Chapter 157

Sarah POV

With Zane at the temple and the girls in school, the villa, for all its size, felt claustrophobic. I texted Melissa and found out she was currently at the Abrigan Mine making a YouTube video of the children at their new school explaining the inner workings of a geothermal plant.

I even went looking for Selene, but she was out in the garden with her favorite person after the girls, and I didn’t want to bother her or Mavis.

All right, then. Time for some retail therapy.

I went to my room and put on a dress I could take off easily in a changing room, made sure I had everything I needed, and called for the backup driver, a gamma named Patricia, to take me and Danielle to Hacking Drive.

“Pick us back up at the little coffee shop over there in two hours,” I said, pointing.

“Be sure to get yourself a pain au chocolate from there. They’re excellent,” she said.

“Thanks for the tip,” I told her with a smile as Danielle got out of the car, checked the street, and then motioned me out.

This had been a good idea, I decided as I walked down the tree-lined drive and felt my spirits lift. Danielle walked behind me, and I caught her eyes every now and then in the shop windows.

I didn’t really want to buy anything in particular, but just getting out and being normal (well, normal with a bodyguard) let my shoulders relax for what felt like the first time in days. The sun was bright but not too hot, and a breeze swept away the smells of exhaust. I stopped at the display window of a toy store and saw handmade toys grouped under little signs that read, Pups 4–6; Kids 6–8 and All Ages Pups and Kids.

I was impressed by the lovely and bright colors on a set of letter blocks, though the girls were too old for such a toy. They’d just end up throwing them in the creek or something, I supposed.

I remembered Chloe back when she was two and already speaking fluently, speaking quite a bit, actually, as she ran around the apartment and got into everything. I imagined Grace was quieter at that age, but I knew Zane had been taking good care of her. I caught my face’s reflection smiling in the window.

Scott Cavendish was standing just inside.

“What’s wrong?” Danielle asked, standing right at my side and probably holding her right hand near her gun holster.

I looked at her then back through the window. Scott was gone, but looking down, I saw the letter blocks had been arranged on the display to spell out P-L-E-A-S-E.

I would be in a public place, and it would be better to face him in a toy store than in a dark alley. Nodding at Danielle and knowing she would take up guard at the door, I walked inside.

It smelled like candy and looked like Toyland. I walked around and actually got interested in a modeling toy that taught chemical reactions before Scott was standing next to me, hidden from the street by a tall bookcase.

“Thank you,” he said.

“Never do this to me again.”

He said nothing, and I looked at him as seriously as I could. “I mean it. No more ambushes. You want to talk to me, you come to the villa and face me and Zane together.”

He nodded. “All right. I just wanted to see you briefly, that’s all. I don’t know if you realize how difficult it is for those of us not in the inner circle to be sure you’re all right.”

“I’m constantly in the public eye.”

“Yes, but what does that tell people? You have all your arms and legs still attached?”

“It tells people that I’m healthy and happy when no one is shooting at me or trying to blow me up.”

“Don’t joke about it.”

I frowned at the oddly strained note in his voice.

“I might have been there. I should have been there.”

“I didn’t want you there.”

“Sarah, please understand, I may be a beta, but I understand the need to protect those I care about.”

“We don’t know each other well enough for you to care about me.” I discreetly held up a hand in his direction. “And none of that ‘fated mates’ business. I’m a human. I don’t have a fated anything.”

“You don’t think Luna watches over you?”

“Of course, but she watches over me in human terms, not wolf.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

“There’s a book by Taylor Alsop, Humanity under the Moon. I highly recommend it.”

Even from the corner of my eye I could see his pleased smile. “Thank you. I’ll read it.”

“Excellent. Now, is that all?”

“So, you are well, then?”

“Exceptionally so. Now, go hide somewhere. I want to buy this chemical reaction thing.”

“You’re looking lovely today.”

“Shoo.” I waved a hand at him. “You want to check on my health in the future? Visit the villa. In daylight. When Zane is there.”

He smothered what sounded like a chuckle. “Yes, Miss Astor.”

And then he was gone. I bought the model and rejoined Danielle on the street.

“Found something?” she said, her head on its usual pivot.

“Yes, it’s for the girls, and I ran into Scott Cavendish inside. I will be telling Zane all about it.”

“Yes, I did see.”

I shrugged. “I thought you would. Does Travis want you to file a contact report?”

She laughed lightly. “Something like that.”

We walked toward a beautiful florist’s with baskets of flowers spilling over their rims. I pulled out my phone and took a few photos, then I saw the sign, Photos welcome. The flowers aren’t shy, and I laughed. Running into Scott hasn’t upset me, I was pleased to find.

“He wanted to know that I was OK,” I told Danielle. “He said it’s difficult for those not in the inner circle’ to know what’s going on with me.”

“I see.” It was clear from her tone that she did see, but she didn’t believe. That was fine with me.

I smiled at the sight of someone else taking photos of the flowers, but then I realized the phone’s angle was wrong. I was doubtlessly the subject.

“He’s harmless,” Danielle reassured me, and it took me a minute to realize she meant the guy with the smartphone, not Scott.

We walked around some more in the sunshine then headed into the coffee shop. Danielle stood against the wall intimidating everyone while I drank a small coffee and ate an excellent pan au chocolate while checking my phone.

I sent Zane a text: Scott approached me in public. It was fine. Supposedly, he just wanted to make sure I was all right. Tell you all about it if you like, but pretty dull. Hope things went well at the temple.

I realized one of the reasons Scott hadn’t upset me was that I didn’t believe a word he said. How could I? I was still fairly sure he’d been talking to Zane while an asshole was trying to rape me upstairs.

Satisfied, I bought a pastry for Patricia and watched as she pulled up in the nondescript black car she had told me sported bulletproof windows. Danielle checked the street and then motioned me on.

I slid into the car with a sigh.