Geo clears his throat roughly. "How are you feeling?"
The question catches me off guard.
"I'm fine," I say automatically.
His one visible eye narrows. "Bullshit."
I arch my eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me." He limps closer. I can tell he's trying and failing to hide the pain with every step. He's still clearly refusing to wear the brace I heard the Surhiiran medics talking about giving him. Stubborn bastard. "You had a full-blown dissociative episode ona moving train while holding a gun and then your ex tried to kidnap you. That's not 'fine' by any definition."
Heat and mild irritation prickles up my neck. "I don't need you psychoanalyzing me."
"Not psychoanalyzing," he counters in a gruff tone, stopping just close enough that I have to tilt my head back to maintain eye contact with the huge alpha. "Just calling bullshit when I hear it."
We stare each other down for what feels like forever. I'm about to tell him exactly where he can shove his concern when he does thelastfucking thing I expected.
Geo reaches out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, his rough fingers gentle as they graze my cheek.
My throat tightens so much it hurts.
"I'm gonna get out of here and keep Knight company," he says quietly, his hand dropping. "Make sure he doesn't actually eat Azarel. Be good."
The shift in tone is so abrupt it gives me whiplash. I blink, trying to process the sudden retreat from vulnerability back to gruff practicality.
"While you're out there," I hear myself say, "see if you can find some less gamey alphas for Knight to eat instead."
Geo's lips twitch in what might be amusement. "Even a place as posh as Surhiira has to have a few shitbags lying around."
He limps to the door, and I watch him go with a strange ache in my heart. Once he's gone, the silence feels heavier.
I turn to find Nikolai and Raven both watching me with identical expressions of concern they both seem to think they're masking.
"What?" I demand, crossing my arms defensively.
"Nothing," Raven says too quickly, that silver tongue of his suddenly tied.
Suspicious.
Veryfucking suspicious.
It hits me that all my alarm bells would normally be going off, red flags flicking up like popcorn, but they're not. No matter what these alphas are keeping from me, I'm sure they've got it in their stainless-steel skulls that they're actually protecting me.
Annoying, but not terrifying.
Huh.
I sigh, suddenly exhausted down to my bones. The adrenaline that's been keeping me upright is crashing hard, leaving nothing but bone-deep weariness in its wake. "I'm going to bed."
I move toward the bedroom, expecting them to leave. To go back to wherever they're staying in this massive suite. But they don't move. They just stand there, watching me with those careful eyes.
Yep. These three are keeping something from me that's big enough they're all in agreement about hiding it, which is a fucking miracle considering they can barely agree on what to eat for breakfast.
Seduction has always been my most reliable tool for getting the truth out of alphas. They get distracted, let their guard down, saythings they shouldn't when their blood is rushing to their cocks instead of to their brains.
It's worked on everyone from Monty's business associates to Council members to?—
Stop.
