A shadow fell over me, banishing the sun and all its warmth.
I jerked around and looked up to see Graysen Crowther towering over me. In his hands was the glass of water Sage had knocked from my fingers. He’d obviously caught it before it could smash on the ground.
A low growl from Sage.
Beneath my palms, I felt him bristle, his muscles bunching taut. And so did I.
Graysen’s tall, broad figure was a blot of darkness against the rich blue sky. Typically, he was wearing all black and dressed casually, which belied the abhorrent situation we both were in. That traitorous feeling sparked against my skin like it always did when he was near. Graysen—the Wyrm Tamer. I mentally scoffed at the title. The touch of hyperawareness was detestable, and I dampened it down, forcing it away.
I hadn’t seen Graysen for a week. His bored, indifferent mask was gone, but his gaze was guarded as if bracing himself for my wrath. He seemed exhausted, too. I felt it emanating from him under my skin, bone-weary exhaustion. I wondered when he’d last slept and then caught myself with a sharp reminder that he was a bastard and I didn’t care. Couldn’t care.
Graysen offered me the glass of water, but I ignored the gesture. Instead, I tipped my chin toward Sage. “How did he get here?”
And then a desperate thought speared to the forefront of my mind. I shot to my feet, my heart fluttering wildly. “My family?” Maybe my family had brought Sage to me. Maybe they were still here… Worried for me… Waiting to see if I was alright. My gaze sliced straight to the door I couldn’t get past.
“No, not your family.”
I couldn’t help the disappointment, and my shoulders fell. “Oh.”
“Just one of them,” he amended quickly.
My curiosity piqued.
“Caidan helped me out. Well, twice actually.” Graysen frowned, dropping his gaze to the glass of water he held in his hand, tapping a forefinger against its curved surface. “He helped get the things for your room.” He brought those dark eyes, with a cautious note shimmering in their depths, back to me just in time to see me roll mine petulantly. I mentally shook my head at him—as if I should thank him for that tiny, little makeshiftbedroom he’d made from his walk-in closet. However, it was thoughtful for a deranged captor, I supposed. At least I wasn’t forced to share with Graysen and had privacy if I needed it.
I turned to Sage, who shoved his snout against my thigh and made me rock off balance. I rubbed the top of his head, enjoying how he pressed back against my touch, so I wasn’t looking at Graysen when he said, “And I knew…” He sighed. A deep, weary sound. “You’d appreciate a friend. So, he went to Evvie and asked for Sage.”
Evvie. Just her name being uttered had desperation to see her again stabbing through my chest. My gaze whipped to him, unable to stop myself from moving toward his tall, imposing figure. “How is she? Is she alright?”
“She’s not exactly happy.”
“Does she know?”About the Witches Ball?But I couldn’t push those words out. “Have my parents told her everything?” How they’d betrayed his mother and set this iniquitous scheme of the Crowthers into motion, me here, to beusedto find the Horned God who had stolen Tabitha Crowther.
“No, not then. Maybe now, I don’t know,” he said carefully. “She wanted to bring him to you herself.”
I pouted. “Caidan didn’t let her, I’m guessing.”
He shook his head slowly, his black hair ruffling with the swirl of wind coursing around the tower.
“I bet she was royally pissed off.” I crossed my arms over my chest and glared.
“In a manner of speaking.” He moved inside, padding across the thick, soft carpet toward his dining table, and placed the glass of water down on a coaster, adjusting it to sit perfectly at its center. I drifted out from behind the couch, following him indoors. My shadow stretched ahead of me as I kept the sunshine at my back.
He turned to face me, and I arched my brows expectantly, waiting.
“She slapped him…” he said, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand, his eyes going a bit wide as he glanced away. “A couple of times.”
I huffed a cold laugh. “Good for her.” My sister showed that backbone Graysen had accused her years ago of never having. And I hoped now she’d see Caidan Crowther as he really was—a snake. He’d likely been using thissupposedfriendship with her to get closer to our family. Yet…that yearning I’d seen on his expression when they were together, alone in the laundry, and how that intense longing for my elder sister scored across his face unchecked…
There was no point in dwelling on any of that without a way to confront it, so I pushed it away and shoved it down deep to deal with later.
Right now, there were more important things to take care of.
Namely, GraysenfuckingCrowther.
I gave Graysen a sly smile. What an idiot to bring my wraith-wolf to me. My gaze slid slowly to Sage, glued to my side, staring up at me, waiting for my order. “Bite his face off.”
Graysen was skilled, and I knew he’d battle his way free, but I was down to see Sage biting a chunk out of his ass and hear the prick howl in pain.
