Page 65 of Bound to the Wolf
“I would have told you if I had,” he said. He leaned his hip against the counter across from her, the coffee pot still in his other hand, and took a sip from his own mug before setting the pot back on the burner.
The old Reece, the one she’d been dealing with before they started fucking, would have snapped that at her. But sex had mellowed Reece out a little bit.
Her too, if she was being honest.
The edges were a little softer. She didn’t know if it was because they were going at it like bunnies, or because, heaven forbid, they had gotten to know each other and this was like a relationship.
Nope. Absolutely not.
This was convenient during a forced confinement. The second the tether broke, they would each walk away with the satisfaction of knowing exactly what it felt like between them and move on with their lives.
You’re lying to yourself,a voice whispered in Delainey’s head, and she studiously ignored it.
She ate a few more bites of oatmeal while she thought, then tapped her spoon against the edge of the bowl. “What if we do a little investigating of our own?” she suggested.
“What did you have in mind?” Reece set his empty bowl in the sink behind him without turning around, the ceramic clinking against yesterday’s dishes.
It wasn’t a no, which was good. He had to be climbing the walls as well.
“We could go to the warehouse where Austin held Nico and Elise and see if we can pick up any hints about where he might be hiding these days, or if he had any friends.” It was definitely a long shot. More than a long shot, probably. It was a wild goose chase, but it would get them out of the house.
It was that or head into town and wander around Target for a few hours, and honestly, Delainey could go for either one.
“It’s been four months since Austin kidnapped them,” Reece pointed out. “Almost five now. Any evidence will be long gone.” He crossed his arms over his chest, his default stance, the one that made his forearms cord with muscle and his shoulders look even wider than they already were. He added, “That is pretty deep into Iron Runner territory.”
“Are you a chicken, wolfie?” She narrowed her eyes at him and watched the taunt land. Reece balked. He crossed his arms, and his jaw dropped open in affront.
“What are you calling me?” One corner of his mouth twitched upward despite himself.
“Bawk, bawk!” Delainey made a chicken sound. “You’re really telling me you don’t want to get the upper hand over a few Iron Runners? Are you really that afraid of them?”
It wasn’t wise to go into their territory in broad daylight and poke the beast, so to speak, but Delainey was so bored. She needed to do something.
“Any scent will be far too old to follow,” said Reece. “Do you want to scan for magical resonance and see if you can follow the trail?”
That was an odd thing for a werewolf to ask.
Maybe Reece spent more time around Elise than Delainey thought. But she didn’t tease him about it. If he was starting to soften on witches, that was probably a good thing for the future in general.
Nottheirfuture specifically, she hastily added that in her mind, because there was no future for them, and that was totally fine. That was what she wanted. She did not need Reece beyond, hopefully, the next few days. This thing needed to resolve itself, and soon.
They finished their breakfast and got into Reece’s car. Delainey wanted to drive, but he had held onto the keys like a wild man.
Too bad for him, his car was a push-to-start. Delainey ran for the driver’s seat before he realized what she was doing and was buckled in before he even touched the car. He glared at her from the outside.
She raised her eyebrows in challenge. Was he going to let her get away with this?
Yes. He stalked over to the passenger seat and got in.
“It’s my fucking car,” he said. His knees were jammed up against the glove box, since she was the last one who’d been a passenger, and at his height, he looked folded in half.
“So you’re going to enjoy the ride!”
It was a nice day out. She rolled the windows down so they could enjoy the breeze. Late morning sun sat high and white over the foothills, and the air coming through the windows was warm enough that Delainey rested her elbow on the door frame, the wind pulling at her curls where they escaped her headband.
They didn’t pass any other pack members as they drove out of the territory, and Delainey was glad. She didn’t need anybody reporting back on this little unauthorized mission. Hopefully, they would come back with answers and be greeted as returning heroes, and not need to be rescued by her coven or his pack.
That would just be embarrassing.
