Page 100 of Claim Me

“I do.” She doesn’t elaborate.

“Ayla,” Nolan answers for her as he turns the camera back around. “She’s been very informative.”

“Good. Tell me everything.”

Nolan sighs and nods. “You’re going to want to sit down for this.”

* * *

An hour later and I’m pacing the room for very different reasons than before.

Nolan and I hung up five minutes ago, his final words being, “I’m going to do some reconnaissance around Staten Island in the early morning with Ayla as my guide.”

He plans to document where all seven patriarchs live and take note of their security.

Because Gold and Garnet is about to declare war on the Outcast Coven.

They sent an emissary intomyterritory. An emissary who attacked our former king. And they gave him a witch to borrow deadly powers from.

Via a forced mating spell.

Which shattered upon his death.

And rebounded by joining that witch’s soul with four others.

“Fuck,” I mutter, running my hand over my face. “Fuck.”

Nox and Bane are next door with her right now, completely unaware that they’re under a mating spell. While Fallon…

Fallon is fully aware and didn’t say a damn word about it.

That’s the part that pisses me off the most. The woman bloody knew that her mating spell rebounded, and didn’t say anything. She played along instead.

“Because she’s protecting her sister,” Nolan said, his voice strained. “I don’t like that she didn’t tell us any of this, but after everything Ayla has shared, I understand why she chose to stay silent.”

I’m not nearly as understanding as Nolan. While Fallon certainly hasn’t had the easiest life—far from it—she’s in Gold and Garnet territory. And we take fealty to our Houseveryseriously.

When I said as much to Nolan, he replied with, “A fair point, but did Fallon ever actually swear fealty to Gold and Garnet?”

My hands curl into fists as I pace, his words playing over and over again in my head.

How has it come to this?I wonder, furious by all of these developments.How did I end up spellbound to an Outcast Coven witch?

I can hear said witch moaning next door, telling me the phantoms have just decided to engage in another round. And Ihatethat my body reacts to it.Hatethat my body reacts toher.

Because it isn’t real.

She isn’t actually mine.

And she’s not theirs either.

Something she bloody knows but has chosen not to admit.

It’s so damn wrong, telling me she’s not nearly as innocent as she pretends to be.

“She was protecting her sister,” Nolan argued at one point. “And she’s likely very aware of how most House leadership feels about the syndicates. Why would she trust us to help her?”

Because she fake fate-mated us?I think now. However, during the conversation, I remained silent, mostly to keep from saying something I shouldn’t.