Everybody went back to their business.
I chuckled as Viol herded me away from the bustling kitchen. But before we turned the corner, I noticed Jade glancing up from his phone with a solemn expression. His brows knit together in concern before he silently slipped away from the group and disappeared upstairs. He hadn’t even alerted Alaric, who was in the kitchen with everyone else.
“What’s up?” Viol asked after we’d shuffled to the quiet living room.
I slipped onto the couch while Viol curled around me. His presence was comforting, but it didn’t stop the budding feelings of disquiet swirling in my stomach.
“Ah, nothing,” I said. “Just now, I thought I saw Jade looking worried.”
Viol paused. “Jade?”
Part of me regretted bringing it up because I didn’t want to put a damper on the merry atmosphere, but I was a terrible liar. Besides, I had no desire to hide anything from my mate.
But Jade was always calm and collected. Nothing ever seemed to faze him. So why now, during a moment of great joy, did he look so concerned?
“Maybe I was seeing things,” I suggested.
Viol’s jaw tensed, but I saw him forcibly unclench it. “Maybe he’s pissed that he won’t get to do any more Dragonfate Games related paperwork?”
I smiled at his attempt to console me, although I could tell he didn’t believe it, either.
The knot of tension in my chest twisted tighter when Jade stepped into the empty living room. He shot a furtive glance towards the kitchen, as if to ensure the coast was clear, then strode towards us.
“I need to talk to you both. Alone,” he added.
A chill broke out across my arms. Viol must’ve felt it because he held me closer.
“Is it important? Can it wait?” Viol asked.
Jade stared straight at him. “Yes, and no.”
He directed a stiff nod towards the front door, indicating he wanted to speak outside.
Viol’s nostrils flared. He unwillingly released me and stood up before helping me off the couch. In the seconds it took for the three of us to exit the castle, my chest squeezed hard enough to be painful. The return of my anxiety felt like being plunged into icy water. Ever since that night I spent in Viol’s bed, it had graciously receded. For the first time, I felt happy. Normal.
But now, I was scared again.
Viol held my hand, gently squeezing it. Reminding me he was there. I took a deep breath and tried to calm down.
Jade faced us. His mouth was a thin line, and his expression was unusually tense.
“I won’t mince words,” he said. “A few minutes ago, I received an unsettling message from the tundra clan.”
My knees began quaking. Viol squeezed my hand harder.
“So?” he demanded. “What does that have to do with Poppy or me?”
I knew what Viol was thinking. Rorik was from that clan, too. Perhaps the message was for him. It could’ve been a delayed reaction to his stint on the previous Dragonfate Games, chiding him for his failure, maybe a weak threat directed at the dragons.He’d known that was a possibility when he chose to air his season. I wondered if it was a form of revenge for Rorik, to tell the alphas they could no longer hurt him because they no longer controlled him.
But I already knew Jade’s news wasn’t about the clan’s reaction to Rorik’s win. A deep, dark pit in my core whispered that it was much worse than that.
Jade’s mouth was taut with a sympathetic wince. “It concerns Poppy’s brother.”
The air evacuated my lungs. I felt like I’d been punched viciously in the stomach. If Viol hadn’t been holding me, I would’ve collapsed. He grasped me with all his strength as my own seeped out of my body.
“Just say it,” Viol barked.
When Jade spoke, it was blunt and regretful: “They’re holding Sorrel captive in exchange for you, Viol.”
