CARWYNN
“What?”Keeffe gaped in horror, unsure if he heard me right.
David would kill me for sharing this with Lochlainn. But theyneededto know.
“David doesn’t believe the collapse was natural.” I paused, as a building tremor of anxiety stole a breath. “My mom suspected the Skell King was stealing Vinter Coal. Thought he was making weapons of some sort.”
Keeffe’s freckles darkened against his paling skin.
Lochlainn ran both hands through his hair, then hooked them behind his neck. He groaned, the sound bordering on a growl.
A hiss slipped through Keeffe’s teeth, then he swore.
“David thinks Loveland was an experiment,” I said. “That whatever the Skell King did, it only worked by sheer dumb luck. Just enough to somehow trigger an extinct volcano . . . or weaponize something else entirely.”
“Bury me with fecking snake eyes,” Lochlainn cursed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
His thick forearms tensed as he crossed them over his chestand gnawed at his bottom lip. For a long beat, he stared off in the distance. As if projecting his soul elsewhere to escape this bullshit.
Then, he blinked out of it.
“Keeffe.” He nodded as if sifting through heavy thought.
Keeffe instantly stiffened, shoulders tight with anticipation.
“It’s time,” Lochlainn proclaimed, locking eyes with him. A silent message passed between the two.
Time for what, exactly?
I wouldn’t be opposed to a snack. The sudden spike of stress was making my blood sugar drop.
“Tell the men we’ll convene shortly. But first—” He flashed me an unexpectedly cunning smile that had my intestines coiling. “Have them head to the Rattle Run balconies. I don’t want them to miss the show.”
Keeffe strode back toward the doorway.
“The what now?” My head cocked to the side.
“The Rattle Run.” He nodded toward the interactive shooting area beyond. “Or what was it you called it?Disco-techsimulation?” Lochlainn’s lip curled ever so slightly.
As if he even knew what a Disco was.The Rattle Runsounded like some disgusting, snake-infested labyrinth they used to torture prisoners. What a horrid name.
“Is this payback?” I shot him an annoyed stare. “Making your men watch me—a form of humiliation and punishment?”
I only wanted to do the simulation because it looked fun, like reliving a childhood laser tag dream. But having a bunch of Luckmen watch me miss target after target, all while placing bets on how badly I sucked? Yeah.Notso fun. Hard pass, actually . . .
“Don’t worry. Them watching isn’t for you.” Lochlainn’s words were cryptic as he brushed past me with a wink.
Smack!
His hand low-fived my ass like I was some kid subbing into a baseball game. It didn’t hurt. But hisaudacity.
Power prickled beneath my skin. I snapped. My hand whipped out, catching his wrist, and twisted it at a vicious, unnatural angle.
Thank you, Wyatt.
Lochlainn recoiled, dragging in a sharp breath.
I stepped into his space, chin lifted. “Slap my ass again,” I whispered, close enough to share breath. “And I’ll show you just how fast your luck can run out.”
