Ruler (Wolves of Royal Paynes #2) - Kiki Burrelli Page 0,21
at night when I retired to my room. Instead, I stood in the middle of my room and forced myself to remember…imagine.
Our people had been taken by hellfire. And Diesel was right to worry. What could we do to stop the same thing from happening?
I pushed the thought back and focused on finding clothes amidst the horror. I put a soft pair of sweats and a shirt that would be loose on him in my mouth before shifting and returning to the bathroom.
Storri stood outside the tub with a fluffy towel wrapped around him.
"Tomorrow, you'll meet Angus, and then we'll give you the tour, and then after—" Jazz spotted me and walked over to take the clothes. "These will work nicely," he announced.
Storri slipped the shirt over his head first. "I don't want to be a bother."
Hallie tugged the hem of his shirt when it got stuck over his head. "You aren't."
"You're one of us, Storri," Jazz said. "One of me, anyway. You're a nephilim, which is awesome and is what lets us do cool things, but it's also what puts us in danger."
Storri's heart beat like a frightened rabbit. "More than Mr. Grouse?"
I hated that I had a reason to appreciate that man for anything, but if Portal had found Storri instead, he'd be dead right now.
"Maybe we should talk more about this later. You must be eager to sleep in a real bed. Unless you want to eat instead?"
I turned around when Storri dropped his towel to slip on the soft sweats I'd chosen for him. "I…um…maybe. What do you think should I do?"
He looked young and lost standing in the middle of the bathroom with my sweats and shirt swimming on his frame. I wanted him to begin making his own choices, but it hadn't been twenty-four hours since he'd been rescued. This was a lot to take in, and I was certain Storri had reached his threshold for choices.
I stepped far enough away that there were still several feet between our bodies when I shifted. Storri watched the transformation with a bewildered curiosity. His cheeks were flushed, but I thought that had more to do with the events of the late afternoon than it did my presence. "Jazz, will you heat up something light? Perhaps some of that bone broth you and Hallie made?" Hallie had been teaching Jazz how to cook, and they'd recently begun making soups. "Dog and I will get Storri settled in here."
My first choice was to have Storri stay in my room, but I didn't want him near so much misery.
"Do you want Hallie to stay with you?" I knew he was done with choices for the day, but this was one I couldn't make for him. If he wasn't comfortable with me, I would respect that.
He was already mine. I'd claimed him the moment we'd left the hotel with nothing but a handful of notes. I wasn't alone. Dog had claimed him before I'd recognized anyone else was in that tower with us. But he was also a person, a human with his own wants and needs.
And while I felt connected to him already, he could decide he didn't want or need me.
I met his open gaze, fervently hoping everything I felt wasn't one-sided.
"No, I don't…unless you want to stay, Hallie?" Storri asked.
"I want what you want."
Storri looked like his head might explode. "I'm…I want…I'm okay with Faust and Dog."
Hearing my name on his lips felt better than getting a stubborn engine to turn over. I tried to play it cool, but Dog's mouth opened in a doggy grin as his tongue lolled out the side.
Hallie reached down to pick up the wet towel from the floor. "I'll clean up in here. You guys head out and get comfortable."
Most of the hotel rooms were identical, a single room and an en-suite bathroom. My pack mates and I had already claimed the livable suites. Knox was in one with Jazz, and I had one next door. There were others with more deterioration that could've been used once cleaned out. It was on the list, but there was more than enough space for a bed, a desk, and dresser in the room we were in. Plus, it was right next to mine. I closed the curtains. During the day, he'd have a tranquil view of the forest, but now that it was dark, my protective instinct had me blocking Storri from outside eyes.