Gem unlocked the door and peered through the crack.
Wyatt held a plate beneath her nose and waggled his eyebrows. Her mouth watered at the sight of five pieces of bacon, toast, and jelly. Not exactly a meal fit for a king, but who could turn down bacon?
“I know how you like putting jelly on your bacon,” he said.
She arched an eyebrow. “You made this?”
He gave her an elfin smile that carved laugh lines in his cheeks. “I supervised.” He poked his nose through the door. “How’s he doing? Any signs of life?”
Gem heaved a sigh and slipped out into the hall, shutting the door behind her. “Still the same. He hasn’t so much as moved a finger.” Instead of inviting Wyatt in, she took the plate and sat down on the floor. Gem felt protective of not only Niko but also the book. He had spent centuries guarding that thing, so she wasn’t going to let just anyone waltz in, not until Viktor returned.
Wyatt hiked up his pant legs and sat down in front of her.
Gem used a butter knife to spread jelly on her bacon and gobbled up the entire piece in one bite. “There’s a hole in your sock.”
Wyatt scratched his ear, not seeming to care. “I have a big toe. It likes to make an appearance.”
“You don’t clip your nails short enough.”
“You’re just full of insights, aren’t you?” Though he pretended the comment didn’t bother him, she caught him poking his finger inside the hole and feeling his toenail.
Wyatt had a morbid sense of humor when it came to death, and he owned a large collection of T-shirts to prove it. Today’s featured a long bone with I FOUND THIS HUMERUS written below it.
“What’s the scoop? Want to tell me what happened?” he pressed.
She licked bacon grease off her thumb. “Not until I talk to Viktor.”
He leaned back on his hands, his olive-green eyes twinkling with curiosity. “Keeping secrets is part of my job.”
“I can’t.”
When he threw his head back, his beanie fell off. “O ye of little faith.”
“What if Viktor wants me to keep it confidential? Christian would have to scrub your memories and erase everything I told you.” She devoured another slice of bacon, this one on a piece of toast.
Wyatt grimaced. “Scratch that. I don’t want to know anything. I don’t need a Vamp poking around in my head.”
Gem ate up her third piece of bacon with extra jelly. “Did the mission go okay?”
Wyatt leaned forward and put the brown beanie back on his head. Somehow it suited him. He looked naked without it, probably because of how messy his hair looked. She wondered if in his younger days he’d kept it short or slicked it back with pomade. The thought amused her.
Wyatt dusted off his hands. “Viktor mentioned something about a hiccup, which is a rough translation for ‘something went wrong.’”
“What was their mission? Now that it’s over, he won’t care if you tell me the details.” Gem had wondered about it for some time. Everyone had left in such a hurry, their destination shrouded in secrecy.
“Transporting Potentials. Three teenagers.”
Her eyes widened. “Potentials? Real Potentials? I thought—”
“They were an urban legend? Yup. That’s what everyone thinks, and the powers that be want to keep it that way.”
A few books she’d read alluded to Potentials, but no one had ever spoken about them as if they were real. Gem marveled at the idea that someone could choose to be any Breed they wanted. Had she been given that choice, she wondered if she might have chosen to be a Chitah.
Nah. How ridiculous would that look? She would have wound up being the shortest Chitah in the entire world.
“Are you okay?” Wyatt asked with the utmost seriousness. “Last night was a blur, and I should have asked. Maybe I did, but I can’t remember.”
“I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine.” She suddenly lost her appetite and set down her half-eaten piece of bacon. Niko wasn’t fine, and here she was, merrily eating outside his door.
“There’s nothing Viktor can’t figure out. He’s got connections to the best Relics in the world. I’m sure someone out there will know what’s wrong with Niko. It’s probably something to do with his core light. Maybe the circuits misfired. Did you have an epic battle? Can you at least tell me that much?”
“They fought. I just watched.” Dejected and growing weary, Gem pushed the plate toward him, half the meal untouched. “Thanks for bringing me food. Is Crush still here? I should apologize to him.”
“For what?”
“I wasn’t myself last night. I snapped at everyone, and I might have offended him. He’s done so much for us.”
Wyatt snorted. “The only thing that would insult that man is owning anything other than a Harley. He asked about you this morning. In fact, he was the one who had me bring up the food. Pushy old bastard. He’s in the kitchen, driving Kira batty.”
Gem quirked a smile. “How so?”
“He refuses to let her cook his meals. I told him that’s her job, but he won’t listen. He leaves crumbs and dishes piled in the sink, and I even caught him rearranging the canned food. He said something about how the beans don’t go with the pears. Kira has her own system, so you know that didn’t go over well.”
“Raven’s so lucky. Crush is such a fun guy, and I just love all his wrinkles and grey hair.”
Wyatt knocked on the floor. “That’s a strange compliment.”
Gem felt no need to explain. She adored the elderly. They were both fragile and strong, and they were also something she’d never be. The life they’d lived was mapped on their skin, and Gem could see that Crush had experienced tremendous hardship but also joy. From the deep frown lines on his forehead to the laugh lines around his eyes, he was a man who had truly lived life.
“How long are they staying? The wolves, I mean.”
“Until Viktor walks through the front door.” Wyatt scratched his head and yawned widely. “I can’t wait for things to get back to normal.”
Normal. What an odd concept. Could life ever get back to normal with Niko lying in a coma? Would Viktor continue accepting new assignments? Would seasons pass while Niko remained in that bed?
“Wyatt, can you do me a favor?”
He collected her plate. “That depends.”
Gem stood up and unwound her lavender hair from the tight buns on her head. “Send Viktor up the moment he walks in the door. Tell him it’s urgent. And…” She hesitated. “Did you tell him about Niko?”
“He knows something’s wrong, but I didn’t give him the details.”
“Don’t tell anyone else.” She felt her cheeks heat with shame. “I want to talk to him alone before everyone rushes in and—” Blames me, she thought.
“Okeydokey.” He stood up with the plate in hand. “Just do me a favor?”
“What’s that?”
“Don’t go crazy in there. You have that look you get when you’re knee-deep in a special assignment. You and I are like mad scientists. We get obsessed with our work until it takes over our life. Just… just be careful how far down the rabbit hole you go. Sometimes it’s not easy to find your way back.”