was the humans’ way of feeling in control. They thought if they could list and catalogue all the Variants, everyone would be safe.
“That’s just a standard, boring part of the process.” Tyler waved his hand dismissively.
I’d asked most of these questions already over the past few days, but he patiently answered them anyway. He knew I felt better if I had all the facts. I’d even badgered Alec to tell me the layout of the building so I would know what areas to avoid. He looked at me as if I was losing it, told me I would never be left unattended, and shut me up with his mouth and hands.
They all seemed to be using sex as a distraction—I’d had more sex in the last few days than I’d had in the few years since I’d started having sex. Or maybe that had more to do with Alec finally completely being in. The Bond was even, the connection as deep with each one as it was with the others.
Tyler battled the Manhattan traffic, then the next thing I knew, we pulled into an underground garage. Two armed guards checked Tyler’s ID—even though they greeted each other by name—and signed me in, and we parked in a spot with a little “Reserved for T. Gabriel” sign above it.
My heart hammered in my throat. I swallowed around the pressure and rubbed my hands on my thighs, but Tyler wasn’t about to let me sit there and freak out. He got out of the car, slung his bag over his shoulder, and went to the elevator. I followed him, trying my best not to show my nervousness.
In the elevator, he tapped away at his phone with one hand and threaded his fingers through mine with the other. We got off on a really high floor, stepping out to a stunning view of Manhattan through a floor-to-ceiling window.
“Whoa.” My trepidation was momentarily forgotten as I took it in, spotting the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building and straining to glimpse the Statue of Liberty in the distance.
“Come on.” Tyler tugged me along. “I’ve got the same view from my office.”
“Of course you have an office here.” I rolled my eyes as I followed him past the shiny reception area, through another keycard-protected door, and into a vast open-plan office area.
“Hey, kitten.”
I turned to see Kyo smiling and coming toward me.
“Hey!” I grinned and gave him a hug.
“Here for your induction?”
“I guess.”
“We couldn’t put it off any longer,” Ty jumped in.
“You’ll be fine, Eve. There’s nothing to be nervous about.” Kyo smiled in his easy, relaxed way.
“Oh, shit, we’re really scraping the bottom of the barrel if they’re letting you join.” Marcus sidled up to us, grinning.
I flipped him off. “You’d be lucky to have me.”
“Yeah, we would.” Jamie slapped Marcus on the back of the head and also gave me a hug. “Just promise you’ll let us be part of your team when you steal our Master of Pain.”
“Huh?” I frowned and looked at Tyler.
“When, if, a Vital decides to join Melior Group, they’re automatically placed in a team with their Variants. It’s the easiest arrangement—Bonds naturally work well together. If you join, Alec will automatically be assigned to your team, and I’ll probably have less desk time and more field time too.”
“Oh.” I didn’t want to break up Alec’s team. I didn’t even want to join Melior Group! I wasn’t a spy. I was a scientist. “None of you have anything to worry about. The scary, dangerous, brooding thing isn’t really up my alley. I’m finishing college and figuring out why the fuck I glow.”
Everyone chuckled, but Kyo also surreptitiously looked around the office before leaning in. “Just be careful about what you say. Pretty much everyone here is trained in intelligence gathering. There’s always someone listening.”
My eyes widened and I gripped Tyler’s bicep. All the banter had done a good job of distracting me, but now the nerves came slamming back.
Tyler sighed. “Thanks. That’s real helpful, Kyo.”
I shot Kyo a dirty look as Tyler led me away to a boardroom, which looked surprisingly mundane. Surrounded by glass windows, it had all the elements you’d expect—comfortable chairs, a projection screen, a conference phone.
Tyler barely had time to deposit his bag on the long table and rub a few soothing passes up and down my arms before other people started arriving. A woman in an ill-fitting suit was one of the first. She introduced herself as Susan from the Variant-Human Relations Department