Bryce tore through the cabinet beneath her sink. Bottles of hair products, old makeup palettes, dead blow-dryers flew out and scattered behind her. Where theย fuckย had she put itโ
There. Bryce yanked out the white first aid kit, Syrinx doing a little dance next to her. As if the golden-furred chimera had found it himself. Cheeky pup.
Leaping to her feet as she opened the lid, she rifled through the antiseptic ointment, bandages, and vial of pain-relieving potion. She frowned down at Syrinx. โThis stuff never goes bad, right?โ
Syrinx scrunched his snout, huffing as if to say,ย Beats me!
Bryce scratched under his chin and returned to the great room to find Hunt crouching beside Ithan, whom theyโd laid out on the coffee table. Ithanโs face โฆ Burning Solas.
Well, he was awake. And talking. She hoped he hadnโt heard her and Hunt bickering over where to put his barely conscious form a moment ago. Hunt had wanted to set Ithan on the couch, and Bryce hadnโt been able to stop herself from shrieking about ruining the white cushions. So the coffee table it was.
Hunt and Ithan were murmuring too low for Bryce to understand, and they halted as she approached. Though she could detect no outward sign of it, Huntโs lightning seemed to crackle in the air around him. Or maybe that was Huntโs presence, once again doing funny things to her senses. Bryce lifted the first aid kit. โFound it.โ
Ithan grunted. โItโs โฆ itโs not as bad as it looks.โ
โYour mouth literally started bleeding again saying that,โ Bryce said, dropping the kit on the table next to Ithan before fishing inside for sterile wipes. She hadnโt seen him since the attack last spring. Hadnโt spoken to him.
Bryce waved a hand over the bruised and swollen face that held no resemblance to the handsome, charming features sheโd once known so well. โI donโt even know where to start with this โฆ mess.โ She didnโt just mean his face.
โYou and me both,โ Ithan mumbled, and hissed as Bryce dabbed at a slice across his brow. He pulled his head from her reach. โItโll heal. That oneโs already smaller.โ
โIโd guess claws made that,โ Hunt said, arms crossed. Syrinx hopped onto the sectional, turned in a circle three times, then curled up in a ball.
Ithan said nothing. Bryce reached for the wound again, but he pulled his head farther back, wincing in pain.
โWhy the fuck are you here, Ithan?โ Huntโs voice was like gravel. Ithanโs brown eyes, one half-swollen, met Bryceโs. Ire glowed in them.
โI didnโt tell them to bring me here. Perry โฆ my packโs Omega โฆ She arranged it.โ
A fuzzy memory of a brown-haired female emerged. Perry โฆ Ravenscroft. Amelieโs younger sister. โSheย did this to you?โ
Ithan huffed a raw laugh, then winced. His ribs must beโ
Bryce lifted Ithanโs bloody gray T-shirt, revealing disgustingly carved abs andโโHoly shit, Ithan.โ
He yanked the shirt back over the extensive bruising. โItโs fine.โ โThose look like broken ribs,โ Hunt said wryly.
โDefinitely broken ribs, Athalar,โ Bryce replied, sitting back on her heels. โAnd a broken arm, from the way heโs cradling it.โ
โSkull fractureโs healed,โ Hunt observed with equal distance, as if they were on one of his favorite Vanir crime procedurals. Ithanโs eyes flashed again.
โIโm sensing hostility and a good dose of male pride,โ Bryce said.
โThrow in some stubbornness and Iโd say weโve got ourselves a classic case of stupidity,โ Hunt answered.
โWhatย the fuckย is wrong with you two?โ Ithan demanded.
Bryce smiled at Hunt, all thoughts of the betrothal and her father and the Asteri vanishing at the amusement glittering in the angelโs eyes. But she stopped smiling as she faced Ithan again.
โI promise to clean you up as quickly as possible, and youโll be on your way,โ she said.
โTake your time. Itโs not like I have anywhere to go.โ Hunt stilled. โAmelie kicked you out?โ
โSabine kicked me out,โ Ithan growled. โShe, Amelie, and the others did โฆ this.โ
โWhy?โ Bryce managed to say.
Ithan met her stare. โWhy do you think?โ Bryce shook her head, disgust creeping through her. Ithan said, โYou know how Sabine operates. Some reporter cornered me at a bar a few weeks ago about the attack last spring, and I talked about โฆ what happened. How I helped you. The article came out this morning. Sabine apparently wasnโt a fan.โ
โOh?โ Hunt lifted a brow.
Ithanโs bruised throat bobbed. โI might have also defended you,โ he said to Bryce. โAgainst a nasty quote from Sabine.โ
Bryce resisted the urge to pull out her phone to search for the article. Nothing in there would make her feel better about this. So she said, โSabineโs a City Head. This is really what she wants to waste her time on?โ
โWolves donโt talk shit about other wolves.โ โBut you did,โ Hunt countered.
โSo did Sabine.โ He said sadly, wearily to Bryce, โThe Prime called you a wolf. Thatโs good enough for me. I, ah โฆ It didnโt sit well, what Sabine said. But I guess the article didnโt sit well with her, either. So Iโm out.โ
Bryce exhaled a long, long breath. โWhy bring you here?โ Hunt asked.
Ithan grimaced with pain. โPerry remembered that we were friends, once upon a time.โ He tried and failed to rise. โBut give me a few minutes, then Iโll be gone.โ
โYouโre staying here,โ Bryce said. Honestly, after the night sheโd had, it was the last thing she wanted. Especially when she still had to call her mom and convince her to get out of town. Gods, if Ember found out Ithan was
here, sheโd never leave. Sheโd loved him like a son. Bryce shook off the thought. โYouโre lucky Sabine didnโt kill you.โ
โTrust me, she wanted to,โ Ithan said bitterly. โBut I wasnโt worth the legal headache that would cause.โ
Bryce swallowed. Connorโs little brother had once been her best friend, after Danika. Fury and June had come after that. Gods, how many messages had she and Ithan swapped over the years? How many juvenile jokes had they shared? How many times had she bounced in the stands at one of his sunball games, screaming her lungs out for him?
The male before her was a stranger.
โI should go,โ Ithan said thickly. Like he remembered their history, too.
Read it on her face.
โSit the fuck down,โ Hunt said. โYou canโt even walk.โ โFine,โ Ithan conceded. โOne night.โ
He had to be desperate, then.
Fighting the tightness in her chest, Bryce pulled out her phone. โGood.โ She noted the time. Almost midnight. Her parents were likely about to go to bed. โI have to make a call.โ
Hunt fixed a cup of decaf just to give himself something to do as Ithan lay bleeding on the coffee table behind him. Bryceโs voice as she spoke to her parents filtered down the hall in bits and pieces.
Weโll plan a long weekend next time. Maybe Hunt and I can come up to you guys. I think heโd love to finally see Nidaros.
Huntโs lips quirked upward. Bringing him home to her parents, huh? No matter that she was lying through her teeth.
The coffee machine finished a heartbeat before Bryce said, โAll right. Iโll meet you at your hotel at six. Yep. Bright and early. Okay. Love you. Bye.โ
Hunt blew on the steaming-hot coffee as Bryce padded back down the hall. โEverything good?โ he asked her.
โAside from the fact that I have to be up in a few hours, sure.โ Bryce slid her phone onto the kitchen counter. โTickets are switched.โ She peered at Ithan, whose eyes were closed. But Hunt had no doubt the wolf was listening.
โRight,โ Bryce said. โBeds.โ
โIโm good on the couch,โ Ithan croaked.
Hunt was inclined to agree, but Bryce said, โOh no. Youโre in my room.
I wonโt have you bleeding all over my white couch.โ
Hunt said roughly, โIโll sleep on the couch. Holstrom, you can have my room.โ
โNope,โ Bryce countered. โItโs fine. My bed is big.โ
Hunt shot back, โThenย youย sleep on the couch and give Holstrom the bed.โ
โWith my back problems?โ Before Hunt could ask what the Hel she was talking about, she said, โIโm tired, and I donโt want to argue. Conversation over.โ
Ithan cracked open an eye. Hunt reined in his growl of frustration.
Fifteen minutes later, Hunt lay in his own bed, teeth gritted as he stared at the ceiling, with only a snoring Syrinx for company.
It was fine. Totally fucking fine that Ithan Holstrom was sharing Bryceโs bed.
Totally. Fucking. Fine.
His bed, his blood roared. Even if he hadnโt been near it in months. His bed,ย hisย Bryce, whoโd emerged from the bathroom in her sleep shorts and a faded, threadbare T-shirt that did nothing to hide the shadow of her nipples behind the purple fabric. Thankfully, Holstromโs eyes were too swollen for Hunt to notice if the male looked. Not that it really mattered. He trusted Bryce. Knew precisely whatโand whoโshe wanted.
But โฆ it didnโt matter that Holstrom had come to Bryceโs defense during the attack, or in some stupid article. Heโd been a nasty fuck to her in the two years before that. And had let Amelie run rampant, tormenting Bryce over the death of his brother.
And fineโtrust aside, maybe he was slightly on edge. Holstrom was good-looking, when he wasnโt beaten to Hel and back. Heโd been a star sunball player at CCU. Hunt remembered watching a few of the games in the 33rdโs lounge in the Comitium, marveling at Holstromโs speed and agility. The male hadnโt played the sport for two years now, but he was still built.
Stupid, jealous idiot. For fuckโs sake, having Holstrom here bothered him more than that asshole Cormac claiming heโd marry Quinlan.
He hated himself just a little bit as he pulled his phone from the nightstand and typed inย Ithan Holstrom Sabine Fendyr Bryce Quinlan.
The article popped up immediately.
Hunt skimmed it. Read what Sabine had said and focused on his breathing. On not leaping into the skies and shredding the Prime Apparent into pieces.
โBryce Quinlan is nothing but a spoiled party girl who was conveniently in the right place during the attack. My wolves saved innocents. Sheโs a pathetic fame-chaser.โ
Hunt ground his teeth so hard his jaw hurt. Toward the bottom, he found Holstromโs sound bite.
โThe wolves only went to Asphodel Meadows because of Bryce. She got the call for help out, and held the line until we could provide backup. She saved this city. Sheโs a hero, as far as Iโm concerned. Donโt let anyone convince you otherwise. Especially people who werenโt even in this city during the attack.โ
Well, Hunt didnโt blame Sabine for being pissed. The truth hurt.
Hunt sighed and was about to set his phone back onto the nightstand when it buzzed with a message from Isaiah.ย Thoughts???
He knew Isaiah was asking about Celestinaโs appointment.ย Too early to tell, he wrote back.ย Too early for hope, too.
Isaiah answered immediately.ย Sheโll be here tomorrow evening at five.
Try to play nice, Hunt. Sheโs not Micah.
Hunt sent back a thumbs-up. But sleep was a long time coming.
Bryce gazed at her bedroom ceiling, listening to the wet, labored breathing of the male beside her.
Her mom and dad had bought her liesโhook, line, and sinker. Of course, it meant sheโd be getting up in four hours, but it was a price worth paying. No news about her engagement had been leaked yet. She could only pray it wouldnโt until their train was out of the city.
Ithan shifted slightly, the sound of the blankets loud in the silence. It was strange to have him here, his scent filling her nose. So similar to Connorโs scentโ
โI could have slept on the couch,โ Ithan said into the darkness.
โI donโt trust Athalar not to smother you with a pillow.โ Ithan huffed a laugh. โHe holds a grudge, huh?โ
โYou have no idea.โ
Silence fell again, thick and heavy. Sheโd wanted Ithan right where she could see him. It was as simple as that. Wards on this place or not, she wasnโt about to leave him unguarded when Sabine and Amelie might change their minds about the paperwork being too much trouble. Sheโd lost one Holstrom already.
โDanika had me keyed to the locks,โ Ithan said. โRight before โฆ everything. She showed me this placeโwanted me in on the surprise. Thatโs how I got in.โ
Bryceโs throat clogged. โOh.โ
โIs it true that Danika helped you make the Drop?โ
Since her voice had been broadcast through the Gates into every part of the city, it was common knowledge that Danika Fendyr had something to do with Bryceโs Drop, but rumors about exactly what ranged widely.
โYeah,โ Bryce said. โShe, ah โฆ She was my Anchor.โ โI didnโt know that was possible.โ
โMe neither.โ
His breathing thinned. Bryce said, โI โฆ Ithan, when I saw Danika during the Search, she told me that the othersโConnor and Nathalie and the whole Pack of Devilsโheld off the Reapers to buy her time to be there with me. They saved me, too. Connor saved me.โ
Ithan said nothing for a long moment. When was the last time theyโd spoken like this? Calm, quiet. Without hate spewing like acid, burning everything it touched? Then Ithan said, โHe loved you more than anyone.โ
Her heart strained. โHe lovedย youย more than anyone.โ โHe thought you were his mate.โ
Bryce shut her eyes against the punch that slammed into her gut. โIn the wolf sense of the word?โ
โWhat other sense is there? Yeah, the wolf sense.โ
There were several definitions of the termย mateโthough Bryce supposed that to Ithan, to a shifter, only one mattered: oneโs true lover, predestined by Urd.
The Fae had a similar conceptโa mate was a bond deeper than marriage, and beyond an individualโs control. The angels, she knew, used
the term far more lightly: for the malakim, it was akin to a marriage, and matings could be arranged. Like breeding animals in a zoo.
But for Connor, if heโd thought Bryce was his mate โฆ Her stomach twisted again.
โDid you love him?โ Ithan whispered.
โYou know I did,โ Bryce said, voice thick.
โWe waste so much time. Maybe itโs our curse as immortals. To see time as a luxury, a never-ending ocean.โ He loosed a long breath. โI wasted a lot of it.โ
Bryce couldnโt tell what he was referring to. โReal poetic of you.โ Ithan let out a soft laugh. In the air-conditioned dark, Bryce asked, โWhy did you quit sunball?โ
She felt Ithan tense, the mattress shifting. โBecause itโs a stupid game,โ he said, voice empty, and turned onto his side with a groan.
Bryce had no idea how to respond. So she closed her eyes, rubbing idly at the scar on her chest, and prayed for Luna to send her into a dreamless, heavy sleep.