It felt right having the female near him, and every instinct in him bellowed for him to make her safe. Protected. His.
He ignored the primal feelings. The moment didn’t belong to instinct. It belonged to control.
Opening the door, he allowed cold air to rush over him as he tried to shield Nadia. The winter chill was biting. “Why don’t you wait inside?”
“I’m supposed to thank everyone for having tea with me and then give instructions.” She sounded as if she wanted to roll her eyes. “I wish the rules weren’t so rigid. I swear, Caidrik, if I could, I’d just mate you.”
He liked the thought but not the ‘just.’ At least they were on the same page, although she was underestimating him. “I’m not the safer alternative, baby. You need to know that now.” Sure, he’d been respectful when keeping his distance as her enforcer, but that job was over. This was life. And mating. And forever. The attraction was there between them, and they both wanted the same things for the pack. That was plenty with which to start a life.
He stared out at the wolves he didn’t want to kill. Well, besides Bulwark. Starting his reign with spilling blood went against who he wanted to be. It was time to leave the mercenary, the killer in him, behind.
In front of him, snow covered the ground in a smooth, undisturbed sheet that reflected the pale light back up at the sky. The pack members had already gone home, trusting this ancient and rather stupid law that transferred power.
The other four challengers waited in the yard, spaced apart, each of them staring at the door. Energy, barely contained, rolled through the air. Dax paced near the edge of the porch, his boots crunching lightly in the snow. Bulwark stood farther back with his hands loose at his sides, always ready for a fight, while Isaac remained near the tree line. Did he look pale?
Luca leaned against the railing, his focus on Nadia.
Caidrik stepped forward and then slowed when his stomach rolled violently.
Not nerves.
He knew nerves. That was different. Heat crawled up his spine despite the cold, and a slick sweat broke out under his coat. His mouth flooded with thick saliva that tasted like slugs.
What the hell was happening to him?
“Caidrik?” Nadia asked, stumbling and then righting herself. The female had good instincts.
“I’m fine.” He swallowed hard and kept walking. How was he going to keep her safe while he was out doing these challenges? Philip’s enforcers had gone with him. Sure, Caidrik had soldiers on the house, and the ancient laws dictated that the heir, or trophy, couldn’t be harmed, but he didn’t trust anybody else to keep her covered.
Nadia moved beside him, close enough that he could feel the warmth of her even through layers of fabric and air. “I wish everyone would just listen to reason,” she said quietly.
“Ditto,” he replied, grateful his voice sounded steadier than his body felt.
Dax straightened. “I’m fine playing poker for the position and letting everyone go on their way after I win.”
Nadia grimaced. “Everyone would have to agree, including me.” She eyed Isaac.
Caidrik couldn’t blame her. The wolf had said he didn’t want to mate her, which was actually a smart move. He kept watching her, though. “I’d never force you.”
“I know.” She swallowed. “But you didn’t deny the right.”
No, he hadn’t. “I won’t need to force you, and you know it.” It was the truth. Oh, she might be frightened of her feelings for him, or his for her, but they were there. Real. She knew it, too.
She huffed out a breath.
Damn it. He was going to have to wait until she came to him because no way was he forcing her to do anything. How was he going to court her and kill these morons at the same time? Also, he wanted his time as a killer to be over. “When I’m off doing whatever it is, read the rest of that grimoire and see if there’s any way to win without killing everyone.”
She sighed. “I can’t read the last third of the book. It’s in an ancient language, and Solomon is one of the few people alive who can.”
Caidrik’s gut hurt. Bad. “Fine. Then get a translation app or something. Just try.”
“Oh, I’m already on that,” she said under her breath. “Like I said, I’m no trophy.”
He liked that. A lot. Spunk and determination in a sexily small package.
The world tilted around him. He stopped a few paces from the door and fought the urge to bend forward. The snow blurred for a second. He blinked the fuzziness away and distributed his weight evenly to keep his balance.
Luca’s gaze flicked to him, sharp and fast. “You look pale.”
