Deviation: Altera Realm Trilogy Book 2 by Jennifer Collins

Syney. He once told Leaf he needed her to breathe, and he hadn’t lied. He took a few short breaths and looked at the ceiling of the tent. For this very reason, he tried not to be alone too much. The whole mission—and his men, whom he had sworn to protect—fell away, and all he wanted was her. He took a deep breath and stood. Then he went to his trunk and pushed it open. He looked toward the opening of the tent but he knew Fern would leave him alone. She was big believer in privacy before a patrol, for which he was thankful.
    He pulled off his shirt and tossed it into the trunk. He ran his hand down the long leather strap and picked up the smooth brown stone with gold flecks that was tied to the end of it. He could still hear Syney’s words right before she had given it to him:
I promise we’ll be together forever
. He closed his eyes, squeezed the stone, and pictured her that night, the last time he had kissed her, the last time he had talked to her. He hadn’t wanted to leave, but as Gabe was so fond of saying, there was more to the matter than just him and Syney or their feelings. He opened his eyes and pulled the leather strap and the stone over his head. Then he wrapped it up and slipped it into a small pouch on the interior of histrunk. He never would forgive himself if he lost it. It was all he had left of her. Suddenly his chest tightened, and he knew he had to go. If he stayed by himself for too long, the idea of running back to the palace and taking Syney away, far away, always got too strong. He pulled off the rest of his clothes and left the tent, changing into wolf form once he was outside. He took off at a run and pushed all his feelings aside. As hard as it was, he needed to in order to keep a clear mind.

Gabe pulled his good black suit out of his closet and threw it onto the bed. Clothes, check. He rummaged through the trunk at the end of the bed and pulled out a bottle of cologne Faye had given him. It contained pheromones, which should do the trick. What else? What else? Maybe an attraction spell? No, she was already attracted to him, or she wouldn’t have agreed to a date. There had to be something else to seal the deal. He was rifling through his extensive collection of conversation topics when a knock came at the door.
    “Come in!”
    Adam walked in and surveyed the clothes on the bed. “You’re not dressing me. I look fine.”
    Gabe eyeballed the younger man’s dark pants and white button-down shirt. The outfit looked OK but not as sophisticated as Gabe wanted. “You’d look better in black.”
    “I look washed out in black.
You
look good in black.” Adam picked up the bottle. “What’s this?”
    “Pheromones.”
    He handed it to Gabe. “No.”
    Gabe shook his head. “You’re going to need help. She’s still hooked on her wolf.”
    Adam lay down on the bed. “She didn’t seem that way to me. I got her to blush.”
    “Doesn’t mean she isn’t still in love with Hunter. You’re working against that, which means you’ll have to rely on more than just your usual charm.”
    “If you’re going to tell me how to seduce a woman, I’m out of here!” Adam snapped. “I’ve had many women. Trust me—I know what to do.”
    “Syney is different,” Gabe said quietly.
    Adam sat up. “That was the most emotion I’ve ever heard out of you. Are you sure
you’re
not in love with her?”
    “I’m sure,” Gabe said, tossing the bottle back to him. “Wear it. And talk a lot about life outside the Village. She hates this place, so anything nonpalace she’ll eat up. Stay away from the topic of Protectors or past relationships.”
    “And don’t talk about religion or politics,” Adam said. “Never ask her weight or age. I told you, I know what I’m doing.” Adam stood and walked over to Gabe. “You wouldn’t have asked me to do this if you didn’t think I could.”
    He was right, of course, but Gabe didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of being right. People, especially