Bridget rose to her feet, rounded her desk, and sat in Turner's lap. His arms closed around her, his hard body the perfect receptacle for her soft one.
"A few conditions."
"Shoot."
"You wait a little longer and in the meantime start treatment. I'll feel much better about you attempting transition if your cancer is in remission."
"How long?"
"As long as it takes."
He shook his head as she knew he would. "If it starts working, I'll wait until the treatment is completed. If it doesn't, you approve my transition."
This was the answer she'd hoped for. "Deal."
Rubbing his bald head, Turner smiled sheepishly. "At least I don't have to worry about losing my hair."
Victor wasn't completely bald, but he shaved what little had remained.
"What's the second condition?" he asked.
"You go on a vegan diet."
"No problem. I don't really care what I eat. Next."
"You allow our interior designer to do as she pleases with your place. I trust Ingrid's taste."
"Then I do too. The budget is unlimited."
Bridget touched a finger to his nose. "What if I tell her that I want gold-plated faucets?"
"Fine with me."
His willingness to comply with any whim of hers warmed Bridget from the inside. Not that she would ask for unreasonable luxuries. She was a practical woman with modest tastes. "I was joking. You do realize though, that letting Ingrid into your apartment means your secret hideout will be compromised?"
"I'm fine with Kian knowing my address." He smirked. "After all, it's only fair given that I know where he lives." He leaned to whisper in her ear. "Including the new location."
Crap. Kian was going to explode like a nuclear bomb when he heard that. Other than Brandon, the Guardians, and the Odus, not even clan members knew the location. "Now I'm afraid for your life for a whole different reason. He is going to kill you." And she didn't mean it as a figure of speech.
"Not if you don't tell him."
Bridget went rigid in Turner's arms. "Don't you dare put me in this position. I'm a council member, and my loyalty to the clan is absolute." If Turner were her truelove match, her one destined mate, she would have had a difficult dilemma. But they weren't even in love.
There was plenty of like and lust, enough to provide a good foundation for a lasting relationship, but it wasn't the all-consuming bond truelove mates shared.
He tightened his grip. "Easy, tigress, sheath your claws. I will never do that. And don't worry about Kian. I know how to handle him."
"I think you overestimate your esteem in his eyes. I'm a council member, and even I don't know where the new place is."
"The information is safe with me, and no one else has a clue. Kian is doing a good job at covering such a huge project up, but I can help him secure it even better."
That might be the only thing that kept Kian from ending Turner's life. "It'd better be good. And be careful about how you tell him that. Kian has a short temper. He might kill you first and regret it later."
Victor didn't seem concerned in the least. "Don't worry about it. I got it. What's the next condition?"
Bridget took in a long calming breath. "You move in with me while your place is getting remodeled and redecorated."
"Deal. Next."
"This is a trial. We might discover that living together is not working out. The money spent on redoing your place might be wasted."
"I don't give a damn about that. Besides, I'm positive we are going to get along great."
Probably.
She liked having him around. And it didn't even matter if they were doing things together or not. Victor could be busy working on his laptop or sitting on her balcony and just thinking, and it was fine. His presence was reassuring and comforting. They fit together well.
But as much as she tried not to think about it, as much as she tried to convince herself that this should suffice, a small part of her yearned for more. She wanted what Syssi and Kian had, what Andrew and Nathalie shared, Tessa and Jackson, Eva and Bhathian…
Love, hot and all-consuming.
A mate she couldn't breathe without.
Girlish fantasies. Not everyone was blessed with a truelove mate. Even in the time of the gods, it had been rare.
She should thank the Fates for what she had and pray for Victor's life. A number of healthy decades if he wasn't a Dormant, or immortality if he was.
The end… for now.
Turner & Bridget’s Story Continues in
Book 18
DARK OPERATIVE: A Glimmer of Hope
Click here to find out what happens next!
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Check out Annani’s story in
Dark Stranger Trilogy + Goddess part 1
SERIES READING ORDER
Kian & Syssi’s story
1: Dark Stranger The Dream
2: Dark Stranger Revealed
3: Dark Stranger Immortal
Dark Stranger Trilogy + Goddess part 1
Amanda’s story
4: Dark Enemy Taken
5: Dark Enemy Captive
6: Dark Enemy Redeemed
Kri & Michael’s Story
6.5: My Dark Amazon Novella
Andrew’s Story
7: Dark Warrior Mine
8: Dark Warrior’s Promise
9: Dark Warrior’s Destiny
10: Dark Warrior’s Legacy
Bhathian & Eva’s Story
11: Dark Guardian Found
12: Dark Guardian Craved
13: Dark Guardian’s Mate
Brundar & Calypso's Story
14: Dark Angel's Obsession
15: Dark Angel's Seduction
16: Dark Angel's Surrender
Turner' Story
17: Dark Operative: A Shadow of Death
18: Dark Operative: A Glimmer of Hope
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