Page 99 of Eternal Light

He’s seen Withers’s idea of bigger things. It’s sad to hear that the care his teachers once showed young Aleksander went so unappreciated. But Grayson doesn’t let misplaced sympathy distract him.

Gideon hands him his phone to show him the note.

“Poor little boy lost. Didn’t you get enough hugs?” Nix simpers, buying time.

“Rude, little Novice. Your master should show you how to respect your betters. Handsome, you must like them feisty.”

Nix bares his very impressive fangs at the “feisty” remark.

“Nix will show himfeisty,”Leo mutters under his breath.

Grayson would laugh at the idea—how it would be the very last thing Withers would see, too.

A door closes on the other end of the phone, and the sound echoes, as if Withers had locked himself in a restroom. There’s the unmistakable sound of him relieving himself, a flush, and then the door opening again.

“He didn’t even wash his hands!” Luca whispers, horrified. “So gross.”

As if pee-germs were arguably worse than his general state of moral and physical decay.

“You shouldn’t talk shit, newbie. Your magic is much weaker than I expected, given what I’d tracked to that dingy apartment. I would’ve liked to see you try something. Give me an excuse to—”

“I’ll speak to him about his manners,” Grayson says, the next words already leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. “I have to admit, your work was…more intricate than I expected when I looked at Ansel’s soul.”

Leo fake-gags at hearing Grayson’s most charismatic voice used for such a blatant untruth. He hadn’t been impressed—he’d been sickened.

Rowan must agree, because he suddenly has enough of the objectionable repartee, and in a flash, he’s the Wolf.

If Grayson looks past his mate’s beautiful russet fur, he can see Rowan-wolf is made of magic. With the ruff along his back raised and the way he’s using his scent to fill the space with unhappy enigma-wolf pheromones, he seems larger than life.

“I should have known that was you and not your little Novice. It’s brilliant, right? Didn’t take long to perfect my technique either. So easy once you know what you’re doing—and if you don’t care about them living or dying.”

He laughs, but stops talking when Winnie’s phone beeps with a low-battery warning.

“Oh dear, my guest’s phone is dying. Won’t be the only thing doing that today, I’m afraid.”

Gideon makes a get-on-with-it motion, pointing to his phone notes. But Grayson knows this can’t be rushed. They’re so close.

“It was impressive. It got me thinking that maybe I should know how to do it. Everyone can use the occasional mega power boost.”

Nix’s eyes go wide, and he grabs Gideon’s phone to double-check that’s really what the other man wrote.

“Exactly! But now you’re just flattering me.”Duh. “I don’t share my secrets with just anyone. They sure don’t teach this at the Guild of Idiots. I’d be stupid to think you weren’t out to trick me.”

“Just because I’m saying nice things doesn’t make them less true. Perhaps you’d like to meet? We could get a drink, and you could let me show you how sincere I am. I could…show you my appreciation.”

Ew.

Luca starts theatrically gagging in earnest, pretending to swoon while still attached to Nix’s other hand.

Grayson wants to join him for real; there’s a tinge of bile at the back of his throat. His bonds with his mates—and his wolf—do not abide even the suggestion of infidelity.

But Withers doesn’t know that.

He’s quiet on the other end of the line.

Torn between wanting Withers’s blind agreement and wanting him to see through the ruse, Grayson holds his breath. He doesn’t want to know what kind of “appreciation” Withers is imagining—but he can’t stop thinking about it, either.

When there’s no answer, Grayson’s stomach sinks. Did they lose him?