Page 40 of Hitched to the Vampire King

I bit back another growl and resumed pacing, if only to wear myself out. I had to expel this energy somehow, and since I couldn’t punch Aimee in the face, this would have to suffice.

“I appreciate your loyalty to your mate,” Aimee said, her voice hardening. “But Nash is targetingmypeople. And this ismyterritory. I will question him about his potential involvement, whether you approve of it or not.”

Fury rippled down my spine, and for a moment, I thought I might shift right here in Aimee’s kitchen. That she could even suggest such a thing made it hard for me to breathe through the anger clogging my veins.

I whirled on my heels, about to say something when Lucy leapt to her feet and slung an arm around my shoulder.

“Let’s go for a walk, shall we?”

I snapped my head to the side and stared at my sister. “What?”

“A walk. Some fresh air. Of the non-bayou variety. It’ll be good for you.”

Before I could argue, she grabbed my arm, her fingers pinching my flesh, and practically dragged me out of the kitchen.

Lucy guided me to the front door, then played sentinel while I slipped on a pair of shoes Jaden had brought me from Jackson. Once Lucy had her own shoes on, she practically booted me from the house, then followed in my wake. With a silent gesture, she pointed me down the street and told me in no uncertain terms to “get walking.”

I could smell her anger—it was as pungent as mine. But her anger seemed directed at me, which I didn’t understand. I wasn’t the one accusing someone we loved of betraying us all.

“Can you believe her?” I burst out, the words spilling from me like hot lava. “Accusing Gabriel of…” My voice cracked, and I fell silent, hoping to contain my ire before I did something stupid like cry or punch a stop sign.

Lucy remained silent, but that did nothing to stem the storming fury within me. Okay, so maybe I was overreacting alittle bit. Aimee only said she wanted to question him, not torture him. But that she could even wonder such a thing pissed me off.

The memories of the last three days, trapped, scared, and fighting for our lives, flashed through my head. I remembered bashing myself against the bars, desperate to get out. I remember how alone I felt, how terrified. I hadno onein there, not even Gabriel, because he’d been unconscious the whole time.

“We were in those cages, Lucy,” I said, my voice a fierce whisper. “Gabriel suffered in that hellhole, just like Avery. How could Aimee even think?—”

Lucy stopped walking and turned to face me, gripping my shoulders as she looked me square in the eyes. “I know, Maddie,” she said, her voice firm but gentle. “I know. But Aimee is just looking out for her pack. She’s scared of losing more people, and when people get scared, they look for answers, often in the wrong places.”

I wanted to reject her words, to rail against the injustice of it all, but a part of me understood. Fear could cloud judgment, make enemies out of allies. But that understanding did little to ease the ache in my heart.

“That doesn’t mean you can challenge her,” Lucy continued. “If any of my wolves had spoken to me the way you spoke to her in there, I would have put them in their place.”

“I’m not one of her wolves,” I argued. I wasn’t even really one of Lucy’s either.

“Irrelevant,” Lucy said. “So, we’re going to stay out here until you calm down. Once you have, we’ll return to the house, where you can apologize for losing your cool.”

“Apologize!” I shouted, my anger firing up all over again.

Lucy sighed. “Clearly, we still have some calming down to do. Now, get walking.”

* * *

I did the walking thing,like Lucy ordered. I breathed in the supposed fresh air, which really didn’t smell all too fresh to me, and I baked in the sunlight. Keyword, baked. It wasn’t summer yet, but late spring in the bayou was still fairly roasty toasty. I used that time, however, to ponder and come up with a plan. One that would have us out of this place as quickly as possible. After everything Aimee had said, I refused to keep Gabriel here any longer than necessary.

Thankfully, the walk did cool my temper, and after a few hours of aimless strolling, I was ready to return to the house. Lucy escorted me up the stairs, then paused at the front door and shot me a questioning glance, her eyebrows raised.

I rolled my eyes, then nodded, and waited for her to open the door. Cool air immediately blasted us. I sighed with relief, then stepped inside and closed the door behind me, so as not to cool the outdoors as people were so fond of saying.

Lucy and I found Sam in the kitchen. He leaned against the counter and wore his own questioning glance. Clearly, they’d learned it from each other.

“Better?” he asked.

“Sure,” I replied, my tone dry.

He handed me a glass of water, one I downed in a few gulps. I would need another shower to wash the sweat off me, but I could do that later.

“Glad to hear it,” Sam said. Pushing off the counter, he strode toward his wife and planted a kiss on her lips. “The kids are fine. I just spoke with Cole.”

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