Larem kept his eyes focused on Hunter and Tate, but he was all too aware of Sasha’s movements as she drifted from group to group. Right now she was laughing at something D.J. had said. The jerk! He should—
Hunter’s gravelly voice interrupted his thoughts. “Is something wrong, Larem?”
“No, why?” he asked, aiming for calm and failing miserably.
His friend smiled and pointed at Larem’s hands. One was curled into a tight fist while the other clutched his drink hard enough to dent the sides of the can. “You’re looking a bit tense there. Who’s pissed you off this time?”
“It’s nothing. I’m fine.”
“Sorry, but I’m not buying that.” Tate angled her head to look past him. “Who’s the redhead?”
Hunter answered for him. “That’s Sasha Willis, the new administrator assigned here. Rumor has it she’s hoping to be promoted to Regent status and stay permanently.”
Great, and here Larem had been hoping she’d go back to where she came from any day now. Of course, she probably wanted the same for him.
“The one who got herself trapped down in the tunnels?” Tate looked to Larem for confirmation. “The one you rescued?”
And killed his own people in the process, but he kept that to himself as he nodded. “That’s her.” Then he steered the conversation in a safer direction. “So how is your book coming along?”
Tate blushed. “It’s almost done. I’m doing the final polish before I start querying agents to see if they’d like to represent me.”
“It’s really good, too!” Hunter bragged. “Although I’m still trying to decide if I was the inspiration for the lawman or the gunslinger in the story.”
He looked down at his fiancée. “The sheriff doesn’t get the woman, but then the gunslinger gets shot.”
Tate looked outraged as she punched Hunter. “Hunter Fitzsimon, you promised you wouldn’t read it until I was completely finished!”
“Yeah, well, I lied,” Hunter said, rubbing his arm. “I wanted to know what it was about those two guys that made your eyes go all dreamy. Besides, you let Mabel read it.”
Mabel was one of Tate’s neighbors and a close friend. Larem was fond of the elderly woman and her two sisters. He asked, “So what did Mabel say about the book?”
Hunter snickered. “She said it needed more hot sex, but otherwise she liked it.”
Tate’s face turned rosy. “That’s enough, Hunter. Let’s talk about something else.”
Larem smiled at the exchange. It sounded exactly like something Mabel would’ve said. She might be old, but she was definitely feisty. He also enjoyed seeing Hunter so happy. It hadn’t been that long ago that he had raged out of control and tried to kill Larem with his bare hands just for being Kalith. The Paladin might still have his demons, but their hold on him had faded considerably since Tate had entered his life.
A man could face almost anything with the right woman by his side. Larem automatically sought out the corner of the yard where Lusahn q’Arc stood beside Cullen Finley, his arm draped across her shoulders. For once, the sight of her looking so happy with her human lover didn’t send a shaft of pain twisting deep inside Larem’s chest. In fact, he was glad for her. She’d created a nice family for herself with the Paladin and the two Kalith orphans she’d adopted.
At that moment, she happened to look in his direction. He smiled at her and nodded. Yes, she’d made decisions that had ripped his life apart. But looking back, he knew she’d done the best she could under difficult circumstances. The next time he caught her alone, he’d tell her that he was pleased that she’d moved on and built a new life in this world.
Which meant it was time for him to do the same.
Before he could pursue that thought or wonder why he’d been keeping track of Sasha’s movements ever since she’d arrived, Lacey announced that dinner was ready. Everyone converged on the tables of food in one big rush, with the usual good-natured pushing and shoving among a few of the Paladins.
A couple of the idiots bounced into Sasha, sending her stumbling backward. Larem stepped out of line and caught her by the arm just in time to keep her from hitting the ground.
“Whoops, sorry, pretty lady,” the closest Paladin said as he shoved his friend back out of the way, almost hitting her again. “Jerk, see what you made me do?”
Larem planted himself in front of Sasha and glared at the two fools. “Must you act like children?”
“Hey, I said I was sorry.” The young Paladin took a step forward, his buddy moving up beside him. “Mind your own damned business.”
“She is my business, so back off.” Larem ignored Sasha’s gasp of surprise—or maybe it was outrage—at his outlandish claim. Before he could deal with her, he had to do something about the two punks.
“And if we don’t want to back off, Other, what are you going to do about it?”
Larem sensed more Paladins approaching, but they were allies, not enemies. Lonzo stood to his right, Hunter to his left. Lacey would not soon forgive him for turning her barbecue into a brawl, but it wasn’t in his nature to run from a fight. If anyone gave ground, it wasn’t going to be him. His two friends would happily provide backup, but he wouldn’t need their help with these two.