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Bram materialized out of the shadows. Tall, lean, and muscled, he stood several inches taller than Asher. His black eyes locked on her. He hadn’t missed what Ash was, a warrior, making her a threat to Mags in his eyes. And he hadn’t liked the way she’d just spoken to his best friend. He stared her down and shook his head, a silent warning.

Asher grinned up at him. “Oh, you could try it, shadow man.” Then her golden eyes slid to Mags. “Our alpha is a good male. He’d never harm your sister. You have nothing to worry about.” She winked. “The grown-ups have everything under control.”

“Ash,” I said as Mags surged forward.

Bram wrapped an arm around her, restraining her.

He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. She had trouble controlling her temper these days, and that was not my sister. She’d never tried to get physical with anyone before she went through what she had a year ago. We were all scarred in some way after Brody and Cora did what they had to us, and the scars Magnolia carried inside were just as brutal as the ones she carried on her skin. I worried that one day Bram wouldn’t be there to stop her.

Asher looked up at Bram, ignoring Mags completely. “I haven’t seen one of your kind in a long time, crow. If you ever want to spar with someone your own size, come by the keep.”

Bram said nothing, but Mags’s struggles renewed while she cursed at the warrior.

“Mags,” I said and came around the counter.

Asher looked down at her and chuckled before her gaze slid back to me. “I’ll be outside if you need me.” Then she sauntered out.

“That bitch!” Mags shrieked. “I can’t believe she said that!” She spun to Bram. “I can’t believe she said that to you.”

Bram’s gaze was on the door, following Asher out. Then he looked down at Mags and again said nothing.

“She’s one of Draven’s warriors,” I said to my sister. “By all accounts, one of his best, so taking her on would be a very stupid idea.”

Mags didn’t spare me a glance, her gaze was locked on her best friend. “You want her? Really? I thought you had better taste. If you sleep with that cow, I’ll never speak to you again.”

Bram’s jaw tightened.

“I mean it,” Mags said, breathing heavily, utterly furious.

They stared each other down, the tension so thick it filled the room.

“You done?” he finally said.

“Are you seriously telling me you’re interested in her?” Mags flung an arm toward the door Asher had just walked out.

“I haven’t told you anything,” he said in his deep, yet quiet, voice. “You haven’t let me get a fucking word in.”

Uh-oh.

Mags stilled, staring up at him in shock. Bram never said a harsh word to her, or argued. She’d told me that herself. I’d never seen them like this.

Hurt transformed Mags’s face, and she looked down, then quickly tugged at her sleeve that had ridden up, revealing one of her scars.

The muscle in Bram’s jaw jumped again, then he hooked her around the back of the neck and pulled her against him.

Mags wrapped her arms around his waist. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he said.

But it wasn’t. He wasn’t. Mags couldn’t see it then, but he was far from okay.

Mags finally pulled back and looked up at him. “She’s all wrong for you.” There was a note of desperation in her voice. “You see that, don’t you?”

Bram just nodded.

She smiled, and it was strained as hell, then she looked at me. “We better get going, but you’ll come by the house soon? Everyone misses you,” she said, acting like nothing happened.

“I’ll try,” I said and made a mental note to have a talk with Willow about Mags. She was struggling, and we needed to find a way to help her. Bram shouldn’t have to take the brunt of it.