my side and let me walk with him out into the corridor.
“You’ve done something with your hair,” I commented, leaning back to assess his red locks.
He waved a hand dismissively. “No I haven’t.”
“You have. It’s more…fluffy or something.” I knocked my shoulder against his and he chuckled.
“It’s not fluffy.” He patted it down, but a smile was playing around his lips that he was trying real hard to fight off.
“Well either way, I like it,” I said, leaning close to him again and he looked up at me with a flustered expression. “Keep doing whatever you’re doing to it, Officer.”
“You’d better get along now, Ethan,” he encouraged.
I sighed dramatically. “Can I re-join my pack in kitchen clean-up this morning?” I asked, cocking my head to one side in that cute as shit way chicks couldn’t resist. I was adorable. Fact.
“Oh…” He glanced over in the direction of Officer Cain who was rounding up the crew heading to work on the Cell Block E renovation. Rosalie didn’t have a job either anymore since she’d been in the hole. Not that I paid attention to what she was or wasn’t doing. “Sorry Ethan, I think your work privileges are still revoked.”
“But it’s been a few weeks now. Forget the kitchen, I’ll take something more menial. You must have something I can do, Officer?” I gave him an imploring look, flexing my muscles as I did so and his gaze dropped down to the ink peeking out from beneath my jumpsuit. “I’ll do anything,” I said seriously. I was so done wasting hour after hour in my cell losing my mind over Rosalie. And frankly, my dick was gonna fall off if I kept jerking it ten times a day over her too. “Put me on construction. I’m good at lifting heavy things.” I quirked an eyebrow and he cleared his throat, shaking his head.
“Construction is a level three job. Besides, the taskforce is full already.” Lyle continued shaking his head, glancing over at Cain again like he was going to call him over here any second. And if that peacocking bastard of a Vampire heard what I was asking for, I could say goodbye to my job rights for several more fucking weeks.
“Come on, there must be something I can do. If I’m left to lie in my cell all day, who knows what naughty ideas I might come up with? I’m a bad boy, Officer, I need stability to keep me on the straight and narrow.”
Lyle sighed frustratedly, carving a hand through his hair. “Alright…there’s one job. But it’s not looking for applicants until next week and-”
“I’ll take it,” I said immediately. “What will I be doing? Working in the commissary? Restocking shelves? Or are you gonna have me washing down the showers in my tightie whities?”
“No,” he spluttered. “The library is being revamped. We’ve got a stockpile of new books being brought in next week to update the catalogue and the warden’s decided to have the whole place redecorated and reorganised too. There’s damage to one of the back walls where a fire was started and the carpet is so worn that you can practically see the floorboards underneath it. It’s going to be several weeks of work and instead of a magical taskforce, Warden Pike figured it would make a good character building job for the inmates.”
“Perfect.” I flashed my pearly white smile at him, happy as a fly on shit. “Thank you, Officer. I owe you one.” I winked at him, leaving him blushing as I headed away into the flow of bodies being corralled back to the cell blocks.
My gaze snagged on Rosalie up ahead and my throat tightened sharply. Since we’d fucked, she’d barely spoken to me. I couldn’t believe she was taking the stance that I was an asshole for coming up with a genius plan to cover up our mate issue. She could brand a mate mark on her Beta if she wanted to and I wouldn’t-
I snarled ferociously with jealousy over that thought and several Fae darted out of my way. One even dove straight into the wall to my left, nearly knocking themselves out.
Rosalie glanced back over her shoulder at the noise, her eyes locking with mine. Fuck, the envy I’d felt over the mere idea of that was on another level. Dammit all to hell.
I pushed through the crowd until I was walking directly behind her, my breath making her hair flutter.
“Go fuck yourself, Shadowbrook,” she said calmly, but there was