32. Chester #2
I didn’t think I’d ever been happier.
I t was another few hours before we made it to the clan house. I blamed Finn. He was the one who’d decided to rim me in the shower before fucking me against the tiles .
Okay, so maybe I’d been flirting with him a little…teasing him by washing myself really thoroughly. But it had been his idea to take things further.
Mostly.
Darkness had well and truly fallen by the time we entered the clan house. We were clinging to each other, whispering and giggling like a couple of teenagers. The events of earlier in the day seemed so far in the past they weren’t even on our radar.
All that changed as we stepped into Finn’s office. Calan, Logan, and Evan were all there sitting in silence. Calan was wearing a look of thunder and Logan was frowning as he sharpened a wicked looking dagger.
And Evan? He was slumped against the windowsill, staring unseeing into the woods. He was running his thumb repeatedly over his lower lip as he scowled into the darkness. Wherever his mind was right now, it wasn’t in this room with us.
Finn tensed immediately. “What’s happened?”
“Oh, just declarations of war and devastated humans,” Logan said, his chipper tone at odds with the murder in his eyes. “You know, the usual.”
Finn went eerily still. “Explain.”
“You do it,” Logan huffed, gesturing at Calan. “I’ll get too angry if I have to say it out loud.”
“This arrived an hour ago,” Calan said, handing a piece of paper to Finn.
Finn’s eyes raced over it, getting narrower with every sentence. “The Clarkson Clan is declaring war because we killed Clyde?”
Calan nodded curtly. “Appears so.”
“But he broke the treaty. His life was ours to take.”
“Bingo,” Logan said, pointing his dagger at Finn. “See, this is why we’re the dominant clan. The brain cells over there are severely deficient.”
“Shit.” Finn pinched the bridge of his nose. “This is going to be a clusterfuck to sort out.”
I swallowed hard, eyeing the paper still clutched in Finn’s hand. “Are they going to invade tonight?”
“What? No.” Finn put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close to his side. “That’s not how it works in shifter conflicts. This is basically the opening shot in a diplomatic war that’ll likely last years. It won’t escalate unless they’re really stupid.”
Logan hummed. “True. They are stupid, but not really stupid. Our warriors outnumber theirs three to one. Plus we have Danny. He’ll come back if needed.”
Some of the tension left me, but not all of it. I hadn’t seen the fight today, but I’d heard it. The thought of Finn having to do that…
My stomach pitched.
“I’ll have to speak to Danny.” Finn slid his hand under my shirt, stroking my skin soothingly. Even while trying to figure out how to save his clan, he was still trying to comfort me. “Have you tried calling him already?”
“Aye,” Calan said. “Says the number’s been disconnected. Logan’s tried Riley a few times but it’s the same.”
Finn frowned. “That’s fucking odd.”
With everything Finn had told me about Danny over the past couple of months, I had to agree. “He wouldn’t just go silent on you, right?”
“Nope,” Finn said. “He wouldn’t. Do you think something’s happened to them?”
None of them answered him. The ominous silence and loaded looks said it all though .
Finn ran a hand through his hair and blew out a breath. “Guess I’ll be taking a trip down to Southampton then.”
Logan raised a brow. “Want me to go instead?”
Finn shook his head. “No. I need the three of you here to keep the clan safe. And Reid. I know Clyde’s dead now, but I don’t trust any of them. Whatever plans he had for his son, I’m willing to bet they’re still in motion.”
“Wait a minute,” I said suddenly, my mind circling back to the second part of Logan’s earlier statement. “When you said ‘devastated humans,’ did you mean Reid?”
I’d addressed Logan, but it was Evan who answered. He laughed bitterly, not taking his gaze from the window.“Turns out Reid was more cut up about losing his dad than we thought he’d be.”
That surprised me. From what Reid had said, I’d truly thought he’d be relieved. I guessed grief did funny things to you.
“We can just add it to the list of other shit he blames me for,” Evan said darkly. “At least this one I won’t lose any sleep over.”
Finn and I exchanged a look. The last thing Evan needed was more guilt where Reid was concerned.
“I can watch over him,” Evan continued.“He’s got a warrior out there now, but I want to take over.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Finn said.
Evan finally looked away from the window, meeting his leader’s gaze coolly. “I insist. If I’m going to keep fucking up where he’s concerned, at least I can make sure he’s safe while I do so.”
Finn studied him for a few moments before nodding. “Okay, but if you need to switch out at any time, just say.”
Relief flashed over Evan’s face briefly before the darkness crept in again. Once more, he turned his face to the window.
“Calan, Logan, you’ll stay here and guard the clan,” Finn said. “Calan, I want you to double up the training protocols. Logan, brief the council. Remind them we don’t need their permission but keep them informed.”
Wicked delight lit up Logan’s eyes. “It’ll be my pleasure.”
Finn sighed and turned to me. “I hate to ask, but can you be away from the shop for a few days?”
My brow crinkled. “I mean, yeah. We don’t have any massive orders this week, and I’m confident Reid will manage if he’s feeling up to it. But why?”
“Because I want you to come to Southampton with me. After today, I don’t want to be far from you.”
Without the mating bond. I could almost hear the unspoken words. This was where I was supposed to say maybe we should do it. We loved each other, so what was the point in waiting?
For some unfathomable reason though, I stayed silent.
“Plus, I want you to meet Danny.” Finn lowered his voice as he ran his knuckles along my cheek. “You’re the most important person in my life now. It feels wrong that you haven’t met him.”
Southampton’s only fifteen minutes from Portsmouth. What if I run into Matt?
I pushed that fear away. I’d be with Finn. He wouldn’t let anything happen to me. “I’d love to.”