Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

Huntley

J axon betrayed us. I laid awake for most of the night and let that ugly factoid take root in my reality. The realization that he's been feeding information to Daeva and her crew makes me angry. The knowledge that he set up Zane to be captured and likely have his head cut off fills me with a white-hot rage that feeds my most violent impulses.

I've known Jaxon for years, trusted him with my life and with Zane's, and he fucking lied to our faces.

Zane paces the living room in front of us, his clawed fists clenched, his scarlet eyes burning with barely contained rage. "I want blood. I will bathe in Jaxon's blood and call it a spa day."

Scottie chuckles. "Colorful."

I get it. Every instinct I have is screaming to rip his head off and to make him pay for what he's done.

But Scottie—damn her—has a better idea.

She stands between Zane and me, her voice calm but firm. "This will work, boys. Call Jaxon and play him at his own game. Instead of him informing Daeva, we'll pressure him into telling us what he knows about her, and hopefully, the true-blood who sired her."

"Even if we knew where she and her army were nesting, that would help." Tucker finishes sprinkling fruit over the top of the angel food cake he made and wipes his hands on his apron.

Scottie chuffs. "Our bar is much lower than that. If we knew anything , it would help."

"And as soon as we verify anything he says, I get to kill him." Zane stares all of us down. It's not a question. Our mighty king is coming apart at the seams and when he gets like this, he's an apex predator that needs to kill.

"Let the hunt begin," I say, pulling out my phone and calling up his number. I hit the call button. It rings twice before he picks up.

"Huntley," Jaxon's voice comes through the line, casual, like he hasn't just betrayed everything we stand for. "Where the hell are you guys? I've been trying to reach you."

My grip tightens on the phone, and I have to remind myself to stay calm. "Where the hell am I ? Where the hell were you ? You left us high and dry at DonorWatch, Jaxon. What the fuck happened?"

"I had to move the car. You remember those Watcher dudes you told me to steer clear of? The fuckers with the tats and those black wings? Well, three of them were scoping me out, and I didn't want to risk getting them mad at us or having the vehicle compromised. I circled back as fast as I could, but by the time I got there, you guys were already gone."

I exchange a glance with Scottie, and she gives me a nod. She knows he's full of shit, just like I do, but we have to play along. For now.

"Yeah, well, you missed the party," I say, keeping my tone as neutral as possible. "We got hit hard by Daeva's crew. Zane and I barely made it out."

Jaxon whistles between his teeth. "Damn, Huntley. I'm sorry. I didn't know things were going to go down like that."

I grit my teeth, forcing myself to stay focused. "Well, they're in the wind now. The moment they realized they were getting their asses kicked, they bugged out."

"Where are you now?"

"We're heading down to the Lower Bay sanctuary. After we're done checking on everyone, we're going to hit the streets again. We're hoping to grab someone we can interrogate and will need a driver."

There's a beat of silence, then Jaxon's voice comes through, sounding more skeptical than usual. "The subway tunnel? It's creepy AF down there, dude. How about I meet you when you come topside?"

I check in with Scottie and she nods, gesturing with her hand to signal somewhere close to here. "Sure, that works. Give us twenty minutes and then meet us at the south entrance, near the old switching station."

"Got it," Jaxon replies. "I'll be there in twenty."

I hang up, my stomach churning. It takes everything in me not to crush the phone in my hand and throw it across the room. I turn to Scottie instead. "The rat is on his way."

Zane cracks his knuckles, his eyes still blazing red. "I am going to rip his throat out and paint the world with his blood."

Scottie shakes her head. "First, we get him to talk. Then, when we've got verified intel on Daeva and her army, you can set your inner artist free and Jackson Pollock the world."

Zane dips his chin. "Done deal."

When he rushes out of the living room to take a call from Tripp, I make eye contact with Tucker and tilt my head toward the door. The guy might be a brute, but he's got impeccable manners.

He steps away and leaves me alone with Scottie.

I draw a breath, but my lungs feel like lead. Where did all the oxygen in the room go? Damn, it's been years since she twisted me up like this.

She must sense my hesitation because she looks up from zipping her hoodie and meets my gaze. "What?"

"I owe you an apology."

Her brow arches. "Just one? Is this about you accusing me of conspiring to steal your destiny, or you lying to score my virginity and then ghosting me, or something else?"

I hush her and look around, ensuring our conversation is still private. "For fuck's sake, Scottie. Don't bring that up. Zane doesn't know and he doesn't need to. He's broken up enough about that night without twisting the knife."

She rolls her eyes. "No. You're a fucking coward and you don't want your bestie to know you're a liar who didn't skip a heartbeat to coerce me into giving you my body when he turned me down."

I frown. "Is that what you tell yourself? Because the way I remember it, I came to check on you and offer you a shoulder to cry on and you shoved your tongue in my mouth and your hand in my pants."

"I was heartbroken, and you took advantage."

"I was fucking in love with you and thought you finally realized that the moon didn't rise and set on Zane."

"You were what?"

Fucking hell. Did I just say that? Any chance I can reverse time and go back two minutes to erase that conversation?

"Huntley, look at me."

I lock away my emotions and meet her gaze with a blank stare. "We are not getting into this now. I was apologizing to you for being an asshole about the squire powers and my place as Zane's Sacred Squire. You proved, once again, that no matter what I say, I'll always be the dog shit you're scuffing off the bottom of your shoe."

I wait for her to say something, her mouth bobbing open and closed like a dazed fish. "If you were in love with me, why did you leave in the middle of the night and refuse to talk to me the next day? You wouldn't even look at me."

I throw up my hands. "Stop talking about this. We have more important things going on. And don't worry. Whatever I saw in you, I don't see it now. That is so seven years ago."

Tucker

I catch the tail end of a conversation as I come back to the living room—Huntley and Scottie, voices low but tight. Whatever they're discussing, it's got past drama written all over it. I hang back for a second, listening to the final few words exchanged before Huntley stalks off, and I hear Scottie take a deep breath like she's steadying herself.

That's my cue.

I step into the living room, my boots quiet on the hardwood. Scottie's standing near the window, arms crossed over her chest, her brow furrowed in thought.

She looks up as I approach, her eyes softening when they land on me, but there's still that weight she's carrying.

I hate seeing her like this.

"Hey, beautiful." I keep my voice light as I close the distance between us. "You okay?"

She exhales slowly, then shrugs, giving me a half-smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "I'm fine. Remember the part where I warned you my life is a dumpster fire right now? Well, another Molotov cocktail just burst into flame."

I leave it at that. If she wants to talk about the pains of the past, I'm here. Otherwise, I'll happily be her safe haven in the present. "Anything I can do?"

I open my arms as I stop in front of her and she sags against my chest, wrapping her arms around me. When she sensed Zane left earlier, we threw on our clothes and raced out of here. She still carries my scent on her skin, and that does something primal to my animal side.

My little bundle of sass and fire.

Mine.

But unlike Zane, I do not need to control or contain her. I merely want to provide her with anything she needs: support, protection, and life-altering orgasms.

With one hand laced under the fall of flaxen ponytail and the other roaming down her lower back to the luscious curve of her ass, I'm content to stay on this ride to see where it takes me. "Do you want me to come with you guys? Help nail down Jaxon?"

Scottie shakes her head, her cheek pressed against my chest. "No. You stay here and take care of Jack. But save me a piece of that cake and rustle up a can of whipped cream."

A chuckle slips out of me, and I lower my cheek to the top of her head. "The cake, huh? I see where your priorities lie."

She eases back from our hug and bites her bottom lip. "The whipped cream isn't for the cake, big guy. It's for later."

I bend down and brush my lips over hers. "You got something on your mind, beautiful?"

Her grin is wicked and sends a jolt of adrenaline straight to my cock. "We were rudely interrupted earlier. I wasn't finished exploring this chiseled body of yours—not even a little."

She runs her hand under the bottom hem of my shirt and up the ridges of my abs. A rush of feminine arousal blooms in the air between us and heat builds at the base of my balls. "Careful, little miss. You're winding me up to leave me. There's no telling what state I'll be in by the time you get back."

The wicked smile she flashes and the mischief glinting in her eyes tells me she knows exactly what she's doing. "Get the whipped cream, big guy. Whatever state you're in when we get back, I'll take care of you, promise."

I cup her face in my hands, brushing my thumb gently over her cheek. "Be careful, okay? Don't do anything too heroic. I want you in one piece."

Scottie rises on her toes and our lips meet. The kiss is soft and lingers, her tongue sweeping against mine in an erotic dance. That arousal of hers fills my sinuses, growing sweeter, deeper. She presses the soft mounds of her breasts against my chest and sends her palm down the front of my pants to stroke over my body's response to her. "Hold that thought."

"You know I will," I murmur, my lips brushing against hers as I smile. "If you take too long, I might have to take care of things myself."

She laughs, the sound like a spark of warmth in the cold air between us. "I'll be sure to get back before that happens. Burn for me, baby. I promise it'll be worth it."

I don't doubt that.

She turns to leave, and I watch the sway of that perfect ass with a mix of pride and worry twisting inside me. I trust her skills, I do, but things might not go as planned and then she'll be in danger.

As she reaches the door, I want to call after her, to insist that I go with her… but no. She doesn't need another man hovering and running block for her.

She needs to know that I believe in her ability to take care of herself.

"You have your orders, big guy." She chuckles as she leaves the room, but doesn't look back. "I'll be back before you even have time to miss me."

And with that, she's gone, leaving the room feeling a little emptier, a little colder. I stand there, my heart still racing from the kiss, the playful banter… but it's the weight of her safety that lingers, like a heavy stone pressing on my chest.

I sigh and head to the kitchen. I'll take a tray up to Jack, then I've got an errand to run. Pulling out my phone, I Google the location of the nearest supermarket.