Page 7 of Not Your Ex's Hexes
M: Slight incident at the sanctuary, but all is well.
I can make it back in thirty.
M: Don’t even think about it. Minimum 4 hours. You barely hit 2.
But if there’s a problem…
M: Problem handled. Four. Hours.
Damian frowned just in time to see Linc’s mile-wide grin melt away as he listened to the person on the end of the line. “I’m sorry, princess, but you’rewhere? Violet! What the hell did you do?”
Linc winced, pulling the phone away from his ear as his soon-to-be Mate gave him an earful that pinked the Alpha’s cheeks. “Yeah. No. You’re right. I don’t have the full story. Stay there, okay? I don’t want the four of you walking home on your own. The guys and I are only a few blocks away from the precinct. We’ll be there in ten.”
Bax and Adrian threw him expectant looks as he hung up, but it was Bax who asked, “Theprecinct? What the hell trouble did Violet get them into now?”
“Attempted horse theft. Horse-napping? Horse thievery? I don’t know what the hell to call it. She said something about Operation Equine Freedom and I was too damn afraid to ask.”
Bax pinched the bridge of his nose. “I should lay off the beers because I can’t tell if you’re joking.”
“I wish I were.” Linc chuckled, hanging his pool cue back on the wall rack. “It was evidently a misunderstanding… one that I can’t wait to hear about in person.”
“Alright, let’s go.” Bax shrugged into his leather jacket.
“You guys don’t have to go with me.”
Bax and Adrian were already headed for the door, the lion shifter tossing over his shoulder, “The Maxwell sisters and their sexy succubus sidekick got pinched for something called Operation Equine Freedom. That isn’t a story I want to hear secondhand, man. Besides, didn’t Vi take your wheels for their little law-breaking jaunt? Wonder if it got impounded.”
Linc paled. “Fuck me.”
They all chuckled… except the wolf shifter.
“Sorry your night out was cut short,” Linc apologized as they followed the other two. “See if Miguel can watch your critters again another night and we’ll give it a second attempt. I’ll make sure Violet promises to be on her best behavior.”
“Actually…” Damian couldn’t help envisioning Rose Maxwell dressed all in black and wearing handcuffs. “I think I’ll tag along. It’ll be like old times except it’s not you, me, and Adrian doing the jailbird walk of shame. Besides, I could use an interesting bedtime story.”
Linc dropped a hand on his shoulder and chuckled. “If you’ll be hanging out with this group for any length of time, one thing you should prepare yourself for is interesting stories at least once a week if not more often.”
Four blocks and a ten-minute wait later, and the four women, dressed head to toe in black, stepped out from the buzzed-open door at the Fifth Precinct. All sported varied expressions of relief, disgust, and in Harper’s case, amusement, the succubus giving the young officer behind the window a little finger-wave that had Adrian releasing a low growl.
While Linc approached his True Mate, and Adrian and Bax approached Olive and Harper, Damian couldn’t tear his eyes away from the fourth woman in their law-breaking quartet.
Dressed in an oversized black hoodie, her hair lifted into one of those sexily messy pony-buns that left the arch of her neck exposed, the sight of Rose Maxwell—aka the star of his every sexual thought for the last six months—had Little D twitching in his pants.
Fuck. She was even more gorgeous than he remembered.
The second her gaze caught his, she froze, sneakered feet rooted to the ground. “You…”
He cocked a single eyebrow.“You…”
“What are you doing here?”
“Guess I couldn’t stay away…” He made it sound like a taunt, but hell if there wasn’t a speck of truth to his words.
Ever since he’d come to the realization that sex sated his inner demon—at least somewhat—his motto had been No Repeats. No Morning Afters. It was sex and move on. Simple and easy… but there was nothing simple about the way Rose kept unwittingly interjecting herself into his thoughts.
Behind that evening’s cat burglar clothes was a woman, who like his own brother, Julius, exuded sophistication from every pore. Classy confidence ensured she commanded every room she walked into, and upon first meets, immediately put people at ease with her social grace.
Damian wouldn’t know class if it bit him on the ass, and he was well-known for clearing a room by making people uneasy. The second he’d first bumped into Rose, he knew she was way out of his league, but he hadn’t cared.
