My hands trembled. One more look through, and the only information I had gathered was that the stalker had been in the woods. Some of the photos had blurred evergreen edges, and the snow had disrupted many of the shots.
Whoever had done this had it out for us, truly. With the storm last night, it must have been difficult to get these.
Their determination to ruin our lives only made me feel worse.
I wrapped my arms around myself, hugging my coat tight to my chest. I felt scared. Exposed. Those were private moments. Wonderful, beautiful moments that some creep infringed on just to make a quick buck.
What was I going to do?
Not just me, but us.
Klaus and Flurry were involved in this too, and those pictures being released would ruin everyone’s careers. Everything we had spent our lives working for would be ruined.
I sat my forehead against the cool leather of the steering wheel and took a deep breath. I wiped away my tears, my mind racing.
I had to tell Flurry and Klaus. There was a part of me that wanted to make it all go away, but it would be wrong to not tell them. It wasn’t just photos of me, it was photos of all of us.
When I saw them later, I’d tell them, and we could work out our next step from there—together.
CHAPTER 8
FLURRY
After last night’s activities and with the promise of another date with Holly, practice seemed to drag along. I was happy to see Ehrokk behind the goal again, looking stiff but no worse for wear after Klaus’ little outburst yesterday.
There was no animosity or tension between Klaus and me during practice. Apparently, feral sex with the woman we suspected to be our mate served as a soothing balm to the tension we’d been experiencing on the ice lately.
Holly seemed to balance things out between us, like the puzzle piece our relationship had been missing. I was trying not to get my hopes up, but I wanted her to be ours. I wanted her nestled between us each night after all of us came more times than we could count. Waking up to her this morning, seeing her peaceful expression and how the sunlight caught her hair, I wanted to live in that moment forever.
Our mate.
Holly was our mate.
I just hoped that she was open to it.
The warm spray of the shower hit my body, matting down my fur. I heard the locker room grow quiet and the sound of Klaus’ hooves echoed through the tiled room. Like yesterday, his clawed hand ran over my hip to just above my cock, making me groan.
“Let’s wait until later,” I murmured, tilting my head back against Klaus’s muscular body and letting the water cascade down my chest.
“Yesss.” The tip of his tongue slithered over the shell of my ear with the word. “I have plans for you and our little princess later. Plans that involve our cocks and her tight cunt.”
“Shit,” I hissed. Despite my intent to wait, my body had a mind of its own, seeking relief, but Klaus pulled away with a laugh.
“Payback for yesterday’s practice.” He stepped under the showerhead next to me and lathered up his toned body.
Between Holly sleeping over and practice, we hadn’t really had the time, or privacy, to discuss yesterday’s events.
“So you think it’s true, then?” I asked, my heart practically beating out of my chest.
Klaus stared at me, one corner of his lip pulling up in a smug smirk. “Where has that unshakeable confidence gone, Flurry? I’m not used to you needing so much reassurance. You certainly didn’t when it came to our mating bond. I’m not sure if I should be honored or offended.”
“Oh stop it,” I scoffed. “The mate bond is different with humans and you know it.”
For us monsters, it was strong. Natural. It just made sense. And even if Klaus and I had some rocky moments initially, things had happened quickly and with ease.
But humans often needed more time to warm up to the idea. I worried we would be too much for her. I feared that our passion would chase her away.
“Everything will be fine.” Klaus held my gaze and slid his hands down the front of his body, cupped his balls, and gave them a good rinse.
My cock twitched, and I dug my tusks into my upper lip. “You’re such a bastard.”
His amused laugh echoed through the locker room. “I am. And you love every second of it.”
KLAUS: WE ARE STOPPING FOR COFFEE WHAT DO YOU DRINK PRINCESS
I snorted at the text Klaus had sent. He had started a group chat between me, him, and Holly after grabbing her number from my phone.
“Gods, you even text like an old man,” I said.
Klaus dropped his arms with a huff and scowled at me. “I do not.”
“Yes, you do. All caps. No punctuation. That’s how my granny texts.”
Holly: A medium caramel macchiato, please!
Me: Roger that, snow angel. Can’t wait to see you.
“You’re cute when you’re like this,” Klaus whispered, and held the door of the coffee shop open for me.
We stepped into a warm atmosphere and the delicious scent of holiday treats fresh out of the oven. I licked my lips as I looked at their display case. With the holidays upon us, this cafe always had the best assortment of baked goods.
“Like what?” I asked, shoving my phone in my pocket.
He stepped in line next to me and gave my hand a stealthy caress. “In love.”
Suddenly, I didn’t care about the baked goods anymore. My heart raced, and I was tempted to kiss him right then and there—but it wasn’t time yet. Not until we discussed things first.
For just a second, I twined my pinky with his.
The sound of hushed conversation and the hiss of the espresso machine drowned out our words. I could feel people staring at us, some even pulling out their phones to take pictures of us. I took a step away, putting some distance between us.
“With the two of you in my life, I just can’t help myself,” I murmured, knowing only he would hear.
Klaus looked down, fighting back a smile. If he wasn’t furry, I would have bet money that he was blushing.
The barista cleared her throat, and we jolted out of our moment.
Unaffected by our awkwardness, she flatly asked, “What can I get you two?”
“Hi. I’ll have a medium caramel macchiato, a small flat white.” I looked over at Klaus. “Your usual?”
Shit.
I mean, friends knew their friends’ coffee orders, right? I felt like my ears were burning. I hated this part of being a hockey player.
Everyone was watching us.
Just two bros and our lattes. Bro’ing it up.
Fuck my life, man.
“A large red eye, please,” Klaus said, smiling across the counter at the barista, totally unbothered.
Weird.
Once our drinks were ready, we grabbed them from the end of the counter and slipped out of the cafe and headed towards the park.
“Sorry about that,” I murmured against the lid of my cup.
Klaus took a deep swig of his drink and nodded. “About that,” he said once he swallowed. “I think we should go public soon.”
My brows drew back. “Really? You want to go public?”
It was the last thing I expected from my grumpy, competitive mate.
“Yes. I think it would be for the best. Especially since Holly is involved now.”