Asher wrapped his hands around his ax handles that traveled up near his waist. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. We won’t let him anywhere near you.”
Slowing my steps, I turned to him. “Wait. He has a lab in the mountain?”
“It’s deep beneath the mountain, actually,” Darian clarified from where he walked beside Asher. “But like Ash said, you needn’t worry about him.”
Knowing they must have thought I was still scared from when Warrick had entered the rooms nights ago, I made a show of relaxing my shoulders.Better that they think I’m asking because I’m still freaked out.“I’m glad. He gives me the creeps,” I said.
Asher chuckled and wrapped a thick arm around my shoulders. “He gives everyone that feeling. That monster is about as twisted as they come.”
I thought about Locke then. The vampire would have been the best monster to ask about whether Warrick planned to attend the party. Then again, I got the feeling he didn’t care much for his father. “Why isn’t Locke with us?” I asked.
Kade let out a sigh. “He’ll be at the party.”
I didn’t say much else as we walked to the ballroom. I was too busy remembering how pale Jarin’s face had become after Warrick had spotted us together the other night. If Jarin made an appearance again, I was determined to finally get some answers from him.
When we entered the ballroom, some of the alphas came up to congratulate me, and I talked politely with them as I scanned the crowd for any sign of Jarin. As time blurred past, I began to wonder whether Warrick had done something to permanently silence the demon. I couldn’t help but feel that Jarin had been about to divulge some secret the other night that Warrick wasn’t happy about. If Warrick was as cruel as they said, who was to say he hadn’t done something to Jarin? I cursed under my breath, hoping I was wrong.
I was still scanning the crowd when feminine laughter cut to me, and there was something about the sound that had me turning my head. Not too far away, Locke stood leaning against a wall, and he wasn’t alone.
Lana stood with her hip jutted to one side and her shoulders back so far it made her breasts look as though they were practically falling out of the skimpy red dress she wore. I stared at them in annoyance, and Kade and the others followed my gaze.
Leaning down, Kade said in my ear, “Locke isn’t looking for a mate, nor does he want to be alpha of the high house of vampires. The vampire newblood isn’t going to make him change his mind.”
I took a gulp of my wine just to have something to do as I watched Lana preen and laugh at whatever Locke had just said. I had to wonder what she was laughing at because nothing Locke ever said to me was fucking funny.
Lana was beautiful as a human, and now that she had been turned into a vampire, her dark eyes, ivory skin, and powerful monster body made her way more seductive than she had been before. I’d seen the way Locke’s mother, Perene, and the other vampires treated her like a queen. Would Locke be able to resist that?
“I don’t care what he does,” I said to Kade before downing the rest of my drink. But even as I said it, I thought of the way Locke had pressed me against the wall in the tunnel, his fingers sinking into me as his wings curled around me like he was trying to shelter me from the world.
The next time I looked over, Lana was still busy chatting to Locke, but her delicate head was now tilted to one side as if she was purposely exposing her neck to him. I scowled at the sight, but when my gaze slid to Locke, I noticed his black eyes weren’t focused on Lana. They were fixed onme.
A slow smirk pulled across his lips as if he knew exactly how much it irritated me to watch him with Lana, and he loved seeing me squirm.
I glared back at him, hoping that he could read the disgust and anger on my face, but as he stared at me, his face changed. One moment, he was cool, calculated, and smug as shit, and the next, he was frowning as if he was concentrating and listening to something only he could hear. His body hardened with rage, and claws peeked from his fingertips.
What the hell?I didn’t know what was going on, but when Kade moved toward Locke, I followed after him. Asher and Darian weren’t far behind. Lana, who was completely oblivious to whatever strange situation was happening, was still prattling on as if she thought Locke was listening. She continued talking about her fight against Nora and was saying something about the rush she felt when she brought Nora’s huge bear down. Her words made me sick.
Lana noticed Kade and the rest of us as we neared, and she shot Kade and Darian appreciative looks. I could tell she wanted to admire Asher as well, but Perene must have been thorough in her education because somehow she managed to ignore him completely, a fact that had anger pulsing at my temples.
“Leave, Lana,” I said harshly.
Narrowing her eyes at me, she smiled, showing her fangs. “I think you’re the one who needs to leave, Raine. These guys are only interested in you because they haven’t yet realized what a reject you are. You’re a novelty for now, but they’ll tire of you soon.” She traced a finger down the center of Locke’s chest, and my nostrils flared as I watched her. The urge to break that finger was so strong that I had to bite the inside of my cheek to control the impulse.
Kade growled and went to move toward Lana, but I placed a hand on his chest. I didn’t need him to fight my battles. Lana had never been able to understand why I trained relentlessly in the forest while she and the other girls were busy making baskets and learning how to weave tapestries.
“I saidgo,” I seethed between gritted teeth, and there must have been something in my eyes that made her pause.
Sneering at me, she dropped her hand to her side. “You’ll see. After I tear you apart during the final fight tomorrow night and show everyone just what a pathetic shifter you are, you’ll see just how powerful I’ve become. And Locky here won’t be able to resist.”
Locky? Seriously?I let out a deep breath through my nose and fought the impulse to smash my fist into her face. Would the fight still count if we went at it a night early?
To my surprise, I didn’t have to answer because Locke stepped forward, getting right in Lana’s face. Thinking he was about to kiss her, my heart lurched, but then he bared his teeth, his own fangs on full display.
His black eyes were filled with hate as he said to her, “My mother has this fantasy that we’ll take over the House of Nesarin together, but you can tell her that nothing could compel me to go back there. I will never want you, vampire.” Then he dismissed her completely and gestured for me and the others to follow him from the ballroom.
My jaw slackened, my mouth falling open as I let myself be led away by the others. When I peered back, Lana was still standing there, a hand to one of her cheeks as if Locke had slapped her in the face, but then her gaze met mine, and the hurt morphed to anger as she stared after me.
Of course, Locke’s the one who tears her down, but I’m the one who’ll suffer her wrath.Sometimes females made no sense.
