Page 63 of Nico

My wolf lifted its head immediately. Nico.

"I know," I muttered under my breath as I shoved my keys into my jacket pocket.

Logan had already left for the film set almost twenty minutes ago, which meant I was running late. The second knock came harder, followed by the bell. Boy, was he impatient today.

My mouth twitched despite myself, then my almost-smile disappeared when it dawned on me how angry he must be. Nico had every right to that anger too.

I stood there for a second, staring at the door instead of opening it. We needed to talk, not just in passing or through clipped conversations and text messages. Actually talk.

Ever since I'd told him he couldn't return to the film set, there had been a wall between us that hadn't existed before. I'd built it one brick at a time, convincing myself I was protecting him.

That had been the excuse. However, the truth was harder to admit. I didn’t need to be a genius to figure out that Nico had become very important to me in such a short span of time.

For years, my entire world had revolved around one thing. My job was to protect Logan, and everything else came second. Every decision, risk, and sacrifice I'd made had been for my little brother.

Then Nico crashed into my life with his terrible jokes, endless curiosity, ridiculous optimism, and a smile that somehow reached places inside me I'd forgotten existed.

Somewhere along the way, protecting Logan had stopped being the only instinct driving me.

Now there was Nico, and that terrified me. It didn’t help that the people I cared about, always seemed to end up in danger. The bell rang again, longer this time, pulling me away from my thoughts.

"Isaac!" Nico yelled through the door. "I know you're in there!"

My wolf let out an annoyed huff. I sighed, reminding him I intended to open it anyway.

“Yeah, I heard you,” I grumbled.

I drew a slow breath before unlocking the door. Nico stood on the porch with his arms folded tightly across his chest. His curls were still slightly damp, like he'd showered in a hurry.

There were faint shadows beneath his eyes, and he looked like he hadn't been sleeping much. A sharp stab of guilt twisted through me.

"Morning," I said, trying to go for casual but failing badly.

His eyebrows lifted. "Morning?"

“Yeah, morning.”

"That's all you have to say?” Nico demanded.

"What do you need?" I finally asked, keeping my voice as neutral as I could.

His frown deepened. For a heartbeat I thought he might turn around and leave. Instead, he reached into the messenger bag slung over his shoulder.

"I found something."

My attention sharpened instantly.

"It's about the stalker," Nico added.

Every trace of awkwardness disappeared. Thankfully, I could still put my personal feelings aside when it came to work. "What did you find?"

"I'll show you."

I stepped aside. “We can talk inside."

He shook his head almost immediately. “There’s no need for that.”

I blinked.