Lib Novel Page 59
“That’s what Percy said.”
“Yeah,” I laugh, thinking about Percy, thinking about everything the Rosecreek pack has been through. I clear my throat, meeting his eyes. “You know something Bigby told me the other day?”
“What?”
“He said that only about ten percent of shifters find their mates. Did you know that?”
“I knew it wasn’t high.”
“Right—it’s only ten percent. Of the whole shifter population. Already, that makes the Rosecreek pack pretty remarkable.”
“Sure,” he says, tilting his head, like he’s not sure where I’m going with this.
“I’m just saying,” I say, running my fingers up and down the soft skin on the inside of his arm. “That—I think there’s a lot of love here. I think Linnea, as Luna, kind of disperses that love, I think everyone here is so strong, because we’ve all been through something. And I don’t think that makes it harder to love—I think that makes our love special. Earned.”
“Right,” Byron says, clearing his throat, and when he looks up, his eyes are glassy. “Like Percy.”
“Like Percy.”
“You deserve love, Byron,” I whisper. “Take it from me—it’s not worth it to avoid hurting if it means missing out on love.”
He stares at me for a moment, then reaches up, tugging on my arms until I fall forward, collapsing into his chest. He slides us down, cradling me in his arms, and we fall asleep like that, nestled together.
Chapter 25 – Byron
“Hey.”
I wake up, stirring, feeling Olivia in my arms. My body relaxes. My heart beats steadily, slowly, evenly, unbothered. When I look down at her, she’s already gazing sleepily back at me, her eyes soft, her face easy.
“Hey,” I murmur back, something unlocking in my chest at the sight of her here, with me. Even after everything I told her last night. Even now that she knows, without a doubt, that I’m broken. She knows my fears about being a bad father.
And she told me I’m worthy of love. I tug her up a little closer, kissing the top of her head, breathing her in, and sinking into the feeling of having her nearby.
“We have that meeting,” she says, clearing her throat. “In, like, twenty minutes.”
“I’ll never have time to get my hair done,” I murmur, which makes her smile.
“Speaking of your hair,” she says, reaching up and tousling it. “Why did you change from blue?”
“I didn’t,” I laugh, reaching up and touching it, too. It feels like ages ago that Percy was here, helping me try to bleach it. “My body just stopped taking the bleach or the dye.”
“That’s weird,” she says, her brow wrinkling. “You should try again. I miss the blue.”
“Noted,” I say, nuzzling my head into her neck. When I start to kiss her there, nipping at the skin, she laughs and pushes me away.
“Byron,” she says, laughing and tipping her head back. “It is now fifteen minutes until the meeting.”
Though there are many, many things I would much rather be doing with Olivia, I pull my body up off the couch, and together, we get ready for the meeting. When we walk in, everyone is sitting around the table.
“Are you the new Percy?” Aris asks, raising his eyebrows and taking a bite from a muffin. There’s a box from the bakery on the table, and Percy is sitting smugly, his arms crossed.
“I wasn’t even late this time,” he says, smirking at me. “And I brought treats.”
“Great job, buddy,” I say, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “You only have to be on time every day for the rest of the day to even out your attendance score.”
He pushes me away, laughing, and Aris clears his throat, drawing our attention back to the matter at hand. He runs through the information we have and what we know about the commander, his situation, and the event space in Chicago.
“Olivia and Byron,” Aris says, “I’m going to have the two of you running surveillance for the mission. Keep an eye on things, intervene the way you did in Minneapolis if something starts to go wrong.”