Ivy’s gaze shot to mine.
“Yeah, I did, and I will keep doing it until I kill the fifth,” I told them. “And then, after that, I may keep hunting. The Order needs the additional bodies, and I’m good.” Swallowing hard, I lifted my chin. “Despite the fact that I wasn’t out in the field.”
Ivy opened her mouth, then closed it. “I think…it’s incredible that you are such a good fighter, and I don’t mean that in a patronizing way.”
It sounded awfully patronizing to me.
“But I remember what it was like to see you in a hospital bed, hooked up to tubes and fighting for your life. I remember what it was like to go to your mom’s funeral—toallof those funerals,” she said, and I flinched. “We almost lost you.”
I softened. A little. “And you almost died too, Ivy. I didn’t think you were incapable of fighting afterward. I didn’t expect you to quit.”
Her chin dipped, and I waited for her to say it was different. But common sense seemed to prevail, and if she thought it, she at least didn’t say it.
Ivy’s shoulders rose and fell, and then she quieted. “You’re my friend, Bri. You’re my only friend, actually. I’m just… I’m worried about you.”
“Wow,” Faye murmured, alerting us to the fact that she was, very much, still in the room. “I thought I was your friend.”
“You are.” Ivy turned to her. Faye lounged on the couch, looking as if she were missing a bowl of popcorn. “I meant that Bri is my only human friend.”
“Do you normally separate your friendships by species?” Faye asked.
“I didn’t mean—”
“I’m kidding.” Faye laughed. “You’re my only human friend, too.”
I frowned. Did she not consider me a friend? Damn.
“What about me?” Ren demanded. “I don’t count?”
“You always count, Ren. Always.” Faye’s gaze shifted to me, her stare assessing. “They are just worried about you. You did almost die, but so has Ivy. So has Ren. And you want revenge for what was done to you and yours. That’s understandable.”
“You’re not helping,” Ivy snapped.
“And neither are you,” Faye replied calmly. “She knows how to fight, obviously. She’s killed.”
“Thank you,” I said, feeling some of the tension ease out of my shoulders. Someone finally recognized that I wasn’t book-nerd Willow anymore, friend to Buffy. I was kickass Willow—though not evil, dark Willow.
“But you being out there is a risk.” Faye’s cool eyes flicked to me. “It’s personal to you. Not in the same way it is to other Order members. That makes it dangerous.”
I swallowed a truckload of curses, and then round two of why Brighton should just stay safe at home with her nose stuck in a book began. At some point, I plopped back down into the chair, and just…stopped arguing against all the various reasons I shouldn’t be hunting in general and let it all sink in. I allowed it to really sink in that even with them knowing that I was capable of killing and defending myself, they didn’t believe I was capableenough.
And that didn’t just make me mad.
It also hurt.
I didn’t go to the offices of the Order, nor did I go home. After I’d managed to extricate myself from Ivy and Ren—and Faye—I caught an Uber and headed to an apartment in the Warehouse District. I’d run into Kalen while looking for the person who’dnot only thrown me under the bus but then backed up over me. Kalen had said he was here, and if he weren’t, I would find him.
The King and I needed to have a little chat.
I stalked down the hall of the tenth floor, growing more furious than I even knew was possible. Stopping at his door, I banged my fist on it like I was the police.
Only a few seconds passed before I heard the click of the lock and the handle turning. The moment the door opened, I didn’t even give him a chance to shut me out. I barged right in, shouldering past the King as I clutched the strap of my purse.
“Well, come on in,” he stated dryly. “And help yourself.”
“Plan on it.” My gaze roamed over the exposed brick walls and rather bare space. Like the last time I was here, there was only the large sectional couch and the TV. It still didn’t look lived in. “Hope you don’t have company.” I spun, facing him. “If you do, I don’t…”
I trailed off, thinking that I probably should’ve looked at him before I forced my way inside. He wasn’t exactly shirtless, but that white shirt of his was completely unbuttoned, giving me an eyeful of his toned chest and a tight, ripped lower stomach.
