Chapter 18

"Bad form!" Hook shouted, jabbing his index finger down onto the board next to Dahlia's tiles. "That's not even a word."

"Quixotry is absolutely a word."

"Oh yeah? Use it in a sentence, smarty pants."

Playing with the ends of Dahlia's hair, I murmured, "The pirate was too stupid to understand the meaning of the word quixotry."

"Well played. But that is not what I meant, and you know it."

I didn't even look at him. He wasn't any concern of mine. Dahlia was truly all that mattered, and she didn't need my help beating Hook at this game. He was witty, but she was brilliant.

Her thoughts brushed my mind, making my body warm. "I never thought I'd look at Hades and melt, but do you see him? He's such a dog dad. It's adorable."

"It's a wonder Cerberus tolerates it," I replied, keeping my voice low so as not to be overheard.

I loved that she'd figured out how to focus her inner voice, a way for her to talk to each of us individually or as a group without anyone else being privy to the conversation. My gaze drifted across the room, taking in the other residents nearby. Three mermaids watching Hook longingly but keeping their distance. Two shifters working together on yet another puzzle. What was it about them and that station? Kai sat in his usual spot at the window seat, sketching with his eyes flicking to Dahlia every few moments. No doubt he'd be drawing her. She was his muse, and I didn't blame him.

She giggled, and Hades flashed through her mind.

My attention drifted to where he sat in the corner, brushing his little dog's fur carefully, making sure he was fluffy in all the right places. His face was tight with concentration while Asshole quietly panted. Without warning, the puppy twisted around and bit Hades's hand.

"Ouch. Fuck, I'm sorry. No, I don"t like it either. I'll try to be more careful." Hades sighed, clearly listening to whatever rant was taking place in his mind.

"I don't think he's a dog dad. I think he's the dog's bitch," I whispered against Dahlia's hair.

"Pretty sure that's true of all pet owners. They're the ones doing all the heavy lifting with the feeding and excrement pick up." As she said the word, she set the corresponding tiles down, building yet another high-scoring word.

Hook flung himself back in his chair, arms flailing in frustration. "This is bloody rigged. You can't possibly... that's so many letters. And a triple word score besides. There's no way I can catch up now."

"You're just upset because you can't come up with any words that are more than four letters. I'm not cheating, Cas, and you know it."

He huffed, crossing his arms and having himself a proper sulk. "I don't like losing."

"Shouldn't you be used to it?" I asked idly. "You're shit at every game you play."

"I am not," he protested.

I glanced at him with a raised brow. "When was the last time you actually won a card game?"

He opened and closed his mouth, looking a bit like a goldfish attempting to feed. "I... I... You know what, I've had enough. You win, darling. I need to go to the library and brush up on my five-dollar words if I'm going to stand a chance against you."

Hook stood and straightened his cuffs. As he did, I whispered, "At least he knows how to read. I didn't expect that."

Before he left the room, his shoulders stiffened, and he turned his head to look at our mate. She craned her neck and smiled at him before the cheeky pirate smirked and offered her a rakish wink.

"You're getting quite good at that," I said.

"Good at... oh shoot, did you hear me?" she asked, immediately assuming the wrong thing.

"No, actually."

"Then how did you?—"

"You're not one to let any of us storm off without knowing where your heart lies. And I don't think there's much in this world that would stop that pirate in his tracks, save you."

Her cheeks turned pink as she glanced down at her lap, where I'd placed a hand. I needed to be touching her as often as possible, so honestly, I didn't even think twice about the contact.

"I just want you all to know I love you, no matter what."

I pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I know, K?rasta. And that is one of the many things I adore about you."

"Well, isn't this shmoopy." Sorcha's bored drawl was an unwelcome interruption. "Soak it up while you can, I suppose."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dahlia asked.

"The villagers are preparing for an uprising."

"An uprising?" she echoed, her voice raising an octave.

"Eh, doesn't that happen every century or so?" Oz asked, stealing Hook's recently vacated seat as he glanced at Dahlia and added, "Silly wabbits. They don't stand a chance against us."

"Not like this," Sorcha countered. "They really mean it this time."

"Dusting off their pitchforks, are they?" Oz asked.

"Exactly. And Blackwood has become their target. Kit heard from the guard he was trying to make a bargain with that the townspeople are amassing an army to come in here and get rid of us once and for all. They're blaming everything on Blackwood."

Unease built in my gut. As cavalier as she seemed, Sorcha's words had an undertone of real fear. She knew as well as I did if there were enough of them against us, we'd be at war.

"What reason would they have to come for us?" Dahlia asked, her fingers tightening around mine.

"All the dead bodies, of course."

"Wait, they're pissed at us about the Ripper's victims? But they were our people."

"Not just ours," Sorcha corrected. "He's targeted a lot of their numbers. Not to mention the growing pile of animal carcasses they've found in the woods. Animals that are part of their food supply."

Dahlia was very careful not to look at me. "They're talking about your animals, aren't they?"

I gave a very slow, very subtle dip of my chin. This wasn't good. I needed the runs and hunts if I was going to give my beast the freedom it required. Without the ability to expel that energy, I was certain I'd reach a boiling point, and then we'd have a mess on our hands. One I might not be able to come back from.

As grounding as Dahlia was, I spent my days constantly teetering near the edge, knowing any threat to her would send me over. I wasn't like Kai, who would always come back to himself. It was only my connection to Dahlia that spared me the first time, and even then, I still had to find a way to maintain the balance. It took everything I had to hold on to the man I had been before I was cursed.

Sorcha clicked her tongue. "I have it on good authority that there will be no secret jaunts to the village for anyone, no matter how persuasive they may be. Security is being amped up. Clearly the Ripper hasn't sated his bloodlust. He's just biding his time."

"Maybe he's moved on," Dahlia said.

Sorcha laughed. "Moved on? What a silly thing to say. Why would he willingly leave when we're all stuck here like a bunch of sitting ducks for him to pick off?"

"What if it was Temperance? He just vanished into the night. Maybe he was the Ripper."

Oz shook his head, laughing. "No. He wasn't. There's no way. He was too... something. I can't put my finger on it. Up Masterson's ass, maybe? Besides, he left because he didn't need to be here anymore. Dr. Masterson is back, and there's only room for one boss."

That certainly was a convenient explanation. Too bad it was riddled with falsehoods. The others and I had spoken at length about whether to come forward about Temperance's death but ultimately decided to buy ourselves time with his disappearance instead. None of us were keen on the idea of getting locked up in No Man's Land for murder, even if it was the murder of a serial killer. Blackwood was funny that way. They didn't seem to care why you broke the rules, only that you did. We couldn't risk being sent away from Dahlia, and there was no way in hell we'd let her take the fall for what happened.

"Have you heard anything from your family, Sorcha?" Dahlia asked.

The vampire looked at her like she was speaking in tongues. "Why would I?"

"B-because they seemed pretty shocked to see you here. I figured Noah and Rosie would share the news that they'd found you."

A flash of something in Sorcha's eyes betrayed a little glimmer of hope. "No. They won't come for me. They wrote me off for the good of all of us."

"Oh," Dahlia murmured.

There was something she hadn't told me. I could feel it weighing on her. Unfortunately our mental connection was one-sided, so there was no way I could ask her in front of the others. Something to follow up on later, then.

"Don't worry about me, little writer. I'll be just fi—" Sorcha stopped mid-sentence, her focus on the pretty redhead who'd just walked in with Drax at her side. "Since when has she been allowed back in this room? After what she pulled, I'd think her privileges would be permanently revoked."

"Didn't you hear?" Oz asked. "They figured out the problem. The poor girl had been starving herself by accident. That's why she was so out of control. Her body was trying to self-correct."

"Starving? What are you talking about? I saw her at breakfast every day." Dahlia's brows pulled together as she spoke.

"Sex, sweetie. He means sex. She's a succubus. She needs a steady supply of sexual energy to keep herself in tip-top shape."

Dahlia's cheeks turned pink. "And when she first came here, she was celibate. But now that she's full, you mean to say?—"

"She's fucking," Oz interjected with a laugh. "Actually, no. Not any of the residents, anyway. I heard she's a cam girl." He waggled his brows. "They gave her computer back so she could resume her work. There hasn't been an incident since."

Now that he mentioned it, I wasn't affected by her like I had been in the past. Everyone seemed more at ease, in fact.

"How can you possibly know that?" Sorcha said with a roll of her eyes. "You are such a horrible gossip, Oswald."

"This isn't news." Oz waved a hand. "You love my gossip."

"Yes, I do. It's better than watching those horrible housewives on the telly." Sorcha continued to track Merri's journey around the room, her lips pinching in a frown. "Still, I think it best not to tempt fate. I don't trust her not to make a fool of me again, and the last thing I want is to find myself spreadeagle on a card table with Scrabble tiles stuck to my arse. If you'll excuse me," she said, not waiting for any of us to bother to reply before she swanned out of the room.

Oz snorted. "Dramatic much?" But he was quick to stand and follow, offering Dahlia a hasty "Toodles, dollface."

After they left the room, Dahlia turned to me, concern etched on her face. "Tor, what does this mean for you? The people think you're?—"

Chest tight, I took a slow, steadying breath. "I can't go without my hunts. It means nothing. I've done nothing wrong, and if they come for me, I'll prove it."

"How?" I didn't need our connection to interpret the emotion bleeding through the lone word. She was worried.

So was I.

But not because I was scared of a fight, I'd trained as a warrior since I was old enough to hold a sword. Battle would never frighten me. No, the thing keeping me awake at night was wondering who else would get caught in the crossfire.

Threading my fingers through Dahlia's hair, I pulled her closer, pressing her cheek against my chest so I could rest mine on the top of her head. Breathing in the scent of her, I willed my inner beast back. She was here. Safe and in my arms. It was enough.

For now.

Continuing to run my fingers through her hair, I took a deep breath and finally answered her question.

"I have no idea, K?rasta. But I will find a way."