Page 31 of Barely Breathing

“She’s worse than mortal,” Mabel puts forth. “She’s a mortal who thinks she’s above her station.

I hate Mabel’s smug face.

“How’s Chester?” I mock before I can stop myself. “Still single?”

I hear snickering at the comment. Some of the wolves are eavesdropping.

Mabel’s entire body becomes stiff. This woman would suck at poker. “You’re as bad as the rest of them. The Devines’ stranglehold on magical resources must?—”

Elizabeth holds up her hand to stop Mabel, her eyes studying me with an unsettling intensity. There’s something clinical in her gaze like I’m a specimen she’d love to dissect. “Now is not the time for politics. Though I must admit, your... resistance to supernatural influence is quite fascinating.”

She waves her hand around where the werewolves watch us and instantly switches her tone as she says to Mabel, “Look where we are! We’re here to have fun.”

Mabel presses her lips tight. I want to tell them both to fuck off, but Costin pulls me closer to his side.

Elizabeth lifts her fingers to hermouth and whistles. She points at two large werewolves standing on the broken floor above and motions for them to come. One has an eye patch, which makes him look all the scarier. They instantly jump down and cross to her. She studies them before murmuring, “You’ll do.”

“We’re leaving,” Costin announces as his sister starts tongue-kissing her chosen targets.

Thane’s laughter carries from his throne.

Costin moves us toward the exit, his body between me and the Alpha.

A wolf howls, and others soon join her. Costin ushers me out of the throne room into the passageway leading outside. The sounds of werewolf revelry fade behind us, replaced by the echo of my racing heart pounding in my ears.

The courtyard has emptied except for a few men bound to a post. Their eyes flash golden, and I don’t bother asking why they’re chained. When we pass through the gate, I am finally able to take a deep breath.

“What the hell was that about?” I demand, trying to pull my arm out of his grasp. “Why is your sister there making deals with the Freemonts?”

“Not here.” His voice is clipped as he tries to force me behind him as we walk. “We need to get away from here first.”

“Dammit, Costin!” I jerk awayfrom him. “Talk to me. What is going on? I know you know more than you’re telling me.”

He stops so suddenly that I run into him. When he turns, his eyes hold something I’ve never seen before—fear. “Did Thane lay hands on you?”

Is he jealous of the Alpha? I think about his finger reaching for the amulet. “No. He just talked.”

“What did he say to you?”

“Blood and moonlight,” I answer. I know he wants me to say more. Well, that makes two of us. I want to know what Costin is hiding.

“I’m taking you home,” he states as if coming to a decision. Before I can protest, he pulls me into a dark alcove between buildings. His body presses mine against the brick wall, one hand sliding up my spine while the other braces against the wall beside my head. The position shields me from view but also traps me against his chest. I feel every intimate detail of his body as his arousal grows against my stomach.

“What are you?—”

“Shh.” His finger traces my lower lip, the touch so light it makes me shiver. “Wolves are trying to follow us.” His voice drops to that velvet tone that makes my knees weak. “Your scent is... intoxicating when you’re afraid.”

I should push him away. I want to push him away. But his cool touch soothes the lingering burnfrom Thane’s presence, and my body betrays me by arching into his. The memory of our kiss outside the gate floods back—the taste of blood, the press of his fangs, the way he made me forget everything but the feel of his mouth on mine.

“Your heart,” he murmurs against my ear, his lips brushing the sensitive skin. “It calls to me.” One hand slides into my hair, tilting my head back as his mouth traces down my neck. His fangs scrape lightly over the spot where he’s bitten me before, and despite everything—despite the danger, my anger, knowing he’s hiding something—I find myself clutching his shoulders and offering my throat.

The amulet pulses once between us, hard enough to make me gasp. Heat floods me, but it’s not desire this time. It’s a warning.

The shock of it breaks whatever spell he’s trying to wave over my senses. I press my hands against his chest, but the movement is weaker than I’d like. I can’t quite make myself push him away entirely.

At this moment, I understand two things perfectly. First, Costin isn’t the only one playing games with my life. And second, I’m running out of time to figure out the rules.

“No,” I manage, my voice embarrassingly breathless. “Not until you tell me what’s happening. No more games or mysteries, Costin. Tell me, straight up, what’s going on.”

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