Page 93 of Moonlit Nights & Northern Lights
I forced myself to look away, suddenly very aware of my near-nakedness in the middle of the living room.
Rory turned back to Felix and Priya, his expression growing serious. “Maxwell’s right, though, it’s dangerous for you here. The cameras at the gate would have picked you up. Plus, the shifters will catch your scents. You can’t just secretly hang out here. This isn’t a holiday park. Random visitors aren’t exactly welcome. And to be honest, your appearance is going to compromise our efforts,” Rory continued, running a hand through his chaotic bed-hair. “Maxwell and I are supposed to be a couple visiting family, not hosting a reunion.”
As he said my name, he caught my eye again, and I couldn’t help but think that he was thinking the same thing as me—that these two had picked one hell of a time to show up. Because as much as we needed all the help we could get finding Dev, we needed to talk properly about what the hell happened yesterday.
“I’m just going to pull some clothes on,” I mumbled, dashing for the stairs. I did want clothes, but more than that, I wanted a moment to myself.
Last night, I’d told Rory I wasn’t freaking out.
I lied. I was completely freaking out.
I’d grown used to our antagonistic relationship over the last two years. The constant bickering, the pointed jabs, the repeated insults, the way he deliberately pushed my buttons—all of it had become familiar territory.I knew how to navigate those waters. But this? This was uncharted territory. Dangerous territory.
What made it worse was the looming dread of what would happen when this inevitably came out. Would Seb fire me? The thought of facing him, of him finding out about my ludicrously unprofessional behaviour, filled me with mortification.
Before we slept, I’d been close to asking Rory not to tell anyone at Killigrew Street about it. But the words had died in my throat. I didn’t want him to think I considered it a mistake or some kind of experiment. Because despite my panic, despite everything logical in my brain screaming that this was a terrible idea, I didn’t regret what we did.
Now his best friend had waltzed through the door before I even had a chance to talk to him.
And sorely interrupted the plan you two had to further “get it out of your systems” this morning.
Not the time, not the time!
After hastily locating a light jumper and jeans, I trudged back downstairs to catch Priya saying, “So you really want us to leave?”
“I don’twantyou to leave,” Rory said, “but it’s not safe—”
A series of urgent electronic beeps cut through the tension. Felix’s eyes widened as he fumbled for his rucksack, dropping it to the floor with a thud. He yanked out his laptop and threw himself into an armchair, fingers flying over the keyboard before the screen had fully illuminated.
“What is it?” Priya leaned over his shoulder.
Felix’s face lit up. “Dev’s phone is back online again!”
The change in Rory was instantaneous. His entire body seemed to vibrate with renewed energy, his eyes wide and hopeful. “What? Where? Can you track it? Is he using it right now? Is he near us? Fuck, Dev might actually be okay!”
…Dev might be okay, he might be okay…
As I watched Rory crowd around Felix, continuing to bombard him with excited questions, I felt a sharp, unexpected twinge in my chest. Jealousy. This was exactly why you didn’t get involved withcolleagues. Especially if it involved having sex with the person you were helping to find the missing ex-boyfriend of.
Another series of electronic beeps punctuated the tense silence. Felix’s expression fell, his fingers dancing frantically across the keyboard.
“Annnnd it’s gone again,” he announced, not looking up from his screen.
Rory shuffled closer, practically hanging over Felix’s shoulder. “But do we have the precise location this time?”
Felix didn’t respond, his face bathed in the blue glow of his laptop, eyes narrowed in concentration as he tapped away with almost manic intensity.
I watched Rory’s anxiety building—his shoulders tensing, the slight bounce in his stance. Before he could annoy the hell out of Felix, I gently took his arm.
“Let Felix focus,” I said softly.
Rory’s head snapped toward me, eyes wide with surprise. I tensed, preparing for him to pull away or snap at me for presuming to tell him what to do. But instead, he nodded, the fight draining from him as he allowed me to guide him away.
Priya’s eyes keenly followed us as I led Rory to the tiny kitchen tucked into the corner of the cottage. There never was getting much past her.
I filled a glass with water from the tap and handed it to him. He leaned against the counter, taking small sips, his eyes fixed on some invisible point beyond the window. His ears looked bizarrely bare without his array of hoops and studs in. I missed them.
For several horribly long moments, neither of us spoke.
