Page 35 of These Dangerous Fates

“Daaamn,” Cade says with one brow raised in appreciation. “Having you around will be useful in keeping that dog under control.”

Sterling lifts his head, and while I know wolves can’t glare, I swear he does.

“To answer your other questions,” Cade says, “I was just making sure you’re okay. And you were out for about a day.”

A day? Holy shit. What have I missed during that time?

“As for what happened?” He barks a humorless laugh. “Where to begin?”

“How about what happened after that mage took me?” I offer tentatively.

All three guys—well, two and a wolf—tense at my words.

“Well,” Cade drawls, “I fought off a vampire and two shifters, leaving me mostly drained by the time I got here. Sterling tracked you down and he brought you here.” He glances around the dingy kitchen. “This is a safe house of sorts. No one knows we have it, but we keep it in case of emergencies. I had enough magic left in me to heal your worst injuries. I passed out and only woke up a couple of hours ago.”

I take a closer look at him and under the exhaustion lining his features, I spot a black eye and what appears to be claw marks on his arms. Bandages peek out from under the collar of his shirt, as well.

“Are you okay?” I ask. My hand raises without me thinking of it, and my fingers graze the white bandages.

“I’m fine, love.” Cade, grasps my hand and places a kiss on my knuckles. “Just need to rest and recharge. Some food would do wonders for that,” he mocks-yells at Malakai.

“Fuck off,” Malakai growls.

“And Sterling? Was he injured?” I look at the wolf but see no injuries.

“He’s fine. No injuries. Just stubborn.” At my curious look, Cade explains. “His wolf tends to take control when he feels his pack is threatened. It’s usually easier for Sterling to ride it out rather than fight the wolf.”

Interesting. I don’t know a lot about shifters, just the main facts. Everything else, all the intricate details that make up being a shifter, I know nothing about. I make some mental notes to ask Sterling when he’s human again.

“Malakai? How did the challenge go? Are you hurt at all?” I run my gaze over his back and down to his ass. He’s still wearing his leather armor, and holy moly. Those pants make his ass look gooood.

Malakai turns to face me, appearing grateful to quit fumbling around at the stove. “Nothing major. A few cuts that will heal or have already healed on their own.” He rubs at his left shoulder, like it pains him. “As for the challenge, I won. No thanks to that wonderful ex of yours.”

I stiffen at his words, my heart stopping for a second. “My ex?”

He studies me before quietly asking, “How much do you want to hear about him?”

While the mention of Sam triggers me, I want to hear everything. “I don’t want to be left out of the loop. I think I need to know what’s happening.”

Malakai nods. “He cornered me in an alley and used his magic to tie me up. Luckily, Cade spelled some pieces of jewelry for me and they came in handy. I broke his hold on me. Unfortunately, I was in a hurry to finish the race, so I couldn’t do anything to take him out of the picture. I did enough to get my ass out of there and to the finish line.”

“So, Kai won the first challenge while still maintaining ‘possession’ of you.” Cade uses finger quotes to signify his disgust at the word. “Now, we wait for the second challenge.”

“Which,” Malakai says, “I suspect will come later than planned. Your dad wasn’t too pleased to see me cross the finish line first. When I sent him a text with a picture of you to prove you were still with me, he said nothing. If I were to guess, he’s probably planning something extra nasty.”

“Great. So what happens now?” I ask and look around at all three guys. Not for the first time, I marvel at the strangeness of everything. How I ended up here, in this situation with the Triad protecting me, and the unsuspecting butterflies. It’s enough to make me think it’s all some grand dream.

“Everyone knows we have you now. So, there will be no hiding anymore.” Malakai crosses his arms and leans against the counter. “Every moment not spent at my dad’s will be dangerous. As soon as you and Cade are well enough, I want us all back there, where we have protection.”

“Why don’t we stay here?” I ask. “It seems like no one knows about this place.”

“While that’s true,” Cade explains, “We lack the extra protection of the wards, the cameras, and the security guards the estate provides. Plus, all of our gear is at the estate.”

I chew my lower lip while I ponder our situation. When my dad announced this contest, I knew I was going to be in danger. I didn’t realize how much danger, though. If Sterling hadn’t found me in time, I’m sure that mage would have killed me. I don’t think it was his intention, but when I started fighting back, it pissed him off. The fact I got a couple of hits in probably messed with his ego, and he took it out on me.

I don’t want to even think about how the guys will be in even more danger now, too. The thought does funny things to my stomach, and I don’t want to look too closely at the reason why. Instead, I stand and make my way to the counter next to Malakai.

“How about I help you make us some food?” I ask. “What the hell were you attempting to make, anyway?”

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