“He’s my bond-mate.” She blurted it, knowing if she didn’t, she’d never get it out. “But he grew up outclan. He’s not ready yet and he doesn’t have to be. He needs time and I’m giving it to him.”

Gage nodded, blowing out a breath. “All right. Can I help at all?”

She let out the tension from holding her breath. “You just did. Thanks for listening. Anything new on the mages?”

“And you are?” Dominic slid into the booth on Meriel’s other side, getting so close he enfolded her into his side, his arm along the back of her seat.

“This is Gage. He’s a friend and also runs the hunter crew for Nell. Gage, this is Dominic.”

Gage gave Dominic a long up-and-down look and Meriel leaned back into Dominic, needing to soothe. Which worked because the tension in his arm lessened and he slid his fingertip in a figure eight up and down her shoulder.

“I wanted to come out here to check the place over. See where I stood on the topic of this place being allowed to remain or not. I like what I see. Strong wards. I worry about the line of entry being through a space filled with humans. But I believe we can benefit from a place all the local Others are able to hang out and be ourselves.”

“Allowed to remain?”

She turned to look at him. “I told you exposure is a risk and that we had to assess all risks.”

He interrupted before she could continue. “And you never thought to tell me any of this? About some move to shut me down? How the hell can I trust you enough to be your bond-mate and all that jazz if you don’t tell me everything?”

It hurt that he’d think she was capable of such a thing. “In the first place, I’m not hiding anything. I just referenced a time when I told you about the exposure issue being a problem. Secondly, there is no move to do anything. We saw you were stealing. I dealt with it. That’s what the clan knows. But I’ll have to give a report on this place and of course one of the chief issues is going to be how safe this place is. To ignore that would be folly. It would be irresponsible of me both as the next in line to take over Owen and as your bond-mate to pretend away reality.”

“So you had this guy come to spy on me here?”

“Yes, frequently when I send out my spies I have them sit and have a drink with me and introduce them, complete with a reason for their being here, to you. I’m so devious that way.”

“This is totally not going in the right direction.” Gage put his drink down.

Meriel held a hand up to stay Gage. “No. You don’t need to explain yourself. I already did.” She turned her attention back to Dominic. “And if that’s not enough, we have a far bigger problem than the existence of this club.”

She made to scoot out of the booth but Dominic put a hand on her wrist. Not confining, which would have resulted in an injury. “Wait.”

“Meriel? Are you all right? We can go right now.” Gage said it to no one but her, which allowed her to catch her breath.

The tension ramped up as the two men both sought her attention. Both protective in their own way.

Dominic leaned in, his lips at her ear. “I’m sorry. I snapped at you and made a judgment that wasn’t fair. We should talk. Don’t leave this way.”

She hesitated. This was what she’d talked to Nell about a few times. That disconnect between what they’d grown up with and what their significant other understood and trusted. But more than that, clearly Dominic had trust issues. Which was such a cliche.

Gage waited, but looked out at the room instead of at her, giving her privacy to react.

“You’re being a rude asshole,” she said equally quietly.

“I know. I’m sorry. I felt broadsided. I know you told me about the exposure thing.”

If she could show as much honesty when she got called out for being an asshole, she’d be proud.

“Please stay.”

It would be like this from time to time. She understood that to her toes. He was a bossy, incorrigible man on many levels and she was a bossy woman who loved rules. They were bound to clash. So, she supposed, the real issue was how they got past it.

“All right.”

He kissed the corner of her mouth and then turned his attention to Gage. “I apologize for my manners.”

Gage nodded. “And I apologize for how I brought the subject up.”

“Moving along.” She squeezed Dominic’s hand. “We need to talk about Rodas.”

“I had to call Nell. This is too big not to relay. I caught her before they were boarding their flight home anyway. She’ll be in touch when she gets back. I told her to sleep first and she was mean to me.”

Meriel laughed. Oh how she’d missed her friend.

They spoke about the situation for some time. Dominic put in his opinion here and there, never in a pushy way. He had a lot of great insight about people and how they acted. He’d be so good at her side, would help her examine issues from a different perspective.

Multiple times they’d been interrupted, or rather, Dominic had been called away to deal with this or that. But it was good. It gave her a chance to watch him in action.

Gage tipped his glass in her direction. “Your mother was right to hand this over to you. There will be a time, very soon I think, where working with witches across practice and clan affiliation will be necessary to protect ourselves. You’ve known this for some time now. I respect the job your mother has done. But your vision is what’s needed to lead the next generation.”

She blushed, glad for the darkness in the club. “Thanks. I just hope we’re catching this early enough to combat it.”

Gage’s usually amused expression went hard. “We’ll take this shit out. Period. Listen, we’ve spent two hours talking about this. It’s Friday night and you’re on a date. I see a lovely woman at the bar who really appears to need some company.”

She looked to see who he meant and grinned, shaking her head. “Go on then. Make her night.”

Gage’s mouth tipped up into a sexy grin. “He’s all right. Your Dominic. Gonna be a lot to handle so it’s good he’s your bond-mate. Another woman might get swallowed up by a man like him.” He leaned in to kiss her cheek and she knew without even looking up that Dominic’s attention had been snagged and he’d be making his way back to her.

“Thanks for listening.”

“I told you already, I’m your friend.” He slid out and moved toward the bar, snagging the woman’s awareness immediately.

“Hm. He likes touching you.”

She turned to Dominic and laughed right in his face. “He likes touching me? And the eleven thousand woman who’ve given you an arm or chest full of mammaries as you’ve walked around here being all bossy and stuff? What’s their excuse? Have you known them their entire lives like I have Gage?”

“No. They’re meaningless and also, I never claimed to be rational when the subject is you.”

Disarmed and flattered, she snorted. “You are aware that I’d never let anyone but you get away with this sort of thing, right?”

Grinning, he pulled her close. “Yeah. It gets me hot.” He kissed her long and slow there in the dark, the music around them, the heat of all the bodies, the scent of magick and sex everywhere.

Though she’d never been the make-out-with-a-man-in-a-nightclub type, she sure was just then. Like whoa.

“We should go.”

He was so close, his heat against her face. She so should not. Yes, they had sexual heat. No question they wanted one another. But that wasn’t the issue.

He walked her to the car and once they were both inside he turned to her. “You’re going to make me wait, aren’t you?”

“We’ve known each other a few days. I keep telling you sex will make this need stronger. You’re going to see me tomorrow night anyway.”

He groaned and scrubbed his face with his hands. “We both know this is going to happen.”

“Exactly. So why rush?”

“You’re holding sex hostage.”

She burst out laughing. “Is that what you think? Really? Oh, Dominic.” She shook her head. “I want it as much as you do, silly. This isn’t easy for me either. I’m not holding anything hostage. Such an assertion is insulting. Like I’m some dumb bimbo who has to trick you into sex.”