Page 123 of Queen of Spades

“So, we’ll be sticking around the house in Virginia once we make it back?” I ask, trying to keep my happiness from spilling into the bond.

I don’t want to influence their decisions, but I like Vale. It’s also really nice having Ranger just down the road.

“Yup,” Grady agrees. “We just have to sweet-talk Ranger into adding the rest of us to that fake marriage certificate.”

“Unless you’d like to have Merrick delete that and do a real one?” Kane offers.

I laugh, shaking my head. “Nah, it feels strangely fitting. We’re already a pack, anyway.”

“That we are,” Cas agrees. “I’ll definitely be speaking to Ranger and my father to figure out what the hell Lucien was talking about.”

“Yeah, and little Miss Queen of Spades back there owes your father a rather unforgiving beating when it comes to cards.” Ward chuckles.

Cas turns around in his seat with a wide smile on his face. “That would be so fucking hot.”

I laugh.

It took a whole lot of windy roads to get here, but it was absolutely worth the journey.

Epilogue

Annika

A Few Days Later

“Your brother just walked in,” Ward says, sliding his hand out of the bottom of my dress before conveniently flipping the material down to cover my bare ass. “I guess we’re lucky he didn’t saunter in three minutes later.”

“If you have a key, I want it back,” I call over my shoulder.

“I come bearing gifts,” Ranger says.

“We’re all good on Girl Scout cookies.” Grady snorts.

“Smart-ass.” Ranger rolls his aqua-blue eyes and moves to sit on the cushion next to Ward and me. “That is going to take some getting used to. I purposely avoided the urge to check your age when Merrick was handling this.” He shakes out a tri-folded piece of paper and offers it to me.

“We’re bonded,” I remind him, taking the paper. “You could check, and even if you didn’t like what you saw, you still couldn’t do a thing about it.”

My lips push together when I get a good look at the raised golden stamp in the corner.

“Our updated marriage certificate?” I gasp. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” Ranger smiles. “I believe Cassian wanted to speak to me about something?”

My head twists to look at Cas. At some point, he folded up the newspaper he was reading and dropped it on his lap.

“Did my father sell us out?” he asks with apprehension lining his tone. I know it’s been bothering him, but things have been chaotic since we made it back to Virginia.

“Why would you think he did?” Ranger asks.

“Because of something Lucien said before he died.” Cas leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “But that doesn’t sound like the man I know.”

“No,” Ranger agrees. “It does not.”

“Then, how did Ezrah know where to find us in Kentucky?” Ward asks.

Ranger sighs. “This is going to be a rather boring recollection of events, but if you insist?—”

“I do,” Cas growls.

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