Emersyn's fingers hovered just above my skin. "She straddled you, didn't she? This wasn't her first time doing something like this. A novice would've killed you. What Navy did was haunting. The scar won't be crazy, but it'll be memorable. The world won't see it, but you will. You'll touch and remember the blade and smell the iron in your blood mixed with her perfume."
"Are you done?" I asked, swallowing hard.
"Oh yeah," she half-smiled. "Sorry. I get carried away sometimes."
"I see," I muttered, knowing that wasn't the full truth.
Emersyn wasn't my friend. She was Crown's friend. I hadn't thought much of it until she showed me just how easy it was to get caught up in her. How she pulled you in with her walk, disarmed you with a soft touch, and made danger feel like sweet comfort.
"Nope," she said, stepping away. "I won't lie. I didn't get carried away."
She looked at me, all softness gone.
"That was a warning. Ask me to kill Navy again, and it'll be you who dies."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I like you."
My brows lifted.
"Not like that." She giggled. "I like you as a person, and I'll hate to see you go out sad over a man that'll never be yours. Honor loves Navy, and Navy loves Honor. There's no room for anyone else. So, trying to kill her won't end the way you think it will. It'll just leave your daughter growing up without you and probably calling Navy mommy."
"That sounds a little too much likefriendadvice. Does that mean we're friends?" I asked half-jokingly.
"Maybe." She shrugged, pulling her phone from her pocket just as mine chimed.
Honor
Meet me at the mill.
Me
Fuck you!
Honor
It's about Lucian.
I sucked my teeth. "I have to make a run."
"Same," Emersyn stated. "Honor wants me to meet him at the mill."
"Funny, he told me the same thing."
"Wanna ride together?" she offered.
I almost told her, yeah. "I'll drive myself and follow you."
Her lips curved, "You're learning. But understand this… I don't hunt, and I don't toy. How I show up will always announcewhyI'm in your presence." She started heading toward the front door, then peered over her shoulder. "I'll be in the car."
I waited until the front door closed before running upstairs to change out of my pajama pants and oversized t-shirt. I kept it simple: cargo pants, a fitted cropped top, and a pair of black Timbs. I pulled my hair into a ponytail, grabbed my gun andcoat, and was gone. I slid into my car and pulled out behind Emersyn as she drove off.
Her warning replayed in my head for obvious reasons. A meeting at the mill could easily be a setup. Navy could've gone crying to Honor, filling his head with lies about what I supposedly did to her when I didn't lay a finger on her. If this was a trap then Honor, Navy, and Emersyn misjudged how far I was willing to go to make it home alive.
Honor Gravehart
The room smelledof iron and fear. Lucian made good on his promise. Mitch and Troy hung from the beam by their wrists. Their toes barely brushed the concrete, and they were stripped of everything but their underwear. They whimpered. Not loud, just enough for me to know they were still alive. Their chests jumped every time Ghost shifted his weight or Grim's nails scraped the floor. Killian's best friends sat at my feet, calm in a way that unnerved anyone who didn't know them. Ghost and Grim didn't snarl unless they were told to. They didn't bark unless it served a purpose. Much like their owner, they didn't move unless it was worth their while. Ghost's jowls were still damp with blood, his dark eyes fixed on the men like he was deciding whether they were worth finishing. Grim nudged my leg, a warning of how calm could quickly slip into carnage. A lesson Mitch and Troy had already learned.
