“What the fuck, D. You good?”
Narae and Daemon both ignored Thrall.
Unsure what to do, Narae fisted Daemon’s shirt and breathed through the pain of whatever was afflicting her. She triedto remain calm because they didn’t have time for whatever the hell was happening.
Lifting a shaking hand, she cupped Daemon’s jaw and slowly forced his head up. His eyes were blown out with his wolf, and his incisors had elongated again, which should have frightened her, considering he’d just used those very teeth on her, but she wasn’t afraid. She was worried. “You can’t stay here. They’re coming.”
Eyes flashing, Daemon snarled, “Let them!”
Above them, Thrall sounded nervous. “A dozen, you say?”
“A dozennewEnforcers,” Narae corrected. “On top of the eight we already have.”
“Why?” Daemon growled, drawing her attention back to him.
“Because,” she said, “he wants Jury back. He knows she survived. He searched for her body for days, and when he couldn’t find her, he knew I’d helped her escape. He’s enraged that we fooled him. He’s pissed that she’s free, and he’s planning a warwith whoever took her in. Is that you?” She couldn’t keep the hope from her voice, “Is Jury with your Allegiance pack?”
As if sensing what she needed, Daemon squeezed Narae gently. “We have her. She’s safe.”
Relief flooded Narae’s eyes, and she had to suck back her emotions. “Good,” she breathed, then shoved at his chest. “Then go back and warn your Alpha and protect Jury.”
“So youareJury’s sister?” Daemon asked again, “You’re Narae?”
Unable to speak for fear of sobbing, Narae simply nodded before forcing out a breathy, “Yes.”
At her response, Daemon’s eyes closed, and his lips tightened into a grim line as his head fell back. Apparently, it wasn’t the answer he wanted.
Above them, Thrall hissed, “Jesus fucking Christ, Daemon!”
Chapter 14
Jury sat alone in the mess hall of the Allegiance Compound. Chin resting on one upraised hand, the other dragged a limp French fry through a dollop of ranch on the still full plate in front of her. Her appetite had been practically non-existent since she’d arrived at the compound. She’d been existing almost solely on coffee and an occasional banana, which pissed off her wolf. Now, though, even coffee and bananas weren’t appealing. Dove-gray eyes darting around the hall, she noted that when her eyes met those of any of the men scattered at the other tables, they immediately looked away. They were treating her like a pariah, which didn’t make sense. When she’d first been released from the cell, the shifters had been courteous and friendly, but something had changed.
Annoyed, she refocused on her food.
“Jury.”
She was startled when Koe slid onto the bench beside her, setting a plate of food in front of himself. Looking at him, Jury’sheart started hammering hard. She hadn’t seen him since the day before, when he’d nearly marked her in the medical unit.
Koe heaved a weighty sigh and took up his fork with a casual, “How are you doing?”
Terrible.“Fine.”
Koe had been lifting a fork-filled bite of food to his mouth when he stilled mid-bite. Hand slowly lowering, he turned his head just as slowly to frown at her. “I’m pretty sure I warned you against lying to me.”
Blinking rapidly, she thought back on her initial arrival in Allegiance territory. Koe had thought she was a spy from the Biter pack and had threatened her within an inch of her life if she didn’t provide the absolute truth. Swallowing hard, she amended, “I’m not fine. No one here will talk to me or even look at me.” More quietly, she hissed, “I don’t appreciate you telling everyone what happened to me.”
Turning, Koe pulled one leg out from beneath the table and faced Jury, bracketing her with one leg behind her and one lockedup against her knees. He leaned forward and whispered, “I said nothing of what was done to you.”
Jury cast him a sidelong glance, trying to gauge his sincerity.
“I’m not that kind of Alpha, Jury.” His face darkened with anger. “And I’m offended you’d think otherwise.”
Ducking her head, she let her tense shoulders fall defeatedly. “I don’t,” she breathed. After a few beats of silence, she lifted her head and looked straight at him before speaking truthfully. “I don’t think you're that kind of Alpha. It’s just…” She glanced at the shifters seated at the tables around them and lowered her voice. “They’re treating me differently. I know I’m from an enemy pack, but I was never a Biter. Not really.”
Koe’s gaze softened as he ducked his head almost guiltily.
“And that didn’t seem to bother anyone when you first let me out of the cell and Daemon was showing me around,” she continued. “They weren’t this indifferent before. Something’s changed. I feel like they’ve heard something bad about me. It’sembarrassing and demeaning. And I can’t defend myself against it because I don’t know what it is.”
