Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Rynn
“Let’s give it another five minutes.” Bastian’s gaze remained locked on the sprawling stronghold beneath the ridge we stood on, the treeline to our backs.
Smoke was already swirling through the darkening sky, courtesy of the bonfires being started.
The Dragomir stronghold was an unusual one in that the main castle took up less than half of the space within the perimeter walls.
There were a few other buildings, but most of the space was open, allowing them to grow some crops inside and also host large celebrations.
The spring and summer equinox events in particular had reputations for getting rowdy. We’d have to socialize for the first hour or two, but then Bastian would be able to cover for me while I slunk away to look for the Unseelie crest.
Although something told me I’d have a shadow for that. I glanced at Warrick, who was standing a few feet away and casually twirling a dagger. He met my stare, and the blade spun a little faster.
Prick.
I couldn’t believe he’d fucking stabbed me.
Or that I’d been foolish enough not to be aware of my surroundings.
When I’d woken up the morning after the attack, Warrick had been leaning against the balcony railing.
“I’m going with you and Bas. We leave in one hour,” he’d said and then had started to walk inside, only to stop when Selene had cleared her throat from the doorway.
“I might have been a bit hasty in my actions last night. Next time I stab you, I’ll make sure you deserve it first.”
After that, he’d left and taken Selene with him, mumbling something about kitchen rules.
The whole encounter had been odd, and I hadn’t had a chance to ask Selene about it because Bastian had collected me shortly after that. It’d hurt to leave Ryker behind, but he was still unconscious, although his breathing had been even and the wounds had looked a lot better.
Cade had been waiting for us at the main gate and apologized for how the previous night had played out.
At that point, I’d been a little paranoid that Bastian was taking me outside to bury me in a shallow grave.
I might have said as much out loud, only to be reassured by Warrick that they wouldn’t have bothered burying my corpse.
Who needs enemies when you have fake packmates like that?
Selene had come rushing out of the main castle to pull me aside, but Cade had stopped her, saying something about Bastian handling it.
What Bastian was supposed to handle, I still had no idea two days later because we’d barely spoken.
Last night, we’d stayed at an inn, and he’d immediately announced that I could have the bed and he’d sleep on the floor. Warrick claimed a chair in the corner and proceeded to stare at me while twirling his dagger the same way he was now.
I was fairly certain none of us had truly slept the whole night.
Which probably explained why we were all so cranky. Warrick and I had been trading barbed comments for the better part of two hours. Bastian had ignored us, all while he’d grown noticeably tenser and tenser.
“Are you two going to play nice in there?” Bastian asked mildly. “If you get into a brawl, it’s going to make it harder for you to sneak off.”
“Just keep him out of my way,” I said evenly. “And maybe stop him from stabbing anyone and getting us thrown out before I’ve gotten what I need.”
“And what is that exactly?” Warrick slid his dagger back into the sheath on his thigh.
I gave him a cool look. “The answer to all our problems.”
“Doubtful,” he said dismissively.
“How’s your search going in the mountains?” A smirk curved on my lips. “Have you gotten any closer to finding whatever it is you’ve been looking for?”
Bas snorted. “Doubtful.” Echoing Warrick’s words.
Annoyance flashed across Warrick’s face, but when he noticed me staring, his expression went carefully blank.
I rolled my eyes and looked away. While it’d mostly been Warrick and me verbally sparring, he and Bas had their own little tiff going.
I was now absolutely certain they were an item.
Or had been an item. Honestly, it was hard to tell.
I was mostly impressed they’d managed to hide it from me when I’d first arrived at the Alpha stronghold, because clearly there was a lot of history there.
But not my hive, not my bees as Samara’s gardener friend used to say when gleefully regaling us with all the drama she’d recently overheard.
Although it was oddly comforting to know I wasn’t the only one with confusing and dysfunctional relationships amongst the Alphas.
The sun sank a little lower in the horizon, turning the sky a vivid dark orange. We needed to get moving. I had no interest in being out again at night.
“I’ll behave,” I told Bastian before sliding a glance to Warrick. “We’ll behave. Because we all have our parts to play, right?”
And as far as the rest of the Velesian realm was concerned, the Alpha pack was unbreakable.
Warrick’s golden-brown eyes stayed fixed on me. “We do.”
“Well, then.” I forced myself not to dwell on the many ways this could go wrong and stepped towards him, my hand extended. “Let the games begin.”
A second ticked by, and I thought maybe Warrick wouldn’t take my hand—or he’d cut it off before touching me. But then he smiled, and his expression just . . . changed. My heart skipped a beat as I realized Warrick was hot. Like insanely hot.
Some part of me had always known that, but it was overshadowed by the side of me screaming, Oh my gods, he’s going to murder us! Run!
Warrick’s warm hand slid into mine, our fingers intertwining. My breath caught as my mind struggled to process what was happening. He was voluntarily touching me.
This had to be a trap. Was I about to die?
“Breathe, Princess.” Another hand grasped the one Warrick wasn’t holding. Bastian chuckled in my ear. “It’s almost like you’ve never been between two gorgeous men before.”
A sharp laugh exhaled from my lips. “There’s something so wrong with you, Bas,” I choked out, even as I felt myself blush like crazy.
“There she is.” Bastian chuckled.
For a moment, all the complex emotions between us vanished, and I was just amused at his antics. I realized I’d missed that. His ability to say something so ridiculously crass yet funny at just the right moment.
“Why is she turning red?” Warrick asked in a confused tone. “I didn’t stab her this time, I swear.”
Bastian started down the path to the Dragomir stronghold and pulled me with him. My fingers automatically tightened around Warrick’s hand, tugging him along for the ride.
“You probably haven’t noticed this about our dear Rynn, since you’re normally debating the best way to cut her into tiny pieces when you’re in her company, but our Princess is quite the blusher,” Bastian explained cheerfully.
“Let me tell you about the time I made her almost pass out over dinner at a tavern by recounting a story . . .”
Ten minutes later, we were at the main gates of the Dragomir stronghold, and I had reached an entirely new shade of red. Something about Bas reciting all these crude tales in front of Warrick made it even worse, especially since neither of them had let go of my hands.
The warmth of their skin against mine while the cool spring air brushed my burning cheeks was too much. I was in sensory overload, and I very much wanted to retreat to my quiet library at home.
Not home for much longer. The thought helped ground me and remind me of my mission here. We were all just pretending. Warrick would’ve never voluntarily held my hand like this, and Bastian . . . I needed to stop trying to understand his motives.
I plastered a shy smile on my face to go with my blushed cheeks. The guards stared at us wide-eyed from the other side of the gate.
“A-alphas,” one of them stammered. “Are you here for the celebration?”
“No, we’re here to examine the construction of the new scout barracks,” Warrick answered.
The two guards glanced at each other, panic clearly written on their faces.
“He’s kidding, my friends.” Bastian gave them a dazzling smile. “We’re here for the party. Would you mind letting us in before we become some monster’s meal?”
“Of course!” Both guards sprung forward at the same time, nearly running into each other before catching themselves. The one on the right with shaggy blond hair stood back and gave me a sheepish grin while the other opened the gate.
“Thank you both.” Bastian strode through the gate, tugging me and therefore Warrick after him. “I hope to see you both at the festivities later.”
“You will!” the one who’d opened the gate called after us.
My heart started to beat faster with excitement as we walked through the stronghold full of Velesians, who had clearly started the party early based on their flushed faces and swaying bodies.
Tonight I might find a significant piece of the puzzle I needed to free myself of the Alpha pack.
That in itself was exciting, but really, I just loved that I almost had an answer I’d been searching for after all this time.
My face was going to hurt from all the smiling I’d be doing over the next couple of hours, but it’d be worth it.
Hopefully.
We made our way deeper into the stronghold, to where multiple bonfires were burning and hundreds of Velesians were gathered. People were already dancing, and I could smell meat cooking over open flames. At least a few hunting parties had been successful then. Even more reason for celebration.
“Rynn!” someone called out, and then I was torn away from Bastian and Warrick. Both of them let out deep growls, which I’m sure were just for show.
A familiar scent wrapped around me.
“Remy.” I laughed. “Put me down.”
He spun me around several more times before settling me on my feet. “You should have told me you were coming,” he chided before flicking me on the nose. “I would have met you at the gate.”
Translation: he would have made sure Alexis couldn’t have gotten to me.