Babysitting The Amnesiac Lycan King

Chapter 71

Click. Flash. And another click.

They definitely know what they're doing.

I feel it before I see it.

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That sharp prickle at the back of my neck. The kind of awareness that slithers up your spine and whispers in your ear- you're being watched.

And then, a flicker. A glint of light where there shouldn't be any. In the deep forest below the balcony. The only thing a human would see is the eternity of trees along the horizon.

But no, not me. Especially not Enoch.

I shift in his hold, my breath still uneven, my pulse an erratic drumbeat against his chest. The warmth of his lips lingers on my skin, but my focus sharpens on the dark patch of trees below the balcony. My wolf hones in on movement, on the nearly imperceptible rustling of leaves.

There.

A human crouches behind a tree, their camera lens reflecting the ballroom lights like a fucking beacon.

My stomach plummets.

Stupid paparazzi.

I can't believe I'ms saying that because I too, am one.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Every single alarm bell in my head wails at once.

Enoch-his face-undeniable proof of who he is. A ghost, a myth, the king who rose from the dead, caught in the middle of a secret rendezvous with some mystery woman. Me.

If this gets out, it's not just me who's screwed.

Liam's company will burn. I will burn-or worse, fired. I already made two records of humiliation, putting the company on blacklist from most events they could have had scooped on simply because the company had a...

"Mad woman"

If I get caught in this, it would already be strike three. The final fucking nail in my coffin.

My pulse hammers in my ears. My brain kicks into damage control even as Enoch's lips trace my jaw, completely unaware of the fire about to consume us both.

I react on instinct.

I shove him.

Hard.

His grip tightens for half a second, his body unmoving, his wolf-dark eyes locking onto mine in stunned refusal.

"No," he growls, voice rough with those red eyes beginning to surface. No, no, no. This can't happen now. I bite my lip when

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Chapter 71

his hands tighten on my arms. He'd rather be caught a werewolf by the entire human race than risk letting me go?

I can't do this. Not here. Not now.

My mind races, my options thinning. I need him to let me go.

So, I do the only thing that I know will make him pause.

I kiss him.

Soft. Slow. A whisper of goodbye against his lips.

Enoch stills. His body goes rigid, his fingers twitching on my waist like they want

to hold me tighter-but then his lashes Autter, his grip loosens, and his breath catches.

There he is, the obedient dog I raised.

Turns out, I still hold his leash.

I take advantage of the fraction of hesitation, pressing my lips to his forehead, his nose, his mouth-our usual rhythm of calming him down. Memorizing the feel of him, the scent of him, the way he always-always-leans into me as though I'm the only thing that makes sense.

And then, as my lips graze his ear, I seal it.

"Find me again."

words barely leave my mouth before I

look back. If I

of bodies and gilded masks. My hands yank my own mask back into place, securing my anonymity as I weave through the crowd,

golden halos onto the dancers, the air thick with perfume and expensive liquor. Laughter swirls around me, oblivious, while my skin burns with the weight

moving. Keep

time I make it outside, a cab is already idling in the grand driveway.

say, voice

my dress-not the midnight one, but the one I actually wore. If I linger in the party any linger, it would only be a matter of time

but I barely see it. My pulse is still somewhere back on

I never wanted to

press my fingers to them, trying to steady

Find me.

I want him

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Chapter 71

in my apartment

known to man.

one shoe

rolling over and burying my

kissed him. You told him to find

Brilliant. Fucking brilliant, Taryn.

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bathroom. A cold shower brings me

almost convince myself that

Almost.

open like a human

can't get

mid-pour, coffee sloshing dangerously close

I ask, schooling my

vibrates with energy, eyes wide as she clutches her phone. "The King. Last night. How he danced with that mysterious woman in a midnight blue gown. No

said that like a hundred times last

scene! It was so

stare at

inside,

mug. "Huh." I take a slow sip. "How

people are describing it, it was like something out of a fairy tale. Can you

Yes. Yes, I can.

she doesn't see the twitch at the

"Hey, Taryn."

from my coffee, mid-sip, and find a junior staffer peeking into the breakroom. She looks nervous, shifting her weight from foot to foot like she'd rather be anywhere but here. Great. That's always a

for you,"

down the wrong way. I choke,

ever the dramatic best friend, slams her palm

force a demon out of

did you do now?" she

my throat burning. "Maybe he

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Chapter 71

secretly mated to the King

It's Liam."

down before standing. The queasiness in my stomach is instant. It's just last night since the ball. Since him. Since I tried to shove that entire part of my life into a dark, locked box and throw it into the fucking ocean. I tried so hard to avoid that

like a woman marching toward a

do, and he never complains. Liam's behind his desk, fingers steepled, eyes sharp. He

Close the door."

not ominous

I'm told, stepping into the office and

"So, what's up, Boss?"

beat, something

blue eyes.

still up for the

feel like an ice

blink, my mouth parting

The assignment.

The investigation.

The goddamn Alpha King.

burns my lungs.

to say. No? After everything? After clawing my

through the wreckage of

either. Not when I

when I've already found

watching me with the patience of someone

conversation will

into a half-smirk. "What, you want me to

Maybe I grew a conscience