Page 72 of Seas the Reckoning

My voice, most likely.

“You trust me to hold up my end of any bargain? When I’m running away from a wedding?”

“I think you have more character than the rest of these guests, yes. Are we going far? I’m still going to return and try to salvage things with the councilman. He’s despicable, but he’s dangerous as an enemy. I’d rather not stick my neck out that far.”

Limits. But I can’t be mad. He could have just turned us in.

“We’re meeting someone,” I tell him.

The guys should be waiting at the property gates.

As we get close, I let myself worry how we’ll handle the guards that will surely be there, but my concern is short-lived. There’s a line of bodies, not dead but knocked out, leaned against the walls. The gate itself has been forced open, metal bent to bits.

Waiting for us are Exos, Jackal, and Ji-hwan.

The gargoyle takes one look at a barely conscious Starla in the vampire’s arms and charges.

He swoops, his skin stony and his wings out, but the vampire is quick and sidesteps the attack without jostling my best friend.

“Exos! He’s helping! He’s helping!”

The gargoyle pauses, still radiating rage, but calms a bit when Arloc passes Starla off to him.

“I’d recognize these arms anywhere,” Starla murmurs.

Exos stares down at her, gaze softening as much as a face made of rock can.

“I know they’re uncomfortable. You deserve something soft.”

Starla nuzzles into his stony embrace.

“Nonsense, this is perfect.”

Arms wrap around me, and peace washes over me like a wave, rinsing some of my worry away.

“You are a gorgeous bride, but I was ready to gate-crash your wedding,” Jackal says, trying to run a hand through my hair and getting caught in the ludicrous number of bobby pins the maids used.

“These two have been an absolute handful, I don’t mind telling you. Now then, that’s everyone. Is he coming with us?” Ji-hwan points at Arloc, waiting a few feet from us.

Jackal snarls, eyes glowing.

“Don’t think I don’t know what you did! Proposing to my mate? I ought to rip you apart. And I will, if you’d like me to.” Jackal shoots me a questioning glance.

“No. He’s going to try to tell me more about the necklace.” I unclasp it, letting it slide down my neck and then handing it to the vampire.

“Here. You have your bargain. A favor for what you can figure out. Hurry.”

Arloc ignores Jackal, who is still snarling at the vampire.

I can hardly blame him. The fact that he’s not in his fur and attacking is quite frankly a miracle. If our situations had been reversed this weekend, I don’t think I’d have been able to hold myself in check. I probably would have sung any other woman away from him, even if it meant the gardens were swallowed into the ground in the resulting chaos.

There’s a yip and I see Pickles hopping out of the open door of a car parked nearby.

“Pickles!” The dog runs to me, and I scoop him into my arms. He wiggles and licks, dirt getting all over my dress.

I don’t care in the slightest.

“If we ever, ever take a trip like this again, you are coming along,” I promise him.