The rooftop of theapartment had been turned into their sanctuary for the night.The fire’s glow still haunted the horizon, but up here there was cool air, mismatched outdoor furniture, and the comfort of being together.A pitcher of sweet tea sat in the middle of the table, surrounded by half-eaten plates of food.Saffron was awake, bundled in blankets, her small frame tucked against Isaac’s chest.Her legs stretched across Nolan’s lap.
Nolan shifted, mock-sulking.“Not fair.I want to hold our mate.”
Saffron arched a brow, stroking his jaw with her fingers.“You’re hurt.If you hadn’t gotten hurt today, then I could very well be sitting on your lap.”
Nolan winced.“Yeah, but it’s still not fair.”
Isaac kissed the top of her head.“I know you aren’t complaining about sitting on my lap.And as for Nolan?He just needs to be faster next time.”
Saffron snorted.“You both need to be faster.”
They laughed, but the sound was tight, full of exhaustion and lingering fear.Nolan reached for the tea, poured himself a glass, then winced again as he shifted.Saffron swatted at his knee.“Don’t make me tie you to that chair, wolf.You nearly got yourself roasted tonight.”
Nolan winked.“But I look damn good with a little soot on me.And you enjoyed watching me shower it all off, right?”
“Idiot,” Saffron muttered, though the corner of her mouth twitched.She reached to stroke his jaw again, softening the words.“Don’t scare me like that again.”
Isaac caught the look on her face and tightened his arm around her.“He just likes the attention.”
“Hell, yes I do,” Nolan said, smirking.
The laughter that broke from the others eased some of the tension.Willow actually snorted her tea out her nose.
Ursula set down her mug with a sharp click, though a smile still tugged at her lips.“Joking aside, something has been bothering me.Why there?Why that building?”
Saffron nodded, her voice low.“It certainly felt ...deliberate.Could it have been a deliberate trap meant for you two.”
Nolan’s jaw tightened.“Wouldn’t be the first time.”
But Liam, seated across with Willow curled at his side, shook his head.“Or the fire wasn’t set for you specifically.Not this time.It may have had more to do with what was inside the building.”
Jacob leaned forward, elbows braced on his knees.“After the ambulance took you three off, Liam and I stayed nearby.People were too busy with the fire crews to notice a couple of wolves cloaked in magic listening from the shadows.”
Willow smiled faintly.“Listening is generous.From what you told me, you two nearly gave the poor lawyer a heart attack.”
Liam’s grin was unrepentant.“He couldn’t see me, not really.I brushed past him while he was ranting to some man on the street about papers that needed to be found.You should’ve seen him jump.Nearly leaped straight out of his trousers.”
Jacob chuckled.“You’re lucky he didn’t keel over right there and have a heart attack.”
Saffron arched a brow.“You terrified a lawyer while invisible?That’s your idea of subtle?”
Liam shrugged.“I never claimed subtlety was my strong suit.”
Nolan laughed, then winced as the motion tugged at his ribs.“I’d pay to see that.You playing ghost to some poor bastard in a suit.”
“I highly recommend it,” Liam shot back.“It’s surprisingly entertaining.”
Jacob’s expression sobered.“But we heard enough.That lawyer—the one who ran his office out of the ground floor—he owns the building.He was arguing with a man in the street, saying he didn’t care what it took, they had to find or forge the documents and get them filed.Something about probate, land titles, an old will.”
Isaac frowned.“Property dispute?You think this has something to do with the Council?”
Liam took up the story.“The lawyer told the man he was talking to, that now that the Archdruid was dead, the two vying for his position were playing a deadly game.And it was easy to see and hear that he was scared.”
Ursula frowned, reaching for her tea.“The Archdruid could well have been Marcus.Did you happen to get the lawyer’s name?”
Jacob shook his head.“No, not his name, but the firm’s name was Jameson and Sons.”
Ursula froze, tea halfway to her mouth, and whipped her gaze to Jacob’s.“Jameson and Sons?Was the lawyer a balding, overweight white man, with glasses that look too small for his face, and sweating profusely?”
