“Excellent.”
At the end of the night, we pile into the house, all of us giddy from the high of watching our Soul Bonded captivate an audience with her voice. The owner even pulled me aside to ask if she’d come back, do a gig of her own.
I grin to myself. I’ll break the news to her tomorrow.
Sienna spins, full of endorphins and champagne as she laughs tipsily. Tristan darts to catch her. “Bonded. You need a glass of water.”
“I need more champagne,” she demands loftily. “But I’ll take a glass of water too.”
Laughing as Tristan sweeps her up, full of overprotective concern, I turn to Gray, but he’s staring down at his phone with a frown.
“What is it?” I ask, peering over his shoulder as Logan follows Tristan and Sienna.
“The cameras,” he mutters. “They’re not working.”
“What? We just had them put in.”
He shakes his head. “I don’t know, but I don’t like this.”
I open my mouth, ready to shout down to Tristan, when I catch the shadow in the corner of my eye. A shadow that shouldn’t be there.
I crash into him as he lifts his arm, the shot going wide and hitting the wall, knocking off a chunk of plaster. There’s shouting, Sienna crying out, andgoddamnthis piece of shit for ruining a fucking perfect evening.
I slam my hand down hard over his wrist, forcing him to drop the gun. Gray is there, kicking it away, and we both dive in, pinning the beta to the floor as he grunts.
“Get Sienna out of here,” I shout to Tristan. There could be more of them. She tries to argue with him, but he throws her over his shoulder as he heads for the door. Logan appears next to me, grabbing an arm and helping to keep it pinned.
“Hey, asshole,” I snap, banging his head into the floor. “Who the fuck are you?”
Sienna calls out. “Wait -Tristan- I know him!”
Tristan recoils. “What?”
She whacks him on the back, and he sets her down, his eyes scanning the hall. “It’s the other beta,” she gasps. “One of Erikkson’s men. There were three of them, and we only got two at the gala. He’s the third.”
Doesn’t mean he’s the last, but it seems likely. “Get me a belt, or a rope.”
Logan hands me the belt from his jeans, and I use it to secure the man’s wrists. He groans, a nice-looking egg appearing on his forehead. Gray leans over, and I blink as he smacks his head down a second time.
Goodnight, motherfucker.
The Justice officers pull in a few minutes later and take ownership of our little parcel, and Tristan’s dad isn’t far behind them. He pulls Tristan into a hug, checking him over and turning to Sienna. “I’m so sorry this happened, Sienna.”
She shakes her head, hugging her arms. “It’s fine. I think he was the last.”
David frowns. “I was actually already on my way with some news. Emmett Johnson has formally accepted the role of Beta representative on the Council. We took our first vote this evening, straight after his appointment.”
Everyone pauses, our eyes moving to our Bonded. There’s only one vote that we’d be interested in at this hour, and David knows us. “That was… quick,” Sienna says. Her face is pale. “My Denied status?”
“Gone,” David assures her. “It was a priority for both Ollena and I, and luckily, Emmett fully agreed with us. The Bonding Trials as they currently stand have been dissolved. That includes Denial, and any omega currently under that status is free and able to stay in Navarre.”
“Oh.” Sienna wavers, and Tristan wraps his arm around her.
We all stare at each other. It’s done. Over.
Sienna is ours, and we’re staying.
David moves towards the door, following the Justice officers. “I’ll leave you to it. But your mother wants you to come for dinner next week, Tristan.”
