Page 90 of A Malicious Menagerie

Suddenly, Chase appears in front of me. I blink up at him, trying to pull myself from my dark thoughts. “Hey,” he says softly. His expression is gentle. “What are you doing all the way over here by yourself?”

“I’m fine,” I reassure him, sipping some lukewarm champagne to prove my point. “Just thinking.”

He doesn’t need to ask about what. “I’m sure they’re all safe.”

“You can’t know that,” I sigh, the uncertainty eating away at me.

“You’ve done all you can do,” he says softly. “You got them out. You gotmeout. You sent the information to Nathan. And you know he and Colby will do what they can to keep them safe.”

“I know. Still.” I shrug. “I wonder.”

Suddenly, his smile grows into a smirk, one deep dimple coming out to play. “WhatIwonder is if the wedding night is actually a thing. Isn’t that a big human ritual?”

I roll my eyes, knowing he’s trying to distract me and grateful for it. “Saying ‘ritual’ makes it sound like we’re going to be sacrificing chickens, not having sex. Besides, every night is a wedding night with you.”

“Then why break tradition?” Before I can blink, Chase scoops me up into his arms. I squeak as I throw my arms around his neck, then laugh as he carries me toward our cabin, heedless of the cat calls and cheers. “How much wolf do you want?” he murmurs huskily in my ear.

“Surprise me,” I whisper back, and his low chuckle promises all kinds of debauchery.

This close, I can smell his familiar scent, pine and fur, and see his scars peeking out from his open collar. Before, looking at his scars would make my chest feel tight, remembering the night Mathis tortured him for his guest’s entertainment. Now, they’re just a part of him, somehow dear for the fact that every moment, good and bad, led us tonow.Like the way I once described the werewolf shift: gruesome, but kind of beautiful.

Maybe that’s just life.