I grab the cat carrier and step back into the hallway.
Mara’s standing there, Ghost perched on her shoulder like a parrot. Her eyes search my face with that unnerving perception. “Are you okay? You look...”
“Fine. Let’s go.”
She studies me for another moment, and I can see the doubt in her eyes, but she doesn’t push. “Okay… Let’s get this troublemaker home.”
I help her get Ghost into the carrier, gathering the rest of his supplies, but my mind is racing.
I need to figure out what Dredyn’s playing at.
I need to know if he’s a threat to Mara.
Dredyn’s known. He’s known all along.
And now, so do I.
TWENTY-ONE
DREDYN
Ihear the front door open, indicating both Jasper and Mara are home. Moments later, I hear Ghost’s bell and the sound of him scurrying down the hallway until he ends up in the living room. The moment he sees me he puffs up into a black little fur ball and runs away, into another room.
Jasper enters the living room, his shoulders square, jaw locked tight. His eyes don’t even meet mine as he walks past me and down the hallway, entering a guest room and slamming the door.
“What the fuck?” I ask, immediately jumping to my feet and moving toward Mara. “What happened?”
She shakes her head. “We were fine, up until we started packing up Ghost’s things. He won’t tell me.”
I go down the hallway and barge through the door Jasper walked in. “Dude. What happened?”
He doesn’t answer, doesn’t even glance my way. Instead, just pushes past me and back into the living room where Talon is as well.
He throws a velvet box onto the coffee table and waits.
Talon picks the ring box up and opens it. “Where did you find this?” He takes the ring out—gold with an embossed Syndicate symbol on it.
“Why don’t you ask Dredyn,”Jasper signs.
“Dredyn?” Talon asks.
Mara is trying to look at the ring herself to figure out what is happening.
I can’t look at him, can’t tear my eyes off Jasper, where rage is pouring off him in waves. His chest heaves, breaths ragged and uneven, jaw clenched so hard I imagine his teeth grinding to dust
“Jas, listen—” I start, reaching out like I can pull him back from the edge.
His hand slices the air, then he opens his mouth. “You let me think it was an accident. You watched me grieve.” Jasper steps toward me. “You watched me go silent because I thought my voice couldn’t save her... and you knew …” Another step, closing in like a predator. “You knew they killed her.”
“It wasn’t that simple?—”
“Don’t. Don’t you dare tell me it wasn’t simple. You could have warned her. I thought you loved her!”
I throw my hands up, palms out. “We always knew it was the Syndicate, I just didn’t know how involved my father was. And when I realized it, I needed proof. I needed to be absolutely sure before I could?—”
“Before you could what? Tell me? Trust me with the truth about my own sister’s murder?”
“Before I could act without getting everyone killed!” I roar back, heat exploding in my chest, unhinged and wild. “You think I could just take down the Syndicate without leverage? Without protection? They’d bury us all, Jas?—”
