Chapter 11

Eleven

Why in theworld had I thought it was a good idea to bring the wolf shifter into Anton's bookstore? Why had I done it?

Because now that he was here, I never wanted him to leave. Seeing him here, having him in this space, felt… intimate in a way I wasn't used to.

I hated it.

I loved it.

I didn't know what in the hell I was feeling.

I never brought people here.

This was my place. My sanctuary.

And now I had Remi sitting here with me, chatting about my family and being his kind, sweet self, and I felt… weird.

Maybe it was… happiness?

And Mother of All, wasn't it telling that feeling happy was so rare for me that it felt weird? What the hell did that say about my life?

The only time I ever felt anything close to this was when I was playing my guitar, lost in the music, playing only for me, not trying to busk, not trying to beg people for money. Or when I was able to forget my worries while I was hanging out with my little cousins—but the worries hardly ever disappeared, so that didn't happen often.

And yet, sitting here with this man, with this wolf shifter, was the most relaxing thing I think I'd done in years.

It made no sense because Remi had me so twisted up inside, so full of… lust and too many feels. And yet, he also had this calming presence that helped me relax and made me feel comfortable around him in a way I didn't feel around anyone but my cousins and perhaps Anton.

I'd only met him days ago, and here he was, making me feel things.

I took a breath. "Tell me about your family."

He snorted out a small laugh and took a sip of his drink. "What do you want to know?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Anything, everything. Do you like them? Do you get along with your siblings?"

"I get along with them, yeah. They're all pains in my ass, but I love them, and I know they love me. My dads are awesome when they're not being overbearing and trying to, like, take over my life. They mean well, even if they make me nuts all the time. Same with my siblings. They're all just trying to help, but man, does it get old."

I couldn't even imagine what that felt like.

He cleared his throat and got a faraway look on his face. "I'm the youngest and the only one left who hasn't found their viramore."

I blinked at that. Viramore? All his siblings found their soulmates? How… how was that possible? Finding a viramore was so rare here in Gauhala that many people didn't even believe they were real. I honestly wasn't sure myself. Finding the one person in the entire world that your soul was made for sounded more like something in a fairy tale rather than real life.

And Remi claimed that all his siblings had found theirs? They had to be pullin' his chain, right? There was no way.

"Are you sure?"

He tilted his head to the side. "Am I sure about what?"

"That your siblings found their viramores?"

His brow furrowed. "Of course. That's not something they'd joke about, and trust me, even I can see how their magics are linked. My dads are the same way, same with my siblings. Sometimes, it feels like I'm the only adult in the entire coven that hasn't found his viramore. I'm not, but only because many of my nieces, nephews, and niblings are growing up." He sighed longingly. It made my heart ache in a way I wasn't comfortable with.

"Seriously? That many people in your family have soulmates?"

He nodded, still lookin' a little confused by my reaction.

"Remi, I'm not sure I've ever even seen a viramore pair in my entire life. They don't really happen here."

"What do you mean?"

I waved my hands around. "Viramores are so rare in the entire country that most people don't think they exist."

"They exist." His voice brokered no argument, even as he tilted his head, considering me. "You don't believe in them, do you?"

I shrugged and shook my head at the same time because I honestly didn't know. Did I want to believe that soulmates were real? That I'd one day find my one true love? Of course I did. But did that mean I thought it would actually happen? That it could happen? Well, that I wasn't too sure about. In fact, I was pretty sure it'd never happen.

"They exist, Bel. I swear it."

I blinked at that. That was… intense. Super freakin' intense. All I could do was nod, even though I still didn't quite believe the whole thing. But I also didn't want to offend him or his family.

He got a strange smile on his face, and I knew he could tell I still wasn't sure. But he reached over and squeezed my hand, then kept his hand there, holding tight. "One day, you'll believe me."

I blinked again as warmth gathered in my chest. Something that felt a little bit like hope lingered there, and I wasn't sure if I liked it or not.

Okay, I liked it. I knew I did.

But I was also scared of that feelin' because it could so easily be taken away.

Remi brushed his lips across my knuckles again, and I sucked in a breath. He whispered words into my skin, and he said them so quietly I wasn't sure I was supposed to hear them. "I'll prove it to you one day."

I shook my head, more of that scary hope feeling buildin' in my chest at the whispered promise.

Before I could figure out what to say, Remi's phone let out an alert. I expected him to pull away and check it immediately, but he didn't. He stayed bent over with his lips only a hair's breadth away from my skin and smiled up at me.

I swallowed thickly, too many emotions caught up in my throat for me to speak anything intelligible.

He brushed his lips there one more time before straightening and releasing me to check his phone. The second he let go, I was able to take a breath even if I missed his touch more than I thought possible, especially for someone I'd only just met.

But he was different. Something was different about Remi. About the way he looked at me. The way he treated me like a person and not a piece of trash. The way he really saw me.

So I did my best to push everythin' I was worried about aside and try to concentrate on the here and now. On the man in front of me.

Even if this was all I ever had of him, I should try to enjoy it while I could. I wasn't sure when I'd ever get to go on a date with a man who treated me with such kindness again.

"Sorry, it was my Pops. He sent me a picture."

Remi flipped his phone around to show me a picture. It took me a second to understand what I was looking at. "Is that a… baby dragon, sleepin' on its back and huggin' a cat?"

He chuckled. "Sure is. Zamm looks like a baby, but she's not. She just likes her small dragon form so she can hang out in the house and because Sera stays in her house cat form all the time."

"Are they Bonded Ones?" That was the only thing that made sense if they were changing forms.

"Oh, yeah. They're my dads' Bondeds. I grew up chasing them around and playing tag all the time. They're both super playful."

That made me smile. "That sounds cute."

He shot me a grin and slipped his phone back into his pocket. "Sorry. I only checked the message because it's super early in Brinnswick, so I thought something was wrong. But apparently, my dads are just getting in from working a case, and their Bondeds didn't go with them, so when they got home, that's how they found them."

I snorted. "What do your dads do?"

"They work with the BCA—uh, the Brinnswick Central Agency. It's a?—"

"I know what it is. So your dads chase down bad guys, huh?"

"They do."

A small shiver of fear raced through me. If they were here, would they chase me down?

I was a criminal. Of course they would.

"They don't work full-time anymore. They mostly just go in for big cases or when the police or other agents are unsure of how to handle something." He shrugged. "These days, they mostly help out the magical community or hunt down artifacts."

Like the one I stole last night?

Holy hell.

If Remi ever realized what I did, I'd not only have to worry about him coming after me, I'd have to worry about his parents too.

Fuck. Maybe I should make my excuses and leave. Maybe I should hide from this wolf shifter until he went back to his own country.

"Hey." Remi's voice grabbed my attention. "You okay?"

I licked my lips. "Um…"

His head tilted to the side, and he reached over to pick up my hand again. Immediately, all of the panic that was startin' to rise at an alarming rate dissipated, as if it'd never been there.

"Did I freak you out? I'm sorry. I swear my dads aren't dangerous." He grimaced and amended, "Okay, actually they're really dangerous, but only to people who try to hurt others or come after their family. So you're perfectly safe. Plus, they're all the way in Brinnswick. Nothing to worry about."

I swallowed around my dry throat and gave a small nod.

He bent down and kissed my hand, making sparks dance along my skin.

He said, "So I know you stopped by the office the other day, but you didn't actually get to see it." He licked his lips, like he was nervous. "I was wondering if you'd like to come by and see it? You don't have to, but I'd love your opinion on a few things. Only if you want. No pressure."

I blinked at him again. This man was full of surprises. What in the world could he possibly want my opinion on? "Um… yeah, we can do that." So apparently, my mouth decided we weren't doing the whole avoid-the-guy-with-scary-dads thing. Good to know. Thanks for lookin' out for me, mouth.

His smile was so wide it was contagious.

We finished up our food, then Remi led me out to his car, saying, "I know it's close, but it's so cold out, and since my car is here anyway, I figured we could drive there."

I shrugged. I honestly wasn't going to complain about bein' inside a warm car versus outside in the frigid cold. I'd have to withstand the cold for long enough tonight. And tomorrow. And the day after that.

The drive was quick and easy, and the building he owned had its own parking lot, so we didn't have to drive around to find a spot.

"I'm surprised how empty the lot is. I thought people would've been using it for the stores on this block."

Remi shrugged. "Sometimes they do, but since I put up my business sign and the security cameras around the building, a lot of cars have stopped."

"Ah. Makes sense." No one around here wanted to mess with a security firm. With all the shit Luynore made me do, I probably shouldn't either. But… Remi seemed to be my weakness lately.

Remi took my hand, laced our fingers together, sendin' a small thrill through me, and led me inside. He had already installed a bunch of security things, like alarms that needed to be disabled, and I could feel the magic interlaced with the electronics.

"Is that… witch magic?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Yep. And kelpie and wolf, of course." He winked at me. "Isa hasn't had a free moment to add her magic in, but she will, and then we'll have fae magic mixed in too."

I stopped in my tracks. "Who's Isa?" And why the hell was Remi hangin' out with some other fae? Did he have some kind of… fae fetish?

I'd met that type before, the type who paid me to have sex with them because they got off on the danger of it, but I hadn't thought Remi was like that. Maybe I was wrong about him after all.

Remi's brow furrowed. "She's one of my best friends and a coworker. I guess you didn't meet her the other day. She's been working with me for a decade and came from Brinnswick with me to get this office up and running."

"She's fae?"

His brow furrowed more. "Yes… why? What does that matter?"

My jaw dropped in shock because he'd… meant that. He didn't even understand what the big deal was that he worked with and had befriended a fae. For fuck's sake, this Isa person could destroy him so fuckin' easily. She could take him and his business down without even tryin' with how trusting this guy was.

"She's fae, Remi. You can't trust the fae."

He scowled. "What kind of bullshit is that? Of course you can trust someone who's fae."

"Fae are evil."

His head jerked back. "You're not evil, Bel. And neither is Isa. She's a lovely person who cares about everyone she meets. And excuse you, but my family members who happen to be fae aren't evil either!"

I jerked back and winced. "Y-you have fae family members?"

He released my hand to throw both of his up in frustration. "Yes, but again, what the hell does that matter?"

"The fae are evil…?" That sounded like a question, even though I hadn't meant it that way.

His jaw clenched, and I almost stepped back away from his anger. "Is that what they teach you here? Is that why you're saying this nonsense?"

"Everyone knows you can't trust the fae."

His nostrils flared, and he took a calming breath. "Bel, there are bad fae in the world, of course there are. But there are also good fae. Just like there are bad and good vampires, humans, shifters, and every other type of creature you can think of. You can't judge a whole species on just a few. That isn't fair to anyone."

"But—"

"No. There's no buts about this, Bel. You aren't evil. Not even a little bit."

Before I could respond to that, I was being pulled into a tight chest with large, warm arms wrapped around me. I stiffened for only a few seconds before I relaxed into him in a way I hadn't done since… since my mother was still alive.

Remi whispered into my ear, "You aren't evil, Belryn. Not evil at all, and I really wish I could rip apart whoever it is that convinced you that you are."

I huffed out a laugh, closed my eyes, and hugged this giant shifter man back.

After a few seconds, I quietly replied. "You'd have to rip up all of Gauhala society for that, wolf boy."

He blew out a long breath that turned into a sigh. "That's going to be a lot harder for me to do."

I snorted out a small laugh and patted his back. "That's not something you need to worry about." I squeezed him. "This is… helping." And that wasn't even a lie.

He held me that way for a long, long time, and I would've thought it'd become uncomfortable—he was practically a stranger after all—but it didn't. Remi felt… safe. So safe that I never wanted to pull away.

Maybe I could just stay here, against his chest, for the rest of my life so I didn't have to worry about anything else. No living on the streets, no busking, no begging, no selling myself, no letting Luynore control me.

I grimaced at that thought and found myself clingin' to the wolf shifter even tighter.

Remi rubbed my back and whispered, "I've got you, may'ezza. I won't let anything happen to you."

How he knew I felt somethin' akin to scared, I'd never know, but I appreciated his attempt at making me feel better. It was a lie, even if he didn't mean it that way. Things would happen to me because I was obliged to a man with an evil heart.

Luynore was exactly why people feared the fae. Exactly why no one wanted to hire us. Exactly why we were evil. Exactly why so many of us were jobless, out on the streets, and forced to beg for even small scraps in this world.

No one trusted the fae, with good reason, and therefore, we weren't welcome anywhere in this society.

I'd tried to get a job so many times, but no one would hire me. I'd applied, I'd begged, I'd done everything I could. And in the end, the only thing I'd been able to do was go to the notorious Purtham Luynore for help.

Remi couldn't change any of that. He couldn't fix our society. He couldn't get rid of my obligation. He couldn't do anythin' to help.

But… he could make me feel good for a few minutes, make me forget, make me feel like everythin' would be alright.

Finally, we parted, and I couldn't meet his eyes as I stepped away and said, "You said you had somethin' to show me?"

He nodded. "I sure do." He grabbed my hand, not letting me fully retreat into myself like I wanted. "Let me give you a tour." He started for the stairs that led to the basement, and I stopped in my tracks.

"Why are we going down there?"

"Oh, we don't have to. I just figured we'd start on the bottom floor and make our way up."

"You mean… this entire building is going to be for your security firm?"

He nodded. "Yes. Storage is downstairs, so I guess we really don't need to go down there since it's mostly just shelves at the moment."

"I thought your firm was just on the floor where I found you the other day?"

"Oh, no. That top floor will be offices for management, but we're utilizing the rest of the building as well." He waved his hand at the doors around us. "The first floor is mostly going to be a large gym with a few private training rooms."

"Why do you need a gym?"

"For our security guards. They're required to train as part of their job. We allot time for them into their regular schedules. There will also be a firing range at the other end of the hall. For guns and magic too."

My eyes widened, and Remi gently tugged me up to the second floor.

"This will be where the magic users will infuse magic into our electronics."

"I, um, didn't know you could do that."

He smiled at me. "One of my older brothers is a pro at it, and he helped me figure out ways to incorporate magic into my systems. We taught Tan—my witch friend that came here with me—and he's come up with even more ways to help protect people."

"That sounds amazing."

"Thanks. Tan will have to train people while we're here so the office can run without him there."

I flinched at the reminder that this was all temporary for Remi. That he would be leaving the Sedoba Territory, leaving Gauhala altogether, and I'd still be stuck here with only the memory of his kindness.

He stopped walking, starin' at me in concern. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head. "Nothing. Can I see the next floor up?"

He watched me for so long I thought he was going to call me out on my bullshit, but then he gently tugged me along and up the stairs, saying, "The next floor is our tech floor. We'll monitor live video feeds where needed, help customers who've been hacked, install new security on computers, phones, tablets, and things like that."

"Does that mean there's going to be people here all the time?"

He nodded. "Yep. That's why I've been taking so much time to make nice break rooms on each floor. I want to make sure everyone's comfortable here and has everything they need."

Must be nice to have a boss like that.

He grinned before opening the door. I stepped inside with him and froze. There were computers, screens, laptops, and about five million other electronics that I couldn't even put a name to. Things were everywhere.

When Remi started to tug me forward, I planted my feet. "Um. I don't think we should go in."

He stopped, staring at me again, and I swore he could see right through me to my very soul. "We don't have to if you don't want to."

"I'm afraid I'll break something."

He shrugged. "I doubt it, but even if you did, it wouldn't be a big deal."

Not a big deal to break somethin'? If I owned even one thing in this place, you'd better believe I'd be protecting it.

He pulled me off that floor. "One more floor, plus the roof, to go."

"Wow. This building's going to be crazy."

He grinned. "Crazy good, I hope."

I smiled back. "Definitely crazy good."

With a grin, he leaned in to kiss my cheek.

Part of me was disappointed it wasn't on the lips, but the other part was thrilled at the sweet action.

He tugged me up to the top floor, and I felt the thick wards surround me as he unlocked the door and pulled me through the threshold. It was such a strange feeling, but I was glad the magic didn't reject me on sight. Although, since Remi had a fae working here, I supposed it wouldn't.

I took in the large open space, and my eyes widened at the huge windows overlooking the city. I automatically walked in that direction, gaping at it.

"How is this possible? From the outside, it doesn't look like there are any windows at all."

Remi came to stand beside me. "Apparently, the old owner had a fae come and place a glamor on the outside of the building."

I turned to him, gaping. "What? Are you serious?"

"Yes. Isa, my fae friend, has been working on taking over the spell so it won't fade, but she's been having some trouble with it. Glamor isn't her strong suit. I might have to call Nik—he's one of my brothers' partners—to see if he can check it out. He's great at glamors."

I didn't even know what to say to any of that, so I just pushed forward. "What's the point of hiding the windows?"

"Keep snipers out. Hides what we're working on here. Just adds another safety precaution. I'm all about taking extra safety precautions, so…" He trailed off with a shrug.

I glanced away from the amazin' windows to take in this big man, who really was more of a gentle giant. "I get the safety precautions because of workin' at a security firm."

"Technically, I own the business, but I get your point."

I rolled my eyes and waved my hand. "You know what I mean. Geez."

His lips twitched in amusement.

"Anyway, earlier when you were talkin' about your family, you seemed annoyed when all they did was keep you safe. Seems like a silly thing to be angry about when you're clearly the same way."

He stared at me for a long moment before barking out a laugh. "Good lord, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were working for my dads."

I jerked back. "What?"

He waved me off. "Never mind. Anyway, would you like to see the thing I'm having trouble with?"

I nodded and let him lead me into his office. When we got there, he pointed at some plants he had sitting by yet another hidden window.

"I don't think these are going to live very long under my care. I'm terrible at flowers."

My eyebrow lifted up. "Um, why do you think I can do anything to help?"

"You're fae. Aren't all fae in tune with nature? Isa's been helping, but she's not from around here, so she doesn't know what the plants need to survive in such a harsh place."

"I'm a city-born fae who grew up on the streets. Nature ain't my thing, babe."

A small frown formed on his lips. "Oh. Sorry. I really thought all fae had a nature affinity."

"Not sure about others, but it's a no for me." I hesitated, then added, "My cousin, though, he's really good with nature. I can ask him about it."

The way his eyes lit up, it was like a supernova was rushing toward me. "Really?"

"Um, yeah. Do you mind if I take some pictures of the plants?"

"Of course not." He waved me on.

I walked in and took some photos, then sent them off to Ker with a question about how to care for them.

It only took a few seconds to receive a reply.

Ker: The leaves are turning yellow because they're missing nutrients. Whose plants are those?

Me: A friend's.

He sent me an eye-rolling emoji.

Ker: I can give you a bottle of my special plant food blend if you want? I make it with my magic, so make sure your friend doesn't mind being around fae magic.

Me: He doesn't mind at all.

To Remi, I said, "He has special plant food that he makes with his magic. Says he can give me a bottle for you."

"That would be amazing. I'll pay him, of course. For his time and magic."

I blinked at that, then nodded at the sweet man. "Sounds good."

"Thank you, may'ezza. I appreciate your help."

I waved him off. "Anything else you need help with?"

He grinned. "Actually, want to help pick out the paint colors? The team and I narrowed it down to three choices, but we can't decide."

"Sure. I'll take a look." As if my opinion meant anything. I barely spent any time inside any building, let alone an office. How the hell was I supposed to know what color to choose?