Page 153 of Drown My Sorrow

He walks straight down the stairs from the second floor, and I know he didn’t come in with the rest of us. The cocky swagger, the dark hair. He thinks he’s fooling everyone, but he’s not. I follow him on the bottom floor, watching as he moves from shadow to shadow. No one is the wiser.

Shale looks up, alerted by the bond, and I use sign language, just the basics we’ve picked up on to alert him to the intruder.

As soon as I have him, I’m going to find out how he got in and cement the area up.

He makes it all the way to the ground floor and sneaks up on Lia. He hasn’t seen Shale or I closing in on him. I grab his wrist and spin him around as Shale puts a knife to his throat.

I know I’m shocked and enraged, but I don’t feel anything from Shale. He grins easily at Raider’s double and huffs.

“Well, well, well. Baby Bailey, isn’t it? Is that what they call you?”

Now this alpha is strong. Almost as strong as Shale. But not quite, and there’s something strange about him that isn’t sitting right.

He smiles, but unlike Raider’s open smile, Bailey’s is one of fun, taunts, and mockery.

“How’d you get in?”

“Through the window,” he teases, winking at me.

“Which window?”

He laughs again and lets out an oof when Lia slams into him from behind. I let go and Shale makes his knife disappear.

“I missed you!”

Bailey laughs and scoffs. “You did not. I bet you haven’t even left the nest.”

For a second, I’m blind with envy. What would it be like to spend a heat and more with our omega in an actual nest that was ours and not something we hired? Or a cave.

He transforms before our eyes, becoming this person that everyone likes. I stiffen, watching him in alarm. He’s a chameleon, blending in with everyone.

Through our bond, I can feel Shale’s interest, too.

“He’s fascinating isn’t he?” Ezy murmurs. “Grew up in an MC, belongs to the Raines. Straddling both lives but not fitting in anywhere. He’s a wildcard.”

“And very fucking skilled,” Shale murmurs.

“Yes. He is that,” Ezy murmurs. “But devoted to his sister.”

We all turn to look at the diminutive Lia. It’s bizarre to see all these dangerous men doting on someone who looks like she wouldn’t be in the wrong place on the set of a holiday romance movie. She screams innocence.

“So, this is the Raines family,” I say in a little bit of awe. They are not what I expected.

“Yes.”

“And they all know what to do?”

“They do.” Ezy leans into me, and I take a moment to kiss him. Needing the contact and to reassure my alpha.

“Well, I guess we’re ready, then.”

We’reallgatheringinour expensive and custom-made clothes, thanks to Kit, but I’m waiting for one more person. She arrives at the top of the stairs, ignoring the people who are starting to trickle through into the massive ballroom.

It’s transformed with low light, chandeliers, huge buffets, live music, and people in gold walking around handing out drinks. But all of it pales in comparison to her.

She’s wearing a gold satin gown that hangs off her shoulders and clings to her body like water. It turns her skin luminous and makes her hair and eyes shine brighter. But her lips are painted a deep blood red, and her eyes are ringed with this smokey brown that shimmers gold.

A single necklace winds around her throat three times, the end dangling down to sit on her chest.

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