I looked at the handsome silver fox, still curious as hell about what was between him and Blue, who was making a point of studying his nails instead of looking at the well-dressed shifter.
Gareth was a walking wet dream for Blue, looking like he stepped off the pages of a GQ magazine—hair expertly coiffed, beard neatly groomed, nails manicured, and clothes that were clearly ironed each and every day.
He should have been catnip for my faery friend. Instead, Blue hadn’t hit on him once, which was suspicious in and of itself.
Blue was, once again, not wearing a bit of makeup, and looked weirdly like Gareth’s doppelganger in a vest, button-down shirt, tie, and steel-gray slacks.
Though, he was wearing heels. I grinned, appreciating that he’d at least tried to bring some of his style aesthetic to his outfit. If there ever came a day when Blue stopped caring about appearances, I’d worry. Until then, I knew whatever this relationship was, he clearly needed some space and time to deal with it however he needed to deal with it.
“So if he’s not kind, then what exactly is he?”
“Smart,” Gareth said without missing a beat. “Cunning. Incredibly intelligent.”
I raised a brow. “Go on.”
“The Campbell will do whatever he must to keep the loyalty of his clansmen. If that means exercising a heavy hand, he’ll do it. War. Killing. Doesn’t matter. But the truth is that the clans are tired of war. All we want now is peace.”
“And he is wise enough to know it?”
He shrugged and spread his arms as if to say, “Obviously.”
I grinned, but my smile slipped as I glanced over at my little brother. “Hey, Steven.”
“’Sup, Scar,” he said with a wave, but was quickly sucked back into the video game.
I blinked, mouth ajar, and glanced at the others. James snorted with mirth, and Blue’s lips twitched.
Stepping forward, Gareth said, “I figured he would enjoy the distraction, though I can take it away if you’d rather he—”
“No. No. You know what? This is probably just what he needs right now. I’m glad he doesn’t have to choke on worry about what’s happening tonight, at least.”
“Scar, Scar. My little flower,” Blue drawled smoothly as he stood to his feet and clacked his way over to me. “Did you honestly think I’d leave you in a lurch? You clearly don’t know me that well, if you did.”
He pursed his lips and tapped his pedicured foot.
I pursed my lips right back. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I’m a fae. Or have you forgotten? Just because you can’t see your man-meat battle in all his sweaty and ripped glory—”
Gareth emitted a low growl, turned on his heel, and marched swiftly down the hall I’d just come from.
Blue looked over to where he’d vanished with a strange but empty look on his face.
“What’s the matter with him?” I asked gently.
A smile far too forced to be natural stole across Blue’s lips. “Stick up his ass, I’d say.” He flicked his wrist. “Anyway, as I was saying before we were rudely interrupted, I can show you using a viewing orb.”
I frowned. “A what now?”
He laughed. The sound was light and airy, and if I didn’t know him half as well as I did, I would be completely fooled into thinking my friend was all right. But he wasn’t all right. He was about as far from all right as he could possibly be. I swallowed hard.
“It’s just this nifty little thing we fae can do.” He snapped his fingers, and a glowing blue orb manifested before us, hovering just at eye level. I squinted as images began to take shape inside.
I grinned and cut my eyes to him. “Hey, this is just like a TV.”
Blue rolled his eyes but looked pleased despite himself. “Vile, repugnant thing, your human technology.” He mock shuddered, and I popped his chest.
“Stop. This is real time?” I asked as I backed up toward the couch so I could sit.
I dropped into the middle section, and James and Blue sat on either side of me. James leaned back, looking at ease and relaxed. Blue crossed his legs and bounced a foot rhythmically.
After several seconds of no one speaking, I growled. “I literally hate this right now.”
I felt them both look at me, brows raised.
“What?” Blue asked, sounding slightly defensive.
“I’m not talking about the orb. It’s awesome, Blue. But being exiled. How bad was I last night, really? I mean, it couldn’t have been—”
Blue held up his hand, stopping me. “I heard what Jamie over there was telling you in that tunnel. He was too nice to tell you the truth. But, honey, you were crazy as hell last night. You looked like some shit straight out of a horror movie. And your face... dear gods above.” He shuddered and grimaced.
I glowered at him. “You saying I went full-on?”
“Like a motherfucking psycho.” Blue nodded with pursed lips. “Yes. I’m sure your tender little riblets are healed now, but James broke four of them, which I had to set, you bastard.”
James snorted. “Weel, it was either that or let half the goddamn nation tear her to pieces. Which would ye have had me do? I saved yer life, Scar, and I’d do it again.”
Blue hissed. “You hurt my baby. I’ll never forgive you for that.”
I would have thought he was joking, but there were bands of pearly black starting to ring his eyes. Blue was dark fae, and though he’d never shown me the full extent of his powers, the mere fact that he was manifesting right now attested to a high level of stress.
I shoved my hands into both their chests. “Guys. Guys. Oh my god, if I’d known my simple question would have turned into this, I never would have asked it. Fine. I lost my shit. I get it. I’m humiliated, but I get it.”
“No.”
“No.”
They were both quick to interject. Blue took my hand in his and squeezed softly.
“You’re mated, Scarlett, with all the disgusting nonsense that entails.”
James growled, bristling beside me. “Say something about my kind again, Blue. I just dare ye.” He curled his hand into a tight fist that blanched his knuckles bone white.
“I didn’t say anything about you disgusting, mangy heathens, now did I?” Blue stuck out his tongue.
James jumped to his feet. “I’ve had it. Ye want some of this, come get me, ye filthy trickster.”
My brows lowered. “What the hell, guys?” I jumped up, shoving back on James’s large and intimidating body.
Blue had his arms crossed and was looking petulant and pouty.
“Enough! Both of you. Holy shit, are you serious? I don’t care what the hell is going on between you two, but fix it now.”
“It’s him,” James snapped, pointing at Blue. “The man has been walking around making snide comments all fucking day, and I canna take another—”
Steven turned back to look at us with a worried frown on his face. And that made me angry. Not in front of my little brother.
Fisting my hand into his collar, I yanked James away. “You’re coming with me, and you”—I pointed back at Blue—“will sit right there until I’m done with him. Don’t you dare go anywhere, or so help me gods, I will kill you myself.”
Blue smirked but gave me a prim salute before leaning back and starting to file his nails.
“Scarlett, dammit.” James hissed and gently swatted my hand off his shirt once we’d entered the tunnel. “I’m coming, okay. I’m coming. But if ye think for one single moment that I’m the cause of all this, think again. Ye saw the way Gareth ran off. Blue’s been a right bastard today.”
“I don’t want you guys bickering like this in front of Steven. Look, he saw this shit too much with his mom and dad. I want my brother to get some fucking peace and quiet in this place. He deserves it. So if you guys have a beef, please find some other place to duke it out. Please.”
He heaved a weary sigh, pinching his brow bone. “Aye, yer right, lass. Of course ye are. It’s just tha
t faery gets my blood pressure hot. Look, I need a break from this place. Just need a breather.”
I shrugged, wrapping my arms around myself. “You’re not my keeper. You don’t have to be here if you don’t want—”
He sighed and stared down at me.
“Oh.” I nodded, realizing he was exactly that. “I see. The Campbell set you and Gareth to guard me, didn’t he?”
He pursed his lips. “We were the only two willing after the little show ye put on last night.”
I cringed with embarrassment. “Gods, that must have been bad. Ugh. I’m sure I made it harder on Mercer.”
“Hey.” He grabbed my elbow and squeezed softly. “Just give it a day, lass. It’ll soon blow over. We shifters don’t hang on to grievances long. We just kill ye and move on. If ye live through the next day, ye’ll survive.”
I snorted, but it was anything but funny. “I feel like I’m in prison, and so are Steven and Merc. We’re free to roam, but we’re not really free at all, are we?”
He pulled me into a quick but warm hug, rubbing my back softly. “I won’t lie to ye, Scar. I care for you too much to tell ye anything but truth. Yer position and the boy’s... it’s verra precarious at best. Mercer has to dance, has to please the Alphas and make them think he’s all in.”
He leaned forward until his eyes were straight on with mine. His warm breath brushed over my face as he said, “Only a few of us ken the truth of things between ye, and we’d all take that truth to the grave. But for now, they must believe ye’re nothing more than a pet. I’m sorry, lass. But that’s how it must be.”
I shrugged out of his arms, pissed as hell and hating this strange place. “I don’t understand why they couldn’t have just let us be. Mercer didn’t want to lead, and I have no desire to be the Bitch of any pack. And besides if they were smart at all they’d figure out just how serious this was since I’ve actually deigned to stay than make the safer choice to just leave.”
He shrugged. “I never said they were smart. To be honest, I don’t ken why they haven’t figured out the truth of you two already. But thank the gods they have’nae. You’re no a shifter, lass, no matter how much ye thought ye were. This is the way of things here. And you either play by their rules, or they kill ye. End of story.”
Tenebris trembled inside of me. She had been so quiet that I’d nearly forgotten she was a part of me at all.
This wolf bastard says that because he does not know who we are. Who I am. I could end them all.
I shivered, clamping down on my back teeth. I refused to engage with her, but I felt much as she did, that if I chose to swim against the tide, there wasn’t a damn thing they or anybody else could do to stop me.
James, clearly mistaking my silence for something else, squeezed my shoulder.
“He’s a strong one, lass. He’ll make it through this, I’ve no doubt. I’ll be back in a few hours. Dinna wait up.”
I nodded, and he turned to go, but then paused and looked back at me.
“And maybe talk some sense into that bloody fae. He canna keep ignoring the obvious anymore.”
I frowned. “What? What obvious?”
James studied me for a second. “Gareth’s wolf has chosen Blue as its mate, lass. Didn’t ye ken?”
I blinked. “What? Are you sure?”
He snorted and shoved a hand through his hair. “Aye, I’m sure. The whole den reeks of his musk.”
Then with a sharp growl and a quick flash of teeth, he turned and vanished into the darkness beyond.
Chapter 11
Scarlett
Blue and I watched the orb for hours. Neither of us said anything of real value.
The duels, just like the night before, were bloody and terrible spectacles to witness.
Some fighters were merciful, but most, like Mercer, were not.
Mercer hadn’t fought yet, and I wrung my fingers with worry as hour after hour ticked by, knowing that at some point tonight, it would be his turn to do battle for the honor of the McCarrick pack.
One particularly gory battle was finally coming to an end. The two combatants had been evenly matched in many ways, both of them terrific fighters, and both of them sustaining horrific injuries that could easily kill either or both of them by the time the night was through.
The ebony-skinned warrior dropped to his knees with a jarring thud, leaning over his pale and weakened opponent. The opponent had been shredded from the inside of his left thigh down to his Achilles tendon, the thigh muscles flayed open and leaking so much blood that his pale skin looked white. He stared at the dark-skinned fighter with a look of baffled shock, mouth gaping and obviously beaten.
I hoped for mercy. The dark-skinned fighter was just as injured as the pale one. His back had been shredded to ribbons of flesh. I could see muscle and bone beneath. His wounds were so grievous that if he didn’t seek help from the healer immediately, the likelihood of him surviving the night was basically nil.
I crossed my fingers, pleading silently that the victorious shifter would do the right thing, take the win for what it was, and walk away.
But the shifter did not. Instead, using the last of his flagging strength, he lifted his trembling arm, claws hooked for the final killing blow, and stabbed his entire hand through the pale wolf’s chest, cracking the ribs and shoving his hand into the gore and viscera to reach the weakly beating heart.
The pale man didn’t even scream. He spasmed once then went limp, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.
The other shifter gave one last gasp just as he ripped his opponent’s heart out. Then he collapsed onto his dead opponent, no longer breathing or moving a muscle, heart still trapped in the cage of his fingers.
Pressing my thumbs into my eyes, I rubbed at them wearily, sick in my heart that, even knowing it would kill him too, the dumb bastard had gone for glory instead of exhibiting any self-preservation instinct.
“They’re beasts. Did you expect any different, Scarlett?” Blue asked softly.
I glanced at him, frowning tightly. “No. No, of course not,” I snapped and gestured toward the orb. “But why? It’s all so damn pointless, isn’t it? They don’t need to kill each other, and yet they can’t seem to fucking help themselves. What’s the goddamn point of all this?”
He patted my knee several times, rubbing gently, as though trying to comfort me. Finally, I released a shaky breath.
“Feel better now?”
I rolled my eyes, but I actually did. “Hmmm.”
Blue leaned back in his seat and sighed. “I’m not like most men, Scar, as I think you know by now. I could give a fig what the rest of the Veiler world thinks of me. I march to the beat of my own drum, and I always have.”
“That’s what I love about you, Blue. You dare to be yourself.”
He flicked the tip of my nose, but there was a sadness to him. “Yes, little flower, I do. But the truth is that I understand why I do. I’m not a fighter, Scar. I never have been. I don’t care for much in this world, but I know that if anything I held dear was threatened, I’d do whatever I could to make sure they were never threatened again.”
“Yeah, but retaliation of any kind is forbidden between the packs.”
He scoffed. “Hogwash. Emotions are what they are, and Veilers have long memories and even more patience. Just because they can’t end you today for humiliating them, doesn’t mean they won’t end you a hundred years from now because of it. They’d risk everything to ensure their safety and that of their own.”
I frowned. “You really think that’s why? That it’s love of family that drives them to make that choice?”
“Maybe not for all. But for some, yes.” He pointed at the orb.
In it, I saw the image of a female shifter, dark-skinned like the dead victor, clinging tightly to his body as she sobbed a mournful wail.
I swallowed and stared at the screen with pain in my heart. If it was love of family that drove the wolf, then I knew Mercer would do anything and everything, no matter w
hat it took, to make sure Steven and I walked away from this place in one piece.
I gripped the meat of my thigh tightly in frustration. Steven’s music played softly in the background, reminding me of his presence.
I could end this. For us all. I could call Tenebris, and together we could stop this.
We could...
I sighed. The only way to stop it would be to kill them all, and there was no way Mercer would ever allow that. I was nobody’s favorite here, but they were innocent. No one had tried to harm us. Not really. We understood exactly why we were here. It wasn’t like it was a secret. But they were treating us as fairly as could be expected considering the screwed-up circumstances.
“He will win,” he said softly, cutting through my thoughts.
“I’m not sure if that’s better or worse. Just because he wins the pack and lands doesn’t mean he wants to rule. He’s a strong enough Alpha. That’s never been in question for me, Blue. But you know as well as I do how volatile this world is. He doesn’t want that life, and I don’t want it for him.”
Crossing his arms behind his head, he leaned back on the couch, staring up at the domed roof of the den with eyes that saw into the past.
“You never have asked me the obvious questions, Scar. Why I’m here. What my part is in these games. Why Harlen would entrust his most valuable possession to a nothing like me.”
I shook my head. “Blue, you’re not nothing. And I just assumed it’s because he knows how much I love you. You’re like my brother.”
He snorted. “I don’t generally like to show my feelings, Scar. You know that. But, fuck, way to put me in my place.”
I grinned at the arrogant tilt of his lips.
“Please, you’re telling me you love me? I think we both know you don’t.”
“I do. Desperately. Madly. Have since the day I saw you suck your first human dry.” His blue eyes were bright with sincerity, and there wasn’t an ounce of laughter in his words.
“But... but you can’t.”
He chuckled. “I can, female, and I do, all right? Don’t make a big deal out of this. Jeez.”
The Vampire Went Down to Georgia Page 15