but dropping his hand back to his side before walking
into the room. Indi’s hands bunched into fists following him in. With the door
shut securely behind them, she took a minute to absorb her surroundings. It was
just like a giant living room. There were couches and a big-screen TV, as well
as a small kitchenette with a kettle and an expensive-looking, stainless steel
coffee maker in the corner. Laithe was over by the double-door fridge pulling
out a blue cooler.
‘Sit down,’
Laithe rumbled, placing the cooler down onto the table between two two-seater
sofas. His eyes slipped colours again when he looked at Indi. ‘You don’t
remember me, do you?’
Indi’s eyes
narrowed. ‘Should I?’
‘That’s a nice
right hook you have.’ Laithe’s hand went to his jaw. And then it dawned on her.
‘You’re the guy
I knocked out when I was in hospital.’
He smiled, just
the edge of his lips lifting to reveal straight, white teeth. ‘The one and
only. So do I get an apology?’
Indi frowned.
‘You were trying to stick me with a needle, so no fucking way.’ Indi was
prepared for a fight—spoiling for one really—but Laithe only laughed and the
sound was infectious. Rhett chuckled next to her, pulling her free hand into
his lap, twisting his fingers in between hers intimately.
She glanced down
at their joined hands, frowning. She tried to pull free from Rhett’s grip, but
he only squeezed harder, glancing between her and Laithe. Indi stopped fighting
it.
‘You’re right,
Rhett. She does have spirit,’ Laithe said before reaching into the cooler to
show them what he had. ‘Okay, so we’ve got ten bags of O neg. If she feeds once
a day, you should only have to come in once a week to get restocked. If not,
well, we’ll figure something out.’
Rhett’s hand
tightened around hers.
Laithe
continued, ‘If she doesn’t like O neg, she’s going to have to learn to like it.
The blood bank doesn’t have enough of the other blood types to stop people from
noticing it’s going missing. We’re also going to have to work out another
source because my boss will have my ass if he finds out I’m swiping blood.’
Rhett nodded,
motioning for them to stand. Laithe packed the baggy of blood he’d pulled out
back into the cooler and snapped on the lid. Rhett picked it up.
‘Thanks, man. I
owe you.’
‘You already owe
me,’ Laithe replied, looking pointedly at Indi, ‘so I’ll just add it to your
tab.’
*
Rhett was driving a little faster
than was safe, but he couldn’t help it. He just thanked Christ that Laithe
hadn’t seen Indi pull away from him. He had to maintain the appearance of
solidarity with her. He’d hardly paid attention to what Laithe had told him.
The whole time he was in that room, the fight he’d had with Indi after she’d
seen Beth just kept replaying in his head. He was to blame. She’d called him on
his insecurities, and he’d just flat-out refused them.
He glanced over
at her in his passenger seat; the weak November sun was softly caressing her
face, touching her smooth, cool skin. He was suddenly jealous of it. He looked
back at the road angrily, cursing under his breath.
If he could just
figure out a way of getting Eaton back without compromising Indi’s safety, he’d
do it in a heartbeat. But as it stood, he couldn’t see any other way around Marcus’s
demands. In order to get his alpha’s mate back, he would have to give up his
own potential mate.
Christ, he
hadn’t just thought that, had he? Is that was Indi was? His mate?
Cursing again,
he ran a hand through his hair before gripping the steering wheel so tightly
that his knuckles turned white. His alpha came first. The pack came second. And
Rhett’s wants came dead last. So he was stuck in limbo—stuck in a place where
duty was paramount, loyalty was king, and love was a pitiful idea left in the
dirt.
Indi cleared her
throat, causing Rhett to look over at her. She was still staring angrily out
the passenger
into the room. Indi’s hands bunched into fists following him in. With the door
shut securely behind them, she took a minute to absorb her surroundings. It was
just like a giant living room. There were couches and a big-screen TV, as well
as a small kitchenette with a kettle and an expensive-looking, stainless steel
coffee maker in the corner. Laithe was over by the double-door fridge pulling
out a blue cooler.
‘Sit down,’
Laithe rumbled, placing the cooler down onto the table between two two-seater
sofas. His eyes slipped colours again when he looked at Indi. ‘You don’t
remember me, do you?’
Indi’s eyes
narrowed. ‘Should I?’
‘That’s a nice
right hook you have.’ Laithe’s hand went to his jaw. And then it dawned on her.
‘You’re the guy
I knocked out when I was in hospital.’
He smiled, just
the edge of his lips lifting to reveal straight, white teeth. ‘The one and
only. So do I get an apology?’
Indi frowned.
‘You were trying to stick me with a needle, so no fucking way.’ Indi was
prepared for a fight—spoiling for one really—but Laithe only laughed and the
sound was infectious. Rhett chuckled next to her, pulling her free hand into
his lap, twisting his fingers in between hers intimately.
She glanced down
at their joined hands, frowning. She tried to pull free from Rhett’s grip, but
he only squeezed harder, glancing between her and Laithe. Indi stopped fighting
it.
‘You’re right,
Rhett. She does have spirit,’ Laithe said before reaching into the cooler to
show them what he had. ‘Okay, so we’ve got ten bags of O neg. If she feeds once
a day, you should only have to come in once a week to get restocked. If not,
well, we’ll figure something out.’
Rhett’s hand
tightened around hers.
Laithe
continued, ‘If she doesn’t like O neg, she’s going to have to learn to like it.
The blood bank doesn’t have enough of the other blood types to stop people from
noticing it’s going missing. We’re also going to have to work out another
source because my boss will have my ass if he finds out I’m swiping blood.’
Rhett nodded,
motioning for them to stand. Laithe packed the baggy of blood he’d pulled out
back into the cooler and snapped on the lid. Rhett picked it up.
‘Thanks, man. I
owe you.’
‘You already owe
me,’ Laithe replied, looking pointedly at Indi, ‘so I’ll just add it to your
tab.’
*
Rhett was driving a little faster
than was safe, but he couldn’t help it. He just thanked Christ that Laithe
hadn’t seen Indi pull away from him. He had to maintain the appearance of
solidarity with her. He’d hardly paid attention to what Laithe had told him.
The whole time he was in that room, the fight he’d had with Indi after she’d
seen Beth just kept replaying in his head. He was to blame. She’d called him on
his insecurities, and he’d just flat-out refused them.
He glanced over
at her in his passenger seat; the weak November sun was softly caressing her
face, touching her smooth, cool skin. He was suddenly jealous of it. He looked
back at the road angrily, cursing under his breath.
If he could just
figure out a way of getting Eaton back without compromising Indi’s safety, he’d
do it in a heartbeat. But as it stood, he couldn’t see any other way around Marcus’s
demands. In order to get his alpha’s mate back, he would have to give up his
own potential mate.
Christ, he
hadn’t just thought that, had he? Is that was Indi was? His mate?
Cursing again,
he ran a hand through his hair before gripping the steering wheel so tightly
that his knuckles turned white. His alpha came first. The pack came second. And
Rhett’s wants came dead last. So he was stuck in limbo—stuck in a place where
duty was paramount, loyalty was king, and love was a pitiful idea left in the
dirt.
Indi cleared her
throat, causing Rhett to look over at her. She was still staring angrily out
the passenger
Similar Books
