“You better text me that list, I feel like I’m falling behind.” Bo gives me a sidelong glance as I twist around in my seat when we pull into the parking lot. “Which is bullshit since she claimed me first.”
With one more wary look tossed my way, Boden pulls into a parking space and shuts off the SUV. It’s not until we’re halfway across the parking lot that he gives his blessing by changing to a lighter topic. “You know, as much as I hate to admit it, it was pretty ingenious to frame Sabrina for that Jenna chick’s death. We owe Terra a hell of a Christmas bonus this year for dealing with all of this bullshit. I may hate Stonewood, but I’ve got to hand it to them for creativity when they didn’t have much time to plan it, and we were expecting the blows to come at us instead of her.”
The automatic glass doors slide open as we enter the food court and Kaige drops his voice to a murmur, none of us having any trouble carrying on the conversation below what most humans can eavesdrop on. “That was the girl that sabotaged Reid and Sabrina’s project before jumping ship to the company Sabrina walked out on, right? Thatcan’tbe a coincidence. I can’t figure out why beyond screwing them over as a final fuck, but it feels too close to the heart of things, like we’re missing an important connection.”
“Puts Sabrina under suspicion for this one since the body was left at her apartment. If Bo and I hadn’t gone to grab some of her stuff and stumbled across the body on a fluke, we’d have all been screwed on this one, but especially her. It would be far too easy if someone reported it to send a pair of fake officers to arrest Sabrina and simply drive off instead of trying to grab her from the station again.”
Bo and Kaige murmur their agreement, but don’t have much else to weigh in with. We’ve all been busy putting out fires as fast as they appear so that Sabrina and Reid can concentrate on their work and cyber-sabotage. It’s one of the few things we can actually do for her, to prove that we can pull our own weight instead of relying on her to be the solution to all of our problems. To be worthy of her calling us her mates. Sure, it’s our fault it’s happening, but it’s also sort of hers, too. If she wasn’t so attractive and amazing, people wouldn’t keep attempting to steal her away.
Of course they would, she smells fucking delicious. They’ll always come for her.
It’s tense as we make our way deeper into the mall, following Bo’s lead, all of us lost in our heads. When we finally reach the jewelry store, though, all of my thoughts of the dead brunette drift away in favor of far more primitive ones.
She’s going to have a physical show of Boden’s claim on her. Sabrina should have a mark for each of us, something that shows the world that she’s ours. Taken. Off the market. Under our protection.I wear her mark, but she has nothing to show that she’smine.
She’s mine, and she doesn’t get to walk away; not without me by her side. Not now that I’ve had a taste of what it’s like to beseenby her. I may hate it as much as I love it, but I’m fucking addicted to Sabrina Hawthorne’s unique brand of torture. After years of searching for something to make me feel anything other than numb, she threatens to make my head explode.
I need to brand myself on that woman’s soul before her wolf devours what’s left of it.
The woman behind the counter passes over a box, bringing a broad grin to Bo’s face as he removes the lid. Shamelessly, I lean over his shoulder to peer inside of the slim box, eyes widening as I wrap my head around what I’m seeing. It’s gorgeous, no doubt about that, but I’m not sure how he expects Sabrina to accept the gift without balking.
The silver chain is long enough that even if she shifts, it won’t be destroyed. The pendant is shaped like a curved talon made of resin; dark at the bottom, transparent at the top. Small stars are speckled through the clear part, and there’s a small wolf howling up at the night sky in the center. Creeping up from the bottom is a twisted tree of life, wrapping the darkest half in a gold overlay with branches straining to reach the wolf, but it remains just out of reach. It’s stunning, and if he can successfully pitch this to her, he’ll officially be in charge of convincing her to accept all of our presents from this point forward.
“Thanks.” Passing over his credit card, Bo pays, taking the small gift bag the lady slipped the box into and leads us away from the counter with a smug smile.
“So?” I prompt. “What evil secrets are hiding in that cheat sheet of yours that you think you can con her into acceptingthat? No way that you can convince me it wasn’t a custom piece that set you back a few hundred at the very least.”
He pulls out the receipt and passes it my way without a word. Immediately honing in on the bottom, I bark out a laugh, passing it back. “You didn’t even notice the best part,” he continues, sending me a sly smirk as we weave through the crowd.
“Please then, do elaborate, brother dear.”
Grinning ear to ear, he boasts, “I had them install a tracker inside.”
Kaige beats me to the punch. “You beautiful, ingenious bastard.”
Shaking my head, I chuckle, happy it isn’t my head on the chopping block. “She’ll be pissed as hell if she ever finds out.”
He glances back over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow. “If she’s ever in a position that she finds out about it, it'll be because it was necessary. Rescue trumps annoyed any day. I’ll happily deal with whatever indignant rant she wants to throw my way if it means that she’s safe enough to fight with me over it.”
Tipping my head in respect, my attention is torn away as my phone buzzes a second later. A smile lights up my face as I download the file Bo sent, scanning the cheat sheet and committing it to memory as we meander through the mall. By the time I look up, we’ve stopped in front of the exact store I would’ve chosen, a knowing smirk on Bo’s face.
“It really wasn’t a question which thing you’d latch onto as soon as you saw it,” he says with a laugh, content to let me take the lead now that he’s gotten what he came here for.
The store is a fantasy nerd’s wet dream. Fandom merch takes up the front of the store, along with ornate incense burners, elaborate figurines, and all things magical to clutter up your shelves. In the back is the real magic, though. Behind a glass counter, the wall is completely filled with mounted swords of all shapes and sizes, from anime replicas to medieval broadswords. I focus my attention on the glass case, though, where row after row of switchblades and ornate daggers are lined up on display.
Violent or not, chicks dig dagger-to-throat novels, and I’m happy to encourage the fantasy, especially behind closed doors.
As I’m browsing, Boden asks our new friend, “So, tell me. Why are the three of you so close? At least, that’s how it seems; like you, Damian, and Hunter are actual friends, not merely regarding each other with the mutual respect between pack leaders like is typical.”
“Typical for you, maybe,” Kaige counters, crouching down to inspect a wicked looking hunting knife. “You can’t believe that every pack acts like the ones around here. Are all of the ones you’ve met such assholes?” At our mutual silence, his head whips our way. “You didn’t think you guys were the only ones, did you?” Yet again, we don’t respond, and he grimaces. “Fuck, your parents were more messed up than I thought to shield youthatmuch. The few stories I’ve heard didn’t do them justice, apparently.”
We all use browsing for weapons as an excuse not to make eye contact. Blowing out a long breath, he says, “Sorry. Anyway, back home, we work together, to a degree. It's not unusual to have some of Hunter’s, Damian’s, or even the Slaughters’ members crash a Friday night dinner at my place. We'refamilies, just not the way you seem to define that term out here. We coexist, with the occasional bump in the road, sure, and certain matters are streamlined by having people clearly under one person's authority.”
Reaching up to fidget with one of the small silver rings at the top of his ear, he slowly adds, “The exception being one pack that's got a god complex, and the Slaughters. But they aren’t an issue so long as you stay off of their radar; it’s when they set their sights on you that shit gets rough, so people tend to keep their heads down and follow orders whether they agree with the command or not. No place is perfect, though, I’ll admit, but with Damian’s amended treaty with her fathers, Sabrina will have free range between four of the territories on the mountain without issue.”
A woman comes over to help us, putting our conversation on hold while I pick out Sabrina’s gift and a corresponding thigh strap for it. After that’s all taken care of, we make our way back to the central part of the mall, wandering aimlessly and picking up where we left off.
“You said your father died, right? What happened?”
