“You know,” she said roughly as Rhage and V discreetly re-formed behind them, “a part of me expects to never, ever return here again. I mean, I know I’ve already stopped by once or twice, but each time…I’m always shocked that I’m on the property.”
He put George down on the ground. “Go potties, big man. Go on.”
The golden trotted over to the driveway’s snowbank and jumped into the lawn, his sniffing and circling leaving a trail of disruption in the fresh drifts from the newest storm.
“Is it hard for you to be back?” he asked. “Like, would you rather not?”
“No, it’s okay, I mean…” She smiled in his direction. “I’m here with you, so it’s very different—good boy, George. That’s a good boy, doin’ your business.”
Just as the dog settled back on all fours from lifting his leg, Wrath leaned down and patted his thigh. “Come’re, my man.”
Beth chuckled. “It’s amazing how you know when he’s finished.”
“Well, he is efficient and you’re cold. We need to get inside.”
“I am chilly. How did you know?”
“You’re shifting your weight back and forth and blowing out your breath through your teeth. It’s what you do.”
When he held out his hand, she took it, and together with George, they went to the back door. After they passed through the three checkpoints, they were in the kitchen. As usual, the pastry chefs were in full swing, baking so that there were Danishes and croissants available for the staff, even though no civilians were coming in tonight.
Well, the staff and Hollywood, of course.
And immediately, the pair ofdoggenin whites stopped and curtsied their greetings.
“Smells wonderful,” Wrath said as Rhage and V likewise came in. “We’ve already eaten, or we would fill ourselves.”
It was such a diplomatic way of avoiding getting ladened with twelve dozen of whatever was coming out of the oven. But herhellrencould be like that. Not charming, no. He was too harsh for that.
He did have moments of kindness, though. Especially to his loyal servants.
As he was the one who led the way into the safety corridor, she noted how he progressed through things, locating door handles, walking with George at his side. It was all such a beautiful coordination between dog and male, really. And all the while, her mate’s head was up and front-facing, making no rounds as he did not use his eyes.
Did not need them.
“Give us a minute,” he told the Brothers.
As V leaned back against the wall to light up, and Rhage dug into the first of the three Danishes he’d snagged, there was only the most minor of hesitation as her mate searched the wall for the seam of the door to the audience room, and she was willing to bet in another month, that would be all gone. He really was incredibly facile at getting where he wanted to go—where he needed to be.
And then there were the Brothers. Always with him.
Safety was relative, and they would take no chances they could avoid.
It was the best she was going to get in this war—and the same that every other spouse was granted.
Funny, how that argument with L.W. had given her a gift of sorts. Even as it had broken her heart into a million pieces.
“So last night, something dawned on me,” Wrath said as they stepped out of the steel core of the building and into the audience room alone.
“What was that?” she murmured as she looked around.
With the banked fire crackling in a subdued way, the pair of armchairs looked like something out of a cozy cottage mystery series on the Hallmark streaming service. In fact, the grandmother aesthetic was echoed throughout the entire facility, a deliberate choice to put everybody at ease, the homey, rustic-ish furniture a balance to all the state-of-the-art security that could only partially be hidden.
“When you mentioned you knew Emile,” he continued, “it was because you were here for the blessing of him. In person.”
“Yes.” She nodded as George went over and lay down next to Wrath’s chair, even though his master stayed standing. “And as I said, I certainly never thought I’d be witness to his last rites.”
“Rahvyn told me that you were here every night with her. That you made almost all the decisions in real time.”
