“What, you don’t want to present strength in numbers?” Misha dangled the keys teasingly.
Vas elbowed him in the side. “Give him the keys, or suffer the consequences when you find your mate.”
Misha tossed the keys to Ivan. “I don’t want a mate if it means I get boring and dull like you guys.”
River leaned on Vasily’s arm. “Oh, it’s anything but boring at our house.”
“And I’m very grateful that you two have your own house to do it in,” Misha said with a grimace.
“Enough talk,” Vasily said. “We don’t want to give Pavlo’s kidnappers a chance to catch us in the open. Ivan, you and Tanner can go alone, but be quick about it. In, out, get home. Understood?”
Ivan opened the front passenger door for me. “Of course.”
He climbed in the other side, and then I was alone with my mate for the first time. “Hi,” I said.
Ivan started the SUV. “Hi.” He waited expectantly with a smile. “So… are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
“Oh! Right! The Marriot.”
“Which one?” Ivan asked. “There’s the JW, Midway, Oakbrook, Marquis—”
“The Marquis!” I shouted when I recognized it. I cleared my throat and said more quietly, “The Marriot Marquis. That’s definitely the one.”
Ivan shifted into drive. “Off we go.”
He didn’t set up GPS or anything, which seemed like a superpower to me. I needed GPS if I went anywhere further than the block that I lived on. Even one street over and I felt lost without it.
“So you’re Canadian?” Ivan asked.
“How’d you know that?” Was he psychic? Is that how he could find his way around the city without GPS?
“You have a passport and your apartment is in Toronto. That’s what you’ve said, at least.”
I wanted to smack my forehead. “Of course. Because you actually listen to me. And remember things. That’s cool. I mean, it’s nice. I mean… I should just shut up now.”
Ivan reached over to grab my hand. “Please don’t shut up. I like the way you say everything that’s on your mind. It’s cute. And I want to know everything about you. So tell me.”
“Tell you everything? Are you sure?”
“You betcha,” Ivan said in a terrible accent.
“That is so not Canadian,” I said with a wince. “I mean, maybe Saskatchewan.”
“See, learning things already. But not about you.”
“I told you I’m adopted… I have a sister… our parents were awesome, but they’ve passed. I kinda live on my own. I don’t really have any friends. I just work and read, really. I like being at home.”
“So why did you come to Chicago?”
“I’m a graphic designer,” I said. “And some of my clients like to meet in person. It’s kind of ridiculous, though, because we literally could do anything and everything online, but… as long as they pay for the trip and the money is right, I’ll do it. And the money was really right for this one. It’s a client I’ve been trying to land for a while. I hate the whole marketing thing, which is kind of funny since my whole job is to create designs that sell things, but I hate marketing myself, you know? So all of my clients come from word of mouth. Which is nice. Less work for me.”
“That must mean you’re very good,” Ivan said. “If your current clients talk you up so much you keep getting more work.”
I didn’t want to brag. My mom had always been trying to get me to be humble, but I sucked at it. “Yeah, I’m kind of awesome.”
Ivan laughed. Was he making fun of me? No, his smile was genuine. “I love that. I love that you can claim that. Because I think you’re kind of awesome, too.”
I beamed. “And I haven’t even busted out my baseball trivia.”
“Ooh, those might be fighting words, Facts. Especially if we’re going to throw down over the Cubs.”
Excitement sparked deep in my chest. “Did you know—” I started, but he stopped me.
“Hold that thought,” he said. “This is your hotel. And I want you to save that energy, because it’s going to come in handy with the family next game night. I can’t wait to see you bowl them over. Chicagoans think no one can beat them with Cubs knowledge, and on the rare occasion my family gets going, they’re better than just about anyone. We’re definitely going to pull out that secret weapon when the time comes.”
The cleaning staff had already gone through my room and set my things aside at the check-in desk, so it was basically in, prove my identity, pay a late checkout fee, and out.
“You travel light,” Ivan said. “We’ll definitely have to go shopping for clothes. I don’t think anyone in the house has anything that will fit you. Maybe River, if I ask Vasily nicely enough.”
“Oh, yeah, because River and I could totally share clothes.” I couldn’t help giggling. To a big alpha like Ivan, River and I were both small but we weren’t anywhere close to the same size unless I rolled up the pants and cinched a belt super tight. “I’ll ask him when we get back. Shouldn’t be a problem if he has some sweats or basic tees. I’d rather do that for now than buy a bunch of new stuff when I have a perfectly good wardrobe waiting at my apartment. I’ll probably need a few things though. And I’ll definitely want my own new underwear. Some things aren’t meant to be shared. River will understand.”
Ivan raised an eyebrow, daring a glance at me while he drove. “You seem like you’re pretty comfortable with River already.”
“I like him,” I said. “He’s not quite as agile in a tree as I am, but he’s really good.”
Ivan barked a laugh. “Somehow, I don’t think River would say the same.”
“I think he’d say exactly the same.”
“Are we talking about the same River?”
I smirked. “I think he’d say that I’m not quite as agile in a tree as he is, but I’m really good. He’d just be wrong.”
“Oh my god, stop. I’m laughing so hard I’m crying, and that’s not safe while I’m driving. You’re going to fit in so well, Tanner.”
It felt like a heavy rock suddenly perched on each shoulder, pushing me into the seat. “I hope so. I’m not generally good at fitting in.”
“I know so. You’ll see.”
His smile lifted the weight of worry and expectation from my shoulders just a little.
Approaching the Novak family house was slightly less intimidating with my big bear by my side, both of us in human form, than it was as a tiny shifted flying squirrel. But only slightly.
This time, instead of having to bang on the gate while naked, I was treated to Ivan pulling the SUV in front of the gate. He jumped out, and tossed the keys to one of the guards before hurrying around to open my door.
“Are you hungry?” he asked as he hurried me past the gate. “You haven’t eaten all morning. When was the last time you ate?”
“Umm… yesterday? There’s just been so much going on I didn’t even think about it.”