Page 33 of Awakened and Betrayed
“You’re telling me she has a whole coven of fucking paladin for protection, and a lamia still got through to her last night?”
I elbow Bastien hard in the ribs, and he gives a satisfying pained umph. Fucking hothead. He really needs to learn to keep his mouth shut.
“What the hell is he talking about, Vinna? And what the hell are you even doing here, Fierro?”
“I’m her fucking mate! That’s what I’m doing here, and it’s a good thing I am because the security around here is a joke. No alarms. No barriers. Are you guystryingto get her killed or taken again? Is this joke of a secure setup intentional, or are you guys just that incompetent?”
“Watch your mouth asshole! Who the fuck do you think you are inserting yourself—”
I tune out the rest of Enoch’s indignant shouting and step out of the line of testosterone-fueled fire. I grab some leggings and pull them on and slip on a bra under my t-shirt. I swipe my phone off the side table, and open Mave’s contact as the yelling and threats escalate to a louder decibel behind me.
Me:Tell Pebble he needs to get back here ASAP.
My phone dings with an incoming text seconds later.
Mave:He left twenty minutes ago. Hang soon to talk shit and rehash dirty details?
Me:You know it.
I don’t have Pebble’s number, so I have no way to give him a heads-up, but if he’s missed his regular check-in, he has to know he’s going to be walking into a shitstorm. I walk back over to the doorway where Bastien and Enoch are chest to chest, one practically daring the other to throw the first punch. I pinch Bastien’s ass as I squeeze my way past them out into the hallway where the rest of Enoch’s coven are standing by.
The fact that they’re just standing by lending silent support, but not ganging up on Bastien, raises my respect level for all of them. I give a two-finger salute to the group, walking past them and out into the living room where Pebble’s coven waits. They’re on edge, which makes sense given the missed check-in. The yelling down the hallway sure as hell isn’t helping things, but clearly, Bastien and Enoch have some shit they need to sort out, so it is what it is.
“You guys want anything to drink or eat?” I ask, the group of seven paladin all standing awkwardly in the living room.
They stare at me like I just said something in another language.
“Suit yourselves.” I shrug, and turn toward the kitchen. “Pebble will be back soon. We ran into a couple lamia earlier this morning, and he chased them off. We were near Silas pack territory when it happened, and he was just there giving them a heads-up.”
Pebble’s coven all tense up at my explanation, and I’m grateful as fuck that they’re not shifters and can’t smell the dose of lies I’m feeding them. If it were just Pebble involved here I’d probably let him face off against the firing squad on his own, but my cover-up is for Mave. She explained before that her Alpha--Trent Silas--worked with the caster elders council. I don’t want any trouble there for him, because of whatever happened between Mave and Pebble. I also don’t want to take away Mave’s new toy, not when she just started playing with him.
I pour a bowl of cereal and lean against a wall in the living room to eat. The yelling coming from the hallway has quieted, but I don’t hear any telltale signs of fighting, so I take that as a good sign.
“Why didn’t Paladin Rock call us to say he needed backup?” a gruff voice, belonging to an even gruffer looking man, asks.
“You’d have to ask him,” I offer unhelpfully, as I shovel another bite of cereal in my mouth.
Fuck, I miss the sisters.
“Why didn’t you call us and tell us what happened?” A lanky paladin queries, as he leans back against the arm of the sofa.
“Up until five minutes ago, I didn’t know you existed. And before you go asking me why I didn’t immediately alert Nash, Enoch, Kallan, or Becket, the answer is because I can take care of myself and there wasn’t shit any of them could do at that point.”
I crunch down on another mouthful of cereal and stare at the door, willing Pebble to walk through it. Hopefully, he’ll be smart enough to catch on quickly and just play along. Kallan, Becket, Nash, Enoch, and Bastien all file out of the hallway. Bastien still looks pissed and judging by the look Enoch’s wearing, they didn’t quite sort out their issues. Bastien walks over to me and redirects a bite of cereal headed for my mouth, into his instead.
“You’re lucky you’re so hot, ya thief.”
I glare at him playfully, and his scowl morphs into a teasing grin. He swallows his bite and gives me a quick peck before he steals more of my cereal. I turn my back on him to guard the rest of my breakfast, hissing at him like a cat.
“The sisters make your every meal, and you’re going to rob me of my Captain Crunch? You’re not the man I thought you were.”
Bastien chuckles and tweaks my nose. “That’s because I’m a caster, baby.”
The front door swings open, and Pebble walks in. He doesn’t seem shocked to see the large group that’s waiting for his arrival. I step forward and Pebbles eyes land on me.
“Did the pack catch the lamia?” I ask casually, while I try not to be too obvious with theplay alonglook I’m giving him.
He pauses for a beat. “No. The trail led out of town. They stopped tracking at the boundary.”
