My glare dropped to the floor, to where that traitorous bitch was passed out on a balcony. Ryker wasn’t enough for her? She’d had to go after my fucking mate too?
I should have stabbed her a few inches higher. Even on a full moon, I could have scrambled her heart enough that it wouldn’t have healed.
“He didn’t fuck her,” Cade said sharply, cutting through my murderous thoughts. Slowly, I lifted my gaze and looked at him. “They slept together, nothing more.” He shot Bas an irritated look. “Ryker got pissed off earlier because Bas phrased things in a way that implied otherwise—just like he did now.”
I jerked my head in a nod before turning away and staring at the large map on the wall instead. Bas didn’t say anything, but I felt a flicker of his anger through our bond. As if he had a right to be angry right now. Silence stretched across the room before finally being interrupted by a deep, raspy chuckle.
“You all are such assholes,” Selene breathed through her laughs, drawing my attention to her. She rose from her seat and gave all of us a pointed look. “I’m going to check on Rynn. I suggest you all think about the apology you want to give her tomorrow morning.”
She finished off the rest of her ale, somehow making it look elegant, before gliding towards the door.
“I didn’t have anything to do with the bet,” I said flatly. “And I sure as fuck won’t be apologizing.”
Selene paused and half turned, giving me a profile view of her face. “You didn’t make the bet, but you were still a motivation for it. Your drama played a role in my friend being hurt.” I stiffened, but Selene kept going. “Also, you stabbed her in the fucking chest, Warrick. Apologize or I’ll lock you out of my kitchen.”
With her piece said, she left, leaving all three of us staring after her.
A crease formed between my brows. “Did she just claim my kitchen as hers?”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Rynn
“Let’s give it another five minutes.” Bastian’s gaze remained locked on the sprawling stronghold beneath the ridge we stood on, the treeline to our backs. Smoke was already swirling through the darkening sky, courtesy of the bonfires being started. The Dragomir stronghold was an unusual one in that the main castle took up less than half of the space within the perimeter walls. There were a few other buildings, but most of the space was open, allowing them to grow some crops inside and also host large celebrations.
The spring and summer equinox events in particular had reputations for getting rowdy. We’d have to socialize for the first hour or two, but then Bastian would be able to cover for me while I slunk away to look for the Unseelie crest.
Although something told me I’d have a shadow for that. I glanced at Warrick, who was standing a few feet away and casually twirling a dagger. He met my stare, and the blade spun a little faster.
Prick.
I couldn’t believe he’d fucking stabbed me. Or that I’d been foolish enough not to be aware of my surroundings. When I’d woken up the morning after the attack, Warrick had been leaning against the balcony railing. “I’m going with you and Bas. We leave in one hour,” he’d said and then had started to walk inside, only to stop when Selene had cleared her throat from the doorway. “I might have been a bit hasty in my actions last night. Next time I stab you, I’ll make sure you deserve it first.”
After that, he’d left and taken Selene with him, mumbling something about kitchen rules.
The whole encounter had been odd, and I hadn’t had a chance to ask Selene about it because Bastian had collected me shortly after that. It’d hurt to leave Ryker behind, but he was still unconscious, although his breathing had been even and the wounds had looked a lot better.
Cade had been waiting for us at the main gate and apologized for how the previous night had played out. At that point, I’d been a little paranoid that Bastian was taking me outside to bury me in a shallow grave. I might have said as much out loud, only to be reassured by Warrick that they wouldn’t have bothered burying my corpse.
Who needs enemies when you have fake packmates like that?
Selene had come rushing out of the main castle to pull me aside, but Cade had stopped her, saying something about Bastian handling it.
What Bastian was supposed to handle, I still had no idea two days later because we’d barely spoken.
Last night, we’d stayed at an inn, and he’d immediately announced that I could have the bed and he’d sleep on the floor. Warrick claimed a chair in the corner and proceeded to stare at me while twirling his dagger the same way he was now.
I was fairly certain none of us had truly slept the whole night.
Which probably explained why we were all so cranky. Warrick and I had been trading barbed comments for the better part of two hours. Bastian had ignored us, all while he’d grown noticeably tenser and tenser.
“Are you two going to play nice in there?” Bastian asked mildly. “If you get into a brawl, it’s going to make it harder for you to sneak off.”
“Just keep him out of my way,” I said evenly. “And maybe stop him from stabbing anyone and getting us thrown out before I’ve gotten what I need.”
“And what is that exactly?” Warrick slid his dagger back into the sheath on his thigh.
I gave him a cool look. “The answer to all our problems.”
