Page 29 of Catnip

“How about these biggerones?”

He listened to her explain how the large blocks of stone piled up to build the impressive monument and were perfectly aligned, which was exceptional for a structure that old. They’d managed that by putting holes in the middle of each block, and fitting in a bar; that way, they could add the next block like a piece ofLego.

“They filled those holes with metal - bronze, mainly - and that was precious, so these holes were made to get to it after the Catholics came into power and started stripping down reminders of the oldfaith.”

He wasn’t the only one listening in, and a British tourist asked her a couple of questions, evidently taking her for a tourguide.

Coveney smiled a little sadly. How she fit in, in this ancient, beautiful, foreigncity.

“You’re having fun,” she noticed, and he shruggedcasually.

“First time abroad. It’s definitely different than learning about all this on TV. Besides, might as well distract myself from thinking about this insane plan ofyours.”

That last part was grumbled, communicating his lack of enthusiasm. But he’d caved, for various reasons. Firstly, the damn plan made an awful lot of sense, and he would have nodded along, quite happy to execute it, if it had involved just about anyone else. Secondly, and he admitted it as begrudgingly as any dominant male might, his female was wearing the trousers. Now that she’d shed a lot of her shyness, it was apparent to him that she out-dominated him. If he had a dominance level similar to his Alpha, or his Beta, for that matter, it would have been an issue, but Coveney found that he didn’t care much. And, lastly, if she pouted and said please, there was nothing, absolutely nothing, he wouldn’t give her. He was putty in her damn little hands. And she knewit.

“So, whatnext?”

“Next, you need to do something no one stepping in Italy should ever forgo,” she said quiteseriously.

He lifted a brow as he followedher.

Ten minutes later, he was moaning inpleasure.

“What the hell isthis?”

She shrugged. “Icecream.”

He gave her a look. Yeah, right. He’d had ice cream before. This didn’t qualify. Ice cream was refreshing and tasty; it wasn’t supposed to make him feel like he’d grown a set of wings of his own and tasted the food of thegods.

“Come again? Why the hell don’t you guys export thatshit?”

She grinned. “Maybe it just tastes different when you eat ithere.”

That made an awful lot of sense. He bobbed his head, repeating a word that had often been on his mind since he’d met her. “Witchcraft.”

He couldn’t come up with anotherexplanation.

As the day drew on, somewhere between the Coliseum and the Pantheon, he felt her grow stiff. It wasn’t just that he saw her shoulders tense and smelled a difference in her; he felt it to his bones. His mate’s worry transferred tohim.

He wanted to ask, but he knew hecouldn’t.

Are they here? Are theywatching?

Ava had said the second she’d return to Italy, the eagles of Dale would know it, and would go after her. Something about their ward warning of the master’s return. It had probably been set in place so her folks could get ready to greet their Alphas after they came back from a trip. Whoknew?

What mattered was that now her enemies were going to come afterher.

Which would have been all well and good, if she wasn’t expecting him to let them takeher.

“They won’t wantto spill blood in Rome. Firstly, it makes more sense to abduct me and deal with me on their own turf than to potentially have to fight whatever ally I bring with me. Secondly, if I’m close to home, they won’t be able to resist bringing me back to Dale, and parading me in front of everyone as their captive. They were quite dramatic with my parents and siblings,” she’d grimaced withdistaste.

How that was supposed to convince him to let them take her, he didn’tknow.

“Right. So, we let a merry band of psychopathic traitors take you where they can hurt you. Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that this isn’t the very definition of insanity. Thenwhat?”

Shesmirked.

“Then, we crush themall.”

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