“Invisible, the tattoo will be invisible after she places the magic into it,” Ezra replied. Invisible so no one knew the grave sin we were committing. That was interesting. This was getting more and more enticing.
Calix slumped, mumbling under his breath, “Then how will she know I’ve moved on?”
Leaning into Ezra, knowing that she would have the answer, I asked, “What’s going on with him?”
“Valentina and Calix… broke up. For good.”
I nodded, a pang twisting in my chest for my brother. He’d never cared whether she was his mate or not. He’d believed their love could survive anything, but now it laid shattered at his feet.
“The spell is ancient,” Ezra explained, moving on. “She couldn’t give me a solid answer as to how long it lasts. Maybe around… ten to twenty years.”
Ten to twenty years. Not forever.
I prodded at my wolf, asking if she cared about it, but she didn’t even acknowledge me.
Zeth and Liam had proved that my instincts about men were shit, and if she didn’t care, then why should I? Why waste time? Better to keep things clean. Fuck whoever I wanted while keeping my focus where it mattered: the Syndicate. I would make the doubters listen. Everyone would see that I was more dedicated to the Rossey clan than anyone else alive. I was meant for the position, even if I was a woman.
The more I turned it over in my head, the better it sounded.
“I’ll do it.”
Ezra stepped up, squeezed my arm, and nodded in solidarity.
This was the right call. No distractions. I’d prove to my men, to the whole fucking world, that Nova Rossey wasn’t someone to fuck with. Not now. Not ever.
* Nightmare by Halsey
3
NICK
FIVE YEARS LATER
My old truck rattled like it might shake apart as I bumped down the rutted dirt road my lieutenant swore was the right one. Dust swirled in the headlights. The air inside the cab was thick with the smell of old coffee and motor oil, and the chicken-scratch map in my lap was more scribble than sense. I fought the urge to tear it in half.
My wolf growled in my head, hot, sharp, the sound vibrating through my chest. Anger. Distrust. My grip on the wheel tightened until the leather bit into my palms.
“Get the fuck back down.”
He didn’t retreat right away. I could feel him staring at me from somewhere deep, his presence heavy. Hot breath ghosted the inside of my ribs before he huffed and sank away.
Six weeks, and the bastard still felt like an intruder under my skin. He could yank my emotions, my body, in any direction he wanted. It was like living with a loaded gun pressed against my spine.
You never should have saved her. You ruined your life for nothing, and now you’re this… this thing.
The voice slithered through my skull, cold and bitter. I clamped down on it, shoving it into the deepest, darkest crevices. I had a job to focus on, one only I could do.
Light bled through the trees ahead. I pressed the gas, the hum of the engine turning into a growl under my feet. The road curved, and floodlights slammed into my eyes, searing my retinas.
A steel gate loomed out of the dark. I slowed, gravel crunching under the tires. The lights stayed locked on me as a big, bald guy with an AK-47 slung across his chest stepped up, boots thudding against the packed dirt. He motioned for the window.
I drew a slow breath, lungs straining against the weight in my chest, before rolling it down. Hopefully, he couldn’t hear the hammering of my heart.
The scent hit first, feral, wild, tinged with wet earth and magic. My wolf stirred, rumbling low.Werewolf.
“Lost?” he growled. His voice was deep enough to feel in my bones. “Don’t think I’ve seen you before.”
I shook my head, forcing a lazy, cocky smile onto my face.
