Chapter 10
Basir
Gracie’s hand tightened in mine as we hit a bump in the road, our SUV kicking up dust in every direction.
We’d only been in the car twenty minutes and already the oppressive heat bleeding through the glass was putting me on edge. The Blazefur Pride territory was one I’d avoided traveling to. Unfortunately, we didn’t have much choice now.
Gracie let out a small yawn beside me, and my gaze snapped down to her, concern tightening in my chest. Was she tired? Clearly. I’d thought she’d slept well last night, but maybe there was something I’d missed.
“Glow?”
Her gaze lifted to mine, a shy smile tugging at her lips. “I’m just tired. It’s been an eventful day.”
A low rumble caught in my throat as I realized what she was alluding to. The moment between us had been equal parts blessing and curse. I would never regret touching her, kissing her—tasting her—especially now with her sitting closer than ever, her head resting against my shoulder.
But I also would never be able to forget it, no matter how hard I tried. The image of her coming apart on top of me. The soft sound of my name on her lips. Even after the way I’d spoken to her…or maybe because of it.
Even with her curled against me, I worried it had been too much.
Too intense. Too dark. Too possessive.
I existed in a state of control, and with Gracie that unraveled far too easily. I would always give her what she asked for. I couldn’t deny her anything.
But how close I’d come to taking more than she offered…that was what sat heavy in my chest. Gracie deserved better.
“Is that where we’re headed?” Ravik’s brother asked.
In the distance, beyond the sparse desert growth stood a sand-colored stone city surrounded by a massive, fortress-like wall.
“We haven’t received permission to enter the inner city, and with no response from Alpha Chace, the most we can do is make ourselves known by staying at a prominent hotel right outside the city,” Ravik said. “There is very little chance he doesn’t already know we’re here, considering we flew in.”
“Why do we need permission? Why the wall?” Gracie asked.
“No idea, but the Blazefur Pride is extremely private, and the city perimeters are heavily guarded with patrols. They don’t just let anyone in,” Elowen explained from the back row next to Thornar.
“My theory is resources,” Thornar said. “Which is why everyone outside of the city tries to move as close as possible, hoping for a chance to be part of the luxury inside.”
It was controlled entry to an extreme, and I had a feeling nothing got done around here without permission from Chace.
As we entered the city’s outer district, the spectrum of wealth became clear.
On the outskirts the houses resembled rock formations, but as we drove closer to the city’s walls, glass and metal began to replace natural materials.
So much so that the buildings near the wall reflected the stone in an almost blinding way.
I had to wonder what kind of reach Chace had out here when he was so exclusive about who he let into his city.
“We could bully them into letting us in,” Banthor offered.
“But that wouldn’t exactly lead to peace talks,” I murmured as Gracie nodded in agreement.
I didn’t bother speaking the quiet part out loud: Alpha Chace was going out of his way to ignore us. The question was why. I didn’t like the fucking silence, and it made me ten times more suspicious about his thoughts on what was going on with Ivan.
Had we somehow missed that he might be aligned with Ivan? That seemed unlikely. More likely he just didn’t want to get involved.
When Ravik turned toward a more luxurious section of the outer city, the buildings shifted to white stone and glass, many of their floors opening into wide balconies. As we pulled into one of the roundabouts, suited hotel staff stepped out to greet us.
Banthor and Ravik made arrangements as Gracie stood to help with the bags in the back, only to realize the hotel had already brought a cart to load everything onto. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she gravitated back toward my side.
I understood why this felt so alien to her. We weren’t dealing with an Alpha or an estate. These were normal people doing things she would have normally handled on her own.
After all these years it still felt unfamiliar to me, and I’d traveled across Thornfell and even to other countries with the Gentry family. I had never been afforded luxury in my younger years, and while I appreciated the concept now, I still viewed it as…too soft.
Too exposed.
Especially in a place I didn’t completely trust.
As we moved into the lobby, I watched Gracie, my focus honing in on her every reaction.
The way her head tilted up toward the ceiling, her gold eyes sparking with interest at the water feature in the center of the room.
The grand staircase with ornate carved wood railings particularly caught her eye.
I supposed this trip was worth it for her reactions alone. When she’d first come to Ironsun territory, I’d watched Gracie withdraw from things, like she was denying herself anything she thought she couldn’t have. I knew what it felt like not to belong in places like this.
Something had changed, though, and instead of denying herself, I saw her allowing herself to be curious. Get excited, even.
As we stepped into the elevator, my hand settled against Gracie’s lower back. I listened to her soft questions about the area and Elowen and Thornar’s answers, but I kept watching her.
I might have hated that Ivan pushed us to this point, but I couldn’t regret the chance to show Gracie more of Thornfell.
When we reached the penthouse suite—chosen to catch Chace’s attention, given the price tag—I immediately began scanning the space. And though they were more subtle about it, Ravik and Thornar were doing the same.
I moved to the balcony and stepped out into the heavy heat, immediately missing the cool air of the opulent room behind me. My gaze tracked down and then up, noting how easily the stone exterior of the hotel could be climbed.
“I’m ordering food—Gracie needs to eat,” Ravik said from inside. “What do you want?”
“I’m good,” I said. “I’m going to take a walk after the food arrives.”
Ravik nodded, his expression grim. He knew I didn’t actually plan on walking—I would be gathering intel—but Gracie didn’t need to worry about that.
Forty minutes later, the six of us sat in the living room, eating takeout. There was still a thread of watchfulness between the three of us, but we kept things light enough that Gracie didn’t notice.
Or maybe she did. Maybe she felt it through the bond and just…trusted us to handle it.
After all, she said she trusted me.
I was already in too deep with Gracie. The attachment between us was growing into something beyond any mate bond I’d ever heard of. I didn’t even let myself dwell on the insane shit I could justify in the name of protecting her.
“I’m going on a walk,” I told her after another thirty minutes. Her sleepy gaze lifted to search my expression before her hand reached out to squeeze mine.
“Come back soon?”
I nodded because I couldn’t find the words to explain how foreign that was—someone wanting me to come back. Ravik and Thornar would argue otherwise, but it wasn’t the same.
Deciding to take something for myself, I bent down and brushed my lips across the top of her head before leaving her in the safety of the others. I knew they would protect her with their lives.
Hell, Ravik barely slept as it was.
I understood though. I didn’t feel like I’d earned rest until Gracie could lay her head down without fear of what would happen next.
The hotel was seventeen floors, with the first few levels dedicated to the lobby, restaurants, and back-of-house operations. Staff-only corridors ran behind most of it, and it didn’t take long to find a service staircase tucked out of sight.
By the time I reached the lower levels again, I’d mapped enough of the layout to move unseen. I cut through a staff hallway that ran behind the kitchen and toward the front offices, close enough to the employee lounge and ventilation access to observe without being seen.
For nearly an hour, I listened to bullshit conversations and complaints the manager on duty fielded, but it wasn’t until the phone rang that I truly focused. I winced at the high-pitched falsetto of the manager’s phone voice as he answered.
“Sir—yes, I contacted you right away once I realized…no, no, I didn’t say anything. We sent them food… Yes, the presidential suite. There are six of them… Yes, of course, discretion is key. I’ll make sure they’re cut off at the hour exactly.”
The cameras.
My gaze dropped to my phone as I pulled it from my jacket. Twenty minutes. Not much time.
“I’ll make sure the door to the fire exit is left open—yes, the one on the seventh floor.”
After a few more minutes of assurances and groveling, the call ended, and I was already on the move. It didn’t surprise me they were sending someone. What did surprise me was that I was nearly certain the call had been placed by Alpha Chace himself.
Sending a quick text to Ravik and Thornar, I positioned myself on the seventh floor and settled into the shadows.
A minute past the hour, unease crept in.
By the third, it had morphed into something closer to premonition.
I slipped to a nearby window, opening it silently and angling myself out just enough to see the fire escape from a distance.
What I saw turned my blood cold.
A figure scaling the wall to my right, bypassing the fire exit entirely. Fuck.
The next few minutes were a blur as I turned sharply toward the staircase and sprinted to the seventeenth floor, barely winded despite the pace.
I moved straight for a set of windows several feet down from the balcony, easing one open with practiced care.
The fire exit would have brought the intruder in from the opposite side.
Stepping onto the ledge, I slid my fingers into the grooves of the stone and moved like a shadow before landing silently on the balcony. My entire body went cold, the air unnaturally still as I listened for any sound or sign of the intruder.
The lights in the suite were off; Gracie was likely fast asleep, and I was determined to put myself between her and whoever the fuck was trying to break her peace.
After a long minute, a dark figure climbed over the railing and moved toward the balcony doors, sliding them open silently. I was there in an instant.
I didn’t think or warn. I just moved.
My arm locked around his chest as my knife came up, slicing clean across his throat. A wet, choking sound followed before his body collapsed.
I stepped back immediately, checking for any sign of life. A heavy silence settled over the air as I wiped my knife and moved to put it away.
“Basir?”
My body locked, and ice rushed through my veins. My gaze lifted to the balcony doorway, where Gracie stood wrapped in a robe, her wide eyes fixed on me.
Glow had seen all of it.