Page 25 of These Wicked Desires

We head toward the porch steps and Cade tugs me down to sit next to him. I lean my head on his shoulder and watch Kai pace back and forth as he talks on the phone.

“This isn’t going to last forever,” Cade says, rubbing his hand up and down my arm. “We’re going to save Gracie. We’re going to deal with Sam and Noah. And we’ll figure out our new normal after that. Things won’t be like this forever.”

“Thanks, Cade.” Sometimes I need these reminders when my thoughts get heavy. “I know I can do this,” I say quietly. “I’ve dealt with worse and survived.”

“You have. You’re incredibly strong. But that doesn’t mean this will be easy. You can still be upset, scared, sad. You can still lean on other people and let them help you. That doesn’t mean you aren’t strong.”

I let Cade’s voice wash over me, tucking his words close to my heart. “It’s hard to remember that sometimes. I lived alone for so long, with no one to rely on. I mean, I had Allie, but there was only so much she could do.”

“We’ll remind you as often as you need us to.” He kisses the top of my head.

We lapse into silence, both of us watching Kai pace back and forth. When he hangs up, he heads over to us with a small frown.

“What’s up?” Cade asks.

“My dad seems to be playing nice, and it’s making me uneasy.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, scooting over to give Kai room to sit next to me.

He sighs as he takes a seat, running his hand through his black hair. “He called to tell me they haven’t been able to find any proof Sam was behind the attack on the estate. They did catch three vamps who were clearly working for someone, because they helped get the attackers through the gate, but they wouldn’t give any names. And believe me, my dad tried to get it out of them.”

I shudder because I can only imagine the kind of torture King Salvatore would inflict on someone he wanted information from.

“He also asked when we would be back because I’ve been slacking on my duties. Which is much nicer than what he actually said. But I told him we were helping Sterling prepare for challenging Noah, and he relented. He said to give Sterling whatever help he needed, and that I could let him know the vamps stand behind him.”

“That makes sense,” Cade says quietly. “Especially if Noah is working with Sam and the mages. Having the wolves as allies against the mages would be a huge bonus. Besides, when Sterling’s dad was alpha, the vamps and wolves were always pretty tight.”

Kai nods. “Yeah, you’re right. They were. And my dad knows Sterling. He honestly probably thinks he’ll be able to control him.”

I snort. “Good luck. That boy is more stubborn than both of you combined.”

“Yeah, my dad will be sorely disappointed when he realizes Sterling will not be easily manipulated.”

“So this is a good thing?” I ask, looking at Kai.

He nods. “Yeah, I think it is. It will help give Sterling a bit of a confidence boost too. Knowing he has the support of the vampires will be huge. And my dad said to let him know when the challenge takes place and he’ll send some guys to provide backup if things go to shit.”

I swallow. I don’t like to think of things going to shit, because there are so many ways in which they can. And each one gives me so much anxiety it’s almost impossible to function.

Instead, I focus on another aspect of Kai’s dad’s offer. “Can we trust him, though? What if he plans some kind of coup or something?”

Kai shrugs. “We can’t. But, I highly doubt he will. Cade’s right. An alliance between the wolves and vamps is too much for my dad to pass up. With the attack on the estate, and the almost certainty it was Sam, my dad will never side with the mages.”

It doesn’t ease my anxiety.

Kai, of course, can sense this. He kisses my forehead before he stands up. “It’s going to be fine, baby girl. Have faith in Sterling. He’s strong and he wants this. He’ll come out on top.” He tosses his phone in the air and catches it. “I’m going to call him and let him know what my dad said.”

We watch as Kai calls Sterling. He resumes his pacing and I can’t help but smile as his free hand waves through the air as he talks. Even at this distance I can see his smile. His laugh reaches us on the wind and Cade takes a deep breath, releasing it loudly.

I glance at him and frown. Cade’s brows are drawn down over his violet eyes and he’s chewing on his lower lip. “What’s wrong?” I ask.

“Hmm?” He doesn’t take his eyes off Kai.

I nudge him with my shoulder until he looks at me. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he says a little too quickly. I give him a knowing look until he cracks. With a heavy sigh, he turns his gaze back to Kai. “I just … things between us … I don’t know,” he finishes as he deflates.

“You should tell him,” I say quietly, not needing to know what he’s thinking. It’s obvious by the way he looks at Kai. It’s been obvious for a while now.

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