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“Don’t make me regret this,” Luka growled as he gripped his brother’s hand.
Tabitha snorted again and led Julian away by the arm. Or she tried to, except that stubborn little cub wriggled himself free and ran back to the group.
“Tío Wico!” he cried as he all but leaped into his uncle’s arms.
Rico laughed and swung his nephew around, smothering his cheeks with kisses. Noticing a fuming Tabitha approaching, he put Julian down and ruffled his hair. “Don’t give your mom trouble, mijo, or she’ll put a leash on you.”
Julian grinned at his mom, who sighed in exasperation and led him away again. This time her grip was ironclad.
I wasn’t sure Tabitha would ever forgive Rico for leaving the pack or almost attacking her son. To a mother, it didn’t matter that he’d been under a spell and not in control.
I wasn’t sure I could forgive him either, no matter how much I appreciated the extra help against Colin. His pack had wrecked my car, then kidnapped my best friend and me promising to inflict horrors on us in good time.
Forgive? No.
Forget? Also no.
Ignore for now? Sure.
The good news that came from this fiasco was that we had added another group to our growing collection of fighters. Dragons, phoenixes, reapers, angels, wolves, and now shifters galore. We’d involve the vampires if we needed to, though we all had our fingers crossed that wouldn’t be necessary.
As the wolves and shifters dispersed, Thane pulled our smaller group to the side. His gaze fell on mine, longing and desire rippling between us. I never wanted this insatiable need to end.
“You ready to tell me what the other plan is?” he asked.
I bit my lip and glanced at Kit. She raised her hands as if saying this was my problem. Rude, but she wasn’t wrong, even if she was the one who figured out where we needed to go.
I took a deep breath. “We know where the third dagger is.”
15
MONDAY AFTERNOON
Thane
My blood still pounded in my ears from Rico’s lecherous reaction to Veronica and the intense feeling of anger and disgust that had seeped through our bond. Yes, she was a beautiful, confident woman who would attract attention for centuries to come.
Still, something in me nearly snapped when I saw how the wolf had looked at her. Like she wasn’t a woman or even a person, but a prize to be won.
His reaction brought on my rage so fast it spilled downward like an avalanche that iced over the last of my warmth. I had been ready to murder the man in front of everyone.
Clenching my fists, I refocused on Veronica’s face as she bit her lip and glanced at Kit. I might not be the strongest or most magically inclined mate to protect her, but if I needed to give her up, I’d be damned if I let someone like him try to take my place.
“We know where the third dagger is,” Veronica said, interrupting my tumultuous thoughts.
Only that wasn’t what I expected her to say, and the statement jarred me into focus. “Where?”
“The Otherworld,” she said with a slight grimace.
I groaned. “Of course it is.”
“It gets better—it’s most likely with a stag called the Keeper of the Forest.”
My jaw slackened as I stared at her. She’d told me about seeing a stag, and I hadn’t believed it was anything more than a fae trick, luring her deeper into the forest.
“You know, the one who first told me about Mirognya,” she added. Her pointed look made it clear she remembered my panicked reaction in the woods when I thought I’d lost her.
“I remember. I’m just not sure how to process this,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. Glancing at each member of our group, I narrowed my eyes as suspicion grew until I landed on Veronica again. “You were going to leave without telling me.”
