12. AMAND

Chapter 12

AMAND

"Way to just throw that shit out there, Rowan."

Lev looks terrified, although he masks it well. He clears his throat and stuffs the rest of his chocolate bar into his mouth before marching into the heart of his office. We follow, mostly intrigued by his organized mess. Vince had always described Lev as an odd individual who was better left to his own devices. Lev takes his time settling on the couch, surrounded in such a way that our entrance into his space will disrupt the towers of paper he's built.

"Yes, I know what that is," he says, his voice strained. There are bags under his eyes, irritation coating his words. Lev must have been up all day sifting through the evidence he's gathered. Some part of me wants to berate him for not taking care of himself. The other part wants to carry him off to bed so that he can sleep curled up to my chest. Lev grunts as he catches me staring at him. "Couldn't you two have just asked for my phone number to call me or some shit?"

I step closer, making sure not to disturb the piles of paper. I'm not successful, Lev's expression darkening the closer I get. I don't stop until I'm at the edge of the couch, his knees brushing my legs. "Leviathan—"

"No. Don't use that voice with me. I get it. We're mates but not mates. Whatever happened between us won't happen again. I wasn't looking for-"

"It already has," I say, cutting him off. I can sense his confusion and his anxiety, my magic trying to calm his emotions. He squirms beneath it before relaxing back against the couch. I'd love to say that I was consciously doing these things but biology has a stronger hold on me than I'd like. "I wanted to believe that I had found another mate, Lev." I reach down to caress his cheek, Lev leaning into my touch. "But it's very clear that we're not acting the way most creatures do when they find a mate."

Mates caress and nurture each other. They want to protect and build a life with each other. I want Lev. So does Rowan, however, our instincts keep switching between wanting him as our prey or our lover.

Fatal attraction is more common than we're all led to believe, something that takes hold of our biology when highly incompatible designations find each other. Their desire is explosive and immediate, pulling them into a relationship that neither party can resist. The problem is that it always ends in tragedy.

Always.

Lev lets out a soft growl as he noses the palm of my hand. He's warring with his own thoughts, trying to pull away and failing. I'm no better, wanting more of his touch and knowing that it'll only drive one or both of us into madness.

"Just sit down somewhere," he pushes out as he scoots away from me. Rowan chuckles from where he's standing by the entrance to the office. He fiddles with the thermostat—thank fuck for that—as Lev just sighs. "Don't change that. It's fine as it is."

"It's really fucking hot is what it is." Rowan shakes his head as he finds a suitable setting, the immediate rush of cold air from one of the vents filling me with relief. As much as I enjoy a sauna or two, living in one isn't my go-to. Lev shivers beside me and I gladly rip off my jacket to hand to him. He burrows into it, waiting for Rowan to find a chair not occupied by papers.

Silence falls between the three of us as Lev observes our intruding presence into his space. "This has once again been a wonderful as shit meeting. I'm not dead but I will be if I continue to associate with you two. I'm failing to see the reason we couldn't do this on the phone."

My protective nature would have never allowed me to just call. "We need to find out what your designation is, Lev."

"You don't think I've tried? I've been researching for years . What I can do and how I react to other designations doesn't add up to anything I've ever found. And if I'm going to die with you two near me, maybe you shouldn't have fucking come over." The fear in his voice is evident as it shakes, Lev's actions in contrast with his words as he drags my jacket tighter around him. His nose dips to the collar, his pupils dilating as my scent surrounds him.

We shouldn't have come but that's just another part of the problem. Our desire overrides any rational instinct. "You mentioned something yesterday, Lev." Changing the subject seems to relax him further and gives me a reason to stay longer. Playing into death's hand was never my intention but Lev intrigues me. "Something about an Omega's essence?"

His eyes light up as he leans forward, a deviant smile playing on his lips. "Yes. Glo—I mean the Omega I helped rescue, she mentioned that they were trying to steal her essence. Her Alpha also mentioned that she can't remember her kidnapper's face. There's definitely a witch involved but I'm not entirely sure the witch is kidnapping the Omegas."

"So, they're looking for pure energy?" Lev nods and I sit back against the cushion, mulling over that fact. I've never heard of extracting essence, energy, or magic from a creature. I'm sure it's possible and while sprites, pixies, and fairies would have more of that pure energy, they're notorious for being tricksters. They would never fall for a witch's scheme. "I suppose Omegas are the easiest to capture. Unicorns would have been my choice but they can be quite deadly with that spear on top of their head."

Lev chuckles. "Unicorns aren't real."

Neither I nor Rowan comment on that. Most everything is real but the books and TV shows don't do them justice. Unicorns are gorgeous but they are also lethal. They are solitary beings and I'm not even sure how they reproduce. Their magic is pure but anyone with ill intentions won't make it far in their presence. One job involved a unicorn and I can absolutely say that I never want to deal with another one again.

Lev pops off the couch and points to the door. "We have to figure out what they're gathering all this energy for and stop it before it goes haywire. We also have to find that other Omega. I'm about to crash because I've run out of caffeine and you both need to go." His words come off in a garbled slur, his eyes unfocusing slightly. Our magic is running through him but without knowing his designation, I have no idea how long we have until he kicks the bucket.

Or it'll be Rowan and I finding Death's door.

I say nothing as I obey Lev's soft command, Rowan following on my heels but not before he turns to address the elephant in the room. "You do feel it, right, Lev? You realize this problem isn't just going to miraculously disappear because we're miles apart?"

Lev's face scrunches up as he tightens my jacket around his shoulders. "I feel like my heart is breaking even though I barely know you. Out. "