Voices called after me—people trying to either rub elbows or talk to me about that epic ending to my first televised fight—but I couldn't deal with them now.
I felt someone covering me, and Conrad’s voice followed, tossing out clever excuses with ease. Something about an after-party and having a tight schedule tonight. Lies, every one of them, but I appreciated his help in saving face.
I glanced down at my wrist, where the faint outline of the wolfsbane plant twining around my forearm pulsed again. Warmth rippled through me like liquid gold, and my knees buckled from the force. A pair of rough hands steadied me.
“I gotcha.”
I looked over my shoulder and met a set of metallic-gold eyes clouded with concern. Nick. I drew strength from them and got my feet back under me.
The limo was already waiting at the curb, its door open. I barely hit the last step before diving inside and sliding all the way to the back where the partition was up. My fingers fumbled as I swiped the screen, answering the incoming video call.
All four of my siblings filled the display.
Aniyah’s squeal nearly blew out my eardrum. “Oh, my god, girl! You bagged abehemoth! Lucus kept covering my eyes because I wouldn’t stop pointing out the bulge in his shorts! You’re gonna beblessedtonight! Stains on top of stains!”
Two fingers went to my temple, massaging it before I responded to my sister. “Aniyah?—”
Ezra’s calm voice cut in. “You handled the press well. Most humans bought your explanation, and now that Deslen’s repeating your story on camera, it should hold—at least publicly.”
“But not with the supes,” I muttered because we all knew the truth.
Her expression iced over. “Riot, keep your men on the chatter. First hundred supes who mention it—break their legs and make sure to use the slow-healing poison on them. Next hundred? Make them disappear. That should send a message.”
Riot nodded once, dark and sharp, her fingers moving across her phone. “On it.” Without missing a beat, she asked, “Should I kill him tonight?”
The air in the limo thinned, and my chest tightened. I knew she was doing her job, helping me, even, but the thought of Deslen lying dead somewhere, that open smile gone cold, tore at something raw inside me. My wolf howled deep in my soul.
“No. Don’t.” The words slipped out before I could stop them. My hand fisted on my thigh.
I didn't really know this asshole, and I was already defending him. Fuck! I didn't need this right now!
Silence stretched. All four pairs of eyes on my phone were fixed on me. Calix ran a hand over his face and sighed like the weight of the world had already crushed him once today. “Nova,” he said softly, “don’t tell me that?—”
“I don’t know.” My voice came out tight. The wolf inside me was pacing, snarling, “yes,” but my mind refused to listen. The tattooburned faintly, giving me all the proof I didn’t want. All I knew for sure was that I didn’t want Deslen to be hurt physically.
“We don’t have time to cover up or explain a high-profile death, which, after this fight, he would be. Plus, I need to focus on this substance problem. I have a lead I’ll talk to tonight.” Staring at Ezra, I hoped she understood that I didn't want to talk about what she was worried about. Not yet.
I sighed. “For now, leave him.”
Ezra watched me for a long ten seconds, eyes unreadable, before nodding slowly. “Agreed. The green goo takes priority.”
Of course, she’d call it that. Ezra could topple big corporate conglomerates and convince an educated man to purchase air, but when it came to naming things, she had the imagination of a brick.
I cleared my throat. “Any updates?” I needed to talk about anything to move on from this conversation.
Calix nodded. “I’ll send what I have soon. I’m comparing the compound to the tissue Ezra preserved from the creature that attacked Aniyah. If they match, the incidents are connected.”
“And someone’s targeting us,” Ezra finished, her tone matter-of-fact. The call went quiet as that reality sank in. Having an enemy that we knew nothing about was a big issue, one that would affect us all.
Right at the most inopportune moment, my wrist pulsed and heat rolled through me again. My thighs trembled. My body felt like it was perched on the edge of something vast and uncontrollable.
“Nova?” someone said, but I couldn’t answer. Not until I forced my breathing to steady. When I opened my eyes, my siblings were watching me, each of them waiting for an explanation I didn’t have.
Riot broke the tension. “It was… enjoyable. The fight. You did a good job.” I sent her a silent thank you.
Then Aniyah jumped in, laughing and teasing, describing how her mates were currently trying to outdo one another with ridiculous feats of strength since she’d made a comment about liking the muscles on the fighters. She winked and whispered about how she was about to let them use her as a sexy barbell. Make gym time finally work in her favor.
Calix groaned. “Aniyah, if you mention your sex life one more time, I’m cutting one of your mate’s balls off.”
