Blood Pledged (Arcane Arts Academy #3) - Elena Lawson Page 0,9
and more than a little excited expression of his own.
“You didn’t even have to ask.”
4
Elias
Being out so late wasn’t the only reason I hadn’t gotten much sleep last night. I knew I’d been distant with Harper the night before, but between the wolves’ watching eyes and the surge of jealousy I felt at how easily they interacted with her, my head wasn’t in the right place.
Fallon had stayed practically on top of my feet while I paced, in my lap when I tried to read, or curled up at my side for the half hour of sleep I managed to get. He was trying to comfort me, but I didn’t want comfort. I wanted the freedom to be with Harper without hiding it from the world, the same freedom that her two Endurans now had.
I didn’t like them, but they were still her familiars. They’d accepted a bond that’d been forced on them, protected her, and gotten dismissed from their pack for her. Could I honestly say I’d be willing to make those kinds of sacrifices for her?
There was no doubt I could. I liked my job, but I could give that up to be with her. The problem came down to not being here when the next life-threatening situation inevitably came around. And the way things had been going, it really did seem inevitable.
Finally, I rose and started brewing my morning batch of Earl Grey. Fallon wagged his tail low to the ground and I reached down to scratch his silver head, letting him know I was okay. He let out a big yawn, then nipped at my fingertips, asking me to play. Then he suddenly bolted under the bed a second before a knock sounded at my door.
Without looking out the window, Fallon’s growl told me who it was. I opened the door and Adrian’s bulky frame filled the space. His sandy blonde hair was messy from sleep and he wore a smirk that could’ve been amused or menacing; it was difficult to say with him. He wouldn’t hurt me, though. I left the door open and turned my back on him, moving back into the kitchen.
“Tea?” I offered, lifting the kettle for him to see.
The way he glanced out the door, I half expected Cal to walk in behind him, but he came in alone and shut it. “Yeah, sure.”
He collapsed on my couch without waiting for an invitation and I felt my eyebrow twitch. Pouring two mugs, I carried them over and set them on the coffee table. Adrian nodded his thanks.
“Earl Grey?” he asked, picking it up and sniffing.
“You’ve had it?” Surprise tinted my voice. The headstrong shifters didn’t strike me as tea drinkers.
Adrian cringed. “Don’t tell Cal. I actually like tea better than coffee.”
I felt my lips tug up in an involuntary smile and sipped the hot drink to hide it. “What brings you here this morning?”
The smirk reappeared on his face. “Cal and I just wanted to say thanks for the housewarming gifts. Harper said they were from you.” He eyed me up and down. “I didn’t think you knew how to take the stick out of your ass.”
Hot tea went up my nose and I sputtered and choked. Adrian patted me on the back hard enough that my ribs creaked in protest. I’d gotten them in one of my less mature moments, and afterwards, hoped they had a sense of humor. Judging by the seemingly cordial visit, they did.
“I wasn’t sure about wolves,” I said, fighting back another smile, “but Fallon enjoys them.”
Adrian chuckled darkly. “I’m sure I’ll think of you every time I chew on it.”
I had no doubt that he would. That he didn’t immediately chuck it at my head this morning said that he had every intention of using the giant rawhide bone.
Scratching the scruff on my jaw, I gave him side-eye. “I thought about collars and name tags, but figured that might be going too far.”
This time, it was Adrian’s turn to choke, pounding on his chest even as he laughed. “I would’ve punched you for that.”
“Where’s Cal?” I asked. They were almost always attached at the hip whenever I saw them. His visit unnerved me more when he came unaccompanied.
“Bastard’s still sleeping,” he replied, nodding his head in the general direction of their converted shed. “Those mattresses are something else.”
Looking more closely at him, I noticed dark circles under his amber-brown eyes. “Are you getting enough sleep? You look like crap.”