Page 3 of Bound
“Ten.”
My jaw slackens and my heart trips in my chest.
They sent ten full-blood Fae for a single hearing?
Markus’ square jaw ripples as he most likely catches the sudden start and stop of my pulse with his heightened hearing. “There are three of the Aos Sí.” He scoffs. “I imagine there will be guards amongst them, though my contact did not deign to mention how many.”
“Names?” I ask.
Markus’ gaze turns shrewd, piercing. “They did not say that either.”
Without knowing which High Lords will be here, I won’t know just who we will be dealing with until I meet them.
Just like the Fae to leave us guessing.
Mood soured, I incline my head. “Will that be all, my lord?”
He appraises me again for several long moments before he nods. “Yes, Gage. You are dismissed.”
I climb to my feet, offer my king an exemplary bow, and walk from the office.
The halls of the colony house are empty with the hour.
The manor is more than large enough to accommodate triple what the Sith has sent. But I fucking hope to never have so many of the Fair Folk under one roof. And damn sure not here.
If I wanted to deal with them that closely, I would return to the Sith.
A few of the guards straighten from their perches on the main floor. I don’t receive the same gesture of fealty they once reserved for Ruin, but it doesn’t bother me in the slightest.
I never wanted to be named Captain. Even by default.
There is no need to search aimlessly for the rest of my team.
Tanner will be with his female. Most likely somewhere they can be vertical. Ruin is with his consort. Caine and Horan will be bickering as only a demon and fallen angel can. That, at least, has not changed.
With hours until we head out, I have time to fill out a report over the dead Fae and hit the weights.
And not in that order.
I slip past the grand room and move to the new airlock at the back of the stairs. Keying in my code, the thick door beeps and slides into the sill.
Cool, damp air washes over me as I walk down the stone corridor to the extended training room.
The lights are already on and I stop in the open archway.
Ruin and Tanner look up from their places on the mats. Both males sport split skin and bruises. But when one is a hundred-year-old vampire and the other is an Alpha shifter, they are bound to leave a mark on whoever they brawl with.
T tosses me a grin of long, white teeth. His silver eyes glow under the bright lights, and his dark hair is slick from perspiration. “How’s doing, Cap?”
Ruin makes a face, twisting his moonlit features. “That is still fucking weird, track?”
No one hates my taking Ruin’s place more than me. But judging from his expression, he is pretty fucking close.
His eyes are not the gold of his bloodlust, merely his usual midnight irises. There is no sign of his fangs either. But his consort marks are like livid black tattoos over his shoulders and arms, and his short hair is a near perfect match in hue.
“Where are the girls?” I ask, referencing their, in my opinion, smarter, better halves.
Tanner’s smile broadens. “With Raina picking out baby clothes.”
