Page 8 of Outnumbered

Triston asked, “Another hybrid?”

I nodded.

“You think it’s a connection like we have?” Caleb asked. His neutral expression had me wondering what he was actually feeling, what emotions were going through him? His hands were in his pants pockets and he looked relaxed, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t upset.

I didn’t think anything was quite like the connection I had with the four of them. “It was a similar type pull,” I said and looked down at my feet.

“Is he attractive?”

Flinching, I asked, “Why does that matter?”

“That’s a yes,” Triston said and chuckled.

“Are you going to call him?” Caleb asked.

Sliding my hands into my hair, I gripped it at the scalp and groaned. “I don’t know! I don’t know how to handle any of this! I don’t want you mad at me. I don’t want to have so many connections. Life was so much simpler when I was a hermit!”

Turning, I ran up the stairs, ignoring their calls. I opened my apartment door, but two hands slammed against it on either side of my head, keeping it closed and caging me in.

“Take a breath, sweetheart,” Caleb ordered, his mouth beside my ear, making the hair move with his breath and sending a shiver down my spine.

Obeying, I took a shuddering breath, hand still grasping the door handle.

“Why are you so upset?” he asked.

“Because you’re angry,” I whispered.

“No.”

“No?” Spinning around, I came face to face with him.

His eyes dropped to my mouth before going back to my eyes. “I’m not angry.”

“Liar,” I accused.

His lips twitched, but didn’t go into a full smile. “I’m irritated, yes, about the situation, but I am not angry at you or with you.”

“Huh?” He wasn’t making sense.

Dropping his head, he rested his forehead against mine and our connection tingled at the contact and my heart slowed as I relaxed a bit. “I’m sorry I made you think I was mad at you. I’m irritated that there might be more hybrids you have a connection to because it means sharing you with even more people, and I feel like I barely get time with you as it is. Plus, it means I need to find this hybrid and see if he is supposed to be part of my pack. The fact that there are hybrids who I should have recognized or found and brought into my pack, but you’re the one finding them bothers me. What kind of king am I to not notice my own people?”

So it wasn’t just about me, it was his worry about being a good leader.

Wrapping my arms around his waist, I hugged him tight and said, “You’re doing the best you can and we all know part of the issue is your need to stay in this city while training me to ensure I am ready to travel. If I weren’t a hindrance, you would be out there finding the hybrids and doing what you were before you met me.”

“You aren’t a hindrance,” he said and shook his head.

“Come inside, please,” I begged. “Stay with me for a bit.”

He scooped me up into his arms and buried his nose against my neck. “Yes, my queen.”

“I’m not a queen.” I giggled, liking the way it sounded coming from his lips, though.

He didn’t respond, just carried me inside, locked my door behind us, and lay on the couch with me, letting me lay my head on his chest.

“Too many clothes,” I hissed and stood.

Instead of teasing me, he sat up and removed his shit, then held his arms open again for me.