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Chapter Seven
Kelsey
I was still thinking about Casey and Liv hours later as the moon slipped under the horizon and the stars became the only light to see by out in the wild. I’d been told the moon would rise again in a few hours and this was the moonlight kingdom’s version of night. I stood on the balcony, the velvety darkness all around me.
Inside the suite Gray had shown me to, there was soft candlelight filling the space thanks to magical candles I’d been informed were made in the village beyond the woods.
The evening had been spent with Tix telling me everything I needed to know to be an informed lady of the manor, and none of his words penetrating my brain.
What was Casey doing? He was going to push Liv over the edge.
And a voice inside me insisted that might be exactly what she needed.
I rather thought that idea came from my wolf. She often thinks more clearly than I do in times of crisis. And sometimes she’s a ruthless bitch, but I’ve come to appreciate that part of myself.
“Are you all right?” Gray moved in behind me, his hands on my shoulders. “You didn’t clear out the kitchens when they served dinner, so I’m worried.”
Dinner had been excellent, but it was hard when the dinner party had been just me and Gray and Evan, who I swear is hiding something. I didn’t know what, but I’d spent enough time with the princess to know when she’s holding back. She hadn’t eaten much either. Liv had refused to leave her room. I was fairly certain I heard her moving heavy objects in front of her door to keep Casey out. Lee had claimed he needed to watch over Dean. Casey was busy studying up on our predator, and Fen and Trent had still been hunting.
All in all, it wasn’t the family dinner I’d envisioned.
I could lose Liv, and having to face that fact made me sick inside.
“Sorry. I was thinking.”
“About Liv?” Gray asked.
“Yes.” I sighed and turned, wrapping my arms around him and breathing him in. “It might have been a mistake to bring her here.”
What I wasn’t saying was it might have been a mistake to bring her anywhere at all. It might have been a mistake to not kill her.
“I don’t think so. I think she’s exactly where she needs to be. She came when she heard you were in trouble,” Gray pointed out.
“And then complained about everything I did,” I noted. But he was right. She’d come running at my girly screams that had way more to do with nasty drool than the teeth that had threatened to take my throat out.
“Yeah, baby, you need to remember how your missions used to go. In this case, despite the fact that you’ve only been gone for a couple of days, and I haven’t hung with Liv in twelve years, I can tell you the interaction between the two of you this evening was far more normal than anything I’ve seen up to this point.”
We’d had some snark between us, and as two stubborn, know-what-we-want women, we’d butted heads more than once. Hell, there had been a good half year when I didn’t speak to her because I was pissed off. I’d forgiven her because I’d believed she’d genuinely had my best interest at heart.
How did I forgive her for this? We do strange things when we’re grieving, when we’re in pain. Her whole world had upended, and Liv had never faced that before.
She had looked worried. And now I was worried about Casey’s hard-core approach. “What if Casey pushes her back over the edge?”
“Do you want me to ask Casey to leave?” Gray took a deep breath and his lips kicked up. “Trent’s back.”
I heard the outer doors open, and then my glorious wolf was walking through the bedroom toward the balcony.
“What’s up? Why would you ask Casey to leave? Pretty sure we can use him. He’s the best researcher here. If anyone can figure out how to handle the upcoming heist, it’s Casey. I worry Lee will go for it without thinking, and his vampiric life will be short and not so sweet. He’s also looking into who we should talk to about finding Liv’s soul.” Trent had excellent hearing. He’d obviously stopped somewhere and taken a shower since his hair was still damp. He’d put his jeans back on, but his gorgeous chest was on full display.
My Boston boy was a perfect example of glorious wolfy masculinity. His brown and gold hair had just the right amount of curl and framed a face that I adored. Gray was male-model beauty. He could grace magazine covers, but Trent looked like he belonged out in nature, chopping wood with his big muscular arms.
Gray turned and leaned against the stone banister that ran around the balcony. “You missed so much fun stuff tonight. Casey announced that Liv is his wife, and he expects me to follow all vampire law concerning her.”
Trent’s eyes went wide. “You’re shitting me.”
I wished. “He’s not. It was a whole thing. He also claims that his commands concerning Liv supersede mine as the king’s sheriff.”
Trent frowned, seeming to think that one over. “Liv’s committed crimes. We could make a case that she’s under your jurisdiction. But why would he do that? Casey’s been reasonable when it comes to Liv. He’s never denied what she’s done. At least not in the last couple of years. We were gone in the beginning. I know Henri had to stop him from trying to meet with her.”
