The Heartless Alpha’s Beloved Luna (Avery and Gideon) novel Chapter 426

Chapter 426

Avery’s POV

“Gideon?” I took a step into the room. “You look like shit.”

Gideon just snorted and sank a little deeper into the cushions like an ice cream cone melting in the sun. He looked half deflated, like he might disappear into the sofa. His cheeks were flushed bright red and his hair was completely disheveled and his shirt was partially open, revealing the bristly hairs curling against his chest.

I turned, looking at Tegan with a lifted brow. The Beta scratched his head, at least having the decency to look a little sheepish for bringing me here without a real explanation.

“I think someone drugged him,” he said.

“What? Who?” I asked.

“I don’t know.” We both looked at Gideon, who was now humming along to the faint strains of the music drifting up through the house, waving his fingers in the air like a conductor. Tegan sighed. “Anyway, he was asking for you. I didn’t know what else to do, so… He seemed like he just needed you here.”

I stared at Tegan, then back at Gideon. The latter smiled.

“I needed you,” he slurred. “Only you, baby.”

I rolled my eyes, but moved over to him. Carefully perching on the edge of the sofa, I reached out and put the back of my hand against his forehead. I winced at the heat I felt there and pulled my hand back.

“He’s burning up.” I looked up at Tegan. “Get me some ice water.” I paused, then, thinking about the freshly snipped stalks at the base of the aphrodisiac plant, I added, “And tell Sebastian to keep an eye on Fiona tonight.”

“Fiona?” Tegan blinked. “You think…”

“I don’t know. Just… covering all my bases.” I looked at Gideon again. His cheeks were flushed, and he had that gleam in his eyes that I knew all too well. I tried not to look down, but it was also hard not to notice the way his pants were tenting slightly at

the crotch.

I flushed and looked back at Tegan. “I think he was affected by a very specific aphrodisiac that I believe Fiona was collecting the other day. Just tell Sebastian to keep an eye on her tonight.”

Tegan nodded and left to do just that. Alone, I turned back to Gideon. He was staring at me, his eyes half-lidded and foggy but wholly focused on me.

“Where’s the woman you were with?” I blurted out.

His upper lip curled a little. “So you saw that, huh?” He traced his finger across the inner pulse point of my wrist, making me shiver. “Didn’t know you were watching me so closely all night.”

I rolled my eyes and swatted his hand away, although I was blushing now. I could feel the heat forming in my face already, likely mirroring the crimson darkening his own cheeks.

“Just want to know if she was involved in drugging you,” I said.

“Ah. Yeah. Probably. It was Deirdre.”

I pulled my head back. “What? Deirdre?” I blinked. “Deirdre’s dead, Gideon. You said so yourself.”

Gideon, for his part, was already humming along to the music again. I stared at him for a moment, waiting for an explanation, but it seemed I wasn’t going to get one.

A moment later, Tegan returned with a bowl of ice water and a small hand towel, I took them from him, soaked the cloth and

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wrung it out.

“Did you find Sebastian?” I asked.

He nodded.

“Go back and tell him that Deirdre might be here.”

“Deirdre?” Tegan stared at me. “As in… Deirdre Deirdre?”

“Yes. That Deirdre.”

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