Page 38 of Devotion

“Are you all right, Thorne?” he asked, fang already pricking his finger as he allowed a couple drops of his blood to spill into the worst of my wounds.

“Yes,” I managed. “Damned thing caught me off guard.”

“How did it even get in here?” he asked, helping me to my feet once the gashes in my abdomen were healed.

Shame burned through my cheeks. “I think I left the door open.”

Though he was kind enough not to say it, I could see the admonishment burning in his gaze. “You should board up that window. You’ll have to heal the rest on your own. I can’t bear the daylight much longer.”

I was already slowly healing, and with Caleb’s generous donation to the deep bite to my throat, I’d be fine. But when Sunday returned to find me still in the process, she’d be devastated. She was just as protective of us as we were of her.

Worse than that, I’d have to face Kingston and admit that I’d been bested by one of his wolves. Though come to think about it, the creature that attacked me hadn’t felt like a shifter. It was much smaller, for starters, and its scent was off. Shifters had a wild magic to them, but this creature was all animal, which only further supported my Shadow Court theory. Fae were notorious for using other creatures for their purposes.

Maybe I could offset some of my shame over today’s performance by providing my mate with answers upon her return. And I knew just the place to start.

Pulling my phone from my pocket, I called my father.

He answered on the first ring. “Noah, what’s the matter?” The haze of sleep in his voice sent a pang of loss through me. He was no longer able to feed from my mother and benefit from the magic in her blood. Not since he’d been forced to turn her.

“Sorry to wake you, Father. It’s urgent.”

“Go on.”

“Have there been any rumblings about the Shadow Court?”

My father sighed. “Son, there are always rumblings where the fae are concerned. You’re going to have to be more specific.”

“What do you know about a curse?”

Chapter

Thirteen

KINGSTON

“Bring him in!” Elder Forsyth bellowed from his seat in the lodge.

The fire crackled in the enormous hearth, providing a false sense of comfort during a fucking stressful situation. I’d grown up playing in this huge log cabin while the adults had their meetings, running around with toy airplanes and Nerf guns with my cousins and sisters. It was strange now to be the one in charge. The Alpha everyone looked to for the final say in the fate of our pack.

Sunday discreetly gave my knee a squeeze, offering me a bit of comfort as we waited for Chester to enter the room. This was the part of the meeting where everything could go the other way. So far, Alek, Sunday, and I had presented our evidence that the dissenters had gone from frustrated grumblings to outright retaliation, but now I’d have to square off with their leader directly.

The door opened and fucking Channing walked inside, head held high, wrists bound behind him, and Derek following with his hackles raised and ready to defend me if need be.

“Oh, look, it’s the little mate. If you wanted to show her off, Alpha, you should’ve just brought her out for a run. Then I could’ve challenged you in front of her and taken her for myself when I won.”

Sunday’s expression was fierce as she snapped, “I would rip your throat out before you could breathe on me, asshole.”

He smirked. “Why don’t you piss a circle around him to really mark your territory? You’ve already humiliated him more times than we can count. And you know, if I’m being honest, I wouldn’t keep you. I don’t want a used-up blood bag as my mate. Only a wolf with no backbone would accept a vampire’s leftovers.”

An enraged growl rumbled in my chest, but Alek beat me to speaking.

“Talk to my mate that way again, and I will flay you alive and make you watch as I set the pieces on fire. I don’t care who the fuck you are.”

“Alpha, please silence your companion. This is pack business,” Elder Forsyth reminded me.

I glanced at Alek. “I’ve got this. Trust me.” Stepping forward, I addressed the four elders seated casually near the fireplace. “Today I brought you concerns for the safety of my mate and my child, as well as the rest of our family. An attack on our property has escalated things, and it needs to stop.”

Chode snorted. “What attack? I didn’t touch your little mutant. If anyone attacked, it was you.” He turned his head and bared his throat, which still showed the faint bruises left by my teeth.

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