Mated To My Mate's Worst Enemy (ARIA) novel Chapter 522

Chapter 522

ARIA

"In a narrative framework," Kael said, "that explores—"

"They're about wolves having sex," Ivory said again.

"The character development—"

"Kael," Ivory said.

"Is quite nuanced," Kael said, with the complete commitment of someone who'd decided this position and was not abandoning it regardless of the reception.

Kael put the desk between them. Moved around the side of the desk. Then, because the side of the desk didn't provide sufficient distance, went around Jordan's chair and positioned Jordan between himself and Ivory.

Jordan looked up from his notebook at the man who was now directly behind him.

"I'm not a shield," Jordan said.

"You're where I am," Kael said. "That's not the same as being a shield."

"You're using me as a shield," Jordan said.

"I'm standing near you," Kael said.

"Behind me," Jordan said.

"Proximity," Kael said.

"Ivory," Jordan said, looking at her with the expression of someone making an appeal, "whatever you're planning to do—"

"I'm planning to get an explanation," Ivory said, moving around the other side of Jordan's chair.

"An explanation," Jordan said. "That's fine. That's reasonable."

"And then I'm planning to take those books," Ivory said.

"Also possibly reasonable," Jordan said, looking at Kael.

"They're mine," Kael said.

"They are not yours," Ivory said. "You bought them from my series—"

"It's not your series," Kael said. "It's a published series. Anyone can read it."

"I read you the first two volumes," Ivory said. "Out loud. Over three years. To a WOLF."

"That was very kind of you," Kael said.

"I want those books," Ivory said.

"I also want those books," Kael said.

"You have four through eight," Ivory said.

"You also have four through eight," Kael said. "Plus one and two."

"I was going to buy nine and ten and the Crimson Wolves series," Ivory said. "You got there first. Without telling me."

"It was spontaneous," Kael said.

"You ordered them from a supplier," Ivory said. "That's not spontaneous. That requires deliberate action and a delivery window."

"I was in a spontaneous mood that lasted long enough to complete the order," Kael said.

"How dare you," Ivory said, and she was moving around Jordan again with the determined energy of someone who'd run out of patience with the furniture-based defensive strategies.

Kael moved. Jordan got slightly hit by both of them passing him in opposite directions. Jordan's notebook fell on the floor.

"I had those bookmarked," Jordan said.

"Ivory," Kael said, now on the other side of the desk, "this is not—"

"You said no to my book club," Ivory said. "You all said no to my book club. And then you went and acquired new volumes for yourself—"

"For personal—"

"Without telling me—"

"It was going to be a surprise—"

"A SURPRISE," Ivory said. "You were going to surprise me with books that I introduced you to, that I read to you, that I—" she stopped. Her expression shifted into the specific expression of someone who'd reached the full scope of a situation and was now dealing with all of it simultaneously.

"Education and morale," Kael said. "There's a precedent for pack resources being allocated to activities that support—"

"Kael," Nina said.

"The precedent exists," Kael said.

"Name the precedent," Nina said.

"The precedent is—" he stopped.

"There's no precedent," Jordan said.

"I was going to establish one," Kael said. "Retroactively."

"You can't establish a precedent retroactively," Jordan said.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify