Blue pursed her mouth, and her hand tightened on her spoon.
All the men chuckled, even Trevon. They knew how much she loved watching and waiting.
“Fine.”
“We have to see this play out, shopa. Right now there isn’t enough on either one to arrest them for attempted assassination, and we certainly haven’t found who’s behind Ekarill.”
She held up her spoon. “But we do have a new name to follow up on.”
The clansman nodded. “Yes.”
“So we’re making progress.”
Trevon rocked into her, nudging her with his shoulder. “Little star, you’ve already incited an assassination. I’d say that’s very good progress.”
She stuck her tongue out at him.
He leaned in to steal another kiss.
She blushed, and he laughed.
I’m happy. The thought hit him like one of Sirisa Shipping’s freighters. I’m fucking happy right now, sitting under a tree, teasing this girl, surrounded by men I would never have thought to call friend, let alone Family.
He grinned down at her, then turned to Mo’ata. “Anything else to add?” he asked.
The clansman shook his head.
“Prin has found pretty much the same things. He did get one other name. James Taggert. Also has some contact with Trill, and a friend of Portia’s. Likes to skirt the edge of illegal, but so far he hasn’t stepped over.”
Felix, leaning on one arm a little behind Blue, grimaced and shook his head. “I know him. Unless he’s changed much, he doesn’t have the courage to get himself mixed up in something like this.”
Trevon nodded, but decided to have Prin continue digging. Even if this James wasn’t directly involved, you never knew what could come up if you kept tugging on the strings. Slapping his knee, he pushed to his feet. “Come on mercenary, let’s spar. I’m restless, and you’re getting out of shape.”
The behemoth of a man raised a brow and scanned his gaze over the Family head. “You’re on.”
BLUE
She almost protested. But the glint in either man’s gaze wasn’t murderous, so she decided to let them be.
Besides, she’d yet to see Trevon in a true fight. It was sure to be a good show.
The two men rose.
“Blades?” Felix asked.
“No, let’s keep this clean.”
The mercenary nodded and unbuckled his belt, stripping the weapons from it. Trevon did the same.
Forrest scooted over until she could lean against his shoulder. Garfield pushed between their legs and rested his head on his paws, wide eyes trained on the two men. Vivi stood at the edge of the blanket, ears forward.
“Forrest?” Blue said and pointed to Vivi.
“She won’t do anything. She knows this is like practice. And she kind of wants to take on whoever wins.”
Both men jerked and eyed the piquet. Blue grinned at that.
They squared off. Felix was half a foot taller and had at least twenty pounds on the family head. He was the super-sneaky mercenary whose movements were faster than you could believe with his size.
She recalled the fight in the apartment. Trev had dodged most of Felix’s blows, but a few had landed. He hadn’t fought back. Part of Blue suspected the Family head didn’t have the skill. He was dangerous, there was no doubt about that, but he had his guards, his connections, and his money.
But he had been the one to challenge Felix.
She had no idea what to expect.
The fight began. One moment they stared at each other, the next their hands and feet were blurs, moving too fast for Blue to track.
Flesh smacked into flesh, and Felix’s head rocked back. A thin line of blood appeared at his lip. He back up and studied Trev, whose breathing had barely changed. “You’ve been holding back, criminal.”
Trev shrugged a shoulder and grinned. “There’s a reason I was my father’s top man.”
Blue released a relieved breath. Maybe they’d stop here…
Nope. Felix went back in, and if it was possible moved even faster. Trev blocked each hit, then advanced. His smaller stature allowed him to duck under Felix’s blows and find openings the taller man couldn’t.
Felix backed away then lunged, catching Trev’s shoulder with a cracking blow. The Family head staggered back, shook his head, then danced to the side. At the last minute he sent a spinning kick toward Felix’s head.
Bending back, Felix dodged then used the momentum of his move to let out a kick of his own.
They moved back and forth like this, neither holding back, neither retreating more than a few steps.
“How long do you think they’ll go?” Forrest asked.
Levi shook his head but didn’t take his gaze off of the bout. Eagerness suffused his expression.
No doubt the Prizzoli wanted his turn.
“I think we may be here a while,” Blue said, tilting her head to Levi.
Forrest followed her gaze. “Yup.” He pointed to Mo’ata, who alternately watched the fight and the surrounds.
Garfield purred between them. No fight. Sleep. Good. Yawning, the piquet stretched out his front paws and closed his eyes.
Vivi chirped.
Beast stomped a hoof and continued to munch on his own bucket of oats.
Blue couldn’t hold back her laugh. Just an average afternoon in her family—sleepy piquets, stubborn mounts, good food, aggressive men eager to show off.
She wouldn’t have it any other way.
Chapter 27
BLUE
Unease gripped her as she followed the servant down a mostly deserted corridor. The young woman had shown up just as Blue finished dressing for the party, with the message that Mira wanted to speak in private before the guests started arriving. Garfield and Vivi had been off somewhere with the guys, or maybe exploring the extensive gardens. All she’d gotten from them for the last few hours were spurts of curiosity and lazy contentedness.
At least the cub-babies are enjoying their visit. She grinned as she recalled their reaction to the stuffed grimal they’d found in an upper hallway during their explorations.
She and the servant drew deeper into dark and twisting halls, bare of any decoration. “Are you sure this is the right way? I can’t imagine Mira doing anything in this part of the residence.”
The woman’s step hitched. Blue’s blood surged and a rush of adrenaline hit her. She sent off a message to the group chat and activated her tracker.
A servant just told me Mira wanted to meet me. We’re in an empty part of the residence.
The reply was almost immediate. Felix: Not my mother, she’s with me in the front receiving room.
Mo’ata: Get out of there.
Forrest: The cubs and I just set off after you.
The servant halted outside a plain door. After knocking, she stepped aside and held out her hand. “We’re here.”
Blue kept her gaze steady on the servant. “It’s not Mira in there.”
The door slid open. Portia stood there, a deep green gown hugging her curves before flaring under her knees. Like the other times Blue had seen her, her makeup and hair were done to perfection. A circlet of gold and emeralds hugged her throat.
“No, it’s not Mira who wanted to see you.” Portia turned to the servant. “You may go.”
The woman bowed her head and scurried away.
It’s Portia. Blue sent the message and tucked her comm away.
“I didn’t think you would really come to the party,” Blue said. Is this part of the plan to take out General Audal?
Portia tilted her head. “I wanted to speak with you alone. You are a very difficult person to catch that way, though. Tell me, how did you manage to capture five men of that calibre?”
Blue left her arms by her sides, her hands brushing against the folds of her dress. While the skirts made it harder to get to her blades, the seamstress had designed slits in the side to allow her access to them.
“What did you want to speak ab
out Portia?”
“Oh, not much really. Just wanted to let you know that while Felix may be playing in the muck for now, he won’t be for much longer.” The other woman’s eyes flicked.
Blue shifted her weight to the left and went for her blades as Portia stepped away from the door. Hard hands grabbed Blue’s shoulders and shoved. A moment later she was sprawled in a bare room. The only light was what spilled in from the hall, the only furniture a stool in the corner.
“It took some digging, but I found out a few interesting things. Let’s see how the family likes you when you’re a quivering mess because you’re scared of the dark,” Portia spit out, disdain clear in her voice.
Blue twisted and lunged for the door, but she was too late. It slid shut, and she was trapped in absolute darkness.
As her breathing sped, she fumbled for her comm. The screen, it would light up. She could stave off the panic that way. Pressing the buttons with trembling fingers, her eyes strained in the darkness as it failed to turn on. How…?
She clenched her eyes shut tight. They were coming, she knew they were. They were coming for her, they would find her.
Clutching her arms around her knees, she rocked.
They were coming, they were coming. And when she got out of this, Portia was going down.
Chapter 28
FORREST
His vision swam. His heart pounded. Leaning against the corridor wall, he held up a hand. “Wait,” he managed to get out.
Levi slipped an arm around his waist. They’d been in one of the back living rooms when Blue’s message came in. It was the cubs’ favorite room, mostly due to the stuffed grimal. It was a little… battered, but Forrest wasn’t too worried. This damned mansion could use a little battering in his opinion. “The dark,” he got out. “She’s in the dark.” Levi yanked out his comm and sent a new message.
Garfield and Vivi yowled from the end of the corridor. Forrest shook his head, but the colors were twirling now, stealing his equilibrium. “Go,” he spit out. “Get her.”
Levi eased him to the floor, squeezed his shoulder, then was off, only a few steps behind the cubs.
His comm pinged, and Forrest fumbled it from his pocket as those colors surged and morphed. Tracker off line.
Shit.
The colors coalesced, and Forrest was no longer on the floor of a rear corridor. He ran though the halls, nose in the air, paws beating against the ground. Pack was behind him, but not all of them. They needed the largest, they needed the laughing one who gave the best pets. Yes, he thought. Get Felix.
Vivi-Forrest veered off course and ran to the front of the house, their paws silent on the hard, grey surface. Felix, biggest-pack, came into view, sprinting toward them. They leapt into his arms, mewling in urgency. Then they pushed off and returned to the ground and set off once more, to find pack-mother. Panic beat at them, but they pushed it aside. It was not their panic, not their fear.
A dark corridor, a door, a cowering servant who meant nothing. A man, dressed in the armor biggest-pack liked to wear, the kind that protected from their claws. The stick in his hand that fired light which burned it if touched you.
Don’t let it touch.
Wait. Forrest’s thoughts were too mixed up with Vivi’s feelings. Wait. We need to find out who he is, why they did this.
It was too late. Vivi leapt, her claws extended and aimed for the tender bits.
FELIX
“Shit,” he cursed as Vivi leapt. The hired guard attempted to dodge, but the piquet was out for blood. Garfield clawed at a door, digging grooves into the plastic-metal alloy.
He pressed his palm to the lock panel and it didn’t budge. “It’s jammed.”
“Un jam it,” Zeynar bit out.
Felix pulled his blade and pried the panel from the wall. He studied the tangle of wires then made two cuts.
The door slid open.
Her whimpers reached them.
Levi and Mo’ata raced past him. The clansman lifted her and cradled her against his chest. She buried her face in his shoulder. Felix met Mo’ata’s hardened gaze. An aborted motion drew his attention to Zeynar. All traces of playful mischief were gone from the Family head. “It is time to end this particular game, mercenary.”
Felix nodded, his neck stiff. His stomach churned with guilt and rage. Ignoring the servant for now, he strode to the fallen man and searched his pockets. No identification or credentials, only a slim, disposable comm.
“Freelancers,” he bit out. “Portia is asking to die.”
“Not asking. Consider her gone.” Zeynar stood over him, glaring at the fallen man.
“We need to find out why she did this first.” Mo’ata’s face was stone, but his arms were gentle around their Blue.
Her breathing had begun to slow, but her eyes were still clenched closed. Garfield and Vivi rubbed against Mo’ata’s legs and purred, the soothing vibrations building until they filled the corridor.
“I’ll get Forrest. He’s probably recovered by now,” Levi finally said.
Felix only then noticed the younger man wasn’t with them.
Vivi chirped and set off, Levi after her.
“Where would Portia be now?” Mo’ata asked.
“S-sir?” The servant stepped forward, her head bowed and shoulders hunched.
“We will deal with you later,” Felix bit out.
“I did not know it was mistress Portia who asked for her. The message came from the head housekeeper. S-she, P-portia, said she wanted to show everyone how—“ The servant swallowed and her gaze darted to where Mo’ata held Blue in his arms before dropping once more. “She wanted everyone to see how unsuitable she was,” the girl rushed out.
“Where is she now?” Zeynar asked.
The servant shook her head and backed away.
Felix pushed to his feet, his hands fisted. “She’s with my mother, probably. Or in one of the front receiving rooms.”
Mo’ata nodded and set off.
“W-wait.”
The voice was faint, but it froze all of them in their tracks.
BLUE
“Wait,” she said again. Warm arms and the scent of pine and herbs surrounded her, and Garfield sent waves of reassurance. Pack-mom good now. Pack-mom safe. With pack. Safe.
Yes, baby. Safe now.
She opened her eyes and stared up at her clansman. “I need a moment. I need to think. She had an agenda.” Concentrating on her breathing, she worked to slow her heart the rest of the way back to normal. Salt crusted on her cheeks, and her nose was stuffed. Her dress and hair were disheveled.
She was a mess.
“Let’s go to the front rooms. Portia wanted to show everyone how unsuitable I was. Let’s give her what she wants.” Blue focused on Felix. His green eyes glowed in his hard face and his chest heaved. “I’m going to challenge her,” she stated.
His head jerked in a nod.
“It’s probably exactly what she wants,” Trev bit out.
“She’s hired freelancers,” Felix managed. “There’s more going on here than a Challenge.” He twisted his head back and forth and rolled his shoulders.
“Ekarill?” she asked. “Is this how he’s getting them in?”
“Possibly.”
“So, he is making his move at the party.” Mo’ata’s voice rumbled through his chest and into her.
Blue pressed into him. She wasn’t quite back to normal. Almost, but not quite there.
“You don’t want to… freshen up?” Trev asked.
“No. As I said, let’s give Portia exactly what she asked for. Me, a mess and ready to collapse.”
Trev’s eyes glowed as his grin returned, a hard edge to it. “Oh, little star. Maybe you are learning to play the game.”
Blue waved her hand, signaling Mo’ata to move forward.
“You are sure, shopa?” His arms flexed, pulling her closer to his chest.
“Looks like things are coming to a head. No time to stand here debating.”
He grunted, but started forward.
“Be on the lookout for other freelancers. If Portia helped Ekarill smuggle them in, hiding them as her guards or even attendants, more could have made it past security,” Felix stated.
“Is your father’s security really that lax?”
Felix frowned and stopped. “No. Dammit. He’s playing his own strategies.”
Blue nudged Mo’ata’s shoulder and pointed forward to get them all moving again. “Doesn’t matter. No time, let’s move.”
“Bossy,” Felix mumbled, but his expression eased.
They moved.
Chapter 29
JACKSON AUDAL
“General, there has been and incident between Portia Craine and Blue Faust in one of the lower halls near the secure rooms. One of her guards was found mauled,” his aide whispered into his ear as Jackson Audal stood next to his wife in the front hall, waiting to greet the guests as they arrived for Felix’s party.
General Audal nodded and turned to his wife. “Love, I need to go check on some arrangements for tonight.”
She gazed at him with sharp eyes and waved a hand. “Of course. I’ll ask one of the children, or maybe Portia, to help me greet the guests.”
He checked his grimace even as his stomach tightened. As a general he would do what was needed to capture all those involved in both the matter of Falass as well as the threat to his life, but it didn’t sit well with him that he needed to keep this from Mira, or that Portia was still free to move around his home.
That would change soon.
He turned to his aide. “Show me.”
Minutes later he gazed down at the freelancer missing his throat and one ear. The groin area also sported slashes, though it seemed that part of the attack was a feint to distract the man from protecting his throat. And there was no indication at all that the chest, arms, or legs had been attacked—all areas protected by armor.
These animals of Blue Faust’s were either extremely clever, or very well trained. Maybe both.
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