it.
The second problem was the matter of Brady being a danger to humans. There was only one solution to that, and it was for Brady to live his life in the open ocean, far from humans. And Koenraad was more than willing to accompany Brady.
Which brought him to a third problem.
Monroe.
If they weren’t mated, it wouldn’t have been an issue. He would leave, just as he’d planned directly after the attack.
But they were mated. He couldn’t leave her.
But could he take her? Could he really ask her to spend the rest of her life living on a boat in the middle of the ocean?
It was unfair. She was human. She needed the company of other humans. Koenraad couldn’t impose that sort of life on someone he loved.
Which put him back at square one.
Chapter 10
Monroe watched as Dunphy and Theo noisily scraped up the last of the casserole she’d served them.
She’d barely touched her own plate. The storm had started an hour ago, and the sound of the wind tearing at the windows and the roof was enough to make her yearn for a nice, deep basement to hide out in.
Even though the bodyguards didn’t seem overly concerned that Koenraad wasn’t back yet, Monroe was close to freaking out. When they went outside, she was going to have nothing to distract her.
“Would you like another helping?” she offered, and she wasn’t surprised when they both shook their heads. She’d already pressured them once into eating more than they wanted, to staying longer than they should have.
They’d been taking turns going outside to check the perimeter.
The wind gusted against the side of the house, rattling the shutters. Monroe shivered. “You don’t have to go back out there,” she said as the shifters pushed back their chairs.
“Don’t worry about us,” Theo said. “The outdoors is our element. Thank you for dinner. It was delicious.”
The shifters went to the door, Monroe on their heels. The rain seemed to have slowed, but it was still a wicked storm. She watched as the shifters’ graceful bodies merged into the shadows.
Where the hell was Koenraad?
She covered the casserole with plastic wrap but left it sitting atop the stove while she filled the dishwasher.
What Theo had said bothered her. If the outdoors was their element, then it was Koenraad’s element, too. The idea that he might prefer to be out in that… It was a little unsettling.
When everything was tidy, she dug out the two paperbacks she’d picked up at the store. They’d been the only two books available in English, and neither was exactly her style. She should have had the shifters drive her to the hotel area. Plenty of books to read there.
After skimming the blurbs, she settled on the medieval fantasy. She desperately hoped that her entertainment options would improve before she had nothing left to read but the sports biography.
Maybe Koenraad would want it, though she had no idea if he liked sports.
The book wasn’t bad, and as the hours ticked by, she moved from the chair to the bedroom.
The next thing she knew, Koenraad was pulling the book from her loose fingers and brushing a kiss over her forehead. “No need to get up,” he murmured.
“What time is it?” Outside, she could hear the storm raging. The wind seemed to be trying to pry the house from its foundations and fling it into the ocean.
“A little after midnight,” Koenraad said. “I found Brady.”
Now she was wide awake. “Where is he?”
“Somewhere safe.” The way he said it gave Monroe pause. Something was wrong; she was sure of it.
“In the inlet?”
“No. Anyway, I’m sorry I’m so late. How was your evening?”
She listened to the wind and shuddered. “Fine. Ran some errands in the afternoon and, oh, I made dinner. There are leftovers.”
“I saw. It smells wonderful.”
Monroe sat up. She wanted to brush her teeth.
She freshened up in the bathroom, and when she came out Koenraad stood over the sink. He was forking up the last
The second problem was the matter of Brady being a danger to humans. There was only one solution to that, and it was for Brady to live his life in the open ocean, far from humans. And Koenraad was more than willing to accompany Brady.
Which brought him to a third problem.
Monroe.
If they weren’t mated, it wouldn’t have been an issue. He would leave, just as he’d planned directly after the attack.
But they were mated. He couldn’t leave her.
But could he take her? Could he really ask her to spend the rest of her life living on a boat in the middle of the ocean?
It was unfair. She was human. She needed the company of other humans. Koenraad couldn’t impose that sort of life on someone he loved.
Which put him back at square one.
Chapter 10
Monroe watched as Dunphy and Theo noisily scraped up the last of the casserole she’d served them.
She’d barely touched her own plate. The storm had started an hour ago, and the sound of the wind tearing at the windows and the roof was enough to make her yearn for a nice, deep basement to hide out in.
Even though the bodyguards didn’t seem overly concerned that Koenraad wasn’t back yet, Monroe was close to freaking out. When they went outside, she was going to have nothing to distract her.
“Would you like another helping?” she offered, and she wasn’t surprised when they both shook their heads. She’d already pressured them once into eating more than they wanted, to staying longer than they should have.
They’d been taking turns going outside to check the perimeter.
The wind gusted against the side of the house, rattling the shutters. Monroe shivered. “You don’t have to go back out there,” she said as the shifters pushed back their chairs.
“Don’t worry about us,” Theo said. “The outdoors is our element. Thank you for dinner. It was delicious.”
The shifters went to the door, Monroe on their heels. The rain seemed to have slowed, but it was still a wicked storm. She watched as the shifters’ graceful bodies merged into the shadows.
Where the hell was Koenraad?
She covered the casserole with plastic wrap but left it sitting atop the stove while she filled the dishwasher.
What Theo had said bothered her. If the outdoors was their element, then it was Koenraad’s element, too. The idea that he might prefer to be out in that… It was a little unsettling.
When everything was tidy, she dug out the two paperbacks she’d picked up at the store. They’d been the only two books available in English, and neither was exactly her style. She should have had the shifters drive her to the hotel area. Plenty of books to read there.
After skimming the blurbs, she settled on the medieval fantasy. She desperately hoped that her entertainment options would improve before she had nothing left to read but the sports biography.
Maybe Koenraad would want it, though she had no idea if he liked sports.
The book wasn’t bad, and as the hours ticked by, she moved from the chair to the bedroom.
The next thing she knew, Koenraad was pulling the book from her loose fingers and brushing a kiss over her forehead. “No need to get up,” he murmured.
“What time is it?” Outside, she could hear the storm raging. The wind seemed to be trying to pry the house from its foundations and fling it into the ocean.
“A little after midnight,” Koenraad said. “I found Brady.”
Now she was wide awake. “Where is he?”
“Somewhere safe.” The way he said it gave Monroe pause. Something was wrong; she was sure of it.
“In the inlet?”
“No. Anyway, I’m sorry I’m so late. How was your evening?”
She listened to the wind and shuddered. “Fine. Ran some errands in the afternoon and, oh, I made dinner. There are leftovers.”
“I saw. It smells wonderful.”
Monroe sat up. She wanted to brush her teeth.
She freshened up in the bathroom, and when she came out Koenraad stood over the sink. He was forking up the last
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