“Reckless?” Jeb blurted out. “Blood killings are allowed! Encouraged,even.”
“Perhaps, but advising her to attack the man during an Alpha duel? You and I both know how that could finish.” August was growlingnow.
“It could finish with my brother getting peace, that’s how it could finish.” A vein ticked hectically in my uncle’stemple.
“Why don’t you slit the asshole’s throat yourself, then?” August bitout.
Ping.
“Because I plan on slitting another man’s throattoday.”
“Whose?” Iasked.
“AlexMorgan’s.”
“Cassandra’s son?” Iasked.
He nodded. “I spent the better half of last night contemplating the little shifter’s face through the silver grate. If Eric hadn’t kept me in check, the boy would be dead this morning.” On top of looking like he was hopped-up on drugs, my uncle sounded likeit.
“Is Alex here?” I gestured to theinn.
“He’ll be here later.” Jeb dropped his voice and took a step closer to us. “Liam’s bringing him to barter in case . . . in case Julian isn’tsuccessful.”
“Barter against what?” Augustasked.
“The Creeks’s immediate departure from Boulder,” he whispered loudly. “If she doesn’t accept Liam’s terms, then I get to kill the son-of-a-bitch.” Waves of anger and bloodlust pulsed off myuncle.
I glanced up at August, worried today would turn into absolute carnage, and his expression mirroredmine.
Jeb checked his wristwatch. “Twenty minutes to go.” His eyes sparked. “Twenty minutes.” He rubbed his palms together gleefully before prancing ahead of us. “I’m going to go find myself a front rowseat.”
For a while, neither August nor I spoke. We just watched my uncle’s form vanish into the entrails of his formerinn.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” came a voice I hadn’t heard in a long time. A voice I hadn’t missed atall.
August inspected my face slowly before he turned around even slower. He stepped in front of me, barring me from Justin Summix’sview.
“If it isn’t G.I. Watt.” Justin was chewing on a piece of gum, which made him look more bovine than lupine. Like at the music festival, he was flanked by his two cronies. “Heard you were dishonorablydischarged.”
“Is there a reason you’re trying to provoke me, Justin, or do you simply get a kick out of being a world-class prick?” August asked, his voice stretched as taut as a rubberband.
Justin smiled before starting back up on his loud mastication. He craned his neck to the side to look at me. I wasn’t hiding behind August. I just had no desire to look at the sleazyPine.
“Guess I had you pegged right the first time we met, huh?” Justin blew out a bubble that smacked against his crookedmouth.
“Choke on your gum, Justin,” I spatout.
He smirked, and so did his two friends. One of them cracked his knuckles while the other just leered atme.
“How does it work?” Justin continued. “Do you take them one at time or all atonce?”
That was it.I lunged around August, but he tugged so hard on the tether I flailed backward, whacking against his chest. A second later, Justin was dangling in midair, sputtering. Either August was squeezing his neck too tight or the gum had gone down the wronghole.
“Apologize. Now,” Augustgrowled.
“Landon,” Justin wheezed, his face beginning to turnpurple.
Did that meanI’m sorryin some weird werewolftongue?
