“Kastian and Odessa were going to be heading back to their ship soon anyway, what difference would it make if I told them?”
“Then what about me?”
“You were drunk.”
Jett grins and shrugs, but his smile falters when he looks at Fox. “What about you? You didn’t tell anyone where you were going.”
Fox doesn’t say anything, just stands there silently glaring.
I let out an exasperated sigh. “He’s thinking that he doesn’t have to tell you where the hell he was going.”
Fox raises an eyebrow at me as if to say: “Exactly.”
Kai steps forward, cutting off our argument. “I’m worried about the pack’s reaction to more Fae in our camp,” he says, his voice low.
“I’m not Fae,” Connell pipes up.
“You’re irrelevant,” Jett grumbles.
“What?” Connell makes an expression of mock horror. “Is that truly what you think of me? Say it ain’t so.”
Ignoring Connell, Fox shifts his weight almost nervously, his eyes meeting Kai’s across our small circle. “This is different,” he insists, “They haven’t performed any magic. There are no grounds to attack them.”
Kai’s eyes harden. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It fucking should,” Fox growls.
“I know, but no one will care.”
“They’d really attack any Fae even without seeing them use magic?” I ask. “I didn’t think it was that serious. I thought everyone was getting used to me being here.”
“They are, but only because you two are mated,” Kai says, not sounding much happier about it than I am.
“You’re what?” Jett demands, eyes darting between Fox and I with sudden interest.
Kai looks over at him, seeming momentarily startled. Over his shoulder I see Fox’s already pale face turn the same color as the snow at our feet.
“They call soul-bonding ‘mating’ here,” I say quickly, giving Jett a meaningful look. “But it’s the same thing. He means that the wolves are tolerating me because Fox and I arebonded.”
I suddenly see for myself exactly why Daemon chose Jett to be his spy master, because Jett doesn’t even blink. He just nods as if this was already common knowledge. “Oh, sure. I didn’t know there was another word for it.”
Kai turns away, clearly still focused on more important things. “I can’t handle a mutiny right now. I care about you, Fox, but I won’t turn my camp upside-down on your behalf.” He pauses, giving Fox a meaningful look. “Unless you’ve decided you’re willing to help us.”
“Help with what?” I ask, glancing back and forth between them.
Kai doesn’t look at me, and Fox seems reluctant to answer. His jaw tightens. “Yeah,” he says finally, pointedly not meeting my eyes. “‘Course I’ll help.”
“Fine,” Kai says, shoulders relaxing slightly. “Well, that’s something at least.”
“Help with what?” I repeat.
Again, Fox refuses to meet my gaze and speaks only to Kai. “It might help to have Jett with us, actually. In case I…in case it doesn’t work.”
“I suppose it’s only a few hours until we’re leaving anyway.” Kai runs a hand over his beard. “I’ll have to smooth things over first though. No one is going to want more Fae at camp, even if you are all helping us.”
“I’m not Fae,” Connell says again. For whatever reason he seems very concerned that we understand that fact, though I can’t see why it would matter.
Finally Kai glances at him, looking distracted, as if he only just realized Connell was there. “Who are you, again?”
