Page 29 of Laverna

"It's kind of funny. Too soon?" she asked, biting back a laugh. She pulled back the covers. "Get in here, Rom. I'm an invalid and need to be watched over. What if I wake up at night and I'm hungry again? I need you."

Romulus cocked a brow. "You need me?"

"Yes," Laverna admitted, her cheeks turning red. "I don't want to sleep alone after tonight."

Romulus climbed in beside her and dragged her up against him.

"Um, I'm not the little spoon," Laverna complained but didn't move.

"Tonight, you are. I'm protecting you while you are hurt and vulnerable," Romulus said. His breath was warm on her ear as he whispered, "Because you need me."

"I'm never going to live that down."

"Not ever."

Laverna laughed. "I hate you so much."

"Tell me about it in the morning," he replied and turned off the lights.

18

Rom woke feeling more content and relaxed than he had in centuries. He couldn't hear the roar of the city in his mind and magic. The wolf was still asleep. As was the goddess in his arms.

Laverna had purple marks under her eyes that he didn't like, but she was alive even if she was exhausted. He wanted to stay curled around her. There was too much to do, and the sooner it was done, the sooner he would have the freedom to court her if she let him. She hadn't tried to kill him the night before after admitting that she was his mate, so he took that as a positive sign.

Rom moved slowly to try and free his numb arm that she had been sleeping on. Laverna pulled a face, one eye opening.

"What's wrong?" she mumbled.

"Nothing. Go back to sleep. I'll wake you up later," he said and kissed her forehead like he had done it a million times. He paused awkwardly. He wasn't affectionate except with members of his pack. He wanted to be soft with her, to rub himself all over her so that everyone knew she was his. That need was almost as pressing as his constant need to protect her.

Laverna only rolled into the warm spot he had left and went back to sleep. Rom tucked the blanket around her before going back downstairs to find some clothes. The apartment was still empty. He would have to find his phone and find out where Claudius was.

Rom showered and dressed and did his best not to think about having Laverna pressed up against the wall of the bathhouse. He was relieved she had recovered, but his anxiety and worry hadn't fully left him.

That was the last time he was going to let them be separated. If he had been with her, there was no way Remus would have been able to attack her.

How was he alive again? Canidia had necromancy powers centuries ago, but not enough to be able to bring people back from the dead who had been that way for centuries. How did she know where to find his body? If Remus was alive again, why was Romulus still cursed to be a part of the city?

Laverna had said Remus wasn't like he was before. What had Canidia done to him? Was he some kind of zombie? Or had she built a body and somehow stuffed his shade into it? Too many questions and not enough answers.

Rom went into the kitchen and made coffee before going to the table to look at the map, files, and photos that had been compiled so far. They had been busy for months, and Rom had been too focused on other things to notice what was happening right under his nose.

Rom tried to push down his guilt and think about how the witches operated in the old days. Memory could be a dangerous and messy place for an immortal, so Rom tried not to venture too deeply into it. This time, he had to. They were getting closer to the full moon every second, and he would have no choice but to turn. The wolf was a hunter, but Rom needed to have enough information to be able to point it in the right direction.

Rom closed his eyes and focused on the last time he had clashed with Canidia. What had gotten his attention last time? There had always been magic users, healers, necromancers, and witches in Rome. They had come in the beginning. Not all of them went out of their way to cause harm like Canidia did. Her coven had managed to ease their way into the upper classes with love potions, cosmetics, and...

"Posions," Rom said, opening his eyes again. He went through the files, but there was nothing there. He plugged his phone into a charger—how did she have electricity and reception down here—and called Claudius.

"Good morning, sir," he answered after a few rings. "How is the goddess?"

"Still sleeping. Where are you?" Rom replied, and there was a knock on the front door. Rom opened it, and his second-in-command was standing there with a small smile on his face.

"Have you been lurking all night?" Rom asked, opening the door wider and letting his wolf in.

Claudius shook his head."Not all night. Lucius and Eolus have been taking shifts with me."

"You were that worried about Laverna?" Rom asked, genuinely surprised.

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