Chapter 1
“I’m taking over, Charlie.”
Nico Bennett’s words had his younger cousin, Charlie Bennett, stepping out of his guarding spot—also known as his sometimes-smoking spot—and heaving a groan of relief, complete with some dramatic stretching and yawning. Then the energy kicked in, and Charlie vibrated in a way that only meant one thing.
“Sweet!”
“Date night?”
“Party night. There’s one on campus, and I promised Daria that I would give her the college party experience.”
“Daria? As in your chick who likes to show off her Fae glitter?”
“Not my chick,” was the automatic response as if used to the assumption. “Good friend. She won’t show off her glitter around humans, just as I won’t show my bear side.”
Nico listened in amusement as the younger man chatted on before scrambling into a coat and taking off. Nico then snapped into motion, making his rounds as he often did most nights. As far as guarding clan territories went, he surmised he had the easiest job, considering they had the help of a magical barrier surrounding them, and most enemies had already been vanquished long ago. He touched a palm over the barrier now, a sheen that was invisible except for where it hummed inches from his skin. Confident that it was in place, he completed his rounds in record time and leaned against a branch to admire the view of the fields beyond the forest, where clouds hovered in the sky and cast a tranquil glow as the moon peeked out. Minutes later, he took out his phone and dialed a number. When a female voice answered promptly, he smiled.
“Hey, babe.”
“Baby,” was Daniella Matthew’s answering croon, as seductive as she was in person. “I thought you were working.”
“I am,” he replied because, technically, this was work. “I just wanted to say hi.”
There was a breathless laugh. “Hi. What time do you get off?”
“I have to stay here for the night, but I will be off at around six. How are you?”
“I’m free now.” There was a sigh. “And lonely. Would you like to come over now? Take a break?”
He was tempted, but not tempted enough to abandon his post. He recalled the number of times in the past when they had hot and heavy makeout sessions in their three months of casual dating. Mostly they ended with him not taking it to the next step every time they almost got there.
“I was thinking of a park date when I’m off. Or a dinner date this weekend.” He was also thinking about making it official between them before he visited her bedroom. “How does that sound?”
“Fine, I guess.” He thought he detected disappointment, but it was gone before he could be sure. “Not today.”
“Are you heading out?” he guessed.
“Party.”
“This is the fifth night straight.”
“Yes, well, it beats being lonely.”
“Babe—”
“I have to go,” Daniella cut in. “See you next time.”
The call was disconnected before he could respond, leaving him staring at his phone and wondering how it had gone from sweet to short in an instant. But then again, that was how it had always been with her: sweetness before they got hot and aroused, then her aloofness when he dialed the physical down. His fingers hovered over the phone, but eventually, he couldn’t muster the energy to call and argue with her about it. In truth, all they ever did was skip the talking and get physical, and he craved a different kind of connection.
“That’s why you are going to make it official, dipshit,” he muttered to himself.
Maybe making it official would forge that connection. Maybe sleeping together after making it official would make her open up to him. Daniella was fun, from a good bear shifter clan, and knew most of his kin. He settled back, confident that things would work out as he resumed sweeping the area with his gaze.
“Don’t you ever just doze off and call it a night? It’s not like we have intruders in the area, anyway.”
The statement was said cheerfully and punctuated with a hint of lazy teasing, so familiar as it had been uttered too many times to count. Nico zoned in on the figure approaching their barrier: a woman in a red summer dress that brought out the blue in her eyes and made her look prettier. He raised a brow.
“Wedon’t have intruders. Except you. You should be at home or going out with your friends.”