pixie that she would kill her. When the woman got back on her feet, Pixie stood in front of the little boy who was curled up and bawling his eyes out. Pixie snarled and started stalking the woman who took off running. We stayed there until my father sent the bodyguards to find us. They followed Pixie’s howling to locate us. They called in law enforcement while Pixie ran back to where my father waited. The bodyguards said the police had been hunting a missing child, thinking he had wandered off.”
Corbin turned an impressed look her way. “Wow. How can you say your wolf is not dominant? That was strong.”
Eirene’s lips curved into a sweet smile. “Pixie is very bright and the best friend I’ve had all these years, but she goes along to get along. Well, with one exception. She has a protective streak a mile wide for a child.”
Talking about her journey brought up a thousand questions she had for him. “What happened with the Romanian, and how did you end up here? Do you live here? Are you staying?” The last question held more importance than the first ones.
He started laughing. “Whoa. One at a time.”
“I love hearing you laugh,” she blurted out like a schoolgirl with a crush again. In all fairness to her, she’d never been free to say anything like that to him in school like other girls her age could.
He stopped laughing and studied her face as if needing to see every detail. “I love the sweet smell of your scent, the sound of your voice, and your vibrant eyes.”
Her lips parted. He’d stolen her ability to form a reply. Even during her time with that miserable human guy, she’d never heard any declaration that sent warmth flowing through her soul like Corbin’s words.
Without thinking, she leaned toward him. He didn’t hesitate to meet her halfway and gently kiss her lips. It was as if that want had been left suspended in time until now, when it felt perfectly natural to succumb together.
She lifted her hand to his shoulder, holding him in place, fearful of losing him again.
The kiss bloomed from sweet to searing heat. He lifted her to his lap, where she had better access to his mouth and took advantage of those sexy lips.
He paused, smiling at her. “You’re a demanding princess.”
She quirked an eyebrow at him. “Yes, I’m demanding, but I’m no princess. There’s nothing special about me.”
“I would argue, but I refuse to waste a precious second with you when I’ve dreamed of this for so long.” He leaned in and kissed her again as her secret phone chirped.
Groaning at the world for not allowing her a little time to herself, she pulled back reluctantly. “I have to read this textand make the woman sending it talk to me. I can’t stand her, but she has resources for the sisters. I want her to move them somewhere safer with real medical care.”
His eyes lit up. “Do whatever you need to do, babe. My life is finally making sense. I can wait for us to talk.”
“Or we could kiss some more,” she quipped, drawing another laugh from him. “I need to stand. I tend to pace when I talk to her.” It helped with the nervous energy already rising inside her. She was not a negotiator, but she intended to sound like one tonight.
He lifted her to her feet. The phone chirped again with the bitch’s text.
Wiping happiness from her mind, she focused on being furious and out of patience. Instead of replying to the text with a thumbs-up to let Nova know Eirene had received the message, she kept her fingers still. If she replied as usual, Nova would expect her to do as told.
Eirene killed the noise and watched her phone as she paced.
A duplicate text message came through thirty seconds later.
She did not move a finger.
Her phone rang. She answered and heard, “What’s wrong with you? Answer the damn text, or you can forget—”
Eirene had reached her limit and was far enough away from the sisters not to disturb them. She snarled, “Shut. Up. Now.”
“Who do you think you are talk—”
Undeterred, Eirene kept her tone firm. “Shut up or forget me doing another thing for you.”
“You don’t want me to expose what you’re doing, Givenchy.”
The threat pushed Eirene’s final button with this woman. She did not want this bitch to expose her connection with these female shifters on the run for many reasons, one being that SCIS would come after her for harboring rogue shifters and the sistersfor being rogue. Leszek would have all the ammunition that he’d need to tie up her future forever in court.
Her frightened chicks would have no one to help them then.
But she would not back down now. Not after being left with no help for Kesa.
