Page 130 of Puck & Her Blades

“You’re not lonely in a crowd,” Zev murmurs. “But that life, I discovered, of being the playboy star is damn hollow. It’s nothing but spin. After a while, the noise becomes just that…meaningless noise. Nobody really knows you. And that’s when Jackson saved me. He dragged me back from the edge of the chasm that I was about to fall into, making sure that I ate and exercised on schedule, getting to know me, and caring about me. Cygnus was the same. Then I no longer felt alone anymore. We fell in love.”

I reach up, carding my fingers through his hair. “I’m glad. It means a lot that you’d share that with me.”

He draws back, and his gaze is intense. “You can tell me anything too, love.”

“I know.”

Fuck, I truly mean that.

A slow smile plays on Zev’s lips. “You could start with telling me how good my ass looks in these pants because it does, right?”

I am so never admitting that.

Even if it’s true.

I slide my hand up Zev’s inner thigh but not quite high enough to rub over where he’s tenting those pants. “I could start by telling you how good Jackson looks in those gorgeous suits.”

Zev huffs a laugh. “Annoyingly, that’s true.”

“Where is Jackson anyway?”

Jackson’s the possessive type. I’d have expected him to be here this morning, probably sucking over his bond bite, although what I remember of his rutting was so enthusiastic, maybe he’s sleeping somewhere to recover.

He probably needs a week’s rest just to get his energy back from his dirty talk alone.

To my surprise, Zev’s expression becomes serious. “He’s up at Blade House in coach’s study, trying to convince him that we have the right to a mandatory week’s bonding leave. Then he’s going to use that to prove our legal right to challenge for a rematch. Assisting your Omega during heat is an Alpha’s duty that trumps most things and definitely a hockey match. Seriously, the fans and half of America are behind that argument. It’s an unprecedented situation, so we may be able to swing it.”

My breathing speeds up, as I stare at him. “You mean there’s a chance that you could still play in the Alpha Cup?”

He nods.

“What if the Alpha NHL don’t grant it?”

“Then they don’t. But we’re fighting for this just like we’ve been fighting for you.”

I narrow my eyes. “Are you fighting for Ash?”

Agitated, Zev pushes off the bed and paces from one side of the room to the other with a tightly coiled energy. “We’ve been protecting him and battling every day. All we want is for him to have equality, but what we want and reality are two different things. I’ve learned that the hard way. Look, I’m shit at explaining things. Jackson would be better at this than me. But Ash is our Companion. He’s a ward, which means that he’s pretty much property — owned. We can’t change that but we can use it.”

“How?” I push myself up, pressing my hands into fists on my lap.

I hate to hear the man who I love called property or owned.

I know that there are reforms happening for Companions. But not fast enough. I need to do my bit to help as well.

“On paper, Ash belongs to the Blade pack but he’s also officially Jackson’s ward. Jackson never wanted to take advantage of his position over Ash. It felt like he had too much power in that dynamic. You know how Ash is, however, he’s just this bundle of sunny energy. He bounded into our lives and swept those issues away. He was so enthusiastically consenting, there was no doubt that he didn’t feel pressured. We can’t take him away from here, however, or break a taboo like bonding with him without the Head Alpha’s permission. There’s no way we’re getting that from coach.”

My brow furrows. “What do you mean take him away? Where are you going?”

“Nowhere without you,” Zev says, hurriedly. “We have a plan, that’s the thing. We haven’t just been sitting around, letting Ash and you be treated like shit. Jackson’s approaching the age that he’s ready to retire from hockey. He and I have been saving as much of our wages and sponsorship as we can, and Cygnus is so smart that he’s been showing us how we can hide it from coach. The plan is to offer to buy Ash to compensate coach, then Jackson can leave here with Cygnus, Ash, and you.”

“And you…?” I study Zev, sadly. He freezes, facing away from me. “What happens to you in this plan of yours?”

He doesn’t look around at me, staring into the fire. “Coach won’t let me go too. He’ll already be losing two players from the team. We know him well enough that money won’t be enough to compensate him for a third. But it’s okay. I can visit you guys. I’d do anything to know that you’re all safe. Anything. The sacrifice will be worth it.”

Horrified, I tumble out of bed and rush to Zev, dragging him around to face me. “So, we’d be safe, but you’d be stuck here alone to face the fury of that asshole, Roarke. He’d take his anger out on you. He’d beat the fucking hell out of you every day, if you go through with this.”

Zev ties the tinsel more firmly around my neck, fussing with the ends to avoid meeting my gaze. “I know.”

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