Chapter 307
“Yes,” I said. “Forever p>
That seemed to calm her down.
I held Alice until she got sleepy and went to take a nap. Then I paced until Julian finally arrived home.
“I’m so sorry,” he said as he came through the door, his first words to me. “I should have been
smarter about all this p>
“It happened,” I said. “But now that you are here, we can sort it out. We can plan p>
He held out his phone. “My family has been calling me non–stop since it happened. I haven’t answered their calls but the messages are damning enough. They are turning against me, Amber. My council, my family… I don’t even know who to call. Do I have anyone in my corner left with any influence p>
He was spiraling, I could see that now, lost in his own tumultuous thoughts, just as I had been when I had been frustrated I couldn’t find a cure. Like I had needed then, he needed a distraction now.
A reset. Something to clear his mind so it could start thinking again more logically.
The only thing I could think to do in this moment, as he had done for me, was kiss him.
So I grabbed him by the front of his lapels, dragged him closer to me and kissed him square on the mouth.
He startled at first, then froze. But quickly, his body started to react. His arms went around me. His lips melded to mine. This time, when he gasped, I licked my way into his mouth, and he eagerly replied.
In our passion, he turned and pressed me against the wall, taking back control with his body and his tongue, chasing mine back into my mouth now. His hands gripped my hips, tugging my clothes like he wanted to tear them from me.
This wasn’t the time or place for that, so out in the open like this, but my body responded pleasantly to the threat of being strewn naked for him to see.
He broke the kiss once to whisper, “I love you,” before he dove straight back in.
I gripped at his shoulders, holding on as best I could.
We kissed until we were out of breath. Then, separated, he rested his forehead to mine.
“Thank you,” he said, breathless. “ I really needed that p>
1/2
Chapter 308
“I think I did, too p>
It was nice to be grounded again, with him as my anchor.
“Things went really badly with the council,” he said. “And then worse with Tony p>
+25 BONUS
“We’ll fix it,” I said. “There are people in this pack who still believe in you, and we will find them p>
“Gods, I hope you are right p>
“I am. Come on, let’s get you a drink p>
“Now you are talking p>
Hand in hand, I led him into the den where the dry bar was. As I started to pour him a drink, he turned on the nearby television. Tony’s voice started to blare through the speakers so Julian muted
him.
“He’s having a rally,” Julian said. “That the news is covering this at all doesn’t bode well for me p>
Julian had much stacked against him, yes, but we were here now. And once we formulated a plan, I was certain we could win back his lost supporters.
With Julian’s drink in hand, I turned to walk it over to him.
Halfway there, I stopped, seeing a face in the crowd. No, not just in the crowd, but boldly standing on the stage, directly behind Tony.
“Julian,” I said.
He looked at my face, and then back at the television. “What is it? You look like you’ve seen a ghost p>
I knew the exact moment he saw her too, because he cursed very loudly.
The woman in the crowd, so near Tony she must have known him, was Olivia.
Chapter 309
Florence
Florence is a passionate reader who finds joy in long drives on rainy days. She’s also a fan of Italian makeup tutorials, blending beauty and elegance into her everyday life.