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It’s a confession that curls heat through my veins, a dangerous spark igniting in the space between us. But now’s not the time or place, so I let it hang there, charged and alive, as we walk away.
So…we’re staying.
And it looks like Gunnar and Oberon will have to wait for their queen to come home to Pacific City.
Chapter eight
Gunnar
This house isn’t mine.
Sure, it was written into my father’s will as mine—as the place where I could go to hunker down if needed, to make plans and deals to survive—but it belongs to a life that never suited me. My dad envisioned a different future for me at Vance Solace’s side, not locked away like a dirty secret.
It feels like this is all a charade.
It makes me sick.
I stride down the hall of the small house on the edge of Celestial Hills, searching for Oberon. He’s been my sole companion this whole time, the two of us united in our desire to find Aisling and punish Vance for letting her go. Tonight, he’s banging a hammer on something in the rundown living room, like he’s trying to make a home.
It’s all a joke, isn’t it?
“What the hell are you doing?” I ask, leaning against the threshold to the hallway. He glances over his shoulder, dark hair curly and unkempt. Before, he always kept his head shaved, but he hasn’t bothered since she’s been gone.
We both look like a mess.
Unraveled.
“Trying to get this place cleaned up,” he mutters.
“Doesn’t matter. It’s temporary.” I cross my arms. “We need to talk.”
He nods, slow and deliberate, his eyes locked on mine as he puts down the hammer. “About Vance?”
“Right.” I pull a chair across the splintered wooden floor and sit, facing him as he slumps to a seat on the couch. The room’s thick with the scent of old smoke and lost dreams.
A fitting place for plotting a coup.
“Vance has got the Angels eating out of his hand, but he’s sloppy,” I start. “Thinks he’s untouchable.”
Oberon smirks, and it’s like looking at a shark that’s caught the scent of blood. “And you want to touch him. Make him bleed.”
“Exactly.” I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “Roman’s been working some angles, getting intel. We know who’s loyal, who’s not, and who’s sitting on the fence waiting for a push. The support’s there, just needs someone to rally it. Someone not Vance.”
“Someone like you,” Oberon says, his voice low.
“I’ve been thinking about the omegas under Eclipse rule,” I say, ignoring the compliment. “They’re the key. Vance underestimates them, thinks they’re just chess pieces.”
“Chess pieces with teeth,” Oberon says. “After Aisling, he should know better.”
“Yeah, well, we give those teeth something to bite into.” I stand up, restless energy coursing through me. “We show the omegas—and the alphas who love them—what real power looks like, get them on our side. And Nero…he’s a wild card, but we’re both the younger brothers of powerful men. Might be something there.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Oberon agrees. “But plans are only as good as their execution. You ready to get your hands dirty?”
“Been dirty since the day I was born,” I reply, the truth of it curling in my gut. I’m still coming to terms with the reality of my lineage, and I wanted to do that with Aisling. But now she’s gone, and I’m…
…fuck, I’m lost.
“Let’s do this,” I mutter, not sure if I really mean it as I get up.
