Page 16 of Rising Reign (The Wolves of Crescent Creek #3)
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Angry shifters flew into the entryway, creating a wall in front of Wren as the man stepped into the light. I didn’t move because I knew the asshole currently making himself known.
Rhys looked part biker, part billionaire, and as much as he was concerned about staying under the radar, those two facts—plus his towering, six-foot-five stature—didn’t help with the endeavor.
His sharp jaw was currently covered with thick scruff that offset the mirth in his golden-amber eyes.
A mirth that was amplified as Kingston leveled a gun at his head.
“Who the hell are you?” King growled.
“And how the hell did you get onto our territory without tripping one of my alarms?” Locke snarled.
I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen Locke quite so angry, other than when Wren was in danger. The fact that someone could sneak past his defenses was a threat to everything Locke prized .
Rhys just grinned wider. “I’m Rhys. That asshole’s bestie.” He pointed at me.
“I told you, Brix is my best friend,” I clipped. “What are you doing here?”
King looked back and forth between us, the tension in him easing a bit when he saw I hadn’t reached for a weapon, but he still didn’t lower his gun.
Rhys’s gaze cut to Wren, moving so he could get a better look at her. “Told you. I wanted to meet the girl that turned your world upside down.”
I bared my teeth at him. “So, you broke onto our pack lands to do it? Haven’t you heard of ringing the damn bell?”
Rhys simply shrugged. “What’s the fun in that?”
“I want to know how you got past my system,” Locke ground out.
I sighed and cracked my neck. “Trust me when I say, it’s not your system’s fault.”
Locke looked between us. “Explain.”
“A vampire.” The voice was new, feminine, and more than a little curious. Hera moved in from the house’s living room and library wing, where she’d clearly been napping given the state of her hair.
As she spoke the words, a new set of growls lit the air. But Wren’s wasn’t one of them. Instead, she glanced at me, shock evident in her turquoise eyes. “You’re friends with a vampire?”
I understood the surprise. Shifters and vampires weren’t typically on the same side of things. Maybe because a wolf bite could kill a vampire, and a vampire could turn a wolf into a kind of half-crazed demon. But there were exceptions to every rule.
“Don’t worry, Little Vixen,” Rhys told Wren. “I don’t bite.” His ring-ladened fingers lifted to his mouth. “Oh, wait…”
Puck’s lip curled as he let out a low growl. “Back up.”
I moved in then, not wanting things to devolve. “Relax. Rhys is a dick, but he’s not going to harm anyone in this house. Right, Rhys? ”
Rhys drummed his fingers over his lips. “That all depends. If someone makes a move on me, I will retaliate.”
“But no one will do that if you just behave,” I ground out.
Hera moved in closer, her head cocking to one side in a very shifter-like movement. “You’re a vampire, but there’s something else there, too.”
If I didn’t know Rhys so damn well, I would’ve missed it. The slight flicker in his eyes and the way the gold burned a little brighter. He quickly covered it with his impression of a charming smile. “If you’re saying I’m special…of course, I am.”
Hera’s eyes narrowed on him. “Try your charm somewhere else, bloodsucker.”
Rhys sent her a look of mock affront. “The judgment and prejudice. And from a witch, no less. You should know something about persecution.”
Little sparks of energy flew through the air, colliding with Rhys. He jumped back and cursed.
“That’s what you get for calling me a witch,” Hera snarled.
I moved quickly, stepping between them. “Enough. Both of you, behave. And, King, lower the goddamned gun already.”
“You’ll vouch for him?” King pushed, arching a brow.
“Yes,” I grumbled, sending Rhys a warning look. Vouching for his troublemaking ass meant anything he did would come back on me.
Kingston slowly lowered his weapon but didn’t put it in one of his hidey-holes quite yet.
Rhys rolled his shoulders back. “That’s a little better.”
“What are you really doing here?” I asked. Rhys wouldn’t come all the way across the country simply for shits and giggles. Unless he’d really reached a whole new level of boredom.
A smile stretched back across his face. “Your little mate wanted to know who your source was. So, here I am.”