5

Remy tapped the side of his head. “Besides, I need the practice.”

“For what?”

“Most of the time, I can only talk mind-to-mind with other telepaths, but lately I’ve been able to send to anyone.” He narrowed his eyes. “Pretty cool, huh?” His voice flooded her mind as if he’d shouted into her ear with a megaphone.

“Whoa.” She put a knee against the dresser to steady herself. “Warn me before you do that again, okay?” It felt like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water on her brain, even though she’d learned in freshman psychology class that the brain actually lacks nerve endings. Tell that to someone with chronic migraines.

“Sorry.” He didn’t look the least bit guilty. “I’m still learning to control the volume.”

“No worries.” She moved into the en suite bathroom to gather some toiletries. She crouched in front of her vanity and plucked a shampoo bottle off the bottom shelf.

“Ready?” Remy’s voice floated from the bedroom.

No. Never.

She stood and caught her reflection in the antique mirror above the vanity. White with scrolling green vines, the mirror was one of the first things she bought for the apartment when she moved in five years ago. I’m coming back, she told herself as she opened a drawer and grabbed her headache medication. She clutched the orange bottle as her heart started to pound.

She and Max had a deal. Five years ago, he sent her away.

And in doing so, he gave Lizette her freedom.

If he’d forgotten about their agreement, she’d just have to remind him.

“Lizette?”                           

In the mirror, her eyes lightened to wolf blue. She put her shoulders back.

“Yes. I’m ready.”

2

Lizette rolled her eyes when she saw the black Infiniti QX80 in the apartment complex parking lot. It was wedged between a Prius and an early model Accord.

“You guys really know how to blend in,” she muttered as she followed Dom down the stairs. Remy had insisted on carrying her duffel, which should have looked ridiculous, but somehow emphasized his imposing size and rugged masculinity. The other three males brought up the rear, their footfalls barely registering, even to her sensitive ears.

When they reached the massive vehicle, Remy opened the rear passenger door and gestured for her to get in.

She’d put one foot on the running board when a sudden thought hit her. “Gimme a second!” She jogged back to the building and rolled her eyes again when pounding footsteps followed her. Dom and the one called Aiden hovered on either side of her as she removed a piece of paper from her pocket and thrust it inside one of the shiny black mailboxes bolted to the front of the brick building. She’d scribbled the note in her kitchen right before Remy hefted her overstuffed duffel like it was a teacup and gestured for them to leave.

Aiden sniffed the air around the mailbox. “That one smells like a human.” He glowered at her. “A male,” he added, making male sound like serial killer.

She raised her chin. “He’s my landlord. He’ll wonder where I’ve gone.” Anger made her cheeks flood with heat. She shouldn’t have to explain anything to anyone, let alone a man she’d just met. What right did he have to question her?

“Back off, Aiden,” Dom said. “Go ahead,” he told her in a gentler voice.

She met his gaze with a glare. “I don’t need anyone’s permission to communicate with my friends.”

Tension rose around them. Across the parking lot, Remy’s head shot up. Lizette wanted to snatch the words out of the air. She’d lived on her own too long, and she’d forgotten all the rules. Wolves didn’t need labels or name tags to know who was in charge. A well-trained wolf could walk into a crowded room and know the rank of every person within seconds. Dom was the highest ranking wolf on this mission, and she just challenged him.

If they’d been alone, he might have let it go, but the others’ presence complicated things. If he ignored her insubordination, he risked looking weak. It opened a door—however narrow—for future challenges.

She held her breath and waited for all hell to break loose, but Dom just stood there. The muscle ticking in his jaw was the only sign of his displeasure.

She dropped her gaze to the cracked asphalt. “My apologies,” she said, her tone formal. “I meant no disrespect.” A human listening to their conversation would have found it strange. Why would a grown woman need anyone’s consent to leave a message for another adult, and her landlord at that? But in their world, respect and obedience were everything. Without these things, people died.

The awful tension dissipated. Lizette let out a shaky breath.

Dom touched her cheek briefly. “It’s fine. No harm done.”

Over by the SUV, Remy cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled.

“You three trading recipes, or what? Let’s go!”

Dom smiled at her. “I hope you brought headphones.”

She followed him back to the SUV, where Remy and the others stood with their arms folded, muscles on full display. They were about as unobtrusive as secret service agents at a bake sale. She glanced over her shoulder at the apartments to see if any faces were peeking out from behind the curtains.

The most excitement her tiny college town saw was the occasional DUI or bonfire gone wild. The presence of five huge men in an expensive car was bound to attract notice. Dom climbed in the driver’s seat, while Remy jumped in the passenger side. To her intense relief, Aiden sat in the third row, all the way in the back where she wouldn’t have to look at him or risk having her thigh touch his. She’d gotten a better sample of his scent by the mailbox, but she couldn’t place him. As far as she knew they’d never met, but something about him unsettled her.

The other two wolves, whose names she hadn’t bothered to learn, sat on either side of her in the SUV’s middle row bucket seat. She decided to refer to them as Thug One and Thug Two in her mind.

Dom’s blue eyes met hers in the rearview mirror, then dipped to the loose seatbelt next to her. “Buckle up.”