Page 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

“Where is Ryder?” I asked, taking a brave step forward.

“What?” Kellan asked, his eyes narrowed. “How about a thank you?”

I shoved Kellan with all my strength, my hands connecting with his bare chest. “What did you do to Ryder?”

Kellan didn’t budge an inch from my push. He might as well have been a brick wall. His lips curled into an amused smile that made my blood boil.

“Not even a thank you first?” he asked, gesturing toward the house behind us. “I saved your life.”

“Answer me,” I demanded, my hands balling into fists.

Kellan laughed, a low rumble that held no humor. “I didn’t do anything to Ryder. He went off to speak with someone about me. Apparently, when I don’t listen to his orders, which I’m under no obligations to do, he feels the need to try to deal with things using the alternate methods.” He made air quotes with his fingers around “alternate methods,” his amber eyes gleaming with mockery.

“You’re lying.”

“Why would I lie? Ryder thinks he’s so righteous, but what he doesn’t realize is that if I get in trouble, he will, too.” Kellan took a step closer, towering over me. “He allowed a human to know about us. That’s a punishable offense too.”

“You’re not staying in your territory,” I said, crossing my arms.

Kellan’s eyelids fluttered. “I’m challenging our territorial boundaries. I get that you think I’m the bad guy here, but it’s not like that. Ryder has been handed everything to him on a silver platter. I have to fight tooth and nail for every little inch.” He shook his head. “Why am I talking to you about this?”

“I wish you weren’t,” I muttered, my eyes flashing over my shoulder. “What was that woman? Her teeth were… she was so?—”

“Don’t ask,” Kellan said, cutting me off sharply. “It’s done, and you don’t need to worry about her anymore.”

“I didn’t know I had to worry about her before either,” I said, swallowing hard. “Are there others like her?”

Kellan sighed. “You should seriously consider leaving this place and never coming back. You know far too much for your own good.”

“I’m going to,” I said, looking down at my blood-splattered arms. “I just need to shower and forget all of this ever happened.”

“You should,” Kellan said, his eyes fixed on mine. “I’m still waiting for the thank you.”

I stared back at him, reluctant to express any gratitude to this man who had threatened me just nights before. But he and his wolves had saved my life.

“Thank you,” I finally muttered.

The corner of his mouth lifted. “You’re welcome.”

“How did you know I was there?” I asked, chewing my lip.

Kellan’s expression shifted, becoming more serious. “I didn’t. That was the woman we’d been looking for. She has been killing wolves in the area. We finally tracked her down, and apparently just in the nick of time. We initially thought it was you that we were looking for.”

My blood ran cold at the thought. If they hadn’t been hunting Francis already, I would likely be dead. The reality of how close I’d come to death hit me like a physical blow.

“I look nothing like her,” I said, my voice fading.

Kellan shrugged. “We didn’t know what she looked like. Until tonight.”

“Oh,” I said, my head feeling like a helium balloon. “I should go.”

“Yes, yes, you should.”

I stumbled back to the house, my legs shaking beneath me. The adrenaline was starting to crash, leaving me exhausted and jittery all at once. I locked the door behind me, though I doubted a simple lock would stop whatever that woman had been — or Kellan or his wolves, for that matter. I’d seen how they’d launched themselves through the window and knew it was something they could do again.

I grabbed my phone from the couch cushions, and my heart dropped into my stomach. Six missed calls and a string of increasingly panicked text messages lit up my screen.

Where are you?

Everly, pick up your phone.

I’m getting worried.

Please tell me you’re okay.

I’m about to come looking for you.

I quickly hit the call button, and he answered on the first ring.

“Everly! Where have you been? Are you alright?” His voice was tight with concern.

“Um, I’m okay,” I said, glancing down at my blood-splattered clothing. “Service went out on my phone again. Where were you? I was trying to?—”

“Tried a different idea to get things to end with Kellan,” Ryder said, shaking his head. “I meant to call sooner. I know it’s late, but can I stop by? I need to talk to you.”

I glanced down at myself again — blood on my clothes and skin, dirt on my hands, and a leaf in my hair. “Um, sure, but I have to jump in the shower.”

“A shower?” he asked. “I figured you’d be sleeping.”

“Well, I wasn’t. I’ll explain later,” I said, not wanting to think about my encounter with Francis over the phone. Not to mention if he heard about Kellan, he’d probably lose it. “How far are you?”

“Twenty minutes maybe,” he said, pausing. “I heard Trevor dropped off your car, and for a minute I thought you bolted.”

I drew in a slow breath. “I haven’t yet. See you soon, okay?”

“Bye,” Ryder said, ending the call.

I rushed to the bathroom, stripping off my stained clothes and piling them in the corner of the floor. I’d deal with them later… by burning them.

The hot water hit my skin, and I watched as Francis’s blood swirled down the drain in pale pink spirals. I scrubbed frantically, needing to erase every trace of the night’s horror from my body.

As I rubbed shampoo into my hair, I thought about what I would tell Ryder. I couldn’t keep what happened with Francis a secret because Kellan or another wolf would tell him about it.

I’d also have to tell him I tried to leave, but that, for some reason, I just couldn’t. The worst part would be telling him that Kellan had saved my life… then again, maybe that meant Kellan would actually finally leave me alone. None of his wolves had been outside my house trying to scare and threaten me. It was possible that he’d given up on trying to kill me. Maybe everything Ryder was doing had worked.

I finished my shower and wrapped myself in a towel just as there was a knock at the door. My heart jumped into my throat, and I quickly slipped on my robe.

I rushed to the window. Relief washed through me when I saw Ryder standing on the porch, his shoulders tense under his flannel shirt.

I unlocked the door and opened it. “Sorry, I just finished. You weren’t out there waiting long, were you?”

“No,” he said, his eyes scanning my face. “Just got here.”

“Let me get dressed,” I said, and he caught my arm.

He gestured to the couch. “Let’s talk first.”

As I sank down on the couch, I tightened my robe, trying to appear more composed than I felt. My hands settled in my lap, fingers fidgeting with the tie of my robe.

Ryder remained standing for a few minutes, pacing the small space in front of the coffee table. He sucked in a deep breath before lowering himself to the cushions.

“So,” I said, swallowing hard, “what did you want to talk about?”

Ryder looked at his hands and then at me. “I managed to talk to Kellan earlier today.”

“And?” I prompted when he didn’t continue.

“After a short discussion, I managed to get him to agree to leave you alone,” Ryder said, his voice measured.

My shoulders relaxed. “That’s wonderful!”

“No more threats. No more wolves harassing you, nothing,” he said, looking back down at his hands.

“Why aren’t you relieved?” I asked, my eyes narrowed.

Ryder took my hand in his. “I have to agree to his terms.”

I shook my head. “What are his terms?”

“I have to step down as pack leader.”

The words hit me like a slap across the face. “What? No, that’s?—”

“It’s his price,” Ryder said. “He wants the territory and the pack. Has for years. This is his leverage.”

“You can’t do that,” I said, my voice rising. “The price is too high, Ryder. That’s your family, your life, your?—”

“It’s you or the pack,” he said simply. “I can’t just let an innocent person die because she accidentally saw something she shouldn’t have.”

I shook my head, struggling to process what he was telling me. “That’s not fair. That’s not right. He can’t make you do that.”

“I have three days to agree, but I’ve already made my decision,” Ryder said, running his hands through his hair. “It doesn’t even feel like I have a choice. I can’t let anything happen to you, Everly. It was so weird.”

“What was weird?”

He looked toward the window. “Tonight… I felt so strongly that you were in danger. I’d never felt anything like that before. It was like… something inside me just grabbing my insides. Then when you didn’t answer?—”

“I was in danger,” I said, hugging myself. “But Kellan?—”

“Kellan did what?” Ryder said, getting to his feet. His hands were balled up into fists so tight his fingers were white. “That fucking bastard! I knew it was another lie!”

I shook my head. “No, Kellan saved me.”

Ryder froze in place. He didn’t blink. “What happened, Everly?”

Before I could explain what happened, a bright orange glow suddenly illuminated the windows at the front of my house. The flickering light cast eerie shadows across the living room.

I sucked in a breath. “What is that?”