Focus (The Crescent Chronicles, #2) by Alyssa Rose Ivy Read Free Book Online Page B

completely different.
This is business.”
    “ Ball?” I asked.
    “ Yeah, there’s an annual
ball each winter.”
    “ Oh.”
    “ Trust me, you’ll hear all
about it. I’m sure Helen’s already planning your dress.” Hailey
crossed her legs.
    “ My dress?”
    “ Of course.”
    I decided to ask the question on my
mind even if I got made fun of for it. “Does Levi usually just
bring random dates?”
    Jared laughed. “You jealous,
Allie?”
    “ No, just
curious.”
    “ He always went alone. It
wouldn’t have been appropriate for him to bring someone other than
his mate,” Hailey explained.
    I tried to ignore the flood of relief I
felt. “Oh, cool.”
    “ Levi’s going to love that
you were jealous.” Owen tried to stretch out his long legs. In
addition to being cold, the stone seats were cramped.
    I crossed my arms, half out of
annoyance and half from the cold. “Come on, I was just
curious.”
    Jared arched an eyebrow. “Keep telling
yourself that.”
    “ Whatever.”
    The room grew quiet and everyone stood
up. I followed their lead, looking toward the doorway. A procession
of men filed in. Then Levi came in, followed by his father. They
took seats in the center of the room. As soon as they were seated,
everyone else sat too. “Levi usually sits behind him,” Jared
whispered.
    “ What’s
changed?”
    He pointed at me. “You.”
    “ What’s that supposed to
mean?”
    “ Taking you as his mate let
his dad know he was ready. He’s letting him transition into
leadership. Levi is now his senior advisor. He’ll eventually take
over, of course.”
    “ Levi never told me
that.”
    Jared leaned back in his seat. “Not
surprising.”
    Levi looked over to where we sat and
smiled at me. I smiled back. I had to admit there was something
cool about being with someone in such a respected
position.
    I jumped as I heard a loud bang. “It’s
just the doors closing and locking,” Jared explained.
    “ Locking?”
    “ No one’s allowed in or out
until the proceedings are completely over.”
    I shivered. The chilly temperature of
the room was only accentuated by the fact that I was locked in a
room with paranormal creatures. The thought scared me more than a
little. I wrapped my arms tighter around myself.
    Levi glanced at me and got up. “What’s
he doing?” I said to myself as he walked directly over to
me.
    Stopping right in front of us, he took
off his blazer and put it over my shoulders. “This should help.” He
kissed me on the cheek before taking his seat. His father gave him
an approving smile. I wondered if the chivalrous display was really
about helping me, or if it was for appearances sake.
    “ Welcome all.” Robert stood
and addressed the room. “The Autumn meeting is officially in
session. We will follow the usual schedule tonight. Before I turn
the floor over to my advisors, I want to emphasize the importance
of discretion. Nothing discussed tonight may leave the room.” He
continued to describe the rules and introduced his advisors.
Listening to Robert, I could have been in a trance. He definitely
had the gift of public speaking.
    Each advisor took turns making
presentations, but none really caught my attention until Jett
Florence stood. I knew he was head of security, but I didn’t
realize he was also an advisor. It seemed to be setup kind of like
a president and his cabinet.
    “ The threat of the
Blackwell’s has grown. We have reason to believe they’re planning
to take out the Laurent line from within.”
    A few gasps filled the room. “We will,
of course, determine the reliability of this intelligence, but
until then, I urge all of you to use caution. If you have any
suspicions, you need to report them to my department
immediately.
    That brings me to my next point, the
need to increase the security force. I want to take on an
additional officer within the next year.”
    Robert interrupted. “I assume Jared
will be taking that position.”
    I looked over at Jared, his face