“Finally,” he muttered at last, turning the screen to face us.
A face appeared, all sharp angles and brown eyes. Jace Beaudreau looked to be about our age, but even through the camera, the alpha of Gray Shadows radiated power. His voice was youthful, confident, and bright with curiosity.
“Hey, man. What can I do for you?”
Angelo, who was famously allergic to small talk, explained what was going on in quick, short sentences.
“What do you need from me?” Alpha Jace asked with a frown.
“Help to set a trap. Catch him off guard before he knows what’s coming.”
“And gut him when he pounces.” The alpha grinned, all teeth. “Sounds fun. So long as the Cimmerians will play nice with others.”
“They certainly charge headfirst into hell if you blink wrong—”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Koa smirked, spinning his dagger across his fingertips.
“—but yes. I vouch for them,” Angelo said begrudgingly, setting my little ol’ heart all aglow.
“All right. I need a few days to sort things out here.” Alpha Jace looked thoughtful for a moment. “Evermere isn’t too far from theambush spot I have in mind. The pretty boy princes mind hosting a wolf?”
“We have a dire in residence.” I resisted sticking out my tongue, which should have earned me a gold star, really. “What’s one more fleabag?”
Koa snorted, and even Seri let out a small giggle, which she quickly covered with one hand. Jace stared at me like I’d just declared war on the moon, but after a moment, he nodded.
“Send me the GPS coordinates.” His lips curved into a predatory smile. “I’m looking forward to working with you.”
The screen went blank, and Emerson shook his head.
“Zane, I’m going to tell you right now, his wolf, Gold, is not to be messed with. Alpha Jace doesn’t call him T-Rex for nothing.”
“You hear that, Brummy!” I rubbed my hands together as the pup raised his head. “We’re getting a new toy!”
#
Angelo and Emerson’s gray SUV rumbled down the driveway, kicking up a small cloud of dust that caught the sunlight like glitter. Seri stood on the porch beside me, her curls tousled by the spring breeze, one hand raised in a hesitant wave. Brumous, the overenthusiastic little gremlin, bounded after the SUV, barking his head off like he was personally escorting them off the property.
“Brumous, come back!” Seri called.
The pup skidded to a halt, ears flopping as he turned and trotted back to her, tail wagging like a windshield wiper gone haywire.
I grinned. Since he’d been getting at least four pounds of meat a day, Brumous had more energy than a squirrel on three shots of espresso.
“Claudio’s not going to know what hit him,” I said, leaning against the porch railing and crossing my arms.
Although my tone was light, the tension in my chest was anything but. That bastard had hurt Seri, and no amount of witty banter could mask the simmering rage beneath the surface.
Still, I tried. Had to stay in practice.
Koa’s favorite dagger materialized in his hand as if summoned by sheer anger, the blade catching the sunlight in a flash of silver. He pressed a kiss to the hilt, right where Seri’s name was etched in delicate cursive, and smirked.
“Oh, he’ll knowexactlywho hit him. I’ll make sure of it.”
“But he’s dangerous.” Seri’s gray eyes widened, a flicker of worry crossing her face. “What if he—”
She cut herself off, biting her lip, and I could practically see the gears turning in her head. She was scared forus, even after everything she’d been through. That kind of selflessness was both endearing and infuriating.
His broad frame casting a shadow over the porch, Cas placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, his voice steady and calm.
