Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Kent wasn't sure what time it was when Max mindlinked him, asking to talk. He had been in the sitting room with Riley for hours, he was sure. He had been in the middle of telling Riley about the time Max dared him to climb on the top of the packhouse when they were nine when he realized she had fallen asleep, her head lulling gently on his shoulder. Eventually she had shifted and her head rested on his thigh, her body curled up tight. He was running his fingers through her hair when he heard Max. He looked up to see his best friend standing behind the couch, looking down at them. "What's this?" he said with a smile. Kent put a finger to his lip, shushing Max. "She's sleeping." "Obviously," muttered Max as he walked around the couch and sunk in an armchair. "She missed dinner so I brought her something," Kent said, answering the question in Max's eyes. "We got to talking and she fell asleep." "I get it," Max replied, stretching his long legs out. "You are really boring. I almost fall asleep all the time." "f**k off," chuckled Kent. He looked back down at Riley, brushing the hair away from her face. "She hasn't been sleeping well. I didn't want to bother her." "Just nice to see the two of you not fighting." Max rubbed his chin. "Speaking of which, what the hell happened this afternoon?" Kent grimaced. "A misunderstanding. We talked it out." Max nodded. "Good." "So you spoke to the alpha at New Dawn?" Max frowned. "Yeah, guy finally called me back at eleven at night. Like I don't have anything better to do. But I spoke to him." "Well, he's known for being a prick. What did he say?" "He said he was open to discussions but that you would have to go there in person." Max leaned forward, resting his forearms against his knees. "Go there?" Kent scoffed. "He's over twelve hours away. Then a couple days to negotiate. That's too long. Can't he just come here?" "I suggested that, but he wasn't open to it. I told him that you leaving when we're having these attacks would be too difficult but he didn't seem to care. He said if you were serious about it, you would go there." "Can you go for me?" "No, he was adamant that it had to be you." "I don't want to be gone that long," Kent sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Suddenly he felt Riley shift, pushing herself up into a sitting position. He immediately missed the warmth of her against him. Her eyes were bleary, her hair in her face as she looked between Kent and Max as though 1/3 < Chapter 26 trying to figure out what was going on. "Hey," Kent said gently, "did we wake you?" "It's ok," she murmured, glancing around again. "I didn't realize I fell asleep." +15 Points > Kent chuckled. "Yeah, I was right in the middle of a story and I realized you were out. Guess I'm not as good a storyteller as I thought." "I was just tired," she said, yawning as though to make a point. She stretched her feet to the floor. "What were you guys talking about?" Kent frowned. "A potential alliance. It might not be worth pursuing right now though. I haven't really decided. I can tell you more in the morning. We'll probably have everyone meet so we can decide together." She nodded, yawning again. "OK." He couldn't help but smile. She was cute when she yawned, her nose crinkling. "What happened to your head?" Max asked. "I fell," she replied, touching the bandage. "Again?" Max raised an eyebrow, smiling tightly. "A bit accident prone, are you?" "This hasn't been my week," she sighed. She looked at the window for a moment. "What time is it?" "Close to midnight," Max said. "I should go to bed." She stood up, stretching as she did. "Nice outfit," Max muttered, biting down a smile. Riley looked down and seemed to realize she was still wearing Kent's sweater. "Oh, yeah." Her cheeks reddened again and Kent couldn't help but enjoy how easily she seemed to blush. "Ignore him," Kent said, reaching out to squeeze her hand gently. "Go to bed. I'll see you in the morning." "Goodnight," she said to both of them. They listened to the sounds of her soft footsteps receding down the hallway before Max raised an eyebrow at Kent. "So why is she wearing your shirt?" Kent sighed. "When she fell and hit her head, she was bleeding everywhere. She pulled her own shirt off to put pressure on it. I could barely think straight the whole time I was cleaning her up. She looked so f*****g delicious. I just put my shirt on her to keep my sanity." Max scoffed. "And things didn't go anywhere else." "No." Kent stared at the dark window for a minute. "She's actually kind of skittish." "She's supposed to be a kick-ass warrior." Kent glared at Max. "She is. I saw her spar with Patrick. She's incredible. I've never seen anyone move as fast as she does. I just meant that she's been through a lot - with her previous mate. I think she just needs to warm up to the idea of a second chance. I don't want to be too pushy with her. I think it will only drive her off." "But you want to pursue this with her?" 2/3 < Chapter 26 +15 Points "Yeah." Kent hadn't really considered that until now. "I really do. I didn't think I would ever want to be in a relationship with anyone after Lily died. But I really like her. I mean, she's smart and strong and an incredible fighter... and f*****g hot." Max laughed out loud, shaking his head. He considered Kent for a moment. "I was worried you'd be a bit gun shy after what happened with Lily." "It's f*****g terrifying, man. The first time I had a mate, it was amazing because I didn't think anything could go wrong. Now, I know how bad it could go and that is scary." "But worth it." "Yeah," Kent agreed. "Definitely worth it." "I'm going to head to bed," Max said. "It's getting late. But I hope things work out for you with her. You deserve a second chance more than anyone." 1 Comments Get Bonus (Ad) >