Page 71 of Claimed

“Sizzling,” Gage corrects.

“What the fuck?” I ask as I storm forward into the rain.

I gently grab her wrist, and her eyes open in surprise as she turns her head to me.

“Your arm,” I tell her, pointing to it. “Does it hurt?”

Her eyes move to her skin, and she frowns, pulling her other one in front of her to look at them both.

“No. It feels nice. Refreshing.”

The others surround us as everyone quickly inspects her skin. Gage runs his hand along her arm and tilts his head. “You do feel a little warm.”

Bain presses his giant hand to her forehead as he frowns. “Is she sick? I can’t tell.”

“I feel fine,” she insists. “Better than fine, actually. Maybe it’s an omega thing?” She turns her head to Gage in question.

“Maybe,” he says as he stares at her arm. But I can tell he isn’t convinced. I can’t think of a single reason she’d be hot if she’s not sick. The omega thing makes the most sense. We still know so little about them.

Cherry’s stomach suddenly lets out a loud rumble, making her cheeks turn pink.

“I think it’s time for breakfast,” Maddox says, placing his arm around her shoulder and leading her inside.

Ten minutes later, we’re all in dry clothes, and Bain and I are finishing up making breakfast. My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out, seeing a message from Finn.

“The fox has agreed to meet with us,” I tell Bain through the bond.

He turns to me and nods. “We can pick up some stuff for Cherry while we’re out.”

As we start to plate up breakfast, I can’t decide what I’m more excited about: bathing my mate with gifts or finally finding the asshole who hurt her and ripping his heart out.

“We’re meeting him in the library?” Bain asks as I yank open the door and step inside.

I shrug. “It makes sense, it’s quiet but public enough to be safe.” I weave through the book stacks toward the back, where there’s a fireplace and a few small couches. That’s where Finn told us to meet him.

I drop down on a couch that gives me a view of my surroundings, my back to the wall. Bain chooses to pace back and forth as we wait for Finn to arrive.

I check the time on the clock on the wall about ten times before I smell him. I watch the stacks until a man with fiery orange hair appears. I push to my feet, and Bain stops pacing to stand beside me as he approaches.

He gives us a weary look as he approaches, stopping ten feet from us. I see his nose twitch and know he’s scenting us. I did the same. I clocked him as a fox shifter the moment he stepped foot inside the library. The same way I know the woman working at the front desk is an elemental and the kids in the children’s section are bunnies.

“Chase?” he asks, looking a little less worried now that he knows what we are.

“That’s me. This is my brother, Bain.”

“Brother?” he asks, raising an eyebrow as he looks between us.

“Brother, pack mate, same thing,” I say with a shrug.

“Do you want to have a seat?” he asks, gesturing to the couches.

I plop down as Bain slowly eases himself into the seat beside me, and Finn takes the seat across from us.

“Cody said you’re new in town, and you had some questions I could maybe help with.”

Bain and I had already agreed I’d do the talking, since Bain's way of getting answers was a little too direct for someone who isn’t our enemy.

“We heard you escaped from a human facility that captures supes,” I tell him, deciding to be direct as I rest my elbows on my knees and lean toward him. “We’re trying to track down a specific man, Dr. J. He worked at one of these facilities.”