Page 129 of Sun-Kissed Fangs
The place was dimly lit, the pungent smell of alcohol and body odor thickening the air. Only a handful of people were present, most of them sitting hunched at the bar or leaning over a beer-stained pool table.
At the back of the room, sitting at a corner table, was a woman. She had dark hair and wore a tense expression, and she had exchanged the uniform from their last encounter with clothes more befitting a place of questionable character.
As soon as she spotted Maya, her eyes narrowed.
“I was starting to think the Chains wouldn’t show,” Jackie said as Maya approached. “Didn’t realizeyouwould be speaking for them. I figured they would send that she-fiend again.”
Maya sat down. She almost threw out a snappy retort, but caught herself.
“Natalya is otherwise occupied.”
Jackie snorted. “Right. Sure. Her feeling skittish has nothing to do with it? Greater fiends are in high demand, from what I hear.”
Maya wasn’t the only member of the Chains highly sought after. Natalya had dodged multiple attempts at capture since founding the Court, with one of them even succeeding—however briefly.
Leaving her territory put her at risk. PutanyRegent at risk, in fact. But since Jackie’s pack favored brutal traditions that involved a ‘might makes right’ mentality, caution could easily be interpreted as weakness.
Diplomacy fell within that same category. That could be why she’d shown up personally. Whatever she gained from this meeting, she could spin her own story about how she got it.
Clever. Or desperate. Jackie had been bleeding members since Kieran defected, which might explain why her leg was bouncing against the floor.
“I heard the girl made it to Chicago,” Jackie said. “You know, the one the Chains pretended not to know anything about. Ring a bell?”
Maya closed her hand into a fist under the table.
“She’s settled in well. She has family in the city.”
“I heard that, too. Smart move, that you got her to leave with no Chains escort. At least not a visible one.”
“Her leaving was needed. No thanks to you.” Maya bit her tongue.Careful. “I’m surprised you’re thinking about her. Didn’t realize her well-being concerned you.”
Disgust flashed in Jackie’s eyes. “I was Alpha to her mate. Of course it concerns me.”
Maya stiffened. She shouldn’t take the bait, if it even was bait. But if she didn’t speak, the anger simmering in her chest would flare into her face, and that wouldn’t help either.
“You have an odd way of showing it. Unless you didn’t know how Kieran was treating her, which I doubt. Her bruises weren’t subtle.”
“You don’t know how the packs operate,” Jackie said with a snarl. “The odds of having a mate are so slim that they’re basically nonexistent, and Claiming them is considered sacred among our kind. I told him to slow down, and that was more than most Alphas would do. Under the circumstances, Kieran acted with restraint.”
Jackie scoffed. “Especially considering the human in question. She isn’t exactly easy to handle. Him stepping up to make sure Harper knew her place—”
“Stop talking,” Maya said through gritted teeth. “I’m here on behalf of my Court. That means I have to be cordial. But mark my words, if you say her name again, I’ll rip out your fucking throat.”
Therian packs were small by nature and having more than a few dozen members was rare. Jackie’s was home to hundreds. You couldn’t maintain a pack of that size by going against the grain.
But it didn’t matter that there was reason, however twisted, behind her actions. Harper’s name shouldn’t be in her thoughts, let alone on her tongue, and if she voiced it one more time, Maya didn’t care how politically detrimental it was. She would crack Jackie’s skull against the fucking table.
Jackie stayed quiet, leg still bouncing against the floor.
Maybe Aleksander made a mistake. Maya wasn’t fit for this. If she couldn’t even keep her violent thoughts contained, this meeting was off to an awful start.
Get it together, Maya. Stay focused.
They sat in silence after that. For several minutes past when the meeting was supposed to start. Maya stayed relaxed, not even strumming her fingers, while Jackie was fighting not to fidget.
Almost twenty minutes later, the bar door opened. A gust of wind blew through the room, causing some of the nearby patrons to glance towards the new arrival. Or stare, was the more accurate term.
A woman had stepped inside. She was wearing an expensive dark blue suit and knee-length skirt, and her silver blonde hair was arranged in a tight bun. Her skin was pale, bordering on translucent, and unmarked by even the slightest blemish.
