Page 39 of UNAwere

He lets out a short burst of sound, and I’m familiar with him enough now to know that those are his laughs.

‘Every Karver is.’

‘They were saying something about—’ I realise what I’m announcing and quickly shut my mouth, cutting off the words. There’s no way I’m telling Briggs that the Karvers thought I was marking him. There’s no way I’m facing the embarrassment of watching him consider that. Watching the disgust dawn on his face. ‘Um, they were wanting to know if I was the alliance gift.’

He watches me down his nose, mouth twisted. ‘You did good.’

I lick my lips. ‘Doesn’t feel like I did anything except get caught and tortured.’

His biceps flex against the chair, and it’s hard to ignore the grumble I hear inside his chest, being so close to it.

I keep my hands busy, my eyes on my work.

‘How many did you kill?’ I ask after a tense moment’s silence.

‘Four, I think. I don’t know.’

‘You don’t know?’

‘I wasn’t focused on how many I was killing.’

‘What were you focused on?’

‘On getting to you.’

I lift my eyes to his face. His voice is soft, and when our gazes meet, his eyes match his tone. But then it’s like that guard comes back up and everything hardens: his mouth, his jaw, his grip against the armrest of the chair.

‘I was hired to bring you back to Alpha Warner in one piece.’

I nod dumbly, lowering my gaze again.

When I’m satisfied with the job I’ve done, I get up, groaning as my bones complain. Being a Were, he’ll be healed in no time.

Briggs grunts a thanks and stands, pacing over to where he left his phone on the coffee table. He tells me he won’t be long and to stay in the room, and then heads out.

I sigh and sit back down on the bed.

It’s not long until I can hear Briggs’s voice coming from the other side of the door and realise he’s on the phone.

‘I know.’

I frown, edging closer to it.

‘It was a hiccup, nothing more.’

‘Well, this confirms it, doesn’t it?’

‘Yes.’

‘She’s fine.’

‘I’m sure.’

‘She didn’t tell them anything.’

‘What?’

‘No, I don’t think that’s necessary.’