“Got rid of the bodies,” Roth said as they walked over to join us. “Didn’t want to attract howlers or anything else in case the scholars from Drudonia make it out here.”
“Unlikely.” Kieran snorted. “Pretty sure they’re still sulking after yesterday.”
“Wha—ahh!” I shrieked as Draven flipped me over without any warning.
“Sorry.” He gave me an apologetic look when I twisted my head to glare at him. “Thought maybe it would be better if you didn’t know it was coming.”
All three Moroi leaned over to look at my back. I thought about making a joke about them checking out my ass, but if I laughed right now, I’d probably die.
“Damn, Rynn.” Kieran shook his head. “It’s a wonder you were able to walk, let alone run.”
“Your spine came very close to being completely severed,” Draven noted in a clinical tone. “Significant muscle tearing, and several of these lower vertebrae suffered damage as well. This is going to hurt. More than your stomach.”
Kieran jammed the bit back into my mouth, then he and Roth held me down while Draven healed my back. Five minutes later, we were all panting and Kier was sporting an already fading black eye because my arm had gotten loose at one point and I’d backhanded him.
“Alright, you’ve been pieced back together.” Roth crossed their arms. “What the fuck possessed you to travel by yourself without at least giving us a heads-up?”
“You’re not my keeper, Roth.” I bristled. “None of you are.”
Draven gave me a patronizing look. “Samara isn’t here, so we’re her stand-ins. How do you think she would react to you showing up like this? Or Cali?”
“Oh! Let’s send a message to Cali?” Kieran clapped, his eyes shining with excitement. “If anything would get our beautiful, unhinged Furie to make an appearance, it would be informing her of Rynn’s ill-thought-out romp through the wilds.”
“First, I hate all of you.” I gave them all a rude gesture before moving to a sitting position. “Second, it’s not like I don’t regularly travel through the wilds alone. Velesians aren’t a bunch of pussies like Moroi.”
“Whatever you say, chew toy.” Roth rolled their eyes before walking over to a small dresser tucked into a corner and grabbing me some clean clothing. Samara and her mates had gotten used to my naked ass showing up and needing clothing. They tossed the clothes to me, their sharp gaze lingering on my necklace. “What’s the deal with the jewelry?”
I pulled on the shirt that was a little big on me and rolled up the sleeves before standing to tug on the pants. “Borrowed it from the Drudonia vault.” I unclasped the necklace and tossed it to Roth. “It blocks your scent, but only from Velesians. Everything else can smell you just fine.”
“Interesting.” They arched an eyebrow as they studied it. “There don’t appear to be any glyphs or anything.”
Oh! I actually know this one! Talis chimed in helpfully. There was a Fae princess . . . I don’t remember her name. But she had a lover her parents didn’t approve of and they forbade her from seeing them. But the princess defied their wishes and would regularly sneak out. Talis chuckled. She was a feisty one. There were beasts that prowled the lands outside the castle, and she crafted that necklace to hide her scent from them.
“Do you remember where and when this was?” I asked curiously.
They fell silent for a moment. No. I’m sorry.
“It’s okay,” I reassured them. “Thank you for the story. I’ve always wondered about the necklace.”
I could tell Talis still felt bad about not remembering more. They had existed for over a thousand years, but their memory was fragmented and none of us knew why.
Draven gave me a considering look. “Are you on the run from the Alphas again?”
“No.” I shook my head. “This is more of a quick little venture. One neither they nor my family was invited on.”
Something dark flashed in Draven’s eyes. “You’re here to talk to him.”
Silence fell in the room. Everyone knew exactly who Draven was referring to.
“I thought things were getting better with me and the Alpha pack,” I said quietly. “But it’s . . . it’s not going to work out, not in the long term, but I can’t just leave.”
“Bullshit. You know Samara will protect you,” Kieran argued. “Just stay with us and I’ll send a nice fuck you message to the Alphas.”
“Things are already on the verge of all-out war between the Velesians and Moroi.” I pinched the bridge of my nose before letting my arms sag at my sides. “If I defect from the Alphas now and hide in Moroi territory, it will only increase tensions. May even tip them over. I will not put my best friend in that position, nor will I be responsible for our people tearing each other apart.”
“If the Alphas are threatening you, hurting you, Samara will declare war whether you want her to or not,” Draven said. His tone was even, but a little more red bled into the deep blue of his eyes as his bloodlust rose. Like Samara, Draven had a lot of Seelie blood running through his veins. It not only gave him absolute power over his bloodlust with almost no risk of ever turning Strigoi, but he also had earth magic. “You are not alone, Rynn. How can we help you?”
My eyes burned, and I had to blink back tears while my throat tightened. I didn’t know Draven all that well. Out of all of Samara’s mates, he was the one I’d least expected a declaration like this from, but both his words and expression seemed sincere.
