Page 51 of Shadow of Death

He didn’t even deign to answer before he disappeared.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Kicks came back earlierthan expected, walking into the bedroom only minutes after me. Things were still off between us and maybe always would be. But he was still my only ally, and I needed to tellsomeoneabout Charon.

“Remember how I thought I saw that robed man in the forest on the way to Georgia?” I said.

He stopped going through his bag, giving me his full attention. “Of course I do.”

I sat down on the bed. “I don’t think I was imagining him.”

“You saw him again?” He walked closer to the bed.

“Not only saw. I spoke to him. Have you ever heard of Charon? He’s also known as the ferryman who crosses souls across the River Styx?” Unlike Charon, I wasn’t going to assumeeveryoneknew who he was. He might be some sort of god, but that didn’t mean he had to be so arrogant about it.

“What did he want?” Kicks scowled.

“I’m not exactly sure, but it seems he’s unsettled by me.” I gave him the broad strokes, leaving out my assumption he’d want to kill me. No need to plant that seed.

“Does Death know?”

I shrugged. “I still don’t know what she sees and what she doesn’t.”

“And you think he was real?”

Some people might find that question insulting, but I did have a strange track record.

“He seemed to be, but then, most of the people who come to me do. It’s hard to say.”

“What if this is a setup from Death?” he asked.

“I did think about that. Either way, nothing to do but wait until he comes back. Or doesn’t.”

He nodded and then looked at me in that way that told me I wasn’t going to like what he was going to say. “We’ll have to discuss this more later. Right now we need to get ready to go down for dinner.”

“Dinner? Downstairs? We have to eat withthem?” The only perk of being a pariah around here was not having to be with the pack. Now that was gone? It felt like I’d just gotten another punishment.

“Varic suggested it, and I’m not letting him believe for a second we’re afraid to dine with them.”

And now I knew why Kicks seemed on edge. It wasn’t just the run-of-the-mill reason that we were stuck here. He didn’t want to eat with them either.

“Is sitting in the cell again an option?” I said, laughing.

He stiffened.

“It was just a joke,” I said.

“It wasn’t funny. They will pay for that.”

As I looked at him, it was clear he was deadly serious.

I walked out of the bathroom in a clingy silver-gray dress and strappy heels. Hard to believe I’d gone from sitting in the cell a few days ago for killing the alpha to being welcome at dinner. Well,welcomemight be pushing it.

Kicks was buttoning a white shirt, looking beyond good, when he turned to stare at me. His eyes lit with heat and I looked away.

“Can’t someone else take over as alpha? Why is it between you and Varic?” I asked, trying to put my attention somewhere other than him. His stare alone could undo me. At least since he was worried he could get me pregnant, he was trying to not touch me, too.

“It goes mostly by strength in packs,” he said, his voice rough in a way I recognized. “Strength tends to run in bloodlines. My brother is a horrible person, but he’s the strongest here. No other shifter will challenge him.”

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