Chapter Thirty

Declan didn't even bother to take her to Graves's place. He set her down right where he'd found her with another laugh when she tipped him a middle-finger salute. She'd have to find her own way back to Graves's house that night. Lorcan might have promised her a safe return, but it didn't seem like his second-in-command cared exactly how safe it would be.

She waited until his black SUV was out of sight before blowing out a breath of relief.

Good riddance.

"Quite a night you've had," Nate said from behind her.

Kierse turned then to face Nate. "Yeah, yeah," she grumbled.

Wolves lingered in the shadows across the street. She caught Cara and Finn huddled together. Finn had his arm slung around Cara's waist, and she was grinning at something he said. Ronan's gaze slipped to them in obvious annoyance before returning to scouting.

"Waters." Ronan snapped his fingers in a brunette's direction. The woman nodded at Ronan. "Lopez, Keller." He gestured at a short man with brown skin and a redhead with light, freckled skin across the street. They loped out of the shadows as humans approached their meetup. They worked so effortlessly together to clear the area, moving as one body rather than individual wolves.

"Could have warned us it'd be tonight," Nate said, drawing her attention away from his pack.

"But you are always so very prepared," she teased.

She sidled up to him, falling into step as they continued down the street toward the twenty-four-hour coffee shop.

"How did the meeting go? I didn't think it was going to happen tonight. You seemed pretty banged up when they picked you up on the street."

"Well, it wasn't exactly to plan, Nate, but when opportunity arises..."

"You mean they were going to kidnap you either way."

"Yes. I wasn't really in any shape to say no. I was glad we'd already planned this," Kierse told him. "Even if it happened when I wasn't expecting it."

She'd spotted the patrol casing the house multiple times since she'd moved in with Graves. She'd suggested to Nate that she get Lorcan's attention, though of course she hadn't planned for it to be tonight. And now she'd blown her chance to see Gen and Ethan, but it was better to find out what Lorcan's play was.

"So?" Nate asked. "A success?"

She shot him her own wolfish grin. "He gave me everything."

He snorted. "I've missed you."

He yanked open the door to the deserted coffee shop and signaled to his people. They fanned out around the perimeter. Nate strode to the beleaguered barista as Kierse took a seat in their normal booth. Nate made cheerful conversation before returning with their drinks.

Kierse blew on the steaming liquid. "You were right, too," she conceded.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"No need to be afraid of the Druids when there are Dreadlords in the shadows, eh?"

Nate assessed her and then nodded. "That's true. I'm glad I had my men watching out for you. Though I didn't feel too comfortable when you went into his headquarters."

"They brought a fox into their chicken coop. They should be more worried than you were."

He chuckled. "You got me there. So, tell me everything."

She gave Nate a rundown of the conversation with Lorcan. He nodded along as she told him and rolled his eyes at all the attempts to charm her.

"Well, he's an arrogant prick."

She laughed. "Pot, meet kettle?"

"At least I own it. I wish we'd gotten more information about Graves out of him."

"He'll give it to me eventually," she said with a shrug. "Didn't you see how desperate he was?"

"He seemed into you."

"Oddly so. I'm not sure how much of it was an act, but he sure puts on airs like he's the hero in this story."

"He probably thinks he is."

"Yeah," she said. Though it was so unlike Graves, who clearly believed he was the monster in the tale. "What do you think he and Graves have against each other?"

Nate sighed. "I have no idea. But I wouldn't trust either of them."

"I don't trust anyone."

Nate flashed her a winning grin. "Except me, of course. That's why you're spilling all the goods."

Kierse shook her head at him. Even if this was her plan from the start.

Step one: get close to all the big players in the city and learn their secrets, objectives, and future moves. It wasn't a secret that monsters chafed under the Monster Treaty. The Men of Valor were just the loudest players in the game. She wouldn't stand on the sidelines of the battle this time. Not when she had this new advantage. Not when those bastards had stolen Torra. Now it was personal.

Step two: work with Nate and his Dreadlords to consolidate that information into action they could eventually use against the monsters. If and when that anger spilled over, they would be prepared. And Nate was the best option. He was her ally and an ally of humans. She would take him over the alternative.

Step three: steal the spear. Landing a blow against her enemy, those who killed Torra, was the ultimate goal. Anything that kept them from having the advantage was the most important.

And while she had planned all of this to begin with, she hadn't planned for Graves. Whatever was going on between them since their training session and Imani's party. He'd told her not to divulge his secrets, but she knew him well enough now to know that if he found out that she'd double-crossed him to work with the Dreadlords, he would go absolutely ballistic.

"We're allies," she said.

"Friends," Nate countered.

"Fine. Friends," she said as if that word meant nothing to her. Nate was her friend, but all the players in this game made her uncomfortable in some way. They all had power over her if they needed it. Even Nate. Maybe most of all Nate. He knew the most about her, after all.

"We'll wait Lorcan out, then. If you're certain he'll come after you again."

"He will," she said with assurance. "He can't help himself. He thinks that he can play me to get to Graves."

"The way you're playing him," Nate said with a laugh.

"It's amazing how many people will give up and not look at the truth when they see a pretty smile." She shot him that same pretty smile, and he snorted.

"So, what the hell happened to you the last couple of days, anyway? You went radio silent."

"I was doing my job."

"As long as you're safe."

She scoffed. "I wasn't safe the moment I took this job."

Nate frowned as if he didn't like that assessment, but he just said, "This meeting has gone on long enough. We probably need to get you back to his house before he realizes that you're gone. Anything else on Graves that I should know about?"

Kierse shifted once uncomfortably. It wasn't that she didn't want to give information about Graves to Nate and the Dreadlords. She didn't trust Graves. He didn't trust her, either. He'd made that abundantly clear from the beginning. But she'd given him her word she wouldn't spill his secrets, and for some unknown reason, she wanted to keep that promise. At least for now.

When she hesitated, Nate raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're going soft on me."

Kierse rolled her eyes at the werewolf. "I'm hardly going soft." She stood from the booth. "I'll contact you when I have more information."

Nate shot her a shrewd look as if trying to see whether or not she was playing him. "We're on the same side, Kierse."

"I know," she said.

And as much as she wanted that to be true, in this, at least, she was only ever on her own side.