Page 41 of Wicche Hunt

I shivered and Declan’s hand rubbed back and forth over my stomach.

“It explains a lot about why Mom is the way she is. The sacrifices she had to make to fulfill her role in the family. Meanwhile, I say no for years, even leaving the country, to avoid the Corey Council.”

“For good reason,” he said. “Look at you now. You’re too sick to sit up. And she didn’t have it anywhere near as bad as you. She had it hanging over her head for years. Yeah, that sucks. You’ve been seeing horrible visions since you were a toddler. You have to cover yourself from head to toe so as to not accidentally touch someone and hear their thoughts, relive their trauma. You feel the pain they’ve felt. You’re not just watching horrible things happen. You take the punch, the stab, the hands around your neck. Don’t do that to yourself. You wanting to live doesn’t make you selfish.”

I rolled over and wrapped my arm around him, resting my head on his chest. “Thank you.”

I told him about the Alpha challenge I’d seen, about the ambush. He lay silent afterward, staring up through the skylight.

“You can’t go,” I said. “They’re going to kill you.”

He rubbed the arm I had wrapped around him but remained silent.

“Declan.”

“I heard you and I’m thinking.”

“You can’t go.” I went up on an elbow so I could stare down at him. “This isn’t a fair fight. They’re going to kill you.”

“We’ll see.” He tried to pull me back down, so I was resting on his chest.

Headache finally gone, I went up on my knees and glared down at him. “No, we will not see. You are not walking into an ambush.” I drilled my finger into his chest to make my point.

Wrapping his hand around my finger, he pulled it away, turning it over and rubbing his thumb in circles on my palm. “I appreciate the information. This is what we’d already been thinking. I’ll plan accordingly. You do not, however, have the right to tell me what to do.” When I opened my mouth to argue, he added, “Just as I can’t tellyouwhat to do.”

On a huff of annoyance, I slid out of bed and stomped to the bathroom. I needed a minute to pee, strategize, and brush my teeth.

SEVENTEEN

If You Don’t Like Reading Sex Scenes, You’ll Want to Skip a Lot of This Chapter

When I went back in a few minutes later, I had a plan. “Okay, hear me out. I know you don’t want me there—which is just wasting your best secret weapon—but you absolutely need to take Kenji and Daniel with you as backup. Get them to tell you the guys who can be bribed to sit this one out. I’ve got money. I can help bribe people.”

He’d already started shaking his head.

“And I know a lot of wicches. They can go and keep the noncombatants out of the ring. If they try any underhanded stuff, my family can hex them, leaving Logan for you to deal with. We won’t interfere with the challenge itself. We’ll just keep the others from jumping you.”

“No.”

I waited for an explanation but got nothing more. “Why the hell not?”

He patted the bed beside him.

“No. Tell me why you won’t accept my help.” It didn’t matter what he said. He didn’t own Big Sur. He couldn’t keep me from saving his stupid life.

Sitting up, he held out a hand. “Come on. I don’t like it when you’re so far away.”

I thought about smacking his hand but then took it, climbing back on the bed. He tried to pull me down with him, to tuck me into his side, but I wasn’t giving in that easily. I sat on his thighs, crossed my arms, and stared down at him.

“Well?” I waited.

“I’ve had this fantasy so many times. Except you weren’t wearing the top. I’m not complaining. You’re keeping it interesting.”

I balled a fist. “I will punch you in your junk right now if you don’t explain why I’m not allowed to help you. You raced over here this afternoon to help me, but I’m not allowed to return the favor? Why the hell not?” I might just punch his junk on principle.

The charming smile dropped and he sighed. Scrubbing his hands over his face, he said, “No threats of violence between partners.”

“Okay, fine, whatever. I wasn’t really going to do it.”

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