CHAPTER 288: CHAPTER 288 - [K] . . . ? ? ? (DOGHOUSE)

***[POV: Kicked-Out Kyrie]***

"Actually, if you’re traveling home... I should probably mention that I’ll likely end up following you. Just to make sure you get there safely. And I might... do what I did last time and leave my scent around your apartment."

I tried to keep my voice casual, even while fighting down the urge to bond mark her directly. I had to fight it earlier too. When she was cornered under my desk... and she raised her eyebrow just like now.

"You intend on following me?"

"An unmated state makes you a target in this phase of the moon. I’d rather know you made it home without encountering anyone than spend all night wondering if you’d been cornered in an alley again."

"So my choice is to let you follow me and tell the whole city something important to you is now there... or let you mark me and get the same result. That sounds like coercion to me, Ms. Voss. Disguised as your brand of protection."

Her hands smoothed her business jacket down, tugging on the hem to straighten it out as she stood. But I couldn’t move to stand with her. If I move at all, I might make a mistake worse than the one I just told her about with Claire.

"I was actually working toward a counter proposal to you leaving. I do have a guest room, if you’d prefer to avoid the awkwardness of being stalked by me through the city."

"Again. Stalked again."

"...Yes."

She was quiet for a long moment, clearly weighing her options as I nervously brushed my sweatpants. I really needed her not to question if there are other free rooms in the tower at all.

"The guest room of yours has its own bathroom and shower?"

Relief flooded through me that she was even considering it *that* far. The smirk and raise of her chin showed me I didn’t hide it well. I cleared my throat and leaned back into the bench again.

"Of course. And even if it didn’t, I’d go so far as to promise to sleep out here all night if it made you more comfortable. I really just want you safe and... left in peace."

"Fine. We can do that."

I hear that giggle of hers that makes my feet shuffle on the ground nervously. Was she actually going to make me-

"Though I won’t lock you out here, despite your bravado."

Starting to sigh in relief...

"You’ll go stay with Claire. She crashed on my couch suddenly, so it’s only fair that I make you crash on hers."

I realize that I should have held my breath and followed her home. Because I have no idea how her brain is working to call that fair.

"It’s not like *I* ordered my assistant to do that?"

⧖ ☾ ❄ ☽ ⧖

"Thank you. For showing me around the apartment. I think I’ll be able to get clean and get some good sleep."

Her hand raised up in the gesture I taught her. The silent fox. Wiggling its ’ears’ to distract me as her other hand shuts the door on me.

My own front door.

With my potential mate on the other side, about to go take a shower in my guest room. While I held an overnight bag over my shoulder like some kind of... catastrophe displaced person.

How had this happened? I was there the whole time and still don’t understand it. Our back and forth as I showed her around made it seem like preparing the bag first thing was hasty.

"Was she just implying that I could have stalled more if I waited...?"

The elevator ride down to Claire’s floor felt surreal. Each change of the digital numbers reminded me that I was moving further away from where I wanted to be.

I knocked on Claire’s door and heard the sound of digitized security locks unbolting. Behind her glasses, and the two inches of open door thanks to the chain, she blinked at me like I was an improbable visitor.

"Kyrie? Why do you have a bag? You’re not like, kicking me out because that last snoop was the last straw or anything? We agreed you’d give me a warning on the one before last!"

"No, it’s... this is my bag."

The door closed, then opened wider without the chain. She began taking in my ensemble and demeanor without concealing her amusement.

"Oh my god. She doghoused you."

Her laugh bounced down the hallway and rattled some empty cans on an end table by her door. Then she pressed her back while waving her hand to allow me entry into what might be the most unfeminine place I’ve ever sat foot in since college dorms.

"I thought Luca said you were getting better at picking up after yourself."

"Yeah, well, that was quite a while ago. Coward won’t come in my apartment anymore, why should I bother keeping it spotless?"

Claire closed the door behind me, already heading to her kitchen while kicking thing out of the path in a halfhearted effort.

"Can you please not call my Beta a coward in front of me?"

"Are you denying it in this particular instance? Besides, which of your legs do you have to stand on? The woman who just snuck in for office sex just took your whole apartment as the payment."

"...Must you put it that way?"

"I absolutely must. I’ll make you a decaf then you can tell me everything."

I set my bag down on the couch, a blanket still rumpled up where she’d apparently been curled up with her laptop. She had more device screens and cords scattered around this place than the actual IT department.

We may need to actually... inventory this for insurance purposes. No, I guess... that’s not really a concern by the end of the year. My mind wandered until a cup was sat in front of me.

"So? You can start at the end if you’d like to work your way to the sexy beginnings."

"She said that because... you stayed at her place, I should stay at yours and it would make things fair?"

Even saying it out loud to another person, I couldn’t make the logic work. But the brown eyes in front of me tilted her glasses down and blinked in awe.

"Kyrie. She played you."

"...What?"

"Realized we have unresolved shit. Created a situation where you or I wouldn’t put off dealing with it with the momentum from earlier. Because things have been feeling... even friendlier between us lately..."

The pieces clicked into place with embarrassing clarity. I was too caught up in her being in my penthouse. She pushed up her glasses while averting her gaze and her voice grew quieter as she spoke quickly.

"And I was definitely kind of not intending to bring it up again, after I got some sleep. You?"

"...Would have waited for when you brought it up again."

I sank onto Claire’s couch, finally understanding why Citra had looked so pleased with herself when she’d shut the door. It wasn’t... well, it wasn’t *just* for the power rush of making me leave.

"See? I mean, I’m a little offended I didn’t see it coming when she texted back [Enjoy Your Bitter Medicine] a half hour ago."

Pulling off her glasses, she puts them in a case before she grabbed a bit more blindly for her laptop. Moving it out of my way while tapping on the back of its screen, she chuckles.

"Went on a wild goose hunt on all sorts of other things instead. So I may have been played as well. But also... really, just damned impressed with her meddling tits?"

"Claire. Please do not speak that vulgarly about her."

"Easy, boss. I’ll hold it back, so you hold wolfy back, deal? Just saying she cares. And I... I’m just really glad for you. That you weren’t falling for a total heartless bitch."

Hugging the device to her torso, she squeezes on it while looking away from me again. I blink a few times then shut my eyes. Taking a breather, because I’m not really ready to see her cry again... like last time I had a ’sleepover’.

If you can call the vigils after recovering her from the kidnappers that. I hear a sniffle and I flinch.

"Even if she is a fucking genius that can get sex when she wants and then just kick you out. Do you think she gives classes? Or wait, can *you* give Luca classes on all your willingness to-"

Channeling much of my feeling that day with the flower pot, I shut her and those crocodile tears up with the closest pillow.