Page 39 of Ruthless Reign

"Oh, little Luna. What a peculiar situation you've found yourself in."

His eyes are nearly dancing out of his skull in amusement, and I give him a sheepish, awkward smile. "How's Eve?"

"She's well—unlike thewitchthat's glaring at us from the front porch."

I snap my head toward the house, spotting Marie lurking near the door. She looks repulsed as usual, and when she catches me watching, her expression deepens.

"That's Marie," I whisper to him. "Don't provoke her. She's, uh, not very friendly."

He laughs, finding Lex over the top of my head. "You look stressed, my friend. Why don't you take Nyx and talk?"

At his suggestion, I look at Cade, who is listening to the conversation with interest. He gives me a smile and nod, and I reach down to grab Lex's hand. "Come on—I'll take you upstairs."

Lex pauses for a moment, raising an eyebrow at Maverick. "Are you coming?"

I'm surprised by the offer, and even more so by his response as Maverick nods.

And the awkward conversations just keep on coming.

Chapter Sixteen

Lex

Nyx leads us inside the white house, grabbing my hand as she directs us up a large staircase. I try to ignore the uncomfortable feeling erupting inside of me that she knows her way around, my other hand curling into a fist.

Maverick trails behind us, and without checking, I can already sense that he's watching her back as she ascends the staircase.

When we reach a large bedroom, it's easy to tell that Nyx has slept in here. Her scent still lingers around the room, but thankfully, it's the only one present. Well, at least I know that sleaze hasn't put his hand on her—in here.

With the door closed behind us, she finally lets her walls down, letting out a huge, shaky breath as she paces the black carpet.

"I don't even know where to begin," she says softly, halting, eyes shooting to me then Maverick. I can tell she feels guilty, but this isn't her fault. As much as I'm furious about this new development, I know that we can't control things like that. I'm focused on the fact that she is dealing with this, how she must feel. And relieved that she is safe and with me.

From what Maverick has told me Cade wasn't there the night she was taken. We would have recognized him immediately. Nyx would have been kidnapped, brought back here, and then discovered the mate bond. In no circumstance or universe is that okay.

Despite the shock to the system when we realized downstairs what had transpired, the only reason I wasn't ripping Cade's organs out through his dick hole was because she seemed physically okay. Seeing her standing next to him, the look of relief and happiness on her face when we came into view, calmed the murderous thunder that clapped through my head.

"We start at the beginning," Maverick offers. "Who took you that night? I want names."

Nyx gives him a sad smile, shaking her head. She doesn't offer any names but it's clear she knows who. "It's irrelevant. But we need to figure out a plan."

"The plan is we kill them and leave," Maverick says simply.

"I agree," I chime in, watching as Nyx laughs softly at our protective manner.

"Guys," she whines. "We have enough war and death surrounding us without adding to it."

I shrug. "They took what wasn't theirs."

Maverick nods in agreement. "I don't care what their motives may be. It's a level of disrespect that as alpha, we cannot let go."

Nyx steps forward, making my breath catch in my throat as she nears. The temptation to pull her into me is overwhelming.

"He's given me some information," she states. "Essentially, they weren't the hunters we have been looking out for, nor were they the ones to kill Tyler…" she trails off, a pained expression crossing her face.

"Once again, I think we kill them and leave," Maverick snaps, annoyed. "Two wrongs don't make a right."

She looks over at him, slowly choosing her next words carefully. "He's my mate," she says quietly. "We need to figure out what that means."

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