Page 5 of Deadly Alliances

But then, why would I want to? “And to find you here, safe and sound and bossing vampires around… So, what, you’re Hadrian’s pet or something?”

“I’m one of his advisors,” Kendall replied with an air of pride. The way he said it made me want to slap him, but I feared I’d scratch his face clean off if I did. “A seer is too valuable a prize to kill.”

“That’s too bad,” I hissed, injecting anger into every word.

He closed his eyes, visibly stung.

“I know you think you hate me for my actions,” he said, brows creasing in a way that made him look disgustingly cute. “But I did what I did for you. Forus.”

My insides curdled with disgusted fury. “Bullshit. You saved yourself and sold everyone else for that safety.”

“And what would you rather I have done? Wait around in that fishbowl to die with everyone else? When the vampires attacked, you got out. You saved yourself, too.”

My anger was at a tipping point, and I could feel the fur bristling underneath the goosebumps on my arms. “I didn’t save myself! I left to save everyone else! You think I give a flying fuck what happens to me? I’d give everything to save the people I love.”

“And that’s exactly what I did,” Kendall declared, stomping his foot as he neared me. “I gave up everything and everyone to ensure that you’d be safe. You may not care what happens to you, but I do.”

Red tinged the periphery of my vision, my muscles itching with the prickle of an imminent transformation. “Get out,” I warned in a deep, animalistic growl.

Kendall startled and tripped backward. He squinted at me in confusion and fear, but swiftly recovered and stood tall.

“I’ll give you some time,” he said, backing toward the door. “But I’m not giving up on you. One day, I hope you know just how much you mean to me.” His blue eyes lingered on me with a desperate intensity for a moment before he turned and scrambled out the door.

That look reached something inside me, something that soothed the beast within enough for me to regain control of my breathing, as Mr. Sharp had shown me. I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths, feeling the prickle and the anger subside.

Calm now, I sat on the bed and stared down at the red carpet.

Maybe I should’ve let the ursa out. See how much damage I could inflict before the vamps could take me out.

Chapter 3

Shea

My eyes were raw as I stared blankly at the floating dust catching the morning light in front of the kitchen window. Last night had been a restless one, only waking from nightmares to cry over Julian’s capture and Arya’s hatred. I was relieved when dawn finally came, but as I sat at the kitchen table, I clung to the numbness that had settled over my mind because it was the only thing protecting me from my fears and regret.

A plate of freshly cooked French toast appeared in front of me, the steam it emitted dancing in the sun’s rays.

“Eat, Shea,” Gram said, rubbing my back softly. “There are no earthly woes that a good breakfast can’t soothe.”

I attempted a smile and picked up the knife and fork she handed me, but my stomach wasn’t really conducive to food just yet, so I passed the time by cutting my toast into perfectly symmetrical squares and pushing them around in the pool of syrup.

When the front door opened, I eagerly jumped off my chair and darted for Caesar, who didn’t hesitate to welcome me into his warm embrace. As soon as his strong arms closed around me, my soul seemed to lighten, and I let out a slow, shaky breath of relief.

So many times over the night, I debated slipping over to Aunt Janette’s and seeking his comfort. But I wanted to respect Gram’s boundaries where that was concerned. Though she seemed to have made peace with my romantic situation, I didn’t want to push her too far—I’d already pushed things far enough in the last few weeks. But, god, being in his arms now wassomething I had desperately needed after everything that went down yesterday.

“It’s alright, Shea,” Caesar cooed into my hair as he held me. “We’re going to get him back.”

I nodded into his chest, even as I tried to hold back the fresh tears that stung my dry, puffy eyes.

Kai and Janette squeezed past us and made their way to the table, where Gram was setting plates of French toast for everyone.

“Come on, let’s eat,” he encouraged softly, pulling away just enough to usher me to join them.

I let him guide me to the table and sat back in my chair, watching as everyone dug into their food.

Aunt Janette kept scooting close to Kai, who seemed to stiffen and pause between bites each time. The fact that that made a smirk tug at my lips oddly gave me comfort; my sense of humor was still alive and well. And the fact that Kai wasn’t scooting away from her also made me curious—did Kai have growing affections for her, too?

My appetite stirred slightly under the levity, and I finally stabbed a square of toast and put it in my mouth. Okay, Gram might have had a point because this was seriously delicious. I continued eating without restraint, doing my best to savor the flavors and just enjoy this moment of peace.

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