“And fighting in a duel isoh-so-safe?” She pried my fingers off hers. “I’ll be fine. I promise.” She rose and walked over to the island to root through her handbag. She came up with a cell phone. “I’m going to tell him about your visit out East to win his trust. Don’t tell Liam or Lucas or anyone else the reason I’m betraying your pack, though. It’s better they all think I’m trying to be a goodCreek.”
“I hatethis.”
“Well, I hate your lack of style, but you don’t see me making a fuss aboutit.”
“My lack of style?Seriously?”
She raised a wolfish grin. “All you wear is denim and tank tops—in a variety of blues and whites and blacks. Granted your clothes are skintight, so they’re not horribly unsexy, but you could have so much more fun gussying up your hot self.” She tossed her phone on her bag, then went into herbedroom.
Doors slid on rails, metal hangers clinked, heavy thingsthumped.
She returned a couple minutes later, lugging a huge bag filled to the brim with clothes. “Since you and I won’t be hanging out for a while, here’s some stuff. Most of it’s too small forme—”
“We’re the samesize.”
“—on top. Or no longer mystyle.”
“Sarah. . .”
“Stop saying my name all breathily. You soundblonde.”
“Iamblonde. And so are you. And the only reason I’m saying your name like that is because you’re not letting me finish any of my sentences, and you’re behaving like you just broke out of the loonybin.”
“I want Cassandra Morgan dead, Ness. And so do you. And unless you want me to creep up on her in her sleep and murder her, which would just make her heart useless for the taking—if I even manage to make it stop beating—I’m going to seduce her son to help you guys.” She forced the bag into my arms. “Now go. I need to fumigate my apartment to get rid of yoursmell.”
I got up, clutching the bag. “Why would her heart be useless for thetaking?”
“Because only Alphas can take another’s heart.” When I frowned, she added, “Their hearts are already open toconnections.”
“So Liam could sneak up on her and kill her in hersleep?”
“He could, but there’d be no honor in doing it. He’d just be considered a coward and a thief. No self-respecting Alpha would resort to murder in order to steal a foreignpack.”
I mulled this over as I walked toward her front door. Before letting myself out, I said, “If Alex tries anything, you let me know straight away, and I’ll get youout.”
She nodded, but excitement glimmered in her eyes. I understood her desire to help—if the tables had been turned, I would’ve been the first to volunteer—but I feared what the Creeks would do to her if they discovered her duplicity. Even though Morgan claimed she wasn’t out for blood, she’d punished her defectors—Everest, disloyal Aspens, the River Alpha’s daughter—withmurder.
24
Matt decidedto test my endurance and friendship the following morning. Instead of a one-hour trek, he took me on a two-hour tour of Boulder’s rockiest mountain roads and most treacherous hikingtrails.
“Heard we’re all doing dinner tonight,” he said as he hydrated in my kitchen, his big forehead flushed andsweaty.
At least the exercise hadn’t been too easy on himeither.
“Not sure I’ll be able to peel myself out of bed after what you just made me do. Did Liam ask you to torture me, or was it all youridea?”
“All my idea, Little Wolf. Glad you enjoyedit.”
I stuck out my tongue as I refilled my glass with cold tap water. “Not to pry, but what’s going on between you andAugust?”
“Nothing’s going on betweenus.”
Matt cocked one of his very blond eyebrows. “He almost ripped me a new one for hammering the wrong baseboard into a wall yesterday when just last week he was discussing bonuses, so I don’t buy that nothing’s goingon.”
“I’m telling the truth. Nothing’s going on between us. I broke up with him forgood.”
“What?Why?”
