He wanted to keep her away from the house, and she understood why. She wished she didn’t know about the six dead girls and the vampire who had been so close to owning her future.
A girls’ day with her sisters felt foolish, but it was better than feeling like shit all by herself while her new mate tried to get rid of her stalker.
“I promise not to cook dinner. We’ll get take out.”
He pressed a kiss to her lips and said, “I’ll cook.”
He went inside the house, but Lilliane stood there, watching one of the enforcers do his rounds. She winced at the thought.
She reallywastrouble.
TWENTY-THREE
ATLAS
Atlas was exhausted. The day had yielded very few results. Even when he, along with Nero and Reece, left the house to do intel and recon work. There were enough guards around the house to protect a billionaire’s hoard, but there were three alpha mates in there. Those three women had way more value than any wealth in the world.
What he hadn’t really anticipated was having all three Longborn sisters in the same house when wine was involved. Lilliane was trouble on a good day, but when she was tipsy on pinot and sitting on the deck with her sisters, she was a whole other kind of mischievous.
He could see how Celestine and Valentine treated her a little differently. She was the little sister. They needled her, and she retaliated. All in good fun.
It was the most people and noise he’d ever had in his house. All thanks to Lilliane. She had brought life to his life, and they’d only been mates a day.
“You ladies need anything else?” Atlas asked them as he flipped the steaks on the massive gas BBQ on the far-left corner of the deck.
“More wine, please!” Lilliane called out.
“I think we’ve all had enough,” Celestine pouted. “We should slow down.”
“Why?” Lilliane asked. “I’ve only had two glasses.”
“But it’s sunny and hot. We haven’t had any water or snacks to soak up the booze.”
“Snacks, water, more wine. Got it,” Atlas winked at Lilliane before leaning down to kiss her. He walked away, only hearing their conversation with his shifter ears.
“If women knew shifter men were like that?” Lilliane shook her head. “If that was a known fact, shifter men would be in serious trouble.”
Val laughed. “I’ve met some shifters who are nothing like Nero.”
“I think you mean nothing likeAtlas,” Lilliane shot back.
“Are you two seriously comparing notes on whose boyfriend is the best?”
“Mate,” Val corrected. “And yes.”
“That’s not very mature,” Celestine chided.
“Whatever. You know I’m right. If people knew about shifters, how some of them treat their mates, there would be a revolt.”
Atlas grinned. Sounded like his mate was happy.
Nero and Reece were in the kitchen, drinking beers and keeping an eye on the tablet tucked in the corner of the living room. It held a GPS locator one of their associates had stuck to a black SUV with dark-tinted windows in a town near Rochester.
They hoped it was Victor’s.
They needed eyes on him. The last thing Victor could be allowed to do was sneak up on them. Atlas wanted to be ready, and Nero and Reece agreed because they were sick of the vampires putting their lives and people in danger.
This was the last time.
