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“Do you need me to come with you?” Griffin asked, standing.
“No, I can handle it. I’ll see you in the morning.” Morgan waved as she left.
“And then there were three…” Griffin walked to the kitchen again and grabbed three larger glasses from the cabinet. He poured bourbon into each and took a long swig from his.
Silence filled the room. The bourbon warmed my skin and the pain receded slowly. I took a deep sip and enjoyed the liquid as it chased the hurt away.
“Tell me about your pack, Griffin. Why do they torture?”
He stopped mid sip and looked at me hard. Cassian glanced at him but didn’t say anything, he wanted to know too.
“I’m not asking to cause trouble or tension. I just want to know.”
He cleared his throat. “I don’t know why. It’s been that way since I was born, before even. I think it started as a way to deal with the pain of changing. In the beginning, they only targeted witches. Probably to take revenge for the curse, but now it’s a game. There are no rules or limits to the torture, except that they have to be discreet.”
“What about the women though, the pups? Surely they don’t agree with it?” Cassian asked.
Griffin shrugged, “No one has ever spoken against it. Most of the women learned to enjoy it, and those that didn’t stuck with the mundane tasks; cooking, cleaning, raising pups.”
“What about your mom?” I asked gently and his face blanched.
“She died right after I was born. I think that’s when Victor started hating me.” He took another swig and swirled the amber liquid in his glass. “I don’t know if she was one of them. Kellan on the other hand, he just wanted to suck up to Victor, to show him that he can take his place when the time comes.”
Cassian shifted. “Why didn’t you say anything when we were…”
“Friends? I was young and Victor threatened to skin me alive if I told anyone. Kellan was more than happy to make that threat reality. They knew I didn’t like it.”
So they had been friends. Clearly it had ended badly. “Why did you stop being friends?” I asked Cassian.
He looked at his hands, his brows knitted. “I don’t really want to talk about it. Bottom line, I don’t trust him. He broke his word, people got hurt, then he disappeared.” Cassian took a long drink. “This… partnership is to keep you safe, keep my pack safe.”
Griffin glared at him for a while, but didn’t say anything. His knuckles were white as he held his glass.
I drank the last of the bourbon in my glass, poured another and looked between the two. “Can I see you change?” I asked in an attempt to ease the tension.
Two heads whipped in my direction. “Your boyfriend might not approve, but sure.” Griffin started yanking his shirt off and my eyes widened.
“Not like that! I meant the werewolf change, asshole.”
Cassian smirked while Griffin pulled his shirt down again. “I don’t think you’re ready yet, Em. Maybe some other time.”
It couldn’t be that bad, could it? “I’ve watched movies, I can handle it.”
This time they both laughed, loudly. “It’s nothing like that, Princess. You’ll have nightmares for weeks,” Griffin said.
I already had nightmares, all the time…
