Breathe.Liam’s command shocked the tremor right out of me. Then, out loud, he said, “Last I heard she’s still working at theinn.”
“Why would she work for Aidan? After what she said at Everest’s funeral—about hating what we were—why would she willingly work for theCreeks?”
“Grieving people say and do uncharacteristic things. It might be a way of getting back atus.”
“But we didn’t killEverest.”
Liam was supposed to, but Alex beat him toit.
“She still believes it’s our fault. Like I said, grief screws with people’sminds.”
The plane started to roll past other shiny aircrafts varying in size. I wondered if one of them belonged to the Creeks. Maybe more than one. And then I wondered if the Watts owned a planetoo.
“I heard August and his father did business with the Rivers two years ago,” I said, mostly to distract myself from the long dotted strip in front of us. The plane bumped to a stop, and then it made a U-turn and hurtled so fast it pinned my heart to myspine.
Shh.
When my claws dented the buttery leather, I ripped my hands off the armrests and cinched my thighs. I pulled in a long breath, then let it out. I did this over and over until the plane’s nose lifted and the wheels left theground.
“You’re okay, Ness. Everything’s going to beokay.”
“Don’tsay that,” I snapped, “because nothing ever goes right when people saythat.”
His head jerked back a little. “Where did that comefrom?”
I shut my eyes, air pulsing through my nostrils. “Dad said that to me, and then he was shot. You said that to me, and then you turned on me. I hate thatsentence.”
After a beat, he said, “I’msorry.”
I laid my head back, eyes stillclenched.
“I have something that’ll cheer youup.”
When paper rustled, I raised my lids. A large white envelope dropped into my lap. On the top left corner was an intertwined C andU.
“Your college packet,” Liam explained, mistaking my surprise for confusion. “Classes start in a week. Do you know what you’re going tostudy?”
“Business.”
“Practical.”
I stared at the envelope, feeling both fraudulent and lucky. The pack’s money and connections had gotten me in, not my exceptionaltranscript.
“There’s a course catalogue in there. I was a business major too, so I can help you figure out the best classes totake.”
The flight attendant came back then, a white tablecloth draped over her arm. She pulled out a hidden table from the wall between our seats, then smoothed the crisp cloth before returning to the galley. As she set up breakfast in real porcelain and silverware, I opened the envelope and read over my welcome letter, then flipped through the catalogue while Liam told me stories of his college days, about his initiation into the frat house run by generations of Boulder wolves. Even though it was open to all male students —human or supernatural—a shifter was always in charge, and that shifter made sure the hazing was “eventful.”
“What did they make you do?” Iasked.
He got this far away smile. “Fight in a ring lined with dog excrement. Loser got tossed in theshit.”
“Bet you didn’tlose.”
He turned that smile on me. “I didn’tlose.”
Gratitude and excitement drifted up in me. As I ate flaky pastries and drank bitter coffee, I pored over every sheet of material on my lap. “Thank you so much forthis.”
Liam raised a palm. “Please. It’snothing.”
