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Make that I’d have to punch myselfrepeatedlyin the face.
“Mind your own da—rned business, Pup.” I grimaced at the effort not to curse around such impressionable ears always required. Last thing I needed was Maddox’s perfectionist wife to give me shit if one of the girls used a four-letter word around her.
Same story different verse.
Connor’s smirk only grew, but he wisely turned his focus back to our nieces. “Hey girls, look! We’re pulling up to your Gramps and Gram’s place.”
That had the little chatterboxes bouncing on the seat where they sat between us, easily distracted. Thank shadows. I had too little patience to keep biting off my words tonight. And the sooner we got these two tucked in safely with their mother’s parents and the incoming Beacons, the quicker we could get back where we belonged—by the side of our big brother so we could help protect our Packleader from the assholes conspiring against him.
And if I were honest with myself for once, the quicker we could make sure none of those fuckers laid a goddamned finger on our once and hopefully future woman...
* * *
Ava
Two additional heated gazes roamed across my body as I stepped into the formal ballroom while clinging to Shea’s arm—purely to maintain appearances and in no way because I wanted to,that’s my story and I’m sticking to it—but these reeked of fury rather than desire.
I met Kayleigh’s angry eyes with a calm smile and blew her a kiss. Something that undoubtedly had her cursing a blue streak internally like my grandmother was the one usually doing. Much like the Sheridan matriarch, however, Kayleigh would nevershowthat in public beyond the anger flashing in her eyes and her tightened lips.
“If looks could kill, we’d both be buried six feet deep right about now,” Shea remarked in my ear. A quick glance at Maddox’s equally tight-lipped expression confirmed the truth of Shea’s words.
My lips twitched, but I held back the laughter threatening to escape. No sense in enraging our loved ones—who very much outranked us—any more than we already had. I let my gaze roam across the crowded room, marveling at the fact Kayleigh somehow seemed to outdo herself in decorating prowess with each new formal affair. She’d minored in interior design—having convinced our grandmother it would serve her well as a hostess—and it showed.
Tonight’s theme centered on the fact that spring had sprung just a few weeks ago. Gorgeous floral arrangements cascaded from every conceivable nook and cranny, a riot of colors echoed in the elegant finery worn by the guests who conversed at the edges of the room and twirled around the dance floor in time to the live band’s instrumental music.
My lips couldn’t help but twist again when I realized I was the only woman wearing black.Guess they forgot to send me the color palette memo.Ironic given the fact most of my wardrobe looked like a unicorn threw up on it.
Shea cleared his throat, nodding to the dance floor now inches away after I quirked a brow. I hadn’t realized he’d been herding me with an actual purpose. One that had nerves rampaging inside my stomach when I thought back to that New Year’s Eve ball that had begun very similarly—spinning around this room with his arms around me before his brothers claimed turns of their own—and had ended with all four of us performing an even more ancient dance between the sheets.
Warmth flooded my cheeks, but I forced myself to place my hand in his as he wrapped his other arm around me and led us in a glide among dozens of other well-dressed couples. No matterwhata bad idea it was to let myself be drawn into such close proximity with him again.
Get a grip. It’s just one dance! Now pay attention to what you’re here to do—protect your sister!
My gaze flashed to the side of the ballroom where Kayleigh and her husband stood conversing with several city officials. I expanded my view outward, unsurprised to note three times the amount of security forces than would normally be at one of these events. Some I only identified as security because I personally knew the Shadow Wolves in question. Others I recognized as Spellbinders who hired out their services to Shifter packs.
Whatdidsurprise me was when I recognized a few Solar Shifter mercenaries dressed in tuxes and gowns that did little to disguise their deadly focus.
My brows shot straight up at that. Shadow Shiftersrarelyworked with Solar Shifters willingly. Hell, they rarely evenlivedin the same cities. Mostly because they stood at diametric ends of the magical spectrum, one owing their supernatural abilities to Shadow energy tied to the moon and the other to Solar energy tied to the sun. Shadow Shifters tended to take the shapes of large predators like wolves, bears, and big cats whereas Solar Shifters usually changed into birds of prey or smaller predators. If Maddox had agreed to hire them on to augment his own security forces tonight…
Shit. They reallydoexpect all hell to break loose again.
For a moment, I felt a pang of guilt that I hadn’t followed the spirit of Kayleigh’s spellbound order. What if the assassins struck out against their children instead of them directly? But then I reminded myself of all the precautions we had taken to ensure their safety. Right now, it seemed a pretty sure bet that my sister would need me tonight more than my nieces. Never mind the fact that part of my duty as Understudy was to serve in Kayleigh’s stead should something happen to her.
Nothing’s going to happen to her. Not on my watch.
Jeez. Now I was sounding every bit as arrogant as our grandmother. As if I could order the world according to my wishes.
Andthatwas a thought best left for another time. Instead, I began to focus on the conversations ebbing and flowing around us, tapping into Shadow energy to use the enhanced hearing that came with my own wolf form. Pleasure pulsed inside when I realized that my—our—PR campaign seemed to be having the effect we hoped. Most of those within earshot were saying positive things about St. Louis’s Packleader and his three successors.
Shea leaned down to murmur in my ear, “You’re in no small part to thank for the goodwill spreading across the city.”
It was easy not to flush this time since his praise so closely mirrored my own thoughts. I’d worked my ass off to achieve those results. They couldn’t be tied to magical or physical genetics that I had no control over. This was the product of years of study as a Communications major and long hours working overtime.
I gave a saucy grin and winked. “I’m glad you recognize that fact, Mr. Donnelly. This will likely be the most public acknowledgment I get for all the effort I put into gaining that goodwill.”
He laughed softly and began maneuvering us toward a refreshment table on the opposite side of the dance floor from Kayleigh and Maddox.
It was only when he placed a hand upon the small of my back that I realized how thirsty I had become. Dancing and worrying up a storm took a lot out of a girl. And so what if I leaned into Shea’s searing touch more than planned? That couldalsobe blamed on the past half-hour of exertion on the dance floor.
