you, I’d never forgive myself.”
“And I wouldn’t either if something happened to any of you when I could have been there to do something to help prevent it.”
“You’re not going to give up, are you?”
I smile. “Nope.”
“What about Camden?” I stiffen. What’s he getting at?
“What about him?”
“I’ve seen the way you look at each other.”
I scoff. “Cam sees me as a friend.”
“For someone who’s trying to convince me to be part of my team, your skills of observation are lacking.”
Turning away from him, I glance out the window. Maybe I’m not doing as good a job of hiding my feelings as I thought I was.
“Whit,” he says gently. “I don’t care who you’re attracted to.”
I turn back to face him. There’s nothing but sincerity in his eyes. “I know.”
“No one in the pack will care if it’s a male or female you have your sights set on.”
I wasn’t ready to have this talk with him. Not today. Not even anytime soon. But I’m asking Aries to trust me enough to put me on the elite team he has built. I need to show him I trust him in return.
“I wish it were as easy for me to be who I am as others are,” I tell him. “It’s not just me coming out of a closet, but it’s like I’m crawling out of this dark, lonely pit and coming into the light for the first time. How am I supposed to do that? I’m afraid when everyone knows who I’m attracted to they’ll judge me. It’s bad enough they knew I hid my fae side for so long.”
“No one cared that you are fae and hid it. It was on your mom that it happened, not you. She’s the one who told you to do that.”
I shake my head. “I could have revealed what I am at any time but doing so would have revealed her as well. It wasn’t just her saying I had to hide it. I wanted to protect her. I wanted to shelter her because I saw that stark fear in her eyes whenever she thought about anyone finding out she was fae.”
“I’m not going to force you to tell others anything. That’s up to you. But I’m grateful you’re opening up to me. I’ll always be here for you. However, we still have to discuss Camden.”
“I’m nothing more than his friend.” The words taste bitter on my tongue. I wish we were more. If I had him by my side, maybe it would be all I need to come out to everyone in the pack. To let them see who I really am. Cam wouldn’t let anyone hurt me. If they said one wrong word, he’d be all over them. Aries, too, for that matter.
“If I let you onto the team and you and Cam end up being more than friends, are you going to be able to act professionally around him? I can’t have any screwups because you two are wrapped up in each other.”
I snort a laugh. This is the most ridiculous conversation I’ve ever had. Like Cam would want anything romantic or even friends with benefits with me. “Yeah, sure. You don’t have to worry about that. But by some off-chance Cam and I do take our friendship to another level, I’ll be able to push it aside and focus on the task at hand.” I’m serious about what I said. The missions they go on to rescue others, the ones they’re helping, have to be at the forefront. They’re the priority.
Aries nods, though I don’t miss the reluctance in his gaze. “Welcome to the team.”
11
Camden
Whit has always been beautiful. Him in tactical gear has me drooling. It transforms him. Gives him this edge. It could be the edge was always there and I’m only now noticing it, but holy fate the male is fine.
Today is the second time he’s training with the team and it has me on the opposite team from him. He’s fit in well with us so far. It’s Sevan, Echo, Aries, and me versus Thay, Whit, Austin, and Des. Now that we have another member, there will be one spotter who watches us for our weak spots and who tries to get us off our game.
I weave in and out of the trees on the far side of the property. The buildings provide cover, although the trees are better. We decided to split up for this session, each of us taking a different corner. Then we slowly