Ivy opened her mouth to deny it… but her wyvern rose up, choking the words in her throat.
He was her mate. She couldn’t claim otherwise. Not even to herself.
Hope let out a strangled shriek of excitement. “He is! Oh my God, Ivy! Why didn’t you tell me str
aight away? Can he touch you?”
Ivy rubbed absently at her wrist, still feeling the lightning-jolt of those strong fingers closing over her bare skin. “Yeah. He can.”
“Ha!” Hope made finger-guns at her. “See? I was right all along. I knew that your true mate wouldn’t be affected by your venom.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Ivy tossed a pair of underpants at her sister’s smirking face. “You also thought an evil basilisk shifter crime boss might be my one true mate, so don’t gloat too much.”
“But this is perfect!” Hope plucked the underwear from her head, throwing it back into the half-open dresser. “If Hugh is your mate, then Alpha Team will definitely protect us from Gaze. And I bet Fire Commander Ash will be able to sort everything out with the police too. We don’t have to run!”
“Yes, we do.” Ivy retrieved the pants, stuffing them into the suitcase. “Because they’ll be selling snowcones in Hell before I ask him for help. You heard him, Hope. He never wants to see me again.”
Hope’s beaming smile flickered uncertainly. “He can’t really have meant that. He has to be a shifter of some kind if he’s on Alpha Team, so he must know that he’s your true mate.”
“Yeah, well. He clearly doesn’t want to be.”
Hope chewed on her lower lip for a moment. “Maybe…maybe he was just in shock. Or—I know! Maybe he was being all snarly because of his overpowering attraction to you. Maybe he had to be rude so that he didn’t sweep you up and carry you off to claim you there and then!”
Ivy gave her sister a level look. “Do you ever actually listen to the words coming out of your mouth?”
Hope ignored this, digging into the side pocket of her wheelchair. “Call him. You have to.“
Ivy groaned. “Hope. Are you seriously suggesting that I dial emergency in order to make a booty call?”
“No,” Hope said, rolling her eyes. She pulled out her cellphone and waved it in Ivy’s direction. “I’m suggesting that you call him at home. Or even better, turn up in person. I have his number and address right here.”
Ivy stared at her sister. “Why on earth do you have Hugh Argent’s home number and address?”
“Griff gave it to me,” Hope said absently, scrolling through her contact list. “In case we ever had an emergency.”
Ivy’s forehead furrowed. “What do you mean, an emergency?”
“You know, with your…” Hope made a vague hand-gesture that encompassed Ivy’s entire body. “With your venom.”
Ivy shook her head, still baffled. “No paramedic would be able to help if I accidentally touched you.”
“Hugh’s not just a paramedic. He’s got healing powers. Really strong powers. Griff made me promise not to tell anyone, but he said Hugh can heal just about anything.”
Ivy froze.
The tingle of his bare skin against hers, the lightning-strike impact of his touch… maybe it wasn’t because he was her true mate. Had he been counteracting her venom?
And if he was powerful enough to do that…
“Hope.” Ivy crouched down so that they were eye-to-eye, her heart hammering against her ribs. “Tell me exactly what Griff told you about Hugh.”
Chapter 6
Hugh stared into his tea, and contemplated the void of the rest of his life.
Normally, it was a relief to retreat to his house and shut out the rest of the world on his days off. Now, however, the silence of his soundproofed study seemed oppressive. No matter how he tried to relax with his favorite lapsang souchong and a good mystery novel, his nerves were wound tight. Not even the purring cats on his lap were helping.
He kept finding himself looking up, listening for…something.