“I thought you were aware of the finaltrial.”
“No.”
“Would you have signed up had youknown?”
Before I could answer, Liam’s voice filled my mind.The fight will take place at noon on the lawn of the inn. I hope to see you all there to support our allies, thePines.
I checked the time on the car’s dashboard. “That’s in—in onehour.”
August’s fingers cinched around the steering wheel. “I don’t want you to go, Ness. These fights . . . they can escalate. Spark otherfights.”
“And you don’t think I can hold myown?”
“Of course I think you can, but do I want to risk it?No.”
“I appreciate your desire to keep me safe, but I’m never going to be the girl who’ll stay at home and wait by the phone. That’s not in myDNA.”
A couple different emotions slotted over his face—surprise, frustration, alarm. “Fine,” he finally said, “but you’ll be at my side the entire time. Hope you’ll be okay withthat.”
“August. . . ”
“Not up fordiscussion.”
I growled alittle.
“Indulge me, sweetheart. You’ve never attended a duel. These things are ugly. Even if the wolf you’re rooting for wins, they’reugly.”
Ihadattended one, but not as a spectator. I didn’t think bringing up my own trials again would help ease August’s mood, so I kept quiet. Besides, I didn’t hate the idea of being at hisside.
48
We droveto the inn in August’s truck. I let Jeb sit up front, content to have the backseat to myself. As we rolled up the road to the inn, I intermittently texted Sarah and stared out the window at the sun-soaked mountains. She was confident her uncle would demolish the Creek Alpha. I hoped she wasright.
“I’ve never seen so many cars.” Jeb stared at the ocean of parked cars unfurling like a multi-colored wave down the slopingdriveway.
Even though he was hyper—probably jacked-up on coffee and stress—I worried coming here would be tough on him. Especially if his ex-wife was in the vicinity, fawning over Aidan Michaels. I really hoped Lucy wouldn’t show her face. For Jeb’s sake, and for mine. Could she not see what a vile man Aidan was? Could she not spy the dried blood of her son underneath the hunter’s—the Creek’s—buffed fingernails? Sure, he hadn’t confessed to Everest’s murder, but I sensed with every fiber of my being that Aidan had had a hand in it. After all, the inn would still be Clark-owned if Everest were alive. Which would’ve been a heck of lot less convenient to host Aidan’s extendedfamily.
“You heard Aidan Michaels is a wolf,” I told Jeb as I got out of thecar.
“I heard. I still can’t believe it. The quantity of Sillin he must’ve ingested to keep his scent in check . . . ” He shook his head, which ruffled his already mussed-up blond-gray hair. I’d never seen him sounkempt.
August came around the car, hands in his pockets, probably to keep them off my body. Even though I’d promised to stay close, I’d begged him not to touch me. Touching would give us away. Maybe our scents alreadydid.
My uncle’s red-tinged gaze kept flitting from place to place without ever settling. “He probably can’t shift anymore. Or if he can, he must be one hell of an ugly bastard. One of thosehalfwolves. The only good part about him being a wolf is that now you can endhim.”
August came to an abrupt halt. “Endhim?”
One of Jeb’s eyebrows shot up while the other slanted downward. “Don’t you want Callum’s murder avenged,August?”
“Of course Ido.”
My uncle dropped his voice to a mere whisper. “Ness should use the duel as a diversion to slit histhroat.”
“Do you care about your niece?” August barked, jerking on the tether to bring me closer tohim.
“Excuse me?” Jebasked.
“If you cared about her, you wouldn’t incite her to do something so incrediblyreckless.”
