Her fingers touched the top of his arm, tracing the muscle in a move designed for the audience as much as the man.
Hudson tensed but didn’t move away, and I gave an inward groan. I hated political restraints.
“Careful. You’re touching what’s mine.” The fire popped, as if the universe was warning me to behave.
Mercy’s smile sharpened. “Forgive me. I was just saying it must be exhausting for him, carrying the burden of all these defenses alone. Perhaps it would be best if someone else—someone trusted—handled the wards next time.”
She parted her legs, and Hudson’s nostrils flared. That would be a hard pass on the underwear then.
I saw red. Not metaphorical red, but literal sparks flickering at the edge of my vision. My magic flared, hungry and protective, and before I could stop myself, I reached out and caught her wrist. A crack echoed, and Mercy screamed. Every head snapped toward us as she cradled her hand, her fingers bent at unnatural angles and her tears glistening in the firelight.
I froze, horror crawling through me like ice.
“I restrained myself. I could have torn her heart from her chest and thrown it in the bonfire,”Indigo stated.
“Cora,” Hudson growled under his breath, stepping between us.
Mercy stumbled backward, clutching her ruined hand, eyes wide with a predator’s mix of pain and triumph. “See?” she hissed. “She’s dangerous. I told you she was.”
Murmurs rippled through the crowd, confirmation disguised as gossip. Of course, I was dangerous. Were they just figuring that out now?
Dave moved between us, his expression flat but his tone laced with warning. “You touched her mate, and for fuck's sake, Mercy, you’re in heat. Put some panties on before you cause a teenage shifter revolt.”
Crimson bloomed on her cheeks, and a calm settled over me. She was so desperate for him she was willing to embarrass herself. This wasn’t love; it was infatuation. I gritted my teeth and grasped Hudson’s hand, pulling him back toward me. “You need to make it clear to her that you aren’t on the market for a mate.”
“I have.”
“No, you haven’t. You’re letting us fight it out like I’m pack. I’m not, and never will be, not really. The way you keep expecting both me and them to deal with these advances is giving her the right to continue to hold her hopes up.”
Hudson’s arm circled around my waist, and he dragged me into his chest. “Not here,” he growled.
“Yes, here and now. We are waging a war, and I don’t have time to fight petty battles with women who see my position as weak because you won’t deal with it.”
“What do you want me to do? Claim you on the ground, right here, right now?”
Why was everything about sex for men?
“Please don’t,” Dave drawled.
“No. You need to turn around and declare your undying love for me.”
“I’ve been trying to do exactly that with our wedding, which means something in both of our worlds. It’s not me that’s the hold-up, Cora.”
My mouth snapped closed, and my jaw clenched as I stared at Mercy over Hudson’s shoulder. “Fine, no more secrets,” I whispered. “Tonight, we share everything.”
Dave arched a brow.Yep, get ready—I’m about to expose the Serpents to your best friend and boss.His lips twitched. He was ready for the lies to be over too. Maybe it was because he’d found someone he wasn’t prepared to lie to in my aunt, or maybe he was tired. I was less worried about the Serpents and more about the god of darkness I still owed two dates to.
“Unless we’re going to give them a show, the pack’s expecting you to bleed for them. Then, you are all mine.”
Of course they were. They’d get their proof of loyalty in the blood wards that kept their land free from spirits. Dave and Hudson had gotten used to the ghosts, but I still saw their metaphorical hackles rise when one brushed through them. The rest of the pack didn’t have the same control, so I bled and gave them protection so they could live in their bubble of safety.
I pushed up my sleeve and stepped closer to the ward lines circling the clearing. Hudson handed me a blade, which flashed silver in the firelight as I drew it across my palm.
Magic sizzled in the air, bright and hot. My blood hit the earth and spread in thin, glowing rivers. The runes carved into the soil flared to life, silver edged in red, and power rose in a wave that silenced the crowd. The wards sealed, stronger than before, humming with my heartbeat.
I rolled my shoulders as I sacrificed a little of myself for their protection.
Dave’s voice was low but not unkind. “They don’t deserve you.”
