Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 126030 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126030 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
“Practice makes perfect,” Edgar said, his voice drifting out of the shadows.
“He’s going to give me nightmares.” John shivered. “I saw it in a store and thought I might try it to pass the time. I regret that now.”
Phil would probably be fine with that use of regret.
“Al-Joe?” John asked.
Aurora snapped her fingers. “I’ve got it. I—and Susan, too, who really should know better given he is a beta—keep catching ourselves when we address you as alpha. Then we say your name. Edgar didn’t grab the right name.” Her face lost color. She put two fingers to her temple. “I’m understanding that vampire. That can’t be good. It’s time for bed. I’m going to sneak out the back.”
Nessa straightened and climbed off the chair with Tristan’s help. “Thank God. I thought I’d be the first to duck out.”
“I’d go out the front.” Sue took a sip of his drink. “Gerard just went to sit with Niamh at the back.”
“Good point.” Nessa turned to say goodbye to Tristan, but he was finishing the drink.
He stepped forward. “Natasha, I’ll fly you home. Sue, I’ll be back. There’s a couple things we should go over for tomorrow. They might try to play hard ball, and I have some ideas on subtle ways to counter.”
Sue nodded and said goodnight to Aurora and Nessa.
Once outside in the refreshing chill, Aurora stopped Nessa and Tristan. “Can you guys take my clothes? I want to shift and run home.”
They did and stepped away from the door so Tristan could undress. The moonlight bathed his broad chest and defined muscles. He folded everything and handed them to Nessa.
He shifted and towered over her before he scooped her up. Pressure dragged at her as he blasted into the sky, power and might.
She snuggled closer to him as the frigid wind rushed by. It was pleasant, playing his mate. She liked the dangerous security of it. She wondered if she’d ever come around to someone who didn’t like playing games and wanted something for real.
Meanwhile, she needed to come up with more new names for the-shifter-formally-known-as-Brochan.
36
Jessie
“Whatever he says, take it in stride,” Tristan coached as we headed out the hotel door toward the waiting vans to take us to Evan’s house. “He wants to be in, that is fairly obvious, but he is new, and none of his people were actually picked by him. They might have bad blood from the previous meetings or from Withor talking bad about you. Hell, they might be pissed you essentially chucked Withor out of here.”
I nodded and put a sound-proof bubble around us as Tristan and Sue climbed in first. I sat in next, and Austin took the seat beside me.
“Even if Evan is ecstatic and leaping at the chance to join, take it in stride,” Tristan advised. “There might be some negotiations and contracts down the line, and for that, you don’t want to appear too eager.”
That I already knew. Nothing like dealing with salesmen working on commission to quell any sort of showy excitement when one was trying to haggle.
“If they do have bad news,” Tristan said, “then it goes like this… If Evan is direct and open and speaks respectfully to you and Alpha Steele, then answer and engage in kind. If he is vague or his people are talking, it opens the floor for my input. I’ll jump in. There are a great many ways experienced cairn leaders give subtle digs and soft warnings, and Nelson was great at it. I know the tricks. I can teach you eventually but time is short. As you know.”
Austin threaded his fingers through mine, and calm flooded through our bonds. He was confident.
“If they pass us up, don’t worry,” Tristan went on. “Patty is working incredibly hard behind the scenes. The battle from yesterday is everywhere. Her contacts are firing hard. She’s spreading rumors of what you pay Guardians and all the perks, which I’ve told you, are substantial. She is making us look very good, and the pictures coming from the battle and celebratory bar scene last night are making us look better. Smaller and mid-sized cairns are very interested. A ‘no’ here is not the end of the world. We have ten times the options than before we showed up. Whatever happens in this meeting, we are solid. We’ve cemented ourselves as a force to be reckoned with, okay? This trip was essential, and whatever answer we get, we’ve still pulled it off.”
I didn’t need the pep talk this time. I didn’t need the Ivy House watch, even though it was currently tucked into the pocket of my pantsuit. After our first meeting and the battle yesterday, I knew our worth. I knew how my team stacked up against ordinary gargoyles.
In short, we were exceptional. Our team was the best there was. I would no longer suffer anyone to question that.