I scowl at Kaden. “I have every right to wear whatever the fuck I want.”
He doesn’t take the hint. “Mags, that asshat is just looking for an excuse. You should stay away from him, and for fuck’s sake, cover up when you’re around him.”
“I can take care of myself.”
Kip rolls his eyes. “Says the woman who just expressed her gratitude.”
A splash from behind distracts me, and I turn to see Tim exiting the pool. The poor guy looks extremely uncomfortable, like he doesn’t know how to be around strangers without his brother here.
“S-sorry for being in the way,” he mutters as he scuttles out the door, still dripping.
“That was weird.”
“Yeah, Kip, no kidding.” I look longingly back at the pool. “Maybe now we can all three relax? There’s nary a Donnelly in sight.”
“I guess that would be all right. Not like Nik is going to join us for the next few days.”
I fight the urge to bristle at the reminder. Nik’s not my mate; he’s just a buddy. A convenience for when the suppressants wear off.
I amnotjealous.
The swimming is nice. Kip and Kaden goof off a bit in the pool, splashing the cool water everywhere. I swim a few leisurely laps around them before joining in on the games. We make a terrible mess, but thankfully the Donnellys keep enough towels around that we’re able to clean it all up before heading back to our suite.
I take a long, cold shower once we get back, and someone—no clue who—found a few extra standing fans and placed them in my room. It could have been Kip or Kaden, or maybe Nik sent a beta servant to find them for me.
Regardless of who delivered them, I’m grateful. I lie back on the bed with all the fans on high, and for the first time in days, I’m finally comfortable.
Chapter 11
Kaden
Kip’s instincts are on point this week, or at least he’s damned lucky. Between Threnody and Dave, I suddenly feel like none of us should be running off alone while we’re here.
These thoughts keep me up most of the night. I toss and turn, unable to sleep.
Since I can’t sleep, I figure I’ll grab a cup of hot cocoa from the kitchen to warm myself up a bit.
Dave got under Mags’s skin last night. He was too close to her, and I suspect that she would’ve ended up in the same situation as me if not for Kip’s uncanny urge to go for a swim. But Mags is cool. Calm. Collected. She doesn’t worry or freak out about little things, and even the bigger problems roll off her back like water off a duck.
So why is she curled up in a ball outside Nik’s door in the middle of the night, buck naked and drenched in sweat?
“Mags?”
She jumps with a start and turns her wide eyes on me. Her hair’s a mess, and tears stream down her face.
“N-Nik. W-where’s Nik?”
Mags seems dazed. She should know that Nik’s with Threnody tonight. I kneel next to her and take off my shirt, handing it over. “Here. Cover up.”
She looks at the shirt as if she’s never seen an article of clothing in her life. “Huh?”
“Put the shirt on, Mags. You’re bare-assed here.” I help her get the t-shirt over her head and her arms through the sleeves. Her movements are sluggish, and she twitches every time my skin contacts hers. Each touch is almost scorching, and I remember her struggling with the temperature the past few days.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say she was going through heat … but that’s crazy! Mags is a beta.
“Did Dave do something to you after we all went to bed? Did he drug you?”
I look around, but I don’t see any signs that someone entered our suite during the night. Everything’s in its proper place, aside from Mags. If Dave did sneak in, he didn’t touch anything in the common area.
