Page 9

When the nurse pulls from her grasp, the girl releases her and the lady in scrubs takes off back through the doors to where the patients wait without wasting a moment's breath.

The vampire locks eyes with us, snarling with anger burning in her eyes before she storms for the exit.

“What was that about?” Tatum asks when it’s only the five of us again, and I shrug.

“I don't know.”

Minnie’s lips twist as she turns to face the group again. “Could it have anything to do with the person in the room next door to Polaris?”

I frown. I was so focused on Polaris, I didn't even realize there was a room beside her.

“Who?” I mutter, internally berating myself for failing to verify her safety before we came out here. As I look at my brothers, they seem just as bewildered as me.

It looks like the only one of us that thinks clearly in moments when Polaris is in danger is Minnie, the rest of us are useless.

“It was a vampire who went to Florentine’s with her. What was his name?” she mumbles, tapping her chin as she thinks.

Lincoln scoffs.

“Terence.”

Minnie nods. “Yeah, him.”

Lincoln finally retakes his seat, bracing his elbows on his knees. “Fucking good.”

My eyebrows gather in confusion. I can’t shake the feeling that I'm missing something in the midst of his anger, but I circle back and focus on what Minnie said to begin with. “Do you think that has something to do with Blaze?”

Lincoln shrugs like the question is aimed at him. “I don't know, he was fine after—” He catches his words, realizing his mistake when he finds all eyes focused on him.

“After what , Lincoln?” Tatum asks, and Lincoln tries to wave him off. “What did you do?” Tatum insists, and our alpha slumps back in his seat, aiming a finger at the doors that lead to the patients.

“Do you know he tried to have sex with her?”

My back stiffens. “When?” I snap, ready to barrel through those doors and do something myself, when Lincoln answers.

“At Florentine’s.”

“Oh,” I breathe, unsure how to feel.

“On the fucking playground, I might add,” he snarls.

“That was before us, though,” Wylder states. “And you’re the only one, out of anyone in the entire world, to know he obviously didn’t succeed,” he adds, and Lincoln snickers, the sound amused but dark all at once at the acknowledgment that he was the one to take her virginity.

Seeing him like this, hands laced together as he avoids our gaze, I know we need to push him more. “What did you do, Lincoln?”

He shrugs. “I just roughed him up, but that was ages ago. He was walking around just fine after that.”

Well… fuck. That’s not what I was expecting from the man who refuses to acknowledge Polaris’s worth to us. I’m not the only one surprised by the news, but it’s Minnie’s pleased smile that declares it’s a good thing.

“Why would he be laid up in here now?” she pushes, and he shrugs again.

“I don't know.”

“Could it possibly be due to Blaze?” Tatum asks, but none of us are going to know the true answer to that without asking him.

“Why would Blaze attack him?” I murmur, thinking out loud again as a heavy weight takes form in my stomach.

If I thought everything was out of our control before, I hadn’t yet realized how deep that was going to get.

We were on a mission, a task we didn't want to do for The Crow, but we did it anyway, for personal gain. Personal gain that came with consequences that harmed Polaris. And to heal Polaris, her bound had to be the one to do it.

Her bound.

We didn't know about her bound. Seemingly, she didn't know about it either.

I sigh. “I don't think we’re prepared for this turn of events,” I admit, and Lincoln grunts.

“There is no turn of events,” he states, and the tension immediately rises around us again.

“Says who?” Wylder interjects, and Lincoln gives him a pointed look.

“Says me, and I'm Alpha,” he retorts, and Tatum rises to his feet, hands close to his sides as he snarls at his best friend and leader.

“If you carry on being so single minded, I don't think you'll last.”

Holy fuck.

“Fuck you,” Lincoln grunts, also rising to his feet, while I gape in disbelief.

We never take that tone with each other, and especially never from Tatum. But it seems our lack of sleep, worry for Polaris, and the complete revelation of the fact that Blaze is the one in control right now leaves us all reeling.

“No, Linc, fuck you. Polaris is on the other side of those doors without us and you're still focused on you.” Without another word, Tatum takes off toward the doors. Lincoln instantly panics, eyes wide as he tracks his friend.

“Where are you going?” he asks, the anger leaving his tone, and as Tatum storms toward the doors, he doesn't bother to look back.

“To get snacks. We're here for the long haul. If you're not up to it, you can leave. I don’t want you here when I get back if this is how you’re going to act,” he grunts, disappearing through the doors as Lincoln rakes his finger through his hair, tightly tugging at the ends before he sighs.

But as his chin drops to his chest, he retakes his seat and the tension in the air eases, just a smidge.

We might be screwed, but at least we’re all screwed together.