Soar

“It’s my room now?”

“It is anytime you want it.” He got up and set aside his empty glass. I did the same and followed him out of the living room.

He paused in front of a door. “If you need anything, I’m right down the hall, but you should have mostly everything in there.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

“I appreciate your company.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek. “Goodnight, Casey.”

I touched my cheek where his lips had made contact, and pushed open the door.

Chapter Eight

Toby

Was I an idiot? Did I really just give up my second opportunity to spend the night with her? This time, I couldn’t figure out what she wanted, but she seemed to want her own space. Hopefully, her playful promise of a next time was real. I wasn’t sure how many more of these nights my body could handle. I didn’t have time to worry about it long. As soon as the guest room door clicked closed, my phone rang.

“Toby.” Tim’s voice broke through the line immediately. “Two more bodies in Jersey.”

“Fuck.” I leaned my head against the wall. “I have to call him, don’t I?”

“Yes. I’m sure he’s figured it out already, but you need to do it.”

“All right.” I hung up on Tim and made it down the hall to my office. Much smaller than the one I had at work,it fit me better. I preferred the black desk to the mahogany one across town.

I hesitated with my phone long enough to scroll through the names. Allie’s name was still on top. I needed to change that. Deleting her didn’t feel right, but I could add in her last name—Davis. The problem was that her name would be changing soon, to Laurent. My human ex-girlfriend becoming the queen of a supernatural society should have seemed strange, but it wasn’t anymore. I’d finally accepted it—mostly.

I found Levi’s number and made myself press connect.

“Took you long enough.” Levi answered with a cockiness that pissed me off.

“I thought we had it under control.” I spun my chair so I could gaze out at the night.

“I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt, but we can’t let this continue. How many bodies is it now? Nearing twenty?”

“Something like that.” It was twenty-two.

“What do you know?” I heard a muffled voice. He wasn’t alone. I wondered if he was at home in bed with Allie. I quickly cleared that thought from my head.

“Bears and wolves.”

“Tell me something I don’t already know,” he snapped. He tried to act so calm and collected, but he was freaking out. For all his arrogance, he was new to the job too.

“Close to ten groups confirmed.”

“I figured that much. This wasn’t one pack and clan. They want attention, and we can’t let them get it.”

“You’ve been contacted, haven’t you?”

“Yeah. The president’s already called.” He said it so nonchalantly, like it was a daily activity to take a call from the President of the United States.

“You told him everything was under control?”

“Of course. Now let’s get it under control. It’s starting in New York, but we all know it’s not staying there.”

“What do you want me to do? Full on investigation with interrogations?”

“I’m sending someone up.”

“You don’t have to.” I leaned back in my chair. I didn’t need any of Laurent’s men.

“Jared’s the best we have.”

“Jared Florence?” I didn’t know the guy well, but I knew of him. He was Levi’s childhood friend and notoriously ruthless.

“He’s head of security now.”

“I know. I was at your coronation…” I’d flown down both out of obligation and to make myself watch Allie move on. Watching your ex take her place as another man’s queen helps give you some closure.

“He’ll be there soon.”

“If that’s what you want.”

“It is.”

“How is she?” I forced the question out. I needed to know.

“Allie’s good, really good.”

“Great.” I meant it. Our messed up history aside, I cared about her. I wanted her happy whether it was with me or not.

“I’ll tell her you said hi.”

Once again, I wondered if she was listening to his end of the call. “Even though I didn’t say it?”

“You thought it.”

“I wasn’t aware you could read minds, Laurent.” Respect wasn’t something I worried about with Levi. Sooner or later, his appreciation for saving Allie would wear off, and I’d have to drop the attitude. But until then, I wasn’t walking on egg shells for him.

“It doesn’t take mind reading. I’ll get a report from Jared soon.” He hung up.

“Fantastic.” I closed my eyes again, trying to fight off the headache I knew was coming.

The knock on the door was light, tentative even.

“Come in.” I sat up straighter. I’d been so caught up in my conversation with Levi that I had almost forgotten Casey was there.

“Hey.” She had her brown hair pulled up in a bun. It reminded me of the morning after I’d taken care of the wolf for her. She looked gorgeous with her hair down, but there was something ‘girl next door’ hot about when she wore it up.

“Hey. Is everything okay?” I hoped she hadn’t changed her mind about staying. Momentary forgetfulness didn’t mean I didn’t want her there. Having her under my roof felt right. Even if I’d have much preferred to have her in my bed.

“I have a favor to ask.” She blushed slightly, making me both curious and excited about what she was going to ask.

“Sure.”

“Can I borrow something to sleep in?”

“Oh, yeah. Like a t-shirt and shorts?” I probably should have thought to offer earlier. She wasn’t going to sleep in jeans.

“That would work.”

I got out from behind my desk and walked down the hall to my room. She followed closely behind me until I walked through the doorway. She hesitated in the hall.

“Is that the view you were talking about?” She pointed at my floor to ceiling windows.

“Yeah. It’s a nice way to wake up.”

“I’m sure.”

I pulled out a clean pair of basketball shorts and a white t-shirt. “They’re going to be big, but it’s all I have.”