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“Under. My. Orders.” Thorn is starting to become incensed. He cannot move, however, as his human is still somehow sleeping through this, secure and content in the protection she receives from the alpha.
“If she was missing, you’d tear the city apart looking for her.”
“This isn’t about me.” He doesn’t deny it.
“No. And that is why you don’t care.”
Thorn lets out a low rumble, but he cannot argue with me because I am closer to the truth than either of us would like to admit. I know what he wants to say. He wants to tell me to fall in line and do as I am told, but I have fallen in line too many times already. I have done as I am told. I have served his rank with all that I am and made many sacrifices along the way. I have even lost courting and mating opportunities to be there for the alpha. This is the first time I have asked for anything, and his denial throws an unpleasant light on what I thought was a deep and abiding friendship.
“Leave Wrath alone,” he bites out. “That’s an order.”
I barely hesitate before asking the question that leaps to mind.
“Did he buy you off?”
Suddenly, Thorn is on his feet.
“Hey!” A sleepy protest emanates from behind him as Sullivan wakes up abruptly to find herself without her saurian snuggle buddy. Her eyes are half open, her curly hair messy and wild. The expression on her face is entirely disgruntled. But she is not my concern. The large, furious alpha approaching me with aggressive intent is.
I do not know what would happen if Thorn and I were to fight. It is impossible to say, because if I were to lay so much as a fingertip on him, it would be tantamount to treason. I can’t touch Thorn. But he can touch me.
“I know you are upset,” he snarls at me. “But accusing me of corruption because I will not allow you to corrupt your office for personal reasons is not the course of action you should be taking, Avel. You should know that we also have saurians searching for her. She will be found.”
Thorn has always been able to rely on me when he needed me. I have saved the life of his mate more than once. But now, in my hour of need, I find that he is interested in maintaining the status quo rather than doing everything he can to help me.
“Who will be found?” Sullivan mumbles the question while rubbing her eyes.
“Do not worry,” Thorn says.
“No,” I say. “Do worry. You should be involved in this. Raine is missing, taken by criminals. Your master considers keeping up appearances for the general populace more important than finding her.”
Thorn gives me another angry stare, but I do not care. There is a chance Sullivan will be a useful ally in finding Raine. She was captain of the crew of which Raine was a part, and in spite of their hostilities, I do believe she probably cares.
“If Raine escaped you, then she can escape them,” she smirks. “I bet she’s halfway to the next galaxy by now. Probably hooked up with the crew and got the hell out of here like I told her to. I knew she wouldn’t stay captive for long. Sounds like you fucked up, Avel.”
Her response is flippant and unconcerned. To say I am disappointed is an understatement.
“Manners, Suli!” Thorn tries to correct her, but his heart is hardly in it.
She is grinning as broadly as can be, and clearly does not fear disrespecting me or her master one bit. Sullivan is irrepressible, just as my Raine was.
Was. I am already thinking about her in the past tense, expecting tragedy.
Without another word, I spin on my heel and leave the alpha’s presence.
“You were not dismissed, Avel!” Thorn barks the words after me.
I ignore him.
7 CAKE AND DEATH
Raine
The cake is gone. Crumbs remain and my stomach is full. I am lolling about on the cushions on the floor of Torin’s hideout feeling positively decadent and very safe. He’s a young saurian, but he is going to mature into quite an impressive specimen in a few years. It’s rare for a creature of any species who just reached the age of majority to have the kind of good sense he is displaying.
“You must have been hungry,” he notes.
“I was. I don’t think I’ve eaten in weeks. I must have, but I don’t remember it.”
