The thought was worse than death, worse than anything Lucifer could do to me.
Kase stared at me, his eyes still as he seemed to read my face.
I shoved him again, as if that would explain the things I couldn’t say.
He caught my wrist and tugged me forward, into his lap. “You are a foolish woman, Ava, and you take too many risks.”
“And you’re an idiot who doesn’t understand women at all.”
“Perhaps.” He pulled me closer, but I leaned back and gestured to a spot of red still on him. There was no way I’d kiss him, not with another woman’s blood painting his lips.
He wiped it clear. “I wish I didn’t have to feed from others,” he admitted.
Instead of answering—I couldn’t say anything that would make either of us feel better about it—I leaned in and brushed my lips to his.
His breath was warm when he exhaled, that tiny release he always did, as if he couldn’t quite believe I was there.
Still, he kissed me back, and I kept my hands from grabbing at him, no matter how difficult I found that level of restraint.
He broke the kiss too fast, though. “There isn’t time.”
“I can be quick.”
He chuckled lowly, a rare sound I cherished, before shaking his head. Even still, he didn’t move me off his lap.
I peered around. “Where is everyone?”
“Hunter is trying to find information about the creature for tomorrow. We knew about the banshee in round two because that what’s what Persephone let slip, which was why Grant could prepare for it and have the spell ready. With any luck, he gets information again.”
“And Grant?”
“Sleeping. Without knowing what we’re facing tomorrow, he needed to try to recuperate as much of his magic as possible.”
I smothered my disappointment. The last thing I wanted was to risk them not being at their best because I was being overly needy and didn’t let him recover. Still, it was hard, because what I really wanted was to reassure myself that he was fine. I recalled the blood that had leaked from his ears, the way he’d been thrown to the ground.
Grant was tough—I couldn’t deny that—but he wasn’t quite like the others. He could be killed far more easily.
“And Troy?”
“Meeting with Fredrick. I was able to get rid of Colter, but apparently the pack alpha is harder to throw.”
“Why would he want to see Troy?”
Kase shrugged. “In my experience, people in positions of power do not like it when others can challenge them.”
I thought back to Troy’s story, to what the last alpha had done. “Is he in danger?”
“Not while here, I’m sure. A non-competitor killing a competitor would look poorly on Lucifer, so I doubt Fredrick would try anything so blatant. I suspect he is feeling Troy out, seeing if the new fame is going to his head. It is a foolish worry, because I have never seen a more grounded wolf in all my years.”
“Is that why Colter came?”
“Hardly. Colter and I have an understanding. He is aware that if I wanted to, I could take the coven. I don’t care for that sort of power or responsibility, so Colter runs it and I do as I please. It works well.”
My gaze shifted to a closed door again, as if drawn there.
“You can feel him, can’t you?”
“What?”
Kase nodded toward the door. “That’s Grant’s room. You keep looking there, as if you know it’s his.”
Did I? I have to, right?
I blew out a breath and shook my head. “I should get going. Lucifer is expecting me.
“I heard the guard. You have another forty minutes before you’re expected there. Why don’t you go check on Grant?”
“I thought he was resting.”
“He is, but I would bet he’ll sleep more soundly after seeing you, and you will be more focused in dealing with Lucifer after seeing him.”
I didn’t even bother to argue. It was what I wanted, and I wouldn’t bother him for long…
The room was dark when I closed the door behind me, but after a moment, my eyes adjusted. A huge bed sat in the center of the room, large posts stretching up and over the frame. The blankets were bunched at the foot, as if Grant had kicked them off, and he rested on his back in the center.
He didn’t wake when I closed the distance, something that made me nervous. Worse, when I reached the side of the bed, I noted that he looked much worse than I’d expected…
His eyes were sunken in, and even in the dim room I could tell his skin was ashen. Red had soaked into the pillowcase, and dried blood created a trail from his ear and down his neck.
It was odd to see him so still, so quiet, and so fragile. I recalled how I had met him, how he’d stood on my porch looking like some untouchable rebel.
His tattoos had surprised me that day, since I hadn’t spent much time with men who were covered in tattoos. As time had gone on, though, I’d stopped even noticing them.
When he’d stripped down to nothing, when I’d had him at the same time as Hunter, I hadn’t been hung up on each twisting pieces of colorful ink. There had been too many distractions.
It meant this was the first time I got a good look at him, at the expansive artwork marked into his skin.
I crawled into the bed, rewarded with a muttered curse from Grant. His voice was rough and filled with pain, but when he cracked his eyes, when those green eyes met mine, he offered a half-smile.
I stretched out beside him, careful not to jostle him.
“Are you here to take advantage of me? Because unless you have some little blue pills, I don’t think I’m going to rise to the occasion.”
“Is everything a joke to you?”
“Usually, yeah. It makes life more fun.” He groaned as he
