She looked at me, eyes softening. “Sorry, Harper. Old habits.” She gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “There was a time that I spent trapped by someone in a cage. I swore I’d never let another woman feel that way. You can stay wherever you want. We’ve got the best security in the country. Nobody can get to you without going through two dozen armed shifters and a witch with the power of God.”
I heard myself laugh, weak and threadbare, but real. “Thank you, Juliet. I appreciate it. But… it’s okay.” I turned to Jess,whose shoulders had just now begun to un-knot. “I want to stay with him. If that’s alright.” The words burned on the way out, but I made myself say them.
Juliet was quiet for a second, searching my face like she were looking for some sign of coercion. When she found none, she let out a breath and nodded. “Alright, then. But you ever want a change of scenery, you come see me, and I’ll move you myself. No questions asked.”
Bronc put a hand on Jess’s shoulder and squeezed, hard enough that Jess winced. “Walk with me, Arsenal,” he said. They moved off toward a row of black SUVs, talking in low voices. I watched Jess’s head sink, his hands shoved deep in his pockets, and wondered if I’d just made a mistake.
Juliet gave me a side-hug, belly hard as a basketball against my ribs. “We’re here for you,” she said, dropping her voice to a whisper. “Even if you can’t be here for yourself.”
She released me, then stalked away, boots crunching across the gravel. For a moment, I just stood there, the sun glaring off the hood of the nearest car; the wind snagging my hair and tangling it in my mouth. I looked down at my hands, still shaking, and tried to remember the last time I’d chosen anything for myself.
When I looked up again, Jess was returning, head down. He stopped a few paces away, not close enough to touch.
“Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to…” He trailed off, clamped his mouth shut, and ground his teeth together until I thought they’d shatter. He looked like a man whose every instinct told him to run, but his body refused to budge.
I shrugged, a small motion, not sure if I forgave him or not. “It’s fine. I just want to rest.”
He nodded once. “We should go.”
I followed him to the truck. As we walked, I could see Bronc out of the corner of my eye, arms crossed, watching us like asentry. Juliet stood beside him, hand on her belly, eyes bright and unblinking. For the first time, I realized how fiercely these people protected their own. It was a different kind of leash than Steiner’s, but it was one I thought I could live with.
I slid into the passenger seat and let the door slam me back into reality. Jess started the engine, and we rolled out of the lot, the dust from the tires painting a gold veil over the last sliver of morning sun.
The Iron Valor compound awaited—a fortress, a home, a holding cell. For now, I didn’t care which.
All that mattered was that I wasn’t alone.
The drive from the airstrip to the Iron Valor compound took less than ten minutes. The scenery was all fence-line and dust; the world flattening out into a panorama of brittle yellow grass and sagging power lines. Jess kept both hands on the wheel and said nothing, eyes locked on the horizon. His knuckles were white. I wanted to break the silence, maybe ask a question about the pack or the rules, but my words just pinballed around my mouth and vanished.
At the door, two women waited.
The first had her hair cropped short and spiked up with streaks of pink. She wore a hoodie so enormous it looked like it could have eaten her, and a pair of black leggings that did nothing to hide the bulk of muscle underneath. The other woman was her opposite in every possible way—tall, dark hair parted dead center, and a kind of quiet, unassuming beauty that made you do a double take when you caught it in the right light. She wore a yellow sundress with white polka dots and a big white collar. She had on white tights and brown boots.
I recognized them both, but only distantly. They’d been in the van and on the plane, hovering at the edge of my vision, making the trip feel less a true rescue. I remembered the smell of Parker’s coffee, the way Aspen sang to herself under her breath.
Jess parked the truck and jumped out, rounding to my side and opening the door before I could even reach for the handle. I tried to climb out on my own, but my knees locked and I nearly ate it on the step rail. He caught me, one hand under my arm, and then let go as soon as my feet touched ground.
“Hey, Harper!” the short one called, voice big as a freight train. “Remember me? I’m Parker. Wrecker’s mate.” She bounded over, and for a second I thought she might tackle-hug me, but she just stopped short and grinned. “Glad you made it.”
The other hung back, with a half-smile on her lips. “You probably don’t remember me, honey. I’m Aspen. I’m the local witch. I’m mated to Big Papa. He’s the one who helped make you feel so calm in the van. He’s the best.” She’s clearly head over heels in love with her mate. “I own the local bakery. You’ll be getting some goodies soon. I make the best blueberry lemon scones you ever ate. Just prepare your tastebuds to be dazzled.” Her southern accent washed over me like warm water, and I hoped we could become friends. “If you need anything, you come see me.”
A third figure darted from behind Aspen’s dress; an eighteen-inch-tall prairie dog, wearing a tiny vest and a pair of wire-framed glasses. He bowed with such grandeur I almost snorted.
“Miss Harper,” he said, voice crisp and British. “Oscar B. Wild, at your service. If you require assistance, do not hesitate to call upon me. I am highly discreet.” He flashed his incisors and then ducked back into Aspen’s skirts.
I blinked. “Is he… is he always like that?”
Aspen giggled. “Oscar’s my familiar. He’s very proud. He’ll keep you safe, no matter what.”
Parker leaned in, lowered her voice. “If you need clothes or, like, anything at all, Bronc’s sister Maddie brought you a duffel bag. It’s waiting outside Arsenal’s door.”
I nodded, trying to smile. “Thank you.”
Aspen tilted her head. “Are you okay, darlin’?”
I wasn’t. My skin crawled with a thousand memories, every nerve ending screaming to be scalded clean. The demon’s touch clung to my body, sticky and sour. I wanted to scrub every inch until I bled, and even then I wasn’t sure it would be gone. My eyes started to sting, and I forced myself to breathe. “I just need a shower,” I said, voice flat. “Maybe two.”
Jess’s posture changed in an instant. He stepped between me and the others, arms loose at his sides, shoulders squared. “We’ll head up,” he said. “Thanks for the help.”
