Before we left, I checked on Jess, who was belly up in what remained of the bigger pool, which was now split down the sides and mashed flat from her rolling back and forth in the ice. Based on the even rise and fall of her chest, I was convinced she had fallen asleep and decided not to bother her.
Thenot bothering herpart required me fisting the back of Sloane’s pants and dragging her away before the rapid clicking of her camera app woke Jess.
Halfway to Fayne’s, I received the promised update from Seamus, and my grip on Sloane went slack.
>>Becca was poisoned with dragonsbane.
three
No sooner hadI finished reading the update on Becca than Rand and a woman dressed in enforcer black fell in step with Sloane and me. They blamed a pressing need to say hi to their newest recruit for jogging across the street to greet us. Had the pair not watched me from the corners of their eyes, never leaving my sight, I might have been more inclined to believe their story.
As it was, the familiar sensation of bars closing in around me threatened to lock me in a full-scale panic attack before Sloane’s comforting presence calmed me.
If the Walshes told me that the increased safety measures were temporary, then I would believe them. I had no reason not to when they hadn’t lied to me yet. I had weeks of freedom in their care as proof they meant for me to live how I wanted and not how they saw fit. After I calmed down, I admitted to myself I might have overreacted a skosh considering Becca had collapsed in my arms from poisoning.
Dragonsbane. I had never heard of it. Dragons faced enough challenges without going around advertising their weaknesses, but still. If it was anything like wolfsbane, even small amounts were lethal. Becca wasn’t a dragon, as far as I knew. So, whytarget her? I had to learn more about this latest threat, but I would wait to ask Rían about?—
“Ana.”
Impact knocked me back on my heels as Goldie slammed into my knees, wrapping her arms around my thighs.
“You’re not dressed for the party yet.” I picked a leaf from her hair. “Are you still helping with prep?”
“Gran and I mulched under the swings and the slide to make sure the little kids don’t get hurt if they fall. It’s plastic and smells funny, but it won’t attract bugs. Gran says that’s the important thing.” She clung to me even tighter. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Me?” I scooped her onto my hip. “Why do you ask?”
“Oh.” Goldie smoothed her expression. “The wards coming down.”
Not bad for a lie cooked up on the fly, but I could tell there was more at the root of her anxiety.
“News about Becca has been circulating.” Fayne filled the doorway, eyes sharp on our surroundings. “If I didn’t know better, I would suspect that Goldie had listened to the update I was given.” She turned wise eyes on her granddaughter. “But I’m certain she would never disobey my orders and eavesdrop on adult conversations, so I must be mistaken.”
“We brought your ingredients from home.” Goldie suffered a bout of selective hearing. “Can I help you if I change and wash my hands?”
“Of course.” Unable to resist its flush, I kissed her cheek. “Nice evasion, by the way.”
With a laugh, Goldie wriggled down and shot indoors to clean up while Fayne shook her head with pride.
“I leave Ana in your capable hands.” Sloane bowed to Fayne. “Take good care of her.”
“I won’t let her out of my sight.” Her eyes grew sharp on Sloane. “Be careful out there.”
With a tip of her chin in our direction, Sloane jogged off to return to GSG for Jess.
The two enforcers, having lost their camouflage, cleared their throats then scurried to take up their posts on either side of the gate leading into the backyard. Their sympathetic winces and inability to meet or hold my gaze only made their hovering more awkward, but it wasn’t their fault the man who stole me away and raised me as his own was a psycho, and I wouldn’t hold their assignment against them.
“This has been a day.” Fayne gathered me against her chest, her warm scent calming me. “Don’t let it get in your head.”
“Am I that obvious?” I slumped over her shoulder. “I notice you’re light on babysitters.”
“Goldie put them to work.” She stroked my hair. “I’m not much of a baker, but I follow directions well if you need an extra hand.”
Withdrawing from her embrace, wishing I could linger, I pasted on a smile and got busy in the kitchen.
Three burns, two dropped trays, and a bruised toe later, I marked off the last item on Goldie’s checklist. I wasn’t usually fumble fingered in the kitchen, but a half dozen enforcers took turns checking on me via a trip to the fridge for a drink or quick stop at the pantry for a snack or a mumbledjust passing throughon their way to the backyard.
Memories of all the times I had holed up in the kitchen, baking my heart out for the pack, hoping to snag a moment oftheir attention, kept flipping through my head until I was ready to scream.
