“What did he say exactly?” I set the glass down before I could break it completely.
Rynn looked at me and then Ryker. “I realize it’s frustrating to have information withheld from you, but we don’t have that kind of relationship. We’re not friends. We’re not pack.” Her sharp gaze fell back on me. “If you want to know what he said, you’ll have to come up with something else to trade. Otherwise . . . go fuck yourself, Bastian.”
Chapter Seventeen
Rynn
“Absolutely not.” I stared at the single bed in our cramped bedroom at the outpost inn. Unlike on our way down to the Narchis stronghold, Bastian had chosen the more common outposts on the way back. It meant they were crowded and busy and the food wasn’t nearly as good, but it also meant we’d be home quicker, which I was okay with because things between the three of us were tense.
Not just between me and them, but also between Bastian and Ryker. They hadn’t fought in front of me, but they were barely speaking, and Bastian kept shooting Ryker frustrated looks, which the latter ignored. Maybe Bastian was pissed at Ryker for coming after me?
Not my problem. What was my problem was this fucking bedroom.
“I’m not sleeping with you two.” I stood fast in the doorway and refused to enter. Last night, I’d slept curled up in a chair while Bastian and Ryker had claimed the bed in our guest room at Narchis. It hadn’t been comfortable and I’d woken up with a crick in my neck, but I’d take that over being sandwiched between the two of them.
Would we even all fit in that bed? It looked way too small. In fact, this entire room was too small. The innkeeper had called it cozy.
Cozy my fucking ass.
“There are no other rooms available,” Bastian said for probably the third time.
“And even if there were, I’m not letting you out of my sight,” Ryker added, his features fixed in a stubborn expression.
I looked at Bastian, who gave me an impassive look in response. He’d been extra confusing all day. Where Ryker had been grouchy and his normal possessive self, Bastian had been quiet, and not an angry, I’m-too-pissed-off-to-look-at-you kind of quiet. If anything, he’d been polite. Distant but polite.
It made me want to strangle him.
We’d be back at the Alpha stronghold in two days, and then I’d have to deal with Cade. I had no doubt my visiting privileges with Samara would be revoked for the immediate future, which wasn’t ideal because I would’ve loved to ask her if she remembered seeing the crest anywhere. But Roth and the others would tell her about it, and I was sure that if she did know something useful, she’d find a way to tell me.
In the meantime, I had plenty of books and scrolls I could go through in the library. I knew I’d seen that silver crest somewhere, I just needed to jog my memory.
Selene would be arriving next week as well. I hoped that would distract the Alphas a bit and get them off my back while I researched the crest.
“Let’s get some dinner.” Bastian made it sound like a suggestion, but I knew it was really an order. “This place will run out of meat dishes quickly, and I’d prefer something other than roasted vegetables.”
Yet another thing I needed to figure out. The new prey migration patterns. Rationing would only get us so far. Maybe Cade had made some progress while I’d been gone.
Bastian and Ryker both slid past me back into the hallway. My gaze darted around the tiny room. There wasn’t an attached bathing chamber, but it did have a small washbasin in the corner. “I’m going to clean up a bit. I’ll meet you downstairs.”
Before either could disagree, I stepped inside the room and slammed the door shut.
“I’ll go order us some food and save a table,” Bastian muttered.
Ryker didn’t respond, but I had no doubt he was waiting on the other side of the door for me. I walked over to the basin and turned the water on full blast, then tiptoed over to the window. Carefully, I unlatched and opened it, freezing when it creaked a bit. My head snapped towards the door, but Ryker didn’t barge in, so I raised it a few more inches. Keeping my attention on the door, I carefully climbed out the window, leaving the water running.
This was a larger inn and we were on the fourth floor, so it was a long drop down. My fingers gripped the windowsill as my feet landed on the decorative lattice that ran up the front of the building. Gradually, I let it hold a little more of my weight, and once I was sure it wasn’t going to snap off the wall, I made my climb down quickly, jumping once I got past the second floor, because Ryker’s patience was going to run out any second now.
I got a few curious glances. Unlike at the Narchis stronghold, not everyone here knew me, and those who were aware of who I was seemed more amused than anything else. I chewed my bottom lip as I scurried down the path, wishing I still had my damn necklace. After Ryker had taken it from me yesterday, I hadn’t seen it again and probably never would.
My eyes darted around, surveying my options. Ryker would track me down, but I could at least make it hard for him. Those two had been breathing down my neck since we’d left Lake Malov, and I just wanted some time to myself before being jammed into bed with two overbearing assholes.
Even ten minutes would be worth it.
When I spotted a two-story building with a small balcony, I grinned. It wasn’t a tree, but the tactic still worked. I took a running start and leapt straight up, landing on the narrow railing. A couple sitting inside at a table stared at me through the window, and the woman just arched an eyebrow before she continued eating.
I gave them a quick wave before sprinting across the railing and jumping to the next building. For ten minutes, I zigzagged my way across the outpost before spotting the stables in the back. Velesians only used horses for pulling supply wagons, and nobody would be preparing for a trip at night, so it should be empty.
My stomach grumbled, but I ignored it. An hour or two away from Ryker and Bastian was worth missing dinner. I dropped back to the ground in front of the stable and let myself in, my eyes quickly adjusting to the dark. Some of the horses snorted at my sudden appearance, but they were used to smelling Velesians, so they settled quickly and went back to munching on their hay.
