Page 15 of Assisting the Alpha
When Ayo does nothing but run his finger through the condensation on the glass, I give in and put my arm around him. He stiffens for a moment before snuggling into my side. His scent sours with sadness as he wraps an arm around my waist.
“I apologise for putting you through that. I should have left you at the office.”
He pulls back, frowning up at me. “No. We already talked about this before we went in there. You gave me an out, and I chose to stay. I know you’re the boss, but this isn’t on you.”
The reminder that I’m his boss has us both straightening and reaching for our drinks. Then I remember how sad he smelled and half lift my arm again. “Do you need…”
“No, I’m good.” His reply is fast and tinged with awkwardness, so I drop my arm.
We drink in silence for a while, although it’s more comfortable than I expected given the reason we’re here.
He suddenly tenses. “Shit, I forgot to take down the—hang on, we might have to go back.”
He pulls out his phone, scrolls through the contacts until he locates Doc P, then calls while checking no one is near us. It almost rings out before Doc P picks up.
“Ayo, are you okay?”
“Fine, doc. I forgot to take down the ward. Want me to come back?”
“No, leave it if you don’t mind. It may prove useful for me in the future.”
“Let me know if that changes.”
“I will. Are you sure you’re all right?”
Ayo glances at me. “Yeah, Ethan’s with me. I’m good, I promise.”
They say goodbye and end the call.
My amusement must show on my face because Ayo narrows his eyes at me as he puts his phone back in his pocket. “What?”
“Do you have any idea how expensive wards are?”
He shakes his head. “Why would I? Every mage in the coven can do a basic ward. I do them for Dante’s pack lands for free.”
No wonder the Connor Pack alpha gave him a good reference. “I don’t doubt that’s the case, but most of us don’t have that as an option. Our offices have high-tech security because I have to pay a mage who works in the neutral zone an exorbitant monthly fee just to maintain that basic ward.”
He winces. “Yeah, I did notice your wards need beefing up, but I figured I’d wait until you actually trust me before offering.”
I ignore the part about trust because this morning has thrown me for a loop in that sense. “Ayo, you could make a killing hiring out your warding services, and you made Doc P a silencing ward for free in less than a minute. Of course he doesn’t want you to take it down.”
He stares at me for a few moments, then blinks. “Oh.”
“No one ever suggested that before?”
He shakes his head, then finishes the last of his sugary sweet coffee. “My dad’s affinity was wards. I think people don’t ask me whether I can do them because it’s impossible to talk about without thinking of him.”
Interestingly, his scent isn’t sad anymore, which gives me an idea. “I’ll make you a deal.”
His mouth quirks up on one side. “I’m listening.”
“If we win the BSG contract, and if I trust you enough at that point to offer you a permanent position on the team, and if you decide to take it?—”
“That’s a lot of ifs.”
“—then we add warding to the list of services the company offers. You get the fee each time, minus any taxes or other costs I have to pay.”
He wrinkles his nose. “Why would you do that for me?”
