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Stop with the pity party, Grace. It’s not a good look on you.
I nodded to myself, rounding the corner and stepping into the main residence’s entryway, the last stop before I’d find my muffin fix another hallway down.
“You honestly think I’d welcome you with open arms? Are you out of your fucking mind?” Ransom’s voice took on that predatory tone I’d heard a couple of times when anyone had done anything even remotely dangerous around his pregnant mate, Olivia—you know, like light a candle or wear too much perfume. Most the time the way he protected and cared for her was incredibly romantic, but Olivia was nowhere in sight now.
Instead, a male vampire stood in front of him, one hand holding a black duffle bag, the other shoved into the pocket of a suit that likely cost more than my entire life savings. The sleek navy-blue fabric was cut to his body, showing off tons of carved muscle that was more lithe than bulky. His hair was cut short and was so black it almost looked blue and his dark eyes weresofamiliar.
“Warrick!” Cassandra’s voice echoed from down the opposite hallway, her massive panther prowling behind her as she ran to the male and threw her arms around his neck. He wrapped his free arm around her side, but never took his eyes off Ransom.
Smart of him, because Ransom looked like he wanted to tear his throat out.
“I didn’t think you’d show up here,” Cassandra said, releasing him and switching back to that beautiful severity she normally exuded now that she’d gotten her excitement out of the way.
Fucking Zorins.Ransom’s voice filtered into my mind, and I did my best to block him out, but maintaining my shields was getting harder every day.
Zorin.
Oh, now that made a whole lot of sense. Warrick’s eyes were the same dark brown shade as Cassandra’s, the color of freshly ground espresso. This was her brother.
I chewed on my lip, watching the exchange before finally deciding I’d better just quietly make my way to the muffins—
“I came here to train,” Warrick said. “And to give you this.” He handed a piece of paper to Cassandra, and my feet froze when I recognized the format.
It was another list of targets from the Sons.
“The fuck you’re here for training,” Ransom said. “Your family tried to slaughter my mate—”
“My father,” Warrick cut him off, his jaw going taut. “My being here should prove I wasn’t aligned with his zealous antics. I never have been. And neither has she.” He motioned to Cassandra, who looked up from the list with something close to pity and shame in her eyes. I’ve only gotten pieces of her story, but she’d only ever been kind to me. “That’s a peace offering,” he continued, pointing at the paper in his sister’s hand.
“I don’t give a fuck, Zorin,” Ransom spat. “Cassandra has proven her loyalty to Alek, but you show up unannounced and expect to be welcomed into the assassin fold?”
“No,” Warrick answered, somehow keeping his composure. I’d be terrified if Ransom were directing all that anger at me, but seeing as I was just a spectator at this point, I was okay. “Of course not. I understand it will take time for you and yours to trust me. That’s why I’m here. It never sat right with me what happened between our families, and I’m here to show you what side I stand on.” He raised his hands in an innocent gesture.
Cassandra noticed me then, giving me a soft smile and waving me over. I skirted behind Ransom, going to her side and giving her panther a soft pet between his shoulder blades, his favorite spot. Yes, Ajax had nearly lost his shit when I’d befriended the creature, but could he really blame me? He was just a giant kitty cat who loved to lounge with us girls when we had downtime. And he was sosoft.
Cassandra chuckled, shaking her head. “I’m shocked he likes you so much,” she said. “No offense intended,” she hurried to add. “He’s normally more standoffish with people, especially humans.”
“Maybe it’s because he knows I’m dying and is offering me comfort, like a giant support animal.” I kept stroking him, arching a brow at Ransom, who was still standing there surveying Warrick.
I really hoped they weren’t about to brawl. This family didn’t need any more internal conflict. The small spat between the assassins and the hunters earlier was enough proof that the war, the attacks, and everything that went with it was stretching them all too thin. And as much as I loved Alek and his family, I was firmly in Team Hunter mode, so it would be so much easier on me if they sorted their shit out. Throwing this into the mix? Probably not good for morale.
“Grace,” Ransom said my name so softly I thought it was inside my head for a second. But he looked right at me with an apologetic yet pleading glance. “Do you think you could…”
“Pop into his mind and tell me if he’s planning to slit all our throats while we sleep?”he asked silently.
I gave him a subtle nod, never stopping from my panther pets, and reached out with my power. God, it felt good to not be treated like glass for five seconds, and I couldn’t help but love Ransom a little for the respect in his request. I couldn’t fault Ajax for his protectiveness though, knowing I’d be acting the same way if it were his life on the line.
Stretching out with my gift, I lifted the shield I’d placed around my mind, just like Alek taught me. I directed my power at Warrick, imagining a fluttering black satin ribbon weaving its way over and into Warrick’s temple—
I just want to be with my sister. I want to be an assassin and actually do good for once instead of being surrounded by wealthy monsters who want to rule the world. But if you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to tear your arms off and beat you with them.
I flinched a little at the last stream of consciousness from Warrick. The first thoughts felt genuine, but deciphering intention behind private thoughts was a bitch. Alek and I had discussed it in length. There were countless times someone could think about killing someone or hurting them without ever having any real intention of doing so, and that made it incredibly hard to take thought as truth.
Plus, I didn’t know Warrick at all. He was a complete stranger who could very well follow through on his threats just as easily as he could have good intentions. Damn it, I wished I had centuries to hone this gift like Alek had.
A pang of grief hit me square in the chest, but I forced myself to focus.
“Fifty-fifty,”I finally spoke into Ransom’s mind.“He wants to be here and has no immediate plan to kill us all, but he’s not carrying a banner for you at the moment. That could just be because you’ve been yelling at him since he walked in though.”
