Page 83 of Pack Captive

He shook Sorana and she winced as his claws tore through her skin a little more, ruining her claw tattoos.

"She's a Fenris witch," she hissed back. "She's got both you and Ryden bewitched. The fucking Bloodfang is coming to her, following her around after she freed him, and you think you're not being played?"

Calian didn't answer at first. His expression was flat, merciless and cold.

Sorana winced, and I realized he was driving his claws deeper into her flesh.

"Maybe Ryden and I know more about the situation than you do," he finally said, his voice as toneless as his face. "Maybe we have a plan that you're not privy to, and maybe, if you lay a hand on Ayla again, I will rip your fucking arm out of its socket and piss into your chest cavity."

The female Claw went pale, all the blood draining from her face in half a second. I wondered if Calian had ever actually done that.

My face was beginning to sting badly, and I found myself not caring too much if he made good on that threat right now.

"You're on probation as of right now," he said, releasing her roughly. "Don't bother asking Tiberius for leniency. You'll find none."

"But sir—" Sorana cut herself off, gritting her teeth as she got to her feet. She held her injured arm stiffly at her side. "Yes, sir."

She shot me a look full of pure venom and stalked away, followed by the Warriors, who seemed much meeker in Calian's presence.

Calian held out a clean towel to wrap around me, and that's when I realized he was half naked, as well.

His towel had slipped low around his waist during the altercation, and sweat and water gleamed on the broad, hard planes of his chest and stomach. There were dark Claw tattoos on his shoulders and back, running down his arms.

I couldn't help but swallow when my eyes slipped down towards the hard V of muscle and dusting of dark hair on his lower stomach.

Despite the pain in my cheek, my face heated up when I imagined what was under there, and knowing Calian, it was probably something to be proud of.

"Put this on," he said gruffly, wrapping the towel around me. "I'll get Yasemin to look after your face, and we'll go back to the Palace together."

I wrapped the towel around myself tightly and sat on one of the benches lining the walls as he left. Minutes later, he came back with Yasemin and Kadin in tow.

The little girl winced at the blood soaking through the towel I'd pressed to my cheek. "I hate her," she muttered. "She's almost as bad as Tyra."

"No one's as bad as Tyra, child. Now be quiet." Yasemin sat next to me and dabbed carefully at the wound with the only part of the towel that was still clean. Calian watched intently from my other side, his fists clenched against his lap. "It's not too deep."

I closed my eyes as she ran her fingers over the wound, and bright blue light spilled from beneath her fingertips.

A moment later, the stinging had faded, and nothing but a pink line was left.

"Goddess, you're strong," I whispered, touching the scratch that now felt like a week-old scar. "Not even my mother ever learned to heal with a touch."

Yasemin snorted. "I'm old. I've had a lot of time to learn."

Still, she looked pleased.

Yasemin and Kadinended up allowing Calian to escort us back to the Dawn Palace. No one had wanted to risk getting a group of Claws—who would now be angry about Sorana as well—as their mandatory escort while Merikh was loose.

I couldn't help but notice Marila had vanished from the foyer when Calian passed back through. I was willing to bet she'd told Sorana I was in there.

I said goodbye to the other Callers when I got to my floor of the Palace and realized Calian was still on my heels when I opened my door.

"I'm washing in here," I informed him. We'd left in such a hurry, I didn't even have clean clothes to wear.

Instead, I'd just pulled on a thick robe, because I couldn't stand to wear the dress I'd had on while tending to the dead.

"You can wash after I check your face," Calian said, his gaze going around the room.

Then, oddly, he looked over his shoulder into the hall, making sure it was empty, before he shut my door.

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