Page 23 of Enticing the Elf
My jaw drops open. “I bet you’re right! You’re so smart. I’m lucky to have a friend like you.” I grope at the side of my pants. “I can’t find my pocket! Can you find it and get my phone for me?”
“No,” he replies, grabbing my hand and moving it higher up my leg. “We’re not that kind of friends. Try here.”
I’m still puzzling over what he could mean by that when my fingertips brush against hard metal. My phone!
Unfortunately, even when I finally get it out of my suddenly too-small pocket and see a message notification from Hagen, I can’t access the message. My stupid phone keeps rejecting my code. “Third time lucky,” I mutter, but before I can punch in the digits, Ari snatches it from my hand.
“What’s the code?”
I gape at him. All these years working together, and he wants me to share a personal security code? He should know better. “Sharing unlock codes is a breach of security protocol,” I remind him.
“Yeah, but if you input the wrong code again, you’ll be locked out, and since I just watched you hit the same number six times in a row, I’m pretty sure you can’t see the keypad clearly right now. Code?”
“Of course I can see?—”
“Code?” he insists, sounding like he did before when he threatened to choke me. Sighing, I give in and tell him. It’s not going to work for him, either, so when I eventually get in I can just change?—
“Okay, that worked.”
What? “Impossible!” How did it work for him when it didn’t for me?
“Hagen says they’d like to join us and present the tasks. I’m telling him yes, right?”
There’s a chorus of agreement from around the table, and I belatedly say, “Yes.” Then I add, “Who’s coming here why?”
Raðulfr sighs. “Time to sober him up.”
Sober who up?
The cool touch of Ari’s magic is the next thing I know.
CHAPTER TEN
Dáithí
This whole dayhas been so weird, and I guess it’s about to get weirder, because I’m standing in front of the king’s door, waiting for Jared to unlock it. Apparently, when I called in Team Bro, I started a chain reaction, and now both of the heads of my government are waiting inside, along with Eoin and some of his teammates, who are here to support him.
I mean, I can see why it’s fair for him to have support, but does it have to include our bosses?
The door opens at last, and I follow Jared through it, Noah right behind me and Team Bro boisterously bringing up the rear. They’re way more excited about all of this than I am.
King Raðulfr is walking toward us, the little smile on his face that he always gets when Jared’s around, and just like always, a longing-jealousy combo moment hits me. I hate that I have this reaction to seeing how happy and in love they are, because I really am thrilled for them. The king’s been alone for a long time, and all of us who’ve worked with him have wanted him to find love again. Jared is perfect for him, and IlikeJared. I genuinely consider him a friend, and I don’t want to be that person who’s jealous of his friend’s happiness.
But seeing them fit so perfectly together turns me into a green-eyed… whatever it is that jealous people are. I want Eoin to look at me that way, as if a few hours apart felt like centuries, as if seeing me is the best part of his day. And I want it to last forever.
I swallow hard as that stubborn tendril of hope tries to rise again. Searching for a distraction, I look around, taking in the details of the condo. The doors opened into a huge living-dining room. The furniture is all nice, but it seems a little sterile. I wonder if there’s another living area somewhere, because I can’t see either the king’s or Jared’s personality here.
That dining table is fucking huge, though. Line another one the same size up beside it and stick some mattresses on top, and you could host one heck of an orgy.
My gaze catches on Eoin, standing beside the table. His face is pale and drawn. I’m crossing the room before I realize it.
“What’s wrong? Are you sick?” He was fine when he left the office for the day—a little subdued, maybe, since he knew I was planning to test him, but not like this. He looks awful.
He shakes his head. “No, just tired. The healing spell?—”
“Healing?” My voice rises, but I barely notice the room falling quiet. I’m too busy unbuttoning Eoin’s shirt, looking for where he might have been wounded. “What happened? Where are you?—”
His hands close over mine as I reach for his belt. “Dáithí. I’m fine.”
