Caged by Jennifer Blackstream

Author:Jennifer Blackstream
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jennifer Douglas

Chapter 17

“You seem stressed, Liam” Andy said. “How about a donut?”

I stared at my FBI partner. He stood in the doorway, his gun in one hand—pointed at Liam—and a box of donuts in the other. His pristine blue suit was unwrinkled, as was the white dress shirt underneath it. I had the semi-hysterical thought that he must have changed into fresh clothes before coming here after his hours of research. The same semi-hysteria screamed at me that while he sounded like he was trying to talk Liam down, there was something about the restrained energy in his stance that made me think he was hoping for the opposite.

That was not like him.

Liam didn’t move. He’d turned into a statue. A statue of molten lava held within a thin rocky shell. Cold sweat broke out on my forehead. Andy only had one way of dealing with Otherworld threats he believed posed a clear and present danger.

Peasblossom chose that moment to pop out of my waist pouch like a jack-in-the-box. She heaved a protein bar out with her and jabbed it in my direction. “Take it! Give it to the wolf, I want a donut!”

She stilled as suddenly as she’d appeared, finally registering the full magnitude of the situation. Her pink eyes darted from Andy’s gun to the seething werewolf. “Oh.”

Andy set the box of donuts on the small table beside the door. My heart beat faster. Was that a good thing? He didn’t need two hands to shoot a gun, right? I stared at his suit, following the straight starched lines. Pressed suit, calm Andy. Right?

Liam’s gold eyes followed Andy’s every movement. It was the same way Majesty looked at Peasblossom. Curiosity that would either lead to acceptance, or the need to find out just what made her tick. I couldn’t imagine this was the first time a human had pointed a gun at Liam, he was a cop after all. But how many of those humans had killed a kelpie?

“Agent Bradford,” Liam said slowly. “It would be better if you refrained from pointing a gun at me. Especially here. On my territory.”

Andy nodded, but didn’t lower the gun. “That would be my preference. But you can see why it’s a little unsettling for me to get here and find a crowd of anxious werewolves in the hall and you in here alone with Shade. Especially when you seem a little…stressed.”

There it was again. A little too much excitement in that last word. A little too much…anticipation?

Liam still didn’t move. “Your concern is understandable. But I wasn’t just referring to the disrespectful nature of the gesture. I don’t want to sound patronizing. But in the spirit of helping you stay alive in the event you encounter someone less easygoing than me, I’ll remind you that your gun wouldn’t save you if I were inclined to hurt you, or Shade. You’d never get a shot off before I got to you. And unless there’s silver in those bullets, even if you did, it wouldn’t slow me down.

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