Bound

This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

CLAIRE POV

"Where were you Claire?" Xandra pouted at me over her steaming bone china tea cup, "I waited all night in the penthouse so we could exchange gossip over chocolate cake, but you never came!"

We were situated in the patio dining area of the Grand Royale Hotel, enjoying the shade of a huge palm tree with views of the lush floral gardens. If you crossed your eyes slightly the gardens looked like stained glass windows. Late afternoon sunlight bathed the patio in an amber wash that encouraged every saturated color to stand out.

Ben and Alexi completed the square around our little round table. I had told Alexi I would fill everyone in on why blood laced the air in White Wolf Pack, but to be patient.

He didn't really take that very well, but he didn't exactly argue either. I took in the lines of his face and wished, not for the first time today, that he could take my hand and we could run forever. But in my fantasy, he had never left me screaming and alone. In my fantasy, he had never torn strips of flesh from my political visage. In my fantasy, I could trust him.

Sealing the mating bond with Alexi may not have been the best impulse I have ever given into.

Our waiter was pouring water into small glasses with deep round bowls, ears perking up at the possibility of gossip.

"I was otherwise occupied." I dodged the question, nodding and smiling in thanks to our server and he wandered off, curiosity unsatiated. I wondered idly if the chocolate cake was a reference to Xavier, or if the Avian Monarchy truly had a weak spot for the confection.

How to bring down the Monarchy; Step one - Chocolate Cake.

"All night?" Xandra poked at me with her words. Prodded at me with her implications. "What could have taken you all night?" Her liquid amber eyes were open wide in mock innocence, but wicked fire played a merry tune behind the facade.

"I'm more interested in knowing where you have been this morning. We were meant to meet the owls from Asia for a breakfast meeting. It's not a good look Claire." Ben lectured, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair with a disappointed air.

Ben assumed that I had invited Alexi to dilute his ire at my tardy actions, and as such had no problem lecturing me like a child.

That needed to change. I hit him with the blank stare of disapproval reserved for powerful leaders and their insubordinate advisors. Xandra raised her left eyebrow a fraction in appreciation of the silent reprimand, and Ben broke eye contact with a mumbled apology.

Alexi was throwing me an open faced question. After the, uh, consummation of our bond we had raced through the forest as wolves. Bowling each other over in clearings, pinning each other just like that scene in the lion king. We should have been talking, but instead took to exploring that other connection again...and again. Until a real life emergency had drawn me to the skies and back to my pack. Even now I was hard pressed not to reach out to him, biting the inside of my cheek in an attempt to chain me to my metal filigree seat until the urge passed.

An infinitesimal shudder hitched at his breath, but the question in his eyes only sharpened. He was worried, but beginning to tire of my evasive behavior. This Alpha was not accustomed to anyone in his life other than Becky not snapping to answer his questions with effusive detail. I would be lying if I said that it was not doing wonders for my ego to see this beast of a man trying to be patient, but it wasn't really true patience.

He wasn't waiting for me to be ready to divulge the secrets of my pack. He had been waiting like a good little boy for long enough that he felt he deserved his reward in the shape of answers. Not for the first time, I checked the mating link to make sure he couldn't sneak into any area of my mind that I had not expressly invited.