Page 40 of Devotion

“At least it’s not a horsewoman this time,” Alek offered.

“That we fucking know of. We’re still waiting for Death and Famine to drop their bombs. Who knows what’s going to happen?”

My chest was tight, but I pushed the fear down. It wouldn’t help matters right now.

“Almost home, Alpha. You were so strong in that meeting.I’m so proud of you,” Sunday soothed, rubbing her thumb over mine.

Her words were a balm to my soul. The tension in my shoulders eased, and some of the tightness left my chest. I took a deep breath, giving her hand a tug until she turned to face me.

“Thanks, Sunshine,” I whispered, giving her a soft kiss. “Needed that.”

“Is that glass on the ground outside Thorne’s window?” Alek asked as we broke through the copse of trees and came within sight of the house.

I followed his gaze, and sure enough, bloodied glass shards lay strewn about, the window now boarded up.

“What the fuck?”

Sunday broke free, racing up the stairs and calling out to her vampires.

We weren’t far behind her, Alek and I sharing a wary look as we braced for whatever new test the universe was throwing at us.

Thorne was in the kitchen, washing something at the sink, shirtless. The tang of blood in the air caught my attention almost immediately, and when he turned around, I saw why. His throat, chest, and belly all bore fresh, shiny pink scars. A patch of dried blood remained on his neck and as he stared at me, challenge in his eyes, he brought a washcloth up to wipe away the last of the evidence. He hadn’t wanted us to know he’d been hurt.

“Noah, what happened?”

He was a little paler than usual, the skin under his eyes looking bruised as he turned his attention to her. “I’m fine, dove. I heard a noise and went to investigate. When I got back inside, a wolf was waiting for me in my room. Caleb and I took care of it.”

“Is that what the broken window is about?” Alek asked.

“Yes. The wolf escaped, but I did my share of damage to the beast.”

“Noah, this doesn’t look likefineto me. This”—she gestured to his neck and belly?—

“looks like fatal wounds.” Sunday’s fingers hovered over the marks on his throat.

He caught her hand and brought her knuckles to his lips. “Not fatal. I’m still here, aren’t I? Supernatural healing, remember?”

“Did the wolf have any recognizable markings? Anything that would indicate which pack member it might be?” I asked, desperate to know who I needed to kill.

Thorne shook his head. “It wasn’t a shifter.”

“What?”

“It was all wolf. Not an ounce of magic in it.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Sunday said, wrinkling her nose. “Why would a regular wolf enter a human den and attack? It’s completely out of character.”

“Not if someone else is controlling them, dove.”

“Who would want to do that?”

“The Shadow Court.”

A heavy weight filled the kitchen as his words landed.

“Fucking faeries,” I grumbled. “They can’t just leave us alone.”

Alek took hold of a chair and gracelessly fell into it. “This is my fault. They want justice.”

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