“Tell mewhen," I mock.
I stand up and silently dare anyone else to play. When no one else approaches me, I look each and every one of them in the eyes. Not just the bullies, but the rest of the group who just stood by and watched. I shake my head in disgust at them. I look at the two guys on the ground then back up at their group.
“This bullshit stops now. Don’t touch any of the shifters again.”
I look over to find the guy with the overcast blue eyes and stare at him until he gives me the slightest of nods. I take that as agreement and walk away, snatching my bag from where I dropped it and head toward where the Jeep is parked.
Mave and her friends are grouped by the beach entrance instead of in the car where they should be. I approach them, and Tru hands me back my keys. We all climb into the Jeep, and I drive towards where I picked them up. I give them and myself about ten minutes to process things before I break the silence.
“Anyone care to fill me in?” I pose to no one in particular.
It’s silent for a minute longer before Mave speaks.
“We’ve had trouble with that group before," she offers vaguely.
I patiently wait for her to elaborate.
“They know our pack is easy prey because we won’t fight back.”
I look at her with confusion.
“Our alpha works with the caster’s Elders Council. Two of the guys in that group are the sons of elders. If we fight back, we could jeopardize our alpha’s working relationship with the council, which would be really bad for the pack. We’ve been ordered not to engage any of them for any reason.”
I nod my head absently. “Is that whole group a coven?” I ask, trying to piece things together.
“No, only four of them are a registered coven. The extra guys seem to think they’re going to be brought into the fold, and the girls are probably auditioning for a place too," Mave informs me. “The actual coven never lifts a finger towards us, but they also don’t stop their cronies from doing anything either," she adds. “Now your turn."
“My turn to what?”
“Explain what in the name ofterminatorhappened back there?”
I chuckle at the wide-eyed, excited look on her face. “I used to fight for a living. It’s what I did before I found out I was a caster and my uncle found me and brought me here.”
“Thank you, Vin. It means more than I can say that you stood up for us. Tru doesn’t talk unless it’s in the pack link, but he says thank you, too.” Mave is quiet for a minute, and then she suddenly starts giggling. “Holy shit. I had to stop myself from laughing when you picked Harris up by the neck. It was beautiful," Mave tells me, and she closes her eyes like she’s happily reminiscing.
A grumbling laugh starts in the back seat, and we both look back to discover it’s grumpy Kaika laughing his ass off. Mave and I look at each other, completely stunned, before breaking down and joining him in fits of hysterical laughter.
27
Imake it up to my room without running into anyone, which surprises me. I shower and change into some cotton shorts and a loose, slouchy top that likes to slide off my shoulder. My right hand is sore, and my knuckles are bruised from the punch I threw. I dry my hair with magic and head down in search of a healer.
I spot Lila in the kitchen, and she tells me Evrin’s out, but Ryker andthe boysare playing pool downstairs. She hands me an ice cream cone I thought she was making for herself and I give her a quick hug before I clomp down the stairs.
I crack open the door to the billiards room, just as someone breaks and the grouping of balls scatter all over the felt tabletop. Five sets of eyes shoot over to me, and I smile at them self-consciously. Knox leans over to take a shot, and I take the opportunity to stare at his ass and the muscles in his back. I shake away my lusty thoughts and take a lick of my ice cream cone as I make my way over to where the other guys are sitting on a set of sofas.
Valen grabs me and pulls me into his lap shoving his face into my hair and the crook of my neck. I laugh as he starts inhaling deep breaths and gives me a playful bite that sends a shiver down my spine. I love how assertive the twins are. They both exude this confidence and comfort with who they are, and they don’t hesitate to take what they want.
Bastien takes my feet in his lap and grabs my hand that’s holding the ice cream cone so that he can steal a taste.These sneaky twins are always jacking my food, I grumble to myself and yank my cone away from him. He laughs and winks at me.
“I thought you said you weren’t going to avoid us anymore,” Bastien asks, his playful smile turning a little sad.
“I’m not," I reassure him, feeling confused by his question and reaction. I run the back of my hand along his jaw, and he leans into to the caress.
“Where have you been all day then?”
Ahhh, that’s what’s going on.
“I went and hung out with Mave. I met her the other day, and she invited me out.”
