Page 173 of Lana Pecherczyk

Like an apparition from his nightmares, Cloud appeared at the edge of the makeshift field, stripping off weapons from his dirty Guardian uniform as if he belonged. As if nothing was wrong. Daggers thudded. Jacket and shirt went next. Power-enhancing tattoos pulsed over pale skin. Dark curls, longer now, clung to his damp face. And the V—those fucking strips of preserved human blood mocked the rain. Mocked time itself.

River’s gaze snapped to Blake beneath the canopy. She sat frozen, hand half-raised as if to warn him. Or to call him close. Unease scampered through their bond like a skittish mouse. Fear trickled down his spine. Had Cloud noticed her? Had he noticed the blue glow of their mating marks?

The blue-eyed, rogue Guardian ignored the collective gasp. Down to his low-slung leather pants and boots, he moved onto the field with unnerving calm. He walked straight past River and stopped beside Ash.

On the other side.

Talo sputtered, “Uneven numbers! Someone needs to switch!”

The Corvus spat at Cloud’s feet and crossed sides. He pointed at some poor, nameless Umbria cousin and waited until the player scurried off the field.

Not that Cloud noticed. He stared vacantly, head tilted toward Ash, already listening to the rules with detached interest.

The Umbria team shuffled nervously, pretending nothing had changed.

Thiswasn’tnormal.

Fuck it. No more waiting.

River stalked into the no-man’s land between the teams.

“That’s it?” he shouted across the misty night. “You stroll back after five years ofnothing?” He jabbed a finger at his triad tattoo. “No answer. Not a peep. Now you crash the party, invite yourself to the game, and for what?” He gestured at the dwindling pile of treasures, gifts his mate earned by saving a child’s life. “To show off what a big, bad fucking bird you are now?”

Who had Cloud saved?

No one.

In fact,negativepeople.

As if he heard River’s thoughts, Cloud’s eyes narrowed and zeroed in on Blake.

River’s fists clenched at his side. He took a threatening step forward. If that bastard looked at her for one more second, took one step in her direction, he was dead. But the crow-shifter dug into his rear pocket and pulled something out, concealed in hisfist. He held River’s gaze and strode toward the treasure pot three feet away.

“This should cover the buy-in.” His fist opened. A heavy object dropped onto the mud.Squelch.

They were barely a wingspan apart, close enough to feel the tension crackling between them. Or maybe that was just Cloud’s powerful aura, the same power that had once summoned lightning and seared River’s flesh.

“Fuck me, is that real?” Rocco blurted.

River refused to break eye contact, but when he sensed his mate’s shock, his gaze drifted downward.

A single, enormous ruby sat innocuously in the muddy grass.

The same one they’d stolen from the Collector’s hoard centuries ago. The same one River had assumed they’d used as payment for Ash to start his new life. The same one that had been in Cloud’s trove when they’d left.

He knows.

He knows we were there. He knows I saw everything.

Ash’s eyes narrowed, darting between his fellow Guardians.

Excited whispers about the ruby’s value spread among the players and beyond the field, all unaware of the real challenge unfolding. Smug satisfaction shone in Cloud’s eyes, cold and sharp as he stared at River.

He wants a fight. He came back to finish what the lightning started.

Worse, he wanted to do it with Blake watching.

“We playing,” Cloud said, tone hardening, “or we gonna keep eye-fucking each other from across the field?”