The tips of my vampire’s ears turn pink, a sight I never thought I would see. “Errr…”
“Let’s just say that there are magical defenses around the covenstead designed to keep people away,” Ethan interrupts, giving Grayson an unreadable look.
Grayson blushes even deeper and turns away.
Seriously, what the hell happened?
Before I can give voice to my question, Ethan gently takes my shoulders and guides me back just enough to look me over.
“What happened? Are you okay? Did they hurt you?” Urgency laces his tone, and his eyes are almost frantic as they flicker across my body.
“I’m okay. I promise.” Quickly, I tell the two everything that happened—my kidnapping, my meeting with the Trinity, the deal with Delaney, Soraya’s strange helpfulness, Ansel’s appearance?—
The thought of Ansel makes me glance over my shoulder. Why is he just hovering behind me? He knows he’s a part of this—a part ofus—even if everything is currently convoluted and confusing.
But when I glance down the hallway, I don’t spot any sign of Ansel or Soraya. My chest pinches.
Did Ansel leave because he had somewhere to be? Did he feel uncomfortable around the other guys? Did he think I wanted him to leave? Feelings I can’t quite name or articulate twist deep in my gut.
“He left a little bit ago,” Grayson rasps out.
“Oh.” That’s all I can say.
Everything—including my feelings for Ansel and the others—is so damn confusing, but now isn’t the time to untangle this particular web. I have Grayson and Ethan standing in front of me, alive and breathing, and I’m desperate to hear everything. Time is ticking, and each hand of the clock feels like a minuscule blade slashing at me.
Quickly, I herd the two men inside the room and close the door, leaning against it. Ethan and Grayson watch me silently, their gazes intense, though the former appears nervous. He repeatedly fidgets with the sleeves of his too-long shirt and shifts from foot to foot.
Speaking of…
“What are you wearing?” I ask Ethan, lifting an eyebrow.
The black long-sleeved Henley looks like something Emery would wear, as do the black jeans.
“Mine,” Grayson says simply, as if that explains everything.
“Okay?” I volley my gaze between the two men, wondering if any of them would be willing to fill in the blanks, but they simply continue to stare at me.
I guess this interrogation will be the equivalent of pulling teeth. Great.
“Can someone tell me what’s going on? What happened? Is everyone okay?”
Ethan bites anxiously on the tip of his thumb as Grayson answers.
“Don’t know. We left to find you.”
Ethan lowers his hand back to his side. “And I kinda have been stuck in my wolf form until just recently, so, yeah, there’s that. I’m not feral or anything. Not like Christian— I mean, fuck. I shouldn’t have said that. Sorry. I think I’m just nervous and freaking out and confused. And I really, really want to talk to my brother, but when I tried to call him, he didn’t answer. Oh god. I’m a dumbass. I should’ve left a message. I didn’t want to because I thought he would freak, but I totally should’ve said I was okay.”
Ethan facepalms himself. “Total dumbass. But god, it’s so good to see you, Izzy. I was so, so worried. And—” He cuts himself off, swallowing. “It’s just good to see you.”
Shadows linger in his eyes, and I can’t help but remember the confrontation before everything went to shit.
I learned that a year or so ago, Ethan was a drug addict and an alcoholic. He drove home, despite being under the influence, and crashed his car into Desiree’s father’s house. This resulted in thousands of dollars’ worth of damage and Emery in the hospital. Emery healed, of course, but the pack was forced to make a deal with Desiree’s dad or Ethan would risk a prison sentence.
It’s something we will have to talk about but…later. Everything will come later.
“I’m so happy you guys are here,” I whisper, stepping away from the door and turning towards Grayson first.
His eyes turn hooded, laced with desire, as I push up on my tiptoes at the same moment he lowers his head. The kiss is soft and full of unspoken promises for the future. Tingles race up and down my back as my lips move with his.
