Chapter Four #4
Bastien was tempted to sneak out and try on his own, even though he knew it would probably end in his death.
The Parrish he’d been introduced to was nothing like the real Parrish, the one he would have to face.
He’d heard stories, but that wasn’t what scared him.
No, what scared him was the fact that Parrish wasn’t working alone.
He was a powerful Kudlak, and he didn’t need minions, as Dermot called them, but of course he had them.
He used people. If he could avoid getting his hands dirty, he wouldn’t hesitate to send someone else in to fight for him.
Now that he had Celeste back, he would make sure that he didn’t lose her again.
He would be extremely careful, and Bastien didn’t think there was any way around that, especially not on his own.
That meant waiting for the council and the pride to make their move, and for now, that move was to send in spies.
They wanted numbers. If they could, they wanted names.
They wanted to know exactly where Parrish was and what he was up to.
It made sense, and it would help prepare everyone for what they had to face, but the thought of how much time they were wasting made Bastien feel panicked.
He didn’t think that Parrish would kill Celeste—she was too useful to him—but that didn’t mean he couldn’t hurt her.
Hell, knowing him, he would make sure she knew how unhappy he was with what she’d done.
He would also ensure that she could never leave again, and Bastien wasn’t sure he could find a way around that.
Someone dropped a plate on the table between him and Dermot, startling him. He looked up and blinked at Clay, who grinned. “Have some pizza.”
Bastien looked down at the pizza. There were too many pieces for the plate to be just for him, which meant Clay intended for him and Dermot to share it.
He seemed unapologetic about it, too. He winked and stepped away, and Bastien half expected him to say something, but he went straight back to his mate, who was on the phone and nodding.
“Ignore them,” Dermot said as he picked up a slice of what looked like pepperoni pizza. “They like to be involved even though they really shouldn’t be.”
“What are they trying to be involved in?”
“Us. Remember what Rowan said when we first got here earlier? He thought we were here to tell them about us.”
Bastien had mainly been thinking about Celeste since then, but he did remember Rowan’s words. “Do they know we’re mates?”
“I certainly haven’t told them.”
“Then why did they think something was happening between us?”
“Probably because we’re not discreet. I spend quite a bit of time with Clay, and they noticed I was avoiding you. They probably also noticed how grumpy I became every time you were mentioned.”
That made Bastien smile. “Did you?”
“You don’t have to sound so amused. I didn’t know what to do about you. I still don’t.”
Right. Finding Celeste was Bastien’s main focus, but it wasn’t his only problem.
He also had to figure out whatever was happening with Dermot.
At least now that he knew part of Dermot’s story, he understood better why his mate was so prickly with him.
He was protecting himself. The people he’d trusted had betrayed him, and he didn’t want to go through that again.
It was understandable, and while Bastien wanted to point out that none of those people had been Dermot’s mate, he didn’t feel like he could.
Dermot wasn’t na?ve, and he had an example of how being mates didn’t have to mean something right in front of him.
Parrish didn’t care about Celeste and her well-being.
He certainly didn’t care about her happiness.
He only cared about himself and what she brought to him, and who was to say that Bastien wouldn’t be the same way with Dermot?
Bastien could argue about it and make promises as much as he wanted.
As long as Dermot didn’t feel like he could trust him, he wouldn’t.
Bastien didn’t know how long that would take, but that was okay.
He needed to focus on Celeste first, anyway.
“Your family is very close, isn’t it?” Dermot asked.
Bastien was surprised that Dermot wanted to know, although maybe he shouldn’t be.
Dermot had apologized. He’d told him about his past. It was clear he was reaching out, and any other day, that would’ve made Bastien happy.
It still did, it was just hard to think around the fear and worry about his sister.
“We are,” he said. “We were all worried when Celeste and Parrish disappeared. We didn’t want to think that we’d made a mistake, but we knew we had.
It’s not like we could’ve stopped her, though.
She’s an adult, and he’s her mate. I’m sure that Parrish would have used the law to his advantage if we’d tried anything.
We could only hope that, eventually, she would reach out to us. ”
“But Rowan was the one who did so.”
“It wasn’t the best way to learn about my sister and what happened to her, but she’s alive.
” Bastien hadn’t allowed himself to think that she might not be, but sometimes, he’d wondered.
It wasn’t surprising that Parrish had found a way to use Celeste.
Actually, he would have been surprised if he hadn’t.
The man might be an asshole, but he was a smart asshole.
But Bastien wasn’t facing him alone. He might not be enough to take down Parrish, but along with Dermot, Rowan, and the others?
He was sure they could make it happen. Hopefully, Parrish wouldn’t do something stupid to Celeste in the meantime.
If he did, Bastien would ensure that his death was painful.
Hell, he might do that anyway, just because of how Parrish had treated Celeste all this time.