Page 28 of Reluctant Rebel

“I can go to the library,” Jinx volunteered, surprising Mikhail. “I love books.”

“Jinx is great with research,” Gage stated, smiling proudly at the tiger shifter. “A real investigator.”

Mikhail figured it couldn’t hurt, so he agreed.

“I’ll join you,” Eric said quickly. “I love spending time with you.”

Jinx’s eyebrows shot up, and she looked surprised. After a moment, she replied, “I love spending time with you as well.”

“Phew,” Eric said, fanning himself and giving Jinx a wink. “You had me worried for a minute there.”

Mikhail narrowed his gaze on Eric, wondering what was going on. Was it his imagination, or did that wink look positively flirty? The warm blush staining Jinx’s cheeks told him he wasn’t mistaken, and he suppressed the urge to pluck Eric’s eyes from his head.

“Plus,” Eric continued, “I’m really familiar with the library. I used to hang out there a lot when I was living on the street. It’s a great place to get out of the rain or the freezing Purgatory winters. Sometimes, I’d spend the whole day there.” He paused, shooting Brax and Mikhail a worried look. “Uh, sorry. I know it’s not supposed to be used as a homeless shelter or anything. But …”

“Hey, relax,” Brax soothed, walking over to Eric and ruffling his hair. “Seeking shelter in the public library isn’t illegal. I’m glad you had somewhere safe to go.”

Mikhail watched the interaction with interest. He knew Brax really liked the young vampire and thought they had a nice friendship building. But it appeared to be more than that. There was warmth there and affection. The bond appeared almost brotherly. The thought made him feel some kind of way. Jealousy wasn’t the right word, nor was resentment. But he feared they were close. He and Brax already had a little brother. They didn’t need another one.

Sabre noticed his unease because she mouthed silently.“You okay?”

Mikhail nodded silently, and he was glad she didn’t push. He felt like shit for even entertaining such thoughts. The poor kid had just disclosed he used to hang out at the public librarybecause he had nowhere else to go, and Mikhail was making it about himself.

“Brax is right,” Mikhail said, looking directly at Eric. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I’ll see that more resources are in place for those in need at the library. Let me know if you think of any other locations that would benefit from the same thing. You’ve got a unique perspective … unfortunately,” he added, feeling bad again.

“Wait, you're going to add resources to the library because I said it was a safe spot for me?” Eric asked in disbelief.

“Of course,” Mikhail replied calmly.

Eric frowned. “Just like that?”

“Yes,” Mikhail replied slowly, unsure what the issue was.

“Why?” Eric asked bluntly.

Brax leaned towards Eric and mock-whispered, “Because he’s therealKing.”

Mikhail rolled his eyes, secretly pleased with his brother’s antics. “I haven’t figured out how a kingdom can be free of poverty and violence. To be honest, I believe it’s impossible when the majority of the population is magic and runs on primal instincts. But that doesn’t mean I don’t fight hard to minimise it. My efforts are clearly lacking in some important areas, so I’ll do my best to fix it.”

“Huh.” Eric looked at Mikhail with a mixture of surprise and gratitude on his face. “Thank you,” he said sincerely.

“It's no problem,” Mikhail replied, giving him a small smile. “Now, how about we all hop to it?”

He was grateful when everyone poured out of his suite, including Sabre. She promised to be back as soon as her friends, Mercy and Phaedra, arrived. Until then, he was going to dunk his head under some cold water and do his best not to imagine his non-mate and Eric alone together in the dark library.

11

Mikhail and Sabre emerged from the portal onto a street paved with luminous gold. Buildings of gleaming crystal and ivory stretched endlessly in every direction. The air sparkled with motes of divine light, and the sweet strains of an angelic chorus echoed in the distance.

“Fuck me, this place is torturous,” Sabre grumbled. She stuck her fingers in her ears and twisted them aggressively. “What is that hellish noise? Are my ears bleeding?”

Mikhail yanked her hands down before she ruptured an eardrum. “Don’t be a crybaby.”

“I hate it here,” Sabre admitted, looking around uncomfortably.

“I know you do.” He gripped her hand, swinging it companionably between them. “You didn’t have to come.”

She shot him a filthy look. “I’m your guardian. Where you go, I go.”

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