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I’m sure Jakob would say anything to get to me. And I don’t think he’d be above sending his own brother for me either.
“I think this is a trap,” I say aloud, wanting to put the words out there between us.
Kristoffer darts his eyes between mine as if looking for any opening to convince me otherwise. He won’t find one. “Fuck!” He turns and smacks a hand against the side of the cabin. I jump at the sound, but I don’t let it distract me.
The split second of his attention being off of me is the opening I’m looking for. I turn and bolt, throwing Sailor’s instructions to me right out the door and heading straight across the path to Willem’s cabin. I tuck the heart stones to my chest as I run, cradling them to keep from dropping them in my haste to escape. My heart races and my breath quickens in my chest at my frantic exertion, the weight of the warm stones pressing against me only adding to the muddled thoughts in my head.
The door to the cabin is unlocked when I fumble the handle to let myself in. I’m still clutching my heart stones for dear life as I slam the door shut behind me and flip the lock. My heart feels trapped in my throat as I lean back against the door.
Adrenaline fades, leaving behind only fear, and I slide to the ground, setting the heart stones next to me so I can wrap my arms around my knees. Every day, this situation turns into more of a mess. There’s only so much a person can reasonably take, and I feel like I’m on the edge of a breakdown.
A gentle pair of arms wraps around me, and I lean into the comfort.This,these soft moments with my men, is the only thing keeping me together.
TWENTY-FOUR
QUINN
“Did Sailor do something?” Willem asks, his harsh tone at odds with the gentle way he holds me, one hand stroking the back of my head.
“No.” Sailor was great. He was still rough around all of his edges, but after that, I was more than confident that he was going to fit in with our group just fine. “Jakob is here.”
“Again?” Willem groans and tries to pull away. I grab hold of his shirt to keep him with me, needing the calming presence he offers. It doesn’t hurt that I can hide my panic against the warmth of his T-shirt. I don’t know how to explain what the heck happened out there without going fully over the edge.
“That’s not at all,” I whisper, trying to come to terms with the fact that he has to know. They all have to know. But how can I tell them there’s yetanotherman who feels like he has a claim to me? Even worse, he’s the brother of Public Enemy Number One.
Willem nudges my chin, and I only resist for a second before allowing him to tip my head back so we’re looking each other in the eyes. Worry reflects back at me, and my hands tighten in the material of his shirt. “What else?”
Before I can answer, the sound of someone jiggling the door handle interrupts us, and my heart slams against my ribcage. It’s followed by a thump, and I swear the poor, overworked organ is going to fully give out before this is over. I swallow around the hard lump in my throat, but relief washes over me when Mason’s panicked voice calls, “Quinn, open the door.”
Willem helps me up, wrapping me in a quick, tight hug before stooping to pick up the stones and put them in my hands. He shuffles me out of the way so he can unlock the door for the other guys. Mason rushes in first, followed by Ian. The panic in Mason’s voice is reflected in both of their eyes, and each brother frets over me, hands running over my arms and face as I do my best to not shake their attention away.
Sailor is just behind them, but he hovers on the threshold of the doorway, looking back as if to make sure no one else is coming. I take a half step forward, out of the range of the twins’ fretting hands. I offer them a tight smile before turning my attention back to the dark, imposing figure in the doorway.
“There’s someone else,” I belatedly answer Willem’s question. I need Sailor to know he’s not looking for nothing. He tenses, bracing his hands against the doorway.
“What the fuck does that mean?” he asks through clenched teeth. I stand on my tiptoes to glance over his shoulder, but he fills the entire space, and I try not to let my own panic settle back in. I’m as safe here with all of them as I am anywhere, and I have to trust that.
I blow out a long breath, dropping my eyes to stare at the heather-gray T-shirt stretching over his golden muscles. I can’t stand the thought of disappointing him, or any of them really, and I don’t need to see it in his eyes. “I ran into a man coming back to the cabin. I thought it was Jakob at first because of the smell, but it wasn’t. It was his brother.”
“What is this? A fucking daytime soap opera?” Sailor smacks the doorway and paces into the house before returning to the doorway to glance out again, shoulders tense.
“If Jakob sent his brother into neutral territory after you, then we can call the Sovereign Pack,” Mason suggests, hope replacing the panic in his voice. I don’t have the heart to immediately shoot him down, so he continues, “They’re the ones in charge of enforcing the neutrality, and they can sanction Jakob and the Red Ash Pack over his actions.”
“There’s only one problem,” I say quietly. I consider moving into the living room to drop the heart stones on the coffee table, but the warmth of them is more comforting despite the circumstances, so I hold onto them. I hesitate before taking a step back and looking up.
They all stare at me expectantly.You’re the one who wanted honesty, remember?my wolf helpfully reminds me. Not for the first time, I find myself wishing she could be a little more sympathetic in situations like this.
“I don’t think Jakob’s the reason Kristoffer came looking for me,” I admit quietly as I drop my eyes to the floor. I can’t stand the thought of seeing betrayal in any of their eyes. I think it would fully break me if any of them were angry about something I have absolutely no control over.
It’s silent for so long that I nervously shift my weight from one foot to the other while I try to think of how to continue. A pin dropping a state away could be heard in the thick silence of the cabin. I glance up to make sure they haven’t left me after putting two and two together, but they are all standing there, confusion marring their faces. After another too-long moment, Sailor straightens in the doorway and releases a harsh, “No.”
“No, what?” Ian asks, his head moving between Sailor and I.
“Look.” Sailor points at my arms.
I follow his point and feel my face pale when I realize the heart stones have begun to glow as we discuss my run-in with Kristoffer. I am so beyond the ability to think clearly about any of this, especially with my wolf insistently telling me over and over again that I have another mate to bring to our cabin. I stand, mute in the middle of the room as their eyes all drop to the stones.
“And did you hear the way she said his name?” Sailor continues as if I’m not even standing here. The blatant annoyance in his tone irks my nerves, pulling me out of my stupor. But as I open my mouth to protest, he barrels on, “I already know what she’s about to say, and I don’t like it. How many mate bonds can one shifter possibly feel?”
