“I said I would,” Wade mumbled around his latest bite. “It’s tasty.”
Riordan stared for a moment before shaking his head. “If you’re that hungry, I’ll get you something to eat.”
Wade perked up at that. “Where are we going?”
“I’ll give you the address when we’re back at your car.” They walked for a few minutes in silence before Riordan finally spoke again. “You aren’t obligated to get between my clan and Lady Caith, but thank you for trying.”
Wade stopped walking, grabbing Riordan’s wrist before he thought about what he was doing. Riordan’s skin was warm beneath his fingers, and if he dialed up his hearing and focused, Wade could probably hear his heart beating. But he didn’t because Patrick was always going on about keeping his nose and ears to himself and respecting people’s privacy.
“Just because the way you shift means you lose your skin doesn’t mean anyone has the right to take it.” Wade let go of Riordan’s wrist, plucking at the supple leather jacket he wore. “I meant it when I said my pack doesn’t hold with slavery.We all stick our noses into those kinds of problems, even if werecreatures aren’t involved.”
He still remembered what it was like to fight with a collar around his throat, forced to kill or be killed as entertainment for the rich. The way sometimes someone would pay a ridiculous sum to spend time with him after a fight and do whatever they wanted to him. Wade knew what it meant to be beholden to a master, and he wasn’t ever going to let Riordan or his clan experience that if he could help it.
Riordan stared at him with a narrow-eyed intensity that made Wade’s breath catch in his throat a little, something warm curling in his chest that he couldn’t blame on the fire he could breathe. “If those are the kinds of values your god pack holds, then it’s no wonder the gods favored you.”
Wade couldn’t help the face he made and forced his fingers to stop stroking Riordan’s jacket. “Ugh, gods are assholes.”
Riordan laughed softly, snagging Wade’s hand and pulling him down the sidewalk. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
Wade stared at their joined hands all the way back to the car.
CHAPTER NINE
“Got company,”Riordan called out as he pushed open the door to the triple-decker home he and his siblings had owned for decades. “Come say hello.”
Saoirse poked her head out of the kitchen down the hallway, her hair loose and falling down in waves. She narrowed her eyes at him before her gaze tracked over his shoulder. They widened comically at Wade as the younger man stepped inside, looking around curiously. “Donal said you’d gone off with a lad from the New York City god pack. This him?”
“Hi,” Wade said cheerfully, waving at her. “I’m Wade.”
Saoirse stepped out of the kitchen and hurried toward them. She met them in the living room, and the polite smile was wiped off her face once she got within sniffing distance of Riordan. She planted her hands on her hips and glared at him. “You smell like you’ve been traipsing about in Lady Caith’s garden.”
“I wasn’t traipsing,” Riordan protested as he nudged the door shut behind him.
She jabbed him in the chest with her finger. “You’re not denying you went to her.”
“That was my fault. I wanted to check out Niall’s territory,” Wade said.
Riordan contained a wince, knowing that wouldn’t ease his sister’s worry. It didn’t, judging by the scowl that twisted her lips. She drew in a breath, letting it out on a yell. “Donal! Riordan went to Lady Caith’s.”
“He did what?” came Donal’s muffled shout from upstairs. The heavy sounds of footsteps coalesced seconds later to their older brother entering the living room with his own scowl. “Boyo, I can’t believe you—oh. You brought Wade.”
“Yeah, Riordan promised me lunch. And don’t be mad at him. I was the one who dragged him into Beacon Hill. I wanted to check out Niall’s territory, but we got sidetracked with Lady Caith,” Wade said.
Saoirse crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot rapidly on the floor, glaring at Riordan. “That makes itworse.”
“We had good reason, and Lady Caith didn’t harm me,” Riordan said.
“I wouldn’t let your brother get hurt,” Wade said in a serious voice. “I promise you that.”
Some of Saoirse’s anger slipped away. She sighed before darting forward to wrap her arms around Riordan beneath his jacket for a hug. He held her tight for a few seconds, kissing the top of her head before she finally pulled away.
“Here.” He shrugged out of his jacket and swung it around her shoulders. “Take care of this for me while I make us some lunch.”
Saoirse slipped her arms through the sleeves, pulling the edges of the jacket close over her front. It hung long on her, but she didn’t care, tucking her nose into the collar to breathe in his scent. He and Donal had been taking turns letting her carry their sealskin around the home to help comfort her. Theirs would never replace hers, but it staved off the skin hunger she felt.
“Thanks,” she muttered. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
Riordan glanced at Wade. “I think so.”
