His voice was serious, more serious than she could ever remember hearing it, her stomach flip-flopping at the thought of being trapped in a room with Vin’s family and pack.
“What doesthatmean?”
“He’s a philanthropist,” Lux continued, “a big name in werewolf welfare, has a program helping people like you out of tight spots. I can’t think of anything tighter than the spot you’re in right now. He’s the sort of person who can make things happen. Folks will do what he says without question, do things he wants just because he’s made it sound like they should.” He hesitated a moment, a soft buzz against her skin, before continuing. “He’s dangerous, but not in a way you’ll be familiar with. Neither of us. We need to get you ready if he agrees to come. I don’t like to think about what they’re planning. If things get ugly, they get ugly, and I’m ready for that, but I’d prefer you not to get caught up in anything dangerous. Start packing up, whatever you can carry in a single bag, you might have to get out of here in a hurry. If I can get around this wolf’s people and get in touch with him, he might be the white knight you’ve been waiting for, princess. They can get you out of here.”
At that she sat up, scowling.
“I don’t want a white knight. I’m not some damsel in a tower. And what do you mean ‘people like me?’ Broken, you mean?”
“You’re a damsel in a shit hole strip club,” he deadpanned. “I really don’t see the difference. And you’renotbroken, there’s nothing wrong with you. He helpswerewolves. Aren’t you still a wolf, little wolf?”
“I’m usually not enough of a wolf for most of them,” she grumbled. “Especially the uppity ones. I’m notoneof them. Andbesides, I already have a black knight.“ Her heart tumbled again when her words earned that gleaming crescent moon in his face. “Are you going to come with me?”
His smile faded, but she was still able to hear it in his voice, a bit wistful.
“I’m not a wolf, little one. You need to find your pack, find your way, and I’m just a shadow. You don’t need me dragging you down.”
Jude laid back once more, snorting ruefully at his words.
“I’m already in the dirt, shadow boy. You can’t drag me down any further than I already am.”
Despite her outward levity, something in her twisted, a vice closing around her lungs. She couldn’t make him responsible for her happiness and life had taught her to be too wary to go entrusting her heart to anyone fully. Still . . . He could contort himself into anything she wanted, anything she needed . . . But Jude was certain that all she needed was him.Breathe in, breathe out.
“I’ll start getting ready,” she said finally. “But I want you to be ready too. Anywhere I go, there’s no reason you can’t come as well. I thought all shadows needed were the light. I have it on good authority that the sun is kind of inescapable. And failing that, I have a flashlight on my phone. You’ll be fine.”
She closed her eyes to the sound of his rippling, white laughter, heat curling low in her belly. The thought of leaving here, being free from Vin was exhilarating . . . but the thought of leaving Lux behind sat on her chest like a heavy weight, squeezing her heart.
“I want you to make sure you’re ready to leave too. But for now why don’t you shut up and fuck me. Oooh, can you make it have ridges like a faerie? Try that. And whenever we have to go . . . we go together.”
***
The plan was set in motion several days later.
Lux had been making his calls, attempting to get in contact with this allegedly important werewolf, cursing in frustration when he was routed around the man time and again. He never told her he’d made contact, but the morning she woke to the sound of gravel crunching beyond her apartment window, throwing back the covers and stumbling out of bed when she heard the car door slam, she knew something had happened. They were either coming to get her ready for the event, or they were coming to kill her.
“I’m right here, princess,” he murmured as she frantically got dressed. He’dnotbeen there, had left hours earlier, but she was relieved that he was back now. She’d worried initially, those first few days after the full moon. She thought they might slip back into their previous platonic companionship, unsure if her heart could bear it, but that fear too had gone unfounded.
He left in the evenings, seeing to other business to which he needed to attend, and she couldn’t begrudge him that. He returned every night — slipping through the shadows in her apartment, materializing before her bed. It had only been a few weeks at that point, but she wasn’t sure how she was meant to learn how to sleep again without the weight of his arms folded over her.
She’d worried at one point that sex was unenjoyable for him, and only something he did to make her happy, until she’d woken one more thing to find a thick, pitch-black tentacle probing her pussy, sliding through her slick folds. That intriguing little sucker had fastened over her clit before she was even fully awake, a thicker tentacle pushed into her, another wrapped around her ankle, pulling her leg back over his hip, a groan at her ear and the hoarse whisper of her name in his silken voice asshe climaxed around him. She didn’t like to think that physical pleasure was something she enjoyed alone in their strange relationship, but waking up being fucked by his tentacles had become weekly routine, dissuading her of her anxious thoughts.
“Who’ve you been talking to?” Vin demanded angrily, only seconds after bursting through the club’s door. “Have you had people here? Have you been talking to other wolves?”
“What? What are you talking about, Vin? Who could I have possibly been talking to, when I never leave this place? What kind of stupid fucking question is that?” His hand raised, but his uncle’s fingers locked around his wrist, staying his swing.
“What are you going to do, tough guy? You gonna smack her around, now? Now that we’ve got these people sniffing around? Use your fucking head for a change.”
When he turned to her, Jude forced herself not to crumple.
“And you. Don’t you play innocent for me. I don’t know what you’ve been doing, but here’s what you’re gonna do now, if you know what’s good for you. You’re gonna go back to your apartment before we leave, and that’s it. You don’t leave again. We’re going to be having people here next week, and you’re going to be here that night. And if you say one thing out of line . . . it’ll be the last thing this pretty mouth does. Capisce?”
Jude nodded, not needing any further instruction — she was expected to put on a good show that night, the plain threat of what they might do to her if she said anything that might incriminate Vin or his father hanging in the air.It’s not anything they’re not probably already planning.
“Has anyone been around these last few weeks? Anyone you’ve seen?”
There was no one else he could mean, no one other than Lux.They think he took off because they stopped paying. Jude shrugged.Best to play dumb.
“There was a car here one night, but that was weeks and weeks ago. I don’t know who it was though.”
