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I pulled out my phone, texting the incoming crew with specific instructions for cleanup.
The man huffed. “Why was she alone? Doesn’t she have guards or something?”
He knows who she is. My eyes narrowed, and I stood. We were the same height, but despite that muscle he was packing, I was ready to snap his neck if he even thought too hard at Mari. “I don’t answer to you.”
“Greyson,” Mari snapped. “Nate helped me. Don’t be an asshole.”
“He helped you out of what looks like an ambush.” I peered over at her. Dominic’s arm was tight around her waist, but it was less embrace, more restraint. “Forgive me if I’m not feeling very naïve.”
It was the wrong thing to say. Dominic’s arrival had fractured us—my fault—and instead of talking things through, I’d let them fester. I could practically see the chasm growing with every misstep I made.
“I’m not going to tell you again. Watch yourself, Greyson.”
The woman staring me down wasn’t my best friend; she was my queen, and for once, I didn’t want to back down.
But I did. I always did. Because I was her rock. I couldn’t wobble when she needed me most.
I pulled back the suspicion, the intuition shouting at me that something wasn’t right. My humanity. I put everything away. “My apologies, reina. I overstepped.”
Mari’s shoulders drooped, like the weight of the world fell on them. I could see how much our bickering cost her, but I didn’t know how to fix it yet. I needed time to think it through. “Greyson?—”
The cleanup crew arrived, and the sounds of them setting up broke our standoff.
“We should go home.” Desires warred in me until I finally gave in and stepped close, pressing a kiss to Mari’s forehead. “I’m glad you’re all right.”
She sighed, and I saw a little of that weight disappear again. “Is there room in the car for another? We’re bringing Nate home with us.”
“Like fuck we are,” Dominic snapped. The crossed arms and fierce expression told me a battle was on the horizon.
“Excuse me?” Mari’s eyebrow rose.
“We’re not taking in strays right now, Mari. It’s not safe.”
“You’ve been back in town for all of two seconds, Dominic. Don’t act like you have any power. Nate’s coming.”
“I’m your right hand. By default, I do have power, and I’m using it now. He’s not coming.”
Mari stepped up close and ran a hand across his chest. It would have irritated me if I didn’t know exactly what she was doing. “In this case, you don’t get a say. I owe Nate my life, and I’m not taking that debt lightly.”
Alarm shot through me so deep, I felt it in my bones. A life debt was a big deal. Wars had been started and settled on life debts, even in our world. It was also a massive vulnerability at a time when we couldn’t afford one.
This situation was quickly moving from bad to catastrophic.
“What the fuck are we going to do with a civilian?” Dominic asked.
Mari took a deep, aggravated breath. “It wasn’t that long ago that you were a civilian yourself, Dominic. Don’t be an asshole. We can figure things out at home, but Nate stays, end of discussion.”
Then she was gone.
“Guess we have a new houseguest.”
I hummed under my breath and pulled out my phone to send instructions to Tennessee and Moore to start a background check. “I’ve got it covered.”
Dominic nodded and clapped my shoulder, pulling us both along behind our queen.
Nate had stepped back toward his car, watching with wary eyes as Mari moved closer. Everything about her was softer than I’d seen it in ages, and it reminded me of talking to Dominic earlier. Maybe she needed to be soft sometimes, to be vulnerable. Just not with a fucking stranger.
“Come with us,” she said. “We’ll get you home.”
