Page 77 of Blood and Trouble

“Of course,” I said. “How long will we be gone?”

“One night. Maybe two. Depends on how the deal goes,” Bas explained.

I could deal with that. Any longer and my wolf would lose his mind. I trusted Poe with my life…with Ava’s. But I didn’t like the thought of being away from them for so long.

“I know you need to head to London by the end of the week,” he continued. “I promise to have you back by then.”

“Sounds good,” I said. “Let me get dressed, and I’ll meet you at the clubhouse.”

“Thanks, Lycan,” Bas said, holding out his hand.

“No, thank you.” I took it. “The Helena chapter owes you for your hospitality.”

“Bahhh.” He waved that away. “What’s a favor between Bastards, huh?”

I laughed and patted his shoulder. “We appreciate it all the same.”

“Hmm.” Bas grinned and walked off the porch, stopping at the end to turn back toward me. “Make sure you shower before you come up. You reek like both of them, and the bonding scent will distract the brothers.”

“Oh?”

“You know how it goes in a pack like this.” His smile widened. “They gossip more than a couple of old ladies at a knitting club, and you three are the latest news. Everyone’s trying to figure out what your deal is.”

I drew in a deep breath, scenting both Ava and Poe on my skin, as he stalked into the woods.

“Yeah, me too,” I mumbled before heading back inside. Poe still had his gun in his hand, standing in front of Ava. She peered over his shoulder, blinking curiously.

“You’re leaving?” she asked.

“It’s only for a night or two.” I put my hands on my hips and tried to ignore the twinge in my ribs telling me I shouldn’t. Whatever this was between us was still too new, too fresh, for me to leave. I needed to stay and nurture it, but duty called. “You’ll be safe here.”

I went to move around them, but Ava grabbed my wrist to stop me.

“You can’t leave now,” she said. “We’re four days out from the meeting with Scott, and I’ve only secured five of the six deals we need. All of that falls apart if we don’t get Fitz.”

I brushed her hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead. “You’ve got it all figured out, Trouble. You’ve been one step ahead of him the entire time.”

“I don’t think I can do this without you,” she muttered, and that almost broke my resolve.

“Where’s the frigid Vanderbilt bitch, huh?”

She sighed through her nose and pinned me with a pointed glare. “You know what I mean.”

“Poe’s here,” I said. “He’s got a better mind for strategy, anyway. I’ll be back before we leave for London.”

“Evelyn’s still out there,” Poe added, drawing my attention to him. “And she’s got a witch who can invade your mind. She told us we had until the full moon, which has now passed. She’ll be gunning for us.”

“I’m riding with the Bastards,” I said, but he straightened his shoulders, and I understood what he meant. If the Bastards were leaving with me, who would be here to protect Ava? “The grounds are warded, just like the homestead.”

“That didn’t stop Marx from killing Holden,” he said. The “or taking Maeve” went unsaid. Something passed between Poe and me, a form of communication bred from years of trust and intimacy.

“We shouldn’t split up,” he said with his eyes.

“I know,” I replied. “What choice do I have?”

He agreed. I didn’t have a way out. We owed the Copenhagen chapter for our stay. Even if we didn’t, I’d still help them. The Bastards were in this together, bound by blood and sweat and oaths. We didn’t just pledge ourselves to Kodiak when we took a patch. We vowed our lives to every Royal Bastard in the world. What kind of male would I be, what kind of Bastard would I be, if I didn’t honor that the same way I would expect any of them to?

“Three days?” he asked.