Page 97 of The Kingdom of Ruin

“Lead the way,” I reply, making her smile spread as I absorb her words and channel my confidence into every step I take.

I may be out of my comfort zone, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know my own abilities. I can handle myself. Being here doesn’t change that.

Janie releases me as she approaches the guy at the grill. He sweeps her off her feet and plants a kiss on her lips with a big goofy grin on his face before he swiftly gets back to manning the meat. She reappears at my side a moment later, the guy waving at me as she places a plate in my hands.

“How am I supposed to eat all of this?” I ask, glancing down at the meat, potatoes, and corn piled high before me.

“Do fae not eat this much?” I shake my head as she leads me toward a table. “Maybe it’s just a wolf thing,” she adds, and I grin.

“Maybe.”

The second I sit down across from Janie, I’m shuffled along the bench so Cassian can sit beside me, and Brody takes the spot to my left. Kryll and Raiden sit on the other side with Janie, and they all have their own plates stacked high.

Thankfully, the table settles into a comfortable silence as we eat. The music is good, and the longer I sit here, the calmer the general atmosphere tends to be. Not that I’m going to bask in that fact too much. The second I let my guard down, I know the rug will be pulled from under me.

As if sensing my inner thoughts, a guy appears at the end of the table. “Cassian, your father is looking for you.” He’s speaking to Cassian, but his dark gaze is settled on me. A jagged scar runs down his cheek, slipping down his throat and disappearing beneath the collar of his t-shirt. His tongue sweeps over his bottom lip as his stare intensifies, and without being told, my gut confirms this is who I was warned about. Dalton.

“You can let him know where you’ve spotted me,” Cassian grunts, not lifting his gaze, but his hand quickly lands on my thigh, squeezing with confidence.

“I think we both know that’s not how it works,” he retorts, his voice deepening as he leans forward, bracing his hands on the table. Cassian sighs, seeking my hand with his, and the moment our fingers are laced together, he pulls me to my feet.

The second we’re standing, Kryll, Raiden, and Brody rise too.

“Alone,” Dalton bites, glaring at the entire table. Janie included.

Fucker.

I definitely don’t like him.

“I don’t think so,” Cassian grunts, and the guy shrugs like he’s more than happy to report back to his father how uncooperative he’s being.

“That’s cool. He mentioned something about causing a scene, and we all know how much I love those.”

The stare-off between them dances in their eyes, both of their muscles flexing, begging for the other to make the first move, until Kryll speaks.

“Go, we’ve got her.”

I gulp, uncertainty twisting in my gut. I don’t need anyone to have my back, but I’m not dumb enough to forget that I’m in unfamiliar territory, and they know more than I do.

Cassian squeezes my fingers, silently sending a message. What he’s trying to say, I’m not entirely sure, but I muster the best smile I can before he saunters away with his father’s right-hand man.

Settling back into my seat, Janie offers me a tight smile. “He won’t be long.”

I open my mouth to answer when another shadow casts over the table, and I turn to see a familiar snarl glaring down at me.

“Fuck off, Leticia,” Raiden grunts, but she doesn’t even acknowledge his words as her stare hardens and she inches closer to me.

“You only beat me in the duel because you used weapons,” she states, jaw tight, rage pouring from her in waves. Half of me wants to pat her on the back, call it an unlucky event, and move on, while the other half wants to remind her exactly who she came for. Instead, I settle on using my snark.

“And you shifted into your wolf within the first five seconds. Using your inner weapon instead of facing me in your natural form.”

“My wolf is my natural form,” she retorts, nostrils flaring with fury. “You think you know everything, and I’m more than eager to prove that you don’t.”

“When did I say that I know everything?” I challenge, quickly growing tired of the bullshit she’s throwing at me, and she scoffs. “What do you want, Leticia? You’re boring me.”

I know it before I ask, the answer shimmering in her eyes with a deathly promise.

“I want a rematch.”

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