Page 76 of Siege of Blood and Betrayal

Normally, the thought of Zane not sharing this planet with me brings me to a panicked recognition that I’m not as indifferent as I claim to be.

Tonight it makes me wonder what my life would be without Zane Vasari.

Tucker glances my way, raising an eyebrow, but he says nothing. He’s smart enough to stay out of it.

Zane and Huntley, on the other hand, are fronting as if they’re somehow justified in what they just pulled. Like they had every right to sidestep everything my father wanted and sacrificed for, simply to avoid a little tension.

I bite my tongue the whole ride. Every street and every turn adds another degree to the simmering rage inside me. By the time we pull into the garage, my hands are clenched into fists, my jaw so tight it hurts.

The moment the truck is turned off, I’m out of my seat and storming inside. I storm through the side entrance, ignore the beeping of the alarm, and then rebound back to the hallway after someone punches in the digits.

I can’t hold it in any longer.

As soon as the door clicks shut behind them, I whirl on Zane. “If this is how you think our partnership works, you’re dead wrong. One more stunt like this and I’m gone for good.”

Zane holds up his hands. “Scots, hear me out. We just?—”

“Fuck your reasoning, Zane. Fuck you both. Fuck you for deciding I’m not ready and I should sit this one out. Fuck you for trying to protect me instead of considering that the only thing I have left of my father is his faith in me and you tossed that to the side like a bag of dog shit. Just fuck you.”

My voice echoes in the small hallway, but I don’t care. Adrenaline courses through me, mixed with the anger from the fight, the fear of what could’ve happened, and all my pain and disappointment from the past.

Zane barely flinches. He stands deathly still as the gash running along his arm and the bruises darkening one side of hisface start to heal. He meets my glare head-on, his expression stony. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry?” I repeat, incredulous. My hands shake with the urge to hit something, to lash out. “Not good enough. You’ve spent the past three days trying to convince me to trust that you won’t hurt me again and then you pull a stunt like this.”

“It wasn’t a stunt.” Huntley steps in, raising his hands like he’s defusing a bomb. “Not everything we do revolves around you, princess. I’m not sure if you’re aware, but someone is gunning for the Toronto seat and the king needs to secure things for the entire seethe.”

“You don’t think I’m aware?Me?The girl who watched those fuckers torture my father while the life drained from his eyes.Idon’t understand what’s at stake?”

Zane lets out a long breath. “He didn’t mean that.”

“Don’t speak for me,” Huntley snaps. “Yes, I meant that. She’s got her pretty blonde head so far up her own ass, she can’t see anything but herself.”

“You’re supposed to protect him, you arrogant fucknugget! That’s literally your job.”

“Idoprotect him. I’ve been the one at his side day and night while you’ve been off living your life.”

“And still you took him for a night on the town with no backup? I get that you’re pissed at me for inheriting your future, but where the fuck is your head? You should’ve at least had a couple of the royal guard with you.”

Huntley’s jaw tenses, and I see I’ve hit a nerve. “Maybe I should have, but it’s hard to know who to trust. You never know who might snap your neck when you turn your back.”

Okay, I deserve that one. But I’m on a roll and the rage is flowing in hot waves. “Daeva and her men overwhelmed you. They had you dead to rights because you were reckless. If Tucker and I hadn’t found you and rescued Zane, who would be left tohold the city together? Because it sure as hell won’t be a seethe of entitled turned mutts!”

Zane growls, stepping in between us. “Enough. Take to your corners, both of you. We all know what’s at stake and yes, Huntley and I made a miscalculation, but it was my call, Scottie. Not Huntley’s.”

“It was stupid.”

“It was tactically sound. The question is, how did Daeva and her army find us? We didn’t know we were going there until we arrived, so either we’re bugged, being followed, or we’ve still got a rat in our midst.”

His words hang between us, and the anger fueling me burns off, leaving only questions in its wake.

“Fine, we’ll ignore that the two of you are assholes for the moment. Tell me who you spoke to and what you found out.”

The house is quiet, the silence that only comes after the chaos of a storm has been unleashed. I could be upstairs resting, spending time with Tucker or Jack… but Zane’s words gnaw at me.

How did Daeva and her crew find them at DonorWatch?

I can’t shake it. The pieces don’t add up.

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