Page 42 of Wonder
Intellectually, I was still opposed to being mated—to Simon or anyone. As soon as a new District Monitor showed up, I was taking as long a vacation as I could afford. By myself. If I could get rid of this damn connection with Simon, there’d be plenty of guys to fuck wherever I ended up, and I wouldn’t have to talk to them or spend time worrying if they were happy.
Of course, the part of my hind brain that wanted to be mated to Simon—merely because of the connection we had—told me bonding meant you always knew whether your partner was happy without having to ask. It also reminded me of the rumors I’d heard about how good sex was once you were mated. And I’d certainly noticed how attractive Simon was and the fluid way he moved. He’d be good in bed without a doubt, but I was not ruled by my libido.
We got home, and I made lunch, making sure Nicky ate a salad with his turkey sandwich. His new phone had arrived, so whilehe took a nap, Jackson set it up for him. I could’ve used the time to respond to messages from the Wonders, but Simon had taken care of those already.
Which I definitely had mixed feelings about. I’d meant to yell at him this morning for breaking into my phone without my permission, but he’d been so matter of fact about it, I hadn’t been able to. And, honestly, did Iwantto have been the one to respond to all those messages? No.
I had a few inquiries for PI services via my website form, so I replied with my rates and let them know I couldn’t take on any new clients until next week at the earliest.
Around 2:00 p.m., Cal called. I took the phone outside so we wouldn’t disturb Nicky. Simon and Jackson came with me, so I put it on speaker. “Go ahead, Cal. Wait, how are you feeling?”
“I’m fine today. This bonded healing shit is the best.” He blew out a big breath into the phone. “I tried calling a vision about the vampire who attacked me. I figured I’d have a better chance at it since I’d seen him in person.” I had a sinking feeling I knew what he was going to say. “But I couldn’t get anything. I tried again a little later, but same result.”
Fuck. Simon’s expression was blank, so I couldn’t tell what he was feeling. No way was I unblocking the connection. I tried to keep my tone upbeat when I replied. “Okay, well, thanks for trying, and thanks for letting us know. I’ll tell the Hunters.”
“I’m sorry, Reno. Do you want me to ask Delphia and Edgar to come back from Europe?”
I considered that. Best case scenario, even if they somehow got on a plane within the next couple of hours, it would take them ten to twelve hours in the air to reach Houston, then another twoto three hours to get through customs and catch a plane here. They wouldn’t be close enough to call a vision until tomorrow evening at the earliest.
I had a bad feeling I already knew what needed to be done. “Let us think about it. I’ll call you if we decide we need them.”
“Okay. I’ll get their itinerary so we have it in case we need it. Be careful and keep us posted on how things are going.”
After we hung up, I walked over and sat down in one of the chairs next to the fire pit. I needed to make a decision. And before I discussed it with Simon, I wanted to get there on my own first.
“Can I sit here with you?”
Or not. I gazed up into Simon’s beautiful tawny eyes and found myself nodding even though I’d intended to ask for some time alone. I couldn’t turn away, not even when the back door shut as Jackson went inside.
“I think—” My phone rang. Automatically I looked down at it. Amelia Mishra, a naga who lived north of town. “Excuse me, but if they’re calling it’s urgent.” I answered. “Hi, Amelia, what’s up?”
“Reno!” She was crying.
I sat forward in my chair. “What is it?”
“Bennie and I, we....” She gasped out a sob. “We went out for our usual evening walk before dinner.”
“Okay. What happened?” I met Simon’s eyes. I didn’t have to put the call on speaker for him to hear her. His hands gripped his knees so tightly his fingers were white.
“We stopped at the pond to look at the ducks, and it seemed to both of us that we’d lost track of time, so we started walking again. But... but then I noticed Bennie had a cut on his neck.” She took a ragged breath. “And I have one too.”
Fuck, they’d been left alive. A message perhaps?
“Shit, Amelia, I’m so sorry that happened. Are you safe now?”
“Yes. We’re home, and we locked all the doors.”
“Good. That’s good. Um, hang on. I’m going to put you on speaker so you can talk to Simon too. He’s the vampire who’s been helping us.”
“Wait!” She practically shrieked the word.
“What’s the matter?”
Her voice went into a whisper. “Are you sure he’s not working with the others?”
I let my head fall forward and shut my eyes. “Yes, I’m sure. I’ve seen him fight them, and I would trust him with my life.” Beside me, Simon inhaled sharply. I opened my eyes to frown at him. This was a surprise?
“Okay, I guess that’s fine then. I’m sorry, I’m... spooked.”
