Chapter 31
I leaned back against the SUV seat and groaned. “I had no idea that pretending everything was sunshine and roses could be so exhausting.”
Ronan leaned forward and began massaging my shoulders. “It’s done for now.”
“I’ll only let you do that forever.”
He chuckled. “Happy to help.”
I moaned as he hit an especially tight spot.
Trace’s eyes pulsed purple in the rearview mirror. “Careful with the sounds you make, Little Bird.”
My body heated at his words.
“Let’s get home first, okay?” Colt said. “The last thing we need is getting expelled for fucking Leighton in the parking lot.”
My cheeks heated.
Dash leaned over and dropped a kiss to my shoulder. “It’d be worth it.”
My lips twitched, and I turned my head to study him. “How are you feeling?”
He straightened back in his seat. “Completely back to normal.”
I kept staring, trying to discern if he was telling me the truth. The color in his face looked good. There were no dark circles under his eyes. No evidence of his ordeal at all.
A little more of the tension bled from my body as Ronan continued to massage my shoulders and neck. “Good.”
Dash studied me right back. “How about you?”
I was tired for sure, but it was the kind of fatigue you got from a long day, not a magical depletion. “I wish we didn’t have to go to school with everything going on, but my magic’s fine.”
“We need to talk about Chloe,” Declan said, leaning forward from the back seat.
Colt glanced at us in the rearview mirror. “Her scent is off, right?”
Declan nodded. “Leighton and I had a run-in with her this morning, and she was close. She smells like decay.”
Ronan looked at his brother, concern filling his expression. “Have you ever scented something like that before?”
Declan shook his head. “Never.”
“Dash?” Colt asked.
Dash was already lost in a series of mental what-ifs and calculations. “Could be dark magic, like I suggested. There are some casters who tap into the other side for power. If they take too much, their souls can begin to decay. I’ve been told that, to shifters, they can smell as if they’re dying.”
“But she’s not a caster,” Trace pointed out. “She doesn’t have those gifts.”
“She could’ve had a caster work a spell on her,” Dash said. “That would have a price for Chloe, as well.”
“Trying to get more power?” Declan suggested.
“It wouldn’t surprise me,” Colt said as he made the turn toward home.
“How the hell are we supposed to find out what she’s mixed up in?” Ronan asked. “The last thing we need right now is another surprise.”
A grin spread across Trace’s face as he began cleaning his fingernails with a knife. “I could get the answers out of her.”
The entire vehicle groaned.
“The last thing we need is you being brought in front of The Assembly on murder charges,” Colt warned.
“Oh, I’d let her live,” Trace argued. “She just might not be whole at the end of it.”
“No,” everyone said in unison.
A frown pulled at Trace’s lips. “You never want me to have any fun.”
I shook my head. “I’m extremely concerned about your hobbies.”
Ronan chuckled as he released my shoulders. “They do come in handy every now and then.”
I held up my hands, waving off whatever else he was about to say. “I don’t want to know.”
“Probably for the better,” Colt said as he pulled into the drive of The Nest.
Everyone grew quiet as a guard and a member from Colt’s pack stepped out of the gatehouse. My stomach churned. We’d never see Louis or the other guards again. Anger bubbled down deep. The urge to make Patrick pay was strong. He’d be one case where I’d be happy to let Trace exercise his hobby.
The guard nodded at Colt and pressed a button inside the gatehouse. A second later, the imposing iron structures began to open.
Colt eased off the brake and headed up the drive.
I let out a long breath, trying to shake off the blanket of grief.
Dash squeezed my thigh. “Give it time.”
“I know,” I whispered.
Colt parked the Escalade in front of the house, and we all piled out. As Ronan opened the front door, Baldwin called out. “In the kitchen.”
We headed in that direction. As I entered the beautiful space, my steps faltered. Every surface was covered with food and baked goods.
Baldwin gave us a sheepish smile, but his eyes were red. “When I don’t know how to fix something, I cook. I really didn’t know how to fix this.”
I moved on instinct, crossing the space and throwing my arms around him.
His came around me in answer, and I felt a hiccupped cry.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered.
Baldwin just hugged me tighter. “I’ll miss them.”
Colt patted him on the back. “We all will.”
Baldwin let out a shuddered sigh as he released me. “I’m okay. But I’m not sure what I’ll do with all this food.”
Ronan grinned. “You know we’ll eat at least half of it.”
“We can send the rest home with a pack member when they leave,” Colt suggested. “You know they’ll be thrilled to have it.”
Baldwin chuckled. “True. Only dragons can outeat wolves.”
The doorbell rang and our group tensed. There were very few people we had on the accepted visitors list. Saoirse and Darius. Either of them showing up unannounced didn’t typically spell good things.
“I’ll get it,” Baldwin said, drying his hands on a kitchen towel.
I slumped against Declan’s chest. “I don’t think I can take any more bad news.”
He wrapped his arms around me. “It could be something good.”
I wished I could believe that. We’d just had too many things taking us out at the knees lately.
“Whatever it is, we deal with it together,” Colt said.
“Together,” I echoed. I needed to hold on to that flicker of gratitude. That we had one another. This bond meant we were never alone in facing what was ahead. And that was the greatest gift I’d ever receive.
“I do have one piece of good news,” Colt said.
“We’ll take whatever you’ve got,” Ronan grumbled.
“Our lawyer heard from the cops. They’ve ruled Maryanne’s death a suicide.”
I blinked at that news. “How?”
Colt glanced at me. “Darius said he had a caster friend who might be able to help with this piece of things.”
“At least that’s one less thing to worry about,” Ronan muttered.
He was right, but guilt still churned in my belly. It had been self-protection, but shouldn’t I have to pay some price?
Declan squeezed me. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“But—”
“He’s right,” Ronan agreed. “She deserved far worse.”
Footsteps sounded in the hallway and then Saoirse bustled into the kitchen. Her eyes widened as she took in the space. “Oh my…”
“Hungry?” Dash offered.
“I wish I was. But I’ll take some of those cupcakes home with me.”
“Take a dozen,” Trace muttered.
“Is everything okay?” Colt asked, his tone serious.
“Oh, yes,” Saoirse said, waving him off. “I’ve been hard at work gathering supporters.”
An unnamed energy crackled through the room as all our gazes focused in on her.
“Who stands with us?” Declan asked.
Saoirse shuffled from foot to foot, for the first time, looking a bit uneasy. “I didn’t want to say anything because I wasn’t sure if I’d even be able to find him…”
“Who?” Ronan demanded.
Saoirse clasped her hands together, squeezing tightly. “Your half brother.”