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Every night, Lynx hunts me, then takes me back to the cabin and bathes me with his mouth. Throughout the day, he teaches me the trails whenever I’m not with Booker, and in the afternoons, we work on the crops before he shows me how to cook or sew something else.

It bothers me that I have nothing to offer him, but then his hold will close possessively over me, and I wonder if maybe that’s not the case at all. Maybe all he needed was someone to get close to again. Someone he could protect who would let him protect them. I’m still not convinced that I need protecting, but I’ll play his game, gladly, if it means I get to spend every night wrapped up in his arms.

Just like I play Booker’s games, only those are a lot harder to understand. He tests me and talks around things in a way that I’m sure makes sense to him but no one else. I am learning though. I’m not convinced that I’m supposed to be doing any of this medical stuff without an actual degree, but a lot of it is first aid, and the things that aren’t, I can’t imagine I’d need to deal with very often.

I have the day off from working with Booker, though, because there’s a Peril match tonight, and apparently, that means he’ll need me there late. Lynx is on edge, restless and so tense I swear he could snap in half. Considering all the outsiders Peril draws to town, I’m not surprised.

“What will you do tonight?” I ask him.

“What I do every Peril night.” His hands tighten on the porch railing. “Keep watch over my cubs.”

I could have guessed it would be some variation of that. “They don’t go to Peril?”

“Not until they’re eighteen.”

“Is that a Wilde’s End rule or a Lynx rule?”

“All my rules are Wilde’s End rules.”

My lips twitch at the serious way he delivers it. It’s cute Wilde thinks he’s in charge around here, when I’m convinced Lynx is really the one calling the shots.

“I have to go soon,” I remind him.

“And you’ll be there all night?”

“According to Booker.”

He thinks through his next words. “Keep your brain on around him.”

“You say that like he gives me any other choice.” I’m always mentally drained when I leave his chop shop, as Lynx calls it. Which isn’t at all a creepy name for a doctor’s office.

I’m left to walk today since Wilde is apparently getting ready for his fight, and Lynx and Bob come with me. Lynx breaks away from us halfway there to go in search of his cubs, and I’m still not used to the knee-melting way he kisses me goodbye. His mouth on mine makes it easy to forget how to breathe, and I swear I can’t get through kissing him without swooning. Especially when I see the way his hazel eyes darken to gold whenever he pulls away.

“Stay with him,” Lynx barks out at Bob.

The way Bob moves closer convinces me that he can understand. Even if Lynx refuses to agree with me.

It doesn’t take long to get to Booker’s, and by the time I arrive, it’s already dark. There’s a glow coming from somewhere just hidden by the trees, and I can make out car engines and the stirrings of activity.

My chest jumps at the first sign of actual civilization in way, way too long. Like the reminder that there is a whole world outside of this town that I’ve long since forgotten about.

“What’s your favorite part of lurking in the shadows?” Booker’s voice comes before I see him. He materializes out of the darkness in front of me, wearing bloodstained scrubs and holding a clipboard.

“The excitement.”

My answer doesn’t surprise him. “I do so enjoy the way I can watch without judgment.”

“Who judges you?”

He smiles, smacking his hand with his clipboard. “Anyone with good sense.”

“Are you saying I don’t have good sense?”

“I believe you’re the one saying that.” He’s bouncing as he moves closer, not able to hold back the smile disfiguring his face. “We’re in for a treat tonight. Biggest crowd yet. More rookie matches—oh, how I love those—which means lots of bumps, bruises, and broken egos. Maybe we’ll get lucky and have a broken bone. I wouldn’t say no to a complex fracture. Maybe a scalping or two.”

“That sounds horrific.”

He sighs, but the smile stays put. “Just when I thought we understood each other.”