Chapter Twenty-Eight

Summary

• The chapter opens with Hunt waking up to find Syrinx, the chimera, snuggling with him. He'd slept so deeply as to miss his friend Bryce getting up for work. He gets dressed and checks his phone for new messages.
• He finds the apartment empty, Bryce nowhere in sight, and sets off to look for her, only to find her asleep in her bedroom. He is momentarily taken aback by the sight of her sleeping, half-naked.
• As he is about to leave her room, Bryce's other friend Juniper walks in with breakfast. Seeing Hunt half-naked in Bryce's apartment early in the morning takes her by surprise but she doesn't question it.
• Juniper and Bryce have a conversation about a bombing incident the previous night. Humans in Pangera are suspected. Juniper also fills in Bryce about the wrecked state of the club that they had frequented and the bounty set by Riso, the club owner, on the people who did it. Fury, another friend of theirs, was likely to return because of it.
• Juniper then turns the conversation towards Hunt, whom she describes as "gorgeous". She teases Bryce about letting him stay with her. Bryce, who is irritated, informs her that Hunt is staying over only because it's part of his assignment to protect her. Juniper leaves, leaving some croissants for the duo.
• Bryce and Hunt share breakfast and engage in some verbal sparring, during which Bryce refers to Hunt as an "alphahole", describing his behavior as possessive and aggressive. She also accuses Hunt and similar men of having "alpha" tendencies.
• Hunt, amused by Bryce's description, clarifies that he isn't interested in a romantic relationship with her, doesn't have friends, and has no interest in Bryce's clothing habits. Further, he insists that Bryce give him a set of keys to her apartment and add his name to the enchantments in place for his job as her protector.