Chapter6
Anton’s voicehung in the air as Kiley squirmed on the bed with all the hostility, way more than she was used to in her life. Part of the reason she liked going on the diving trips was to get away from Anton and his general shitty attitude.
Her mind reeled with the events of the day. Who would have thought she’d hit her head, almost die, be threatened with exile from the nest… and bump into her fated mate all on the same day?
Fate could be a fickle and cruel mistress. Kiley knew this well. She often cursed her fate to have fallen in with Anton’s nest. Not that it had all been bad. She held many people in the nest dear, probably her coach Larry most of all.
Anton continued to glare at her, as if waiting for the poison barbs launched by his tongue to take effect and kill her. Kiley didn’t feel like dying or even cowering before him. In fact, now that she’d gotten the proper medical treatment a shifter needed, she was feeling quite good.
Anton eventually sighed and rolled his eyes. “Well? Don’t you have anything to say for yourself, Kiley? Or did you get struck dumb when you smacked your head on the diving board?”
Reis bristled, but Kiley spoke first. “Look, Anton.” She fixed her gaze on the alpha bird’s own. For once she didn’t waver. In fact, he took a half step back away from her bed. “I know you have the authority to cut me off from the nest. And you know that it would really hurt me because I have friends there.”
Anton preened. “So, you’re choosing to come back with me instead of King Kong over here? Smart choice.”
Kiley sneered as contempt for him bubbled up in her throat like bile. “Oh, shut up for a minute, Anton. You never let anyone finish talking. You think it makes you a great leader but it doesn’t. It just makes you a feared leader.”
Anton was taken aback for a moment, but his sneer quickly returned. “What’s the difference? Feared leaders are good leaders and vice versa.”
Kiley rolled her eyes. “Oh please, that’s flawed logic. Dragons like gold. Bankers like gold. Therefore, all bankers must be dragons. I’m not here to argue your management style, Anton. I’m here to tell you that you think you’re giving me a choice… but it’s really not a choice at all.”
Kiley turned to Reis and took him in fully—his broad, handsome features, wide shoulders, tapering torso that pinched into a narrow waist. Most of all, the kindness and affection she saw in his eyes pleased her. Reis knew what she knew. They were fated mates, meant for each other.
She also saw a fierce determination to protect her in Reis’s eyes. Anton would never know how lucky he was that Reis showed so much restraint.
“I can’t choose the nest over my fated mate. I can’t give up a lifetime of happiness for your ego, Anton. So go ahead, banish me from the nest. Because the only choice I can make here is to be with my fated mate. I choose Reis.”
Anton’s mouth gaped. Kiley realized then that Anton had not seriously thought she would choose Reis over the nest. Now that she had, he was stuck. He could go back on his word and lose face or stick to his word and upset people in the nest who liked having Kiley around.
“I’m sorry, Anton. Being with Reis is nonnegotiable. Maybe you’ll understand someday if you find your fated mate. All I know is I’m destined to be with Dr. Edwards.”
Reis took a step toward her bed. “You don’t have to call me doctor. It’s always Reis to you, babe.”
She smiled, feeling a giddy warmth pass through her chest. “Okay, Reis.”
“Oh for the love of… I’m going to vomit.” Anton threw his hands up in the air. “I’m going to puke my guts out and give myself an insulin shot. You think this guy is an alpha just because he’s big? Look at him, mooning over a woman who came in dead last at the diving championships and is a laughingstock. Fine!” Anton turned toward the door but kept his gaze and a pointing finger focused their way. “Fine. You go ahead and leave with him. You’re a loser, and our nest is for winners.” Anton turned to Reis and glared. “You hear me, you big ape? Your mate is a loser. She doesn’t deserve to be around winners and neither do you.”
Anton fumbled for the door handle without looking. He grabbed a metal tray instead and sent an avalanche of medical supplies crashing to the floor. His face turned red, and he sheepishly opened the door for real the second time. “Get your shit, Larry,” Anton snapped. “We’re leaving.”
“We’re leaving? But is Kiley going to be okay?”
Larry stuck his head into the hospital room, but Anton grabbed the puffin’s collar and dragged him away. “Never mind that loser. We’re done with her. She’s exiled from the nest. Gone, gone forever.”
“But…but I’m her diving coach, Anton.”
Anton snorted. “But I’m her diving coach, Anton,” Anton mocked Larry’s voice. “Shut the fuck up. She’s going to have to get herself a new fucking diving coach. Isn’t she?”
Larry sighed and slumped his shoulders in defeat. Kiley felt bad for him. As a puffin, he had to obey his alpha.
Larry cast one last forlorn glance at her. “I’m really sorry, Kiley. But you heard Anton. There’s nothing I can do.”
“I know, Larry.” Kiley sighed. “I know.”
Anton dragged him away, still holding Larry’s collar. Kiley shook her head as they vanished from the door and her life.
She glanced over at Reis and laughed. “So, nice to finally meet you, Reis.”
He joined her laughter and came to her side. When he took her hand, an electric thrill shot through her. It was as if Kiley could feel their souls touching as much as their hands. She saw inside Reis’s heart. She knew he would never betray her and would always protect her.
