Breaking Free

by Layla Nash

  “A friend of Savannah’s,” I said, hoping they didn’t recognize my voice immediately. “What happened to her? Who are you?”

  “Her sister,” the girl said in a near-whisper. “Savannah is locked up.”

  “Locked up? What the fuck for?” I scowled across the apartment, ready to storm the den that second.

  Her sister, Geneva, dropped her voice until I could hardly hear. “The new queen is... concerned about loyalty.”

  “Is she.” I felt a coldness settle over me. Cassidy was right to be concerned. “Do they know what happened to the previous queen?”

  “The new queen said she was killed by the wolves.” Geneva sounded too afraid, even for a time of transition in the cackle. “Who are you?”

  I rubbed my forehead and knew I couldn’t just walk away. I didn’t know yet what I’d do, or how involved I’d get, but I wasn’t going to walk away from Savannah being locked up. “This is Lacey. I’m not dead.”

  “H-Highest?” she whispered. “What happened? What do you mean?”

  “Don’t worry about it yet, and don’t tell anyone that I’m still alive.” I frowned out the window, staring at the city as it started to wake. It was still far too early to be up and about. “I’m going to fix this, Gen. Just hold tight. Is Cassidy planning to go to the Alphas Council?”

  She cleared her throat. “That’s what she said earlier. That everything will go on as normal. No mourning period.”

  Of course not. What a bitch. I should have fired Cassidy when I had the chance, right after Mom died and I cleaned the rest of the house. Cass said all the right things, though. She’d been very good at blending in until she didn’t want to anymore. “Fine. Like I said, just sit tight. Don’t make any trouble. Try to keep Savannah alive. Don’t lose faith. I’ll try to get everything back to normal tonight. If things don’t go my way, one of the bears will be there to make sure you guys are okay. Just get out of the den and find the bears.”

  “Okay, Highest,” she said. Geneva sounded a touch calmer, at least, and more composed. “We’ll be waiting for your return.”

  “See you tonight,” I said, and ended the call.

  Something was definitely up, if Cassidy feared for her standing enough to arrest Savannah and anyone else who might have asked questions about how I supposedly died. That did not bode well for her being innocent of plotting my downfall. I took a deep cleansing breath, like Sav always told me to do, and centered myself in the universe as I closed my eyes and repeated a mantra she’d made me learn. And still rage bubbled up in my chest and my hands clenched into fists and my jaw ached from grinding my teeth. Those goddamn hyenas.

  I headed for the stairs instead of the elevator, needing to burn off some of that rage. Part of the cackle exercised at the bears’ gym on occasion, and I’d heard good things about their boxing equipment. A few minutes on the heavy bag might help calm me down—or at least it would get me warmed up for beating the shit out of Cassidy the moment I saw her.

  My eyes narrowed as the hyena pushed to the surface and my vision filled with a red haze. Even if I didn’t want to be queen, I sure as hell wouldn’t let that bitch steal the throne and undo all the work I’d done over the past year. If I left the cackle, it would be on my own terms. I’d walk out the front door with my head held high and know I’d left someone in charge who would take care of the family the right way. I owed them that much.

  But still, it would be awfully enjoyable to finally punch Cass right in the mouth.

  Chapter Twenty

  Nick

  When Nick returned to the gym and found Lacey pummeling the heavy bag, the bears all retreated to their apartments, leaving them alone. Nick didn’t want to be grateful, but he also didn’t want the other males around her when she was sweating and bleeding and upset. The wolf wanted to run around until they were both sweaty, then rub all over her until she smelled like him.

  Nick settled for getting her a towel and some water. “Take a break, champ.”

  “No,” she growled, slamming a roundhouse into the side of the heavy bag. She nearly took the damn thing off the chain, and Nick stepped back, impressed in spite of himself. Lacey’s teeth flashed white as she snarled at the bag. “Cassidy arrested all of my people. She’s consolidating control, which means she isn’t universally acknowledged as the next leader. And that usually spells a bloodbath. I can’t let my people go through that again.”

  His heart sank. She was going to go back and be queen again. She’d give up her dreams and Europe for the hyenas. He wasn’t surprised, even though it was a blow to the ego. He should have been enough to lure her away from the drudgery of daily life, or so he thought. “Are we going to raid the house or what?”

  “I’m going to challenge Cassidy at the Alphas Council,” Lacey said. Her eyes narrowed as she flipped her hair out of her face and wiped sweat off her forehead onto her sleeve. “And I’m going to beat the shit out of her. Maybe kill her, for trying to get me killed.”

  “And then you’ll be queen again,” he said, moving to brace the heavy bag so it wouldn’t swing back and hurt her. “What then?”

  “What do you mean, what then?” Lacey stepped back and looked at him with a blank expression. “That’s all there is. I’ll be queen, and I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make the cackle better, until one of my underlings successfully challenges me and kills me. That’s how it goes. Circle of life.”

  Nick shook his head, still holding the bag. It smelled a little like her. “You deserve more than that, Lacey.”

  “I don’t get more than that,” she said. “I had my chance already. That’s over. Now I serve the cackle.”

  He didn’t like the resignation hiding under her steely exterior. The bloody knuckles also worried him. Nick straightened and pointed at the boxing ring. “Get some gloves. Let’s spar.”

  “You want to fight me?” Lacey stood back, smirking. “You’re shitting me.”

  “I don’t normally do that with women,” he said. “But if you’re very good, I could probably get into it.”

  It took her a second to follow his meaning, then her face flamed red and she threw a towel at him. “Jesus Christ, you have the sense of humor of a preteen boy. You seriously need to grow up.”

  He handed her some gloves, taking the opportunity to study her hands before wrapping them. “It serves me well. What did Eloise say?”

  “I spoke with Benedict.” She filled him in, and Nick made a mental note to warn Kaiser that the Chase pride might end up on their doorstep before and after the Alphas Council if Eloise got the information out of her mate. Lacey fiddled with the gloves, watching him from under her eyelashes. “You sure you want to fight? A man with an ego as delicate as yours might not survive getting your ass kicked by a girl.”

  “One, I said we could spar, not fight.” Nick retrieved his own gloves and ducked through the ropes, holding them open so Lacey could step through behind him. “Two, my ego isn’t delicate. It’s very well insulated. Almost nothing gets through it. And third, it would be simply divine to have you all over my ass.”

  A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, though she looked irritated more than anything as she held her gloves up to guard her face. “This’ll be good practice for whaling on Cassidy tonight. Don’t hold back.”

  He didn’t. Well, he didn’t hold back much. Lacey was more than capable of getting a few hits on him as she feinted and dodged. She was faster than he was but not quite as strong, and Nick had a longer reach. Just as she started to mock him, Nick clipped her chin and ignited a pure murderous rage in her eyes. He would have been afraid if he hadn’t been having so much fun.

  They went a couple of rounds, and Nick was so into it that he didn’t even notice Kara returning to the gym, then Owen, then a couple of the other bears. He didn’t want to share Lacey, but he didn’t dare stop boxing for fear she would stop as well. Boxing with Lacey was the most fun he’d had in months. Except for dreaming about her, anyway.

  As he was d
istracted by the enchanting way the muscles flexed in her shoulders, Lacey’s leg floated out of nowhere and connected with the side of his head, and then the ground rushed up and Nick found himself looking up at the former and future hyena queen. She smiled as she crouched next to him, patting his cheek. “Good effort, pal.”

  Nick smiled back, then lurched up enough to pull her off balance and drag her to the mats so he could wrap her up in a leg lock. Lacey squawked and struggled, shouting about it not being fair, but Nick wasn’t about to play fair. Not when it came to her. Kara started shouting and laughing, and even the Russian bear bellowed advice to the hyena as she nearly wormed free. Nick rolled them and almost pinned her, then managed to get her in an arm-bar.

  “Good effort, darlin’,” he said, and Lacey spat some of the vilest curses he’d ever heard at him. His eyebrows rose as he looked at the bears, most of whom looked impressed as well, then Nick leaned to get a look at her face. “Ready to figure out how to get your pack back?”

  “It’s a cackle, you stupid wolf,” she muttered, her face smushed against the floor of the ring. “And I already know how I’m going to do it, so you might as well let me up.”

  “Not until you admit I beat you.”

  “You beat me by cheating,” she said.

  “Good enough for me,” Nick said, and released her. He hopped to his feet and offered her a hand, grinning, and never saw it coming when she flipped around and swept his legs out from under him.

  Nick landed hard, the wolf howling, and he groaned. He was too old for shit like that. Lacey didn’t try to pin him, but only sat up and loosened the gloves from around her wrists. At least she still panted for breath, so he didn’t feel like the only one who’d gotten a workout. “The fight isn’t over ’til it’s over.”

  He leaned over to help with her gloves after he shed his, throwing them at Kara when she got close enough to eavesdrop, and Nick checked the damage to Lacey’s knuckles without bothering to leave the ring. “Exactly. So don’t give up on yourself just yet, Lacey. It’s not over ’til it’s over.”

  “Very clever,” she said, but her voice cracked a little and she didn’t quite meet his gaze.

  He hoped she got the message.

  Owen hauled himself into the ring, carrying a first aid kit, and frowned down at both of them. “I can see the moral injuries, but anything physical we ought to worry about?”

  “I’ve got it covered,” Nick said, and took the bag of supplies. He growled enough that Owen backed off and Lacey gave him a sideways look, but the wolf didn’t want another male—even his sister’s mate—near her. “Give me your hands.”

  “They’ll be fine,” she said, flexing her fingers as the skin scabbed and then broke. “It’ll heal up in a second.”

  He grumbled and insisted on smoothing antibiotic cream on her knuckles and wrapping them in non-stick bandages, even if it wouldn’t be needed in a few minutes, and it gave him time to listen to her heart calm. It also hid his own exhaustion, so that was a double win. By the time he was done, Kara said something about the guest room next to his, and the rest of the bears went about their own workouts.

  Kaiser said something about the Alphas Council being in midafternoon, so they had some time to spare. Lacey started to look tired, and she shivered as the sweat cooled on them both. Nick helped her up and shooed her toward the back of the gym, where his rooms and the guest area were. He hesitated, about to offer her the guest room, but Lacey walked to his room and went in as if she owned the place. He stood outside, once more questioning his luck, then followed her in and shut the door.

  Lacey looked around the cluttered space, her hands on her hips, and glanced back at him. “Like I said, you’re an overgrown frat boy.”

  “This is temporary,” he said. Nick didn’t dare get too close, not with the wolf all hyped up from the fight and wanting to dominate her in other physical activities. Plus the sweaty shirt clung to her waist in a very alluring fashion... “Normally I have maids, you know, but Kara wouldn’t foot the bill this time around. When we have our apartment in Paris, it’ll be first rate. Spotless. Perfect.”

  A hint a sadness touched her expression and disappeared. “There won’t be an apartment in Paris, Nick.”

  Before he could respond, she shuttered her mind to the possibility and instead focused on the immediate future. He didn’t blame her; there was always a chance she would lose the fight with the new queen. It didn’t make sense to plan for the future when you didn’t know if you’d even see tomorrow.

  Lacey sat down on the edge of his bed, looking like she wanted to take another nap. “Did you talk to those friends of yours who can help us find Smith?”

  “I wouldn’t call them friends, but yes, I spoke with their leader. They’re willing to meet tonight, at midnight.” He took a chair near the kitchenette. If he crawled into bed next to her, neither one of them would get any rest. He wouldn’t be able to say no to her a second time, and from the look on her face, Lacey wanted to be distracted from the obligations waiting for her at the Alphas Council and afterward. “They’re witches, so they like things dramatic.”

  “Witches?” Lacey smiled faintly as she shook her head. “I never imagined there would be witches in this city. I guess it makes sense. If we can turn into animals, why wouldn’t there be witches?”

  “They don’t really like shifters,” Nick said. He concentrated on breathing and not the fact that she’d kicked her shoes off and her bare feet, pale and lovely and soft, rested right next to where he’d piled the clean laundry. “It’s very, very rare for them to meet us like this, so we can’t scare them off or we’ll never find him.”

  “Good to know.” Lacey yawned and patted the bed next to her. “What do you say, sport?”

  The wolf perked up. “What do I say to what?”

  “Another nap,” she said. For a second, her expression was unguarded and vulnerable, and his protective urge kicked into overdrive. “I haven’t slept so well in months as I did last night, next to you. Feel like taking a nap so I’ll be at my best when I have to kill my cousin?”

  He cleared the room in one leap, landing on the mattress hard enough to bounce her in the air a foot, and Lacey laughed as she caught hold of his arm to keep from tumbling to the floor. Nick wrapped her up in the sheets, glad they were at least sort of clean, and tucked her in before he curled around her. “Sleep as long as you want. I’ll make sure no one bothers you.”

  “Don’t tell anyone,” she whispered, and her eyes already drooped shut. “If they ask, just say we fucked.”

  Nick frowned as he brushed the hair back from her face, and ghosted a kiss along her cheekbone. “Why does it bother you more that you might want to cuddle and rest than have sex?”

  “It just does,” she said. Lacey grumbled and faced him, resting her head on his chest. “Don’t make me talk about it.”

  He would eventually, he knew, but at least for that afternoon, Nick and the wolf were both content to have her warm and safe in their den, and snuggled up in bed with him.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Lacey

  I woke up warm and safe and content. It lasted maybe ten seconds before I lifted my head and recognized where I was, and that Nick slept beside me, and everything came rushing back. The Alphas Council and fighting Cassidy for the throne I didn’t want loomed over me, and I just wanted to go back to sleep.

  Some days I got really sick of being an adult.

  When I started to sit, Nick stirred and looked around with bleary eyes. “What’s wrong?”

  The hyena knew exactly how she wanted to spend the rest of the afternoon, and though it meant staying in bed, it wasn’t quite as sedate as going back to my nap. I studied Nick, wondering at what twist of fate brought us together. He wasn’t anything like the men I was used to having around. Hyena males didn’t tend to be assertive at all, and Cal had been so laid-back that he let me take the lead anywhere and how I wanted. Nick, though...

  For once I tried not to think too
hard about what I wanted to say. “I don’t know.”

  His eyebrows rose and he yawned, reaching for where his phone lay on the bedside table. “It’s not past noon.”

  “Good.” My heart started to pound and I rested my palm on his chest, feeling the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. “I don’t know what this is, Nick, between us. The hyena... wants you.”

  Nick managed to look sexy and surprised at the same time. “I’m not that worried about what the hyena wants, Lacey. What do you want?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. I couldn’t meet his gaze and instead studied the fabric of his T-shirt, tracing shapes across his chest. My heart beat faster than it should have for just lying in bed, and tension constricted my chest until my breath hitched and I couldn’t breathe. “It’s been so long since... since anyone was nice to me, since anyone bothered to treat me like I was something other than just the hyena queen, I don’t really know what to do. Everyone sees Val Szdoka’s daughter, a ruthless killer ruling her clan with an iron fist, and no one looks beyond that.”

  He waited, eyes half-closed, and his palm rested on my back, so at least I could lean against him as I lay on my side and tried to breathe normally. Nick seemed content to let me fumble for words, not rushing me, and I wondered at where the hell he came from, what his life had been like before he showed up in our lives. For a man who behaved like a ridiculous immature teenager, he knew when to shut his mouth and listen. My voice dropped to a whisper as my vision blurred and I couldn’t even see where I touched his chest. “You’re the first person, other than Eloise, who dared hug me in months. Maybe a year. The only man who treated me like a woman, even when I tried to scare you off.”

  “I don’t scare easily,” Nick murmured, and the corner of his mouth crooked up, assisted by the scars. He played with the ends of my hair, twining the strands around his fingers, and made a comforting, grumbly noise in his chest. “And I don’t know how anyone could not notice you’re a woman, Lacey.”