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Chapter Twenty-Eight

“Is it too much?”

The answer was a definitive yes. “Most assuredly.”

“Good.” A giddy Lark threw her a lopsided smile. “That’s just the ticket.”

Jade took in the ensemble and the fabric—or rather lack of fabric—in the mirror.

A corset top cinched around her torso, all black, and managed to be modest enough.

The saucy skirt it was paired with was far too short, however.

At least the ruby red heels, the only vibrant color she wore tonight, were a conservative three inches.

Lark had gone with a cheetah-print sheath dress, a classic that left her shoulders mostly bare.

Though she had always been on the willowy side rather than voluptuous, the shapely lines accentuated her figure.

After Kinnick’s attack, she’d become even more slender.

Despite that, the woman would never miss a chance to accompany her best friend on a nightclub circuit to drink away the pain of an almost-broken mating bond.

Lark’s support meant the world to Jade.

Quinn had dutifully held up outfits as they rotated through them like carousel horses, joining in with well-meaning—if often baffled—outfit suggestions that sent the ladies giggling.

He watched his two friends like a caring older brother, clearly out of his depth with fashion but determined to be there, especially when they were nursing ailing hearts.

Occasionally, he would go still, his attention veering away to the labyrinth or an odd legion injury he could mend from afar. He’d always kept ready to be on call, even when she and Lark dragged him out on the town.

He’d been more determined than ever to pamper and help restore his friends’ spirits.

Quinn expressed his worry through his favorite love language, and phased in a seemingly endless spread of charcuterie boards laden with Lark and Jade’s favorite delicacies.

Fine cheeses from an abbey in France that Lark had pinned on her dream travel board; savory summer sausages and the fancy crackers Jade loved; sweet exotic fruits, chocolates and an assortment of spiced nuts—all without either woman noticing until the delicious aromas filled Jade’s apartment.

She’d be slightly concerned if she weren’t impressed. A bear was a bear, after all.

As Lark continued to fuss with her hair between handfuls of peanuts, Jade’s thoughts turned to the man who’d declined being her mate.

Niko had been giving her the cold shoulder for a week. He refused to talk to her. Nothing of personal nature, and nothing related to their relationship or the Sagani world. It’d been the typical humdrum of courteous human business conversation without any of the spark that she’d come to love.

He’d made his opinions known, yet Jade couldn’t bring herself to reject the bond. For her, it’d be akin to cutting off a piece of herself.

What made it more difficult was that Niko could reject their mating just as easily as she could—but he hadn’t. To Jade, that meant there was still hope.

Her melancholy had brought Quinn and Lark to her side.

It was the Sunday night before the final acquisition meeting.

Tomorrow, Niko would escort her out of the building that had been the center of her life for the past two decades, closing the door on both their relationship and her career.

She couldn’t think of anything better to do than drown herself in liquor and lose herself to music.

The cab rolled up to the curb and Quinn swung open the door for the ladies. Lark dove in first with a squeal of excitement, already halfway to dancing.

Though Jade had been anticipating letting loose all day, a bolt of reluctance shot through her.

The hint of despair that’d shadowed her since Niko’s dismissal began to twist in her gut.

It called to light the fact that Jade’s night, fun as it might be, wouldn’t solve the problems she faced—it would merely be a glitzy Band-Aid.

“Get in here, Jade,” Lark called from within the taxi. “No excuses now.”

Quinn glanced back at Jade and noticed her hesitation. Giving her a teasing look, he stated, “You can get in, or I can carry you in. I’m not above kidnapping with altruistic intent.”

That got a laugh out of her, the first in too long. Admitting defeat, she slid in after her friends, heart lighter with the giddiness of being together.

They skipped the velvet rope and walked straight in the club. The owner was on the same charity board as Jade, and had extended her an open invitation to any of her venues.

Speakers blared contemporary music, but most of what could be heard was the booming bass.

Sweaty humans, drunk and sober alike, bustled around in every corner of the establishment.

Conversation and laughter sounded as they neared the bar, both women following Quinn as he easily made his way through the thick of things.

Most people moved out of Quinn’s way.

The fact that he was almost seven feet tall definitely helped, but it was the predatorial swing of his gait and the undeniable dominance in his gaze that set people to rights in his presence.

A bear shifter, Quinn turned into one of the largest of predators in their community.

That didn’t account for his typically lazy grizzly, nor the fact he preferred to heal wounds instead of giving them.

Menders were simply like that.

The bartender, a college-age woman who wore a low-cut top, too much makeup, and a tired expression, took their drink orders and returned within minutes. Eager to dull the pain of losing her mate, Jade downed both of her shots in seconds. It did not help.

At her disgruntled expression, Lark snorted.

Then in true sisterly fashion, copied her move only seconds later.

Earlier that day, in the middle of the brunch buffet Quinn had organized, she’d confessed to her friends that her father had been pressuring her to take up with Kinnick or Sabin.

Not to mate, but to ‘help balance them out.’ Julian’s words.

Jade wasn’t the only one who needed this tonight.

As ever, Quinn was the responsible one, and took a leisurely sip of his bourbon while keeping an eye on the rowdy crowd.

Flashing lights and little breathing room wasn’t his scene, but he’d happily accompany them whenever they needed to let off steam.

He was the protective, overbearing older brother she’d always longed to have—and the same brother who played rough to ensure she would never lose a fight.

The crush of bodies on the dance floor swarmed them as they filtered through the writhing groups. Already sticky with spilled drink, Jade’s heels stuck to the floor and made her nose scrunch in disgust.

Finally, all three of them settled into a corner of the dance floor where they could lose themselves to the beat.

Jade and Lark, eager to dissolve into the music, closed their eyes and followed the music’s sway, while Quinn fell back on the dance moves he knew by heart, beginning with ‘The Sprinkler.’

The bear shifter wasn’t a dancer—and he knew it—but that wouldn’t stop him from having fun.

Jade lost count of how many songs were played or how they gradually moved as the crowd edged them from their initial position. While the intention of the night had been to lose herself, her snow leopard was growing more overstimulated by the minute.

Too many men had approached her, and too many times Jade had fended them off with a glare. When Quinn realized her predicament, he’d sidled behind her, protecting her from the invasion.

Lark was pressed up cozily against a human man who wore a smirk and too much cologne.

Jade’s best friend laughed at whatever the mortal said, egging him on in a little game of hers.

Meanwhile, Quinn was performing ‘The Shopping Cart’ in between periods of ‘The Lawn Mower.’ Jade was surprised ‘Hammer Time’ hadn’t made an appearance yet.

Fighting a laugh, she shouted to Lark over the music. “I’m gonna go get another drink.”

Quinn’s attention finally dragged away from perfecting his dance floor game. He frowned briefly before asking, “You want me to go with you?”

“No,” she shook her head, “I’ll be back in five. And I’ll grab you another bourbon.”

Sifting through the groups and couples, Jade made it out to the bar.

Hailing the bartender took longer this time.

Several minutes later, after finally placing her order, the woman apologized for another delay—she needed to get another bottle of bourbon from the storeroom. Jade waved it off with a genial smile.

Leaning against the bar, she crossed her arms and surveyed the room. Though it was a Sunday, there were plenty of people out tonight. Several paces out from the dance floor were booths and tables, all but one occupied by a rowdy group.

Three men sat in the dark corner booth, quiet, no drinks in front of them. They were fixated on the dance floor with keen interest.

Before she could decipher what about their expression unsettled her, Jade’s personal space was invaded by a male who shuffled in beside her.

“Evening, love.”

A faint British accent washed over her as she looked at him in earnest. The human’s features were unremarkable. Bland in every sense of the word, he was neither tall nor short. His only noteworthy characteristic was a long, black ponytail.

She could immediately read that his interest in her wasn’t flirtatious.

His look held treachery and deceit. A primitive warning iced up her spine, unsettling her leopard and making her shift anxiously on her feet.

Adopting the icy glare that’d served her so well in the boardroom, she hoped a brief answer put an end to his interest.

“Not interested.”

It didn’t dissuade him. “What’s a pretty thing like you doing alone at a bar?”

Rolling her eyes, she took the opportunity to study the three men at the booth—still fixated on the dance floor—and grunt a noncommittal noise. Belatedly, she registered the fact that the three men weren’t just watching the dance floor.

They were watching Lark and Quinn.

She barely had time to swallow the predatorial hiss of her cat, anger and panic rising in tandem with each other. As her mind raced, pondering every way to exit the bar without being seen, she almost forgot about the man beside her.

“Alone and without a friend.” The male clicked his tongue, a noxious, sleazy sound. Then, he leaned in, further encroaching on her personal space, and whispered, “Whatever would your pack-mates say?”

Jade’s spine iced in warning and a shiver skated over her skin. The sour smell of his breath lingered, making her want to retch, as his fingers reached out to cinch around her upper arm.

“Come with me, love, and we’ll make sure your friends aren’t on the receiving end of a silver bullet.”

A thousand thoughts rioted across her mind. How quickly could she get away. How long would it take Quinn and Lark to notice before she was gone. How adeptly she could skewer this walking billboard advertisement for Failure to Launch on her blade.

Unable to immediately stab him in the kidney for fear of discovery, Jade merely warned, “Don’t hurt them.”

His grip tightened almost to the point of pain. When his mouth turned into a snide smirk, Jade’s revulsion doubled. “Come along, pet. My boss wants to see you.”

He yanked her forward and into his body, and she pretended to merely follow, loosening her muscles like a rag doll.

Everything in her revolted as he snaked his left arm around her waist in a possessive grip.

If he believed that she was weak and compliant, it would make it far easier to gain the upper hand.

“Out the front door. Easy does it.”

Warm, sour breath fanned through her hair. Every scenario available to her ran through her mind. Her snow leopard flexed its claws and rumbled a growl. She wasn’t prey, and never would be. As she prepared to make her move, the playing field shifted.

Before Jade could account for it, her assailant’s hands disappeared from her waist.