Page 48

PUCK

I tapped my foot on the linoleum of the hallway, my gaze sweeping over the endless array of humans and the occasional supernatural milling about. Normally, I loved fight night. The buzz of energy in the air, the infectious adrenaline. But now, all I could see were potential risks.

The scent of a vampire teased my nose, and my canines pressed against my gums in response.

Vampires and wolves were rarely friends, and knowing one was near Wren had my hackles rising.

But as I looked at all the humans in the hall, I knew that any of them could be dangerous.

Bastian could’ve paid someone off or used black magic to control them.

“Fuck,” I muttered.

Locke glanced over at me. “I hate it, too.”

“Is it always going to be like this? This brutal panic every time she’s away from us?”

Locke’s gaze flicked to the bathroom door. “The fresh mating bond makes it worse.”

Logically, I knew that. We’d been taught about the different effects mating bonds could have. When they were new, wolves could be extra territorial and protective. But this was pure torture.

“She’s taking too long,” I gritted out.

“There might be a line inside,” Locke reminded me.

“I don’t like it.”

Locke’s lips twitched, but that hint of a smile dropped fast. We both froze. A human wouldn’t have heard it, but we weren’t humans. Our shifter hearing meant that we picked up on the grunt and answering shriek from the bathroom.

“What the hell?” I snarled.

But Locke was already moving, tearing open the bathroom door and storming inside. I was right behind him. I didn’t see a damn thing by the stalls except for a girl gaping at us as she stepped out. “This is the women’s room,” she snapped.

“When you gotta go, you gotta go,” I shot back, stalking around the corner toward the growing sounds of a struggle.

“You broke my nose,” a woman wailed—one with a familiar voice.

As Locke and I rounded the corner, we found Dara crumpled on the floor, clutching her face, her brown hair soaking wet.

“My outfit is ruined ,” Siena cried, her blond hair also completely soaked.

But Wren and Cressida were in the center of the bathroom. Cress screamed like a wild banshee, running at Wren with her fists raised. Wren simply sidestepped her at the last moment and stuck out her foot to trip the woman. She caught Cress by the hair as the woman howled.

“You man-stealing bitch!” Cressida screamed. “You’re going to pay for this!”

Wren wasn’t fazed. She pulled Cressida’s arm behind her to keep her from striking out, then forced her into another set of stalls on our side of the bathroom.

Cress let out a scream, and then we heard a flush. A second later, the redhead flew out of the stall like a kitten who’d fallen into a full bathtub.

Cressida flung her wet hair over her shoulder and glared at Wren. “I’m going to kill you!”

“Oh, you can try. Just like you tried to get the jump on me with your little bitch crew here. But you’ll fail at that, too.”

Cress let out another battle cry, running full speed at Wren. But it was a mistake. When Cressida was about a foot away, Wren snapped out with a jab to the cheekbone. Cress went down like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Out cold.

The only sounds were those of Dara and Siena, whimpering now. I looked from them to Cressida to Wren, gaping. “Did you give them…swirlies?”

Wren shrugged and straightened her corset. “Bullies should get the bully treatment.”

Dara started crying in the corner, going on about how she’d never get clean.

Locke’s expression was a little less amused than mine. “They tried to hurt you?” he gritted out.

“ Tried is the operative word there. Cressida grabbed my hair, and Dara tried to hit me. She missed.”

A grin spread across my face. “And you broke her nose.”

“It’s only fair,” Wren said, returning my smile.

“I’m gonna need plastic surgery,” Dara wailed.

Wren scowled at her. “No amount of plastic surgery will make your soul pretty.”

Dara gaped at her, still holding her nose. “You-you think my soul’s ugly?”

“Take a good look in the mirror, lady,” Wren snapped.

I couldn’t help it, I laughed. “I love the hell out of you.”

Wren’s expression went soft as she turned back to me. “I love you, too, buddy.”

My eyes narrowed. “Do not call me buddy.”

She crossed to me and brushed her lips across mine. “Even when I’m telling you I love you?”

I wavered a little, and Wren smelled victory.

“I knew you liked it, buddy.”

Locke choked on a laugh, and Wren tugged him to us, kissing him hard.

“I love you, too.”

Locke smiled against her mouth. “I know. It’s kind of fun to watch you kick some ass.”

I glared at the women crumpled on the floor. “But you’re all eighty-sixed for life.”

A new round of wails sounded.

Wren shot me a huge grin. “That was very satisfying, buddy.”

“You’re welcome,” I said, kissing her quickly.

A new voice sounded, one I recognized from the stalls on the other side of the bathroom. “I don’t know what you people are into, but I dig it.”

Wren released Locke and me, then crossed to the woman to give her a high five. “I highly recommend swirlying your enemies and finding five loves of your life.”

The stranger’s jaw dropped. “ Five ?”

Wren nodded, smiling wide. “Five is the perfect number.”

“Shit,” she mumbled. “I gotta start collecting.”

“Good luck,” Wren called, moving toward the door.

Locke and I hurried to follow, grinning like the lovesick fools we were.