“Maybe the happy news will knock some sense into Liam and make him cancel the duel,” hegrumbled.
So he’d heard aboutTamara.
I peeked up at him through my lashes. “You think Morgan would accept canceling theduel?”
August sighed. “She didn’t seem overly keen on dueling the day Liam challenged her. And shedidoffer Liam a peace treaty. Maybe it’s still on thetable.”
“That was to save her son. Alex is freenow.”
“He could becomeunfree.”
“You’re not actually entertaining thoughts of kidnappinghim?”
“If it saves your life, I’m entertaining many thoughts. Killing Justin’s another. In case you werewondering.”
I leaned forward and touched his arm. His tendons twitched under my fingertips. “It’ll turn this town into abloodbath.”
“So it’s okay if your blood’s spilled, but no oneelse’s?”
I’d signed up for this, so yes, I supposed it was. I refrained from pointing this out toAugust.
It dawned on me that instead of resolving this with violence, we could resolve it with words. Morgan was a smart woman. Surely wise, too. She’d understand that things had changed for ourpack.
Besides, she’d told me to pay her a visit. I decided it was time I took her up onit.
The front door opened then, and Jeb walked in. He blinked as he took us in, bloodied towel andall.
“What the hell happened?” heasked.
While I was trying to decide what to tell my uncle, so as not to worry him, August said, “Bar brawl with someCreeks.”
So much for not worrying Jeb. His light-blue eyes went as wide as doorknobs. “Creeks?”
I got up. “August will fill you in. I’m going tobed.”
As I stepped past August, he caught my hand, then flipped my arm around and inspected the wound. “Still nothealed.”
“It’ll heal during the night.” I added a smile to reassure him, but it seemed to miss its mark, so I leaned over and placed a kiss on his forehead. “Don’t frown so much. You’ll get prematurewrinkles.”
His forehead didn’t smooth out as I freed my hand from his grip and walked to my room. If anything, the grooves seemed to deepen. After washing my arm with soap and wrapping gauze around it, I pulled on my sleep shorts and a long sleeved tee to keep my bandage in place, then slid under thecovers.
August and Jeb were still talking in the living room. I tried to stretch my hearing to grasp what they were saying, but however hard I tried, their words sounded like gibberish. Was the Sillin to blame for thistoo?
I pressed my hand against my abdomen. Would the tether also fade if I kept ingesting thedrug?
My heart held still, then skittered, making my skin prickle from the release of rapid beats. I didn’t want it tofade.
I pressed the pillow against my face and let out a muffled cry of frustration, because I was so damn confused abouteverything.
If onlyonething made sense . . . If onlyonething could goright. . .
Mom would tell me to count my blessings, so I did. Evelyn was alive and happy. August was sticking around Boulder. My house was almost in livable condition. I was starting college on Monday. I was turning eighteen on Friday. Isobel had beatcancer.
I counted my blessings until sleep zippered overme.
27
Even though I’ddressed for the gym, Lucas texted me that there would be no working out this morning, which suited me perfectly. My arm had stopped bleeding but was in no shape to swing or block a punch. After a cup of bitter black coffee, I knuckled my uncle’s door and asked if I could borrow thevan.
