“I’m here.” His voice behind me.
He steps forward, takes her from my arms like she’s porcelain, like she might break into dust. “Listen up, Brat,” he says low. “Wake your ass up or all five of us are taking turns spanking you.”
Still nothing.
Then I see it.
“Hold her head up,” I order.
Karter shifts her, and I brush her hair back, freezing at the sight carved into her skin.
“What the fuck is that?” I growl, leaning in.
“Looks like a name?” Karter mutters, brow tight.
There, just beneath her hairline, scabbed and raw, fresh,Krewe.
My fingers brush it. Wet. Not blood. Not sweat. Somethingelse.
“Krewe,” I say aloud, the word burning on my tongue. “What the fuck does that mean?”
Dash squints. “There’s a parade… Krewe of Krewes. Louisiana. But why the fuck is that carved into her?”
“Did anyone notice this before?” I ask.
Blank stares.
Karter finally says, “She mentioned something about a scratch on her back. Thought it was from Dash sexing her against a tree.”
“Wait, what if it wasn’t a scratch? What if it was the mystery fucker?”
“If that’s true, thenwhy is it wet now?” I ask, bringing my fingers back to my nose. No iron. No copper tang.
“This isn’t blood,” I say slowly. “It’s somethingelse.”
“Poison?” Ryan throws out.
My rage boils over. “We need tofindthat motherfucker rightfuckingnow.”
“You already killed half the damn world tonight,” Onyx reminds me flatly.
“There’s always room formore.FIND HIM!”
Dash and Ryan don’t wait, they’re gone. Karter lowers her gently back onto the bed, brushing hair from her face before turning to Onyx.
“I’ve got a lead,” he says, already halfway to the door.
Wells walks up beside me, leans down and kisses her lips like she’s a relic worth praying to. “Wake up for us, Little Fox.”
Then to me, voice hard, cold, and final: “Let’s go pay our fathers a visit. I want answers. And I don’t give a shit if we have to pull their fucking teeth out to get them.”
“Agreed,” I grit out, pulling out my phone and texting Gage.
Me: Devils on guard duty. No one leaves this room. No one gets in. Fred and Athens stay protected at all costs.
Once the message sends, I glance back, just once. Her body so still. A grave in waiting.
And then I walk out.
