Page 46 of Piece You Saved

Anticipation flutters in my belly. “You said it was a long story.”

“It is,” he says, as Dariel helps him up. “But it’s a good one. Started when a skinny boy with hair falling into his face threw a rock and saved two shifters’ lives.”

My mouth falls open. “What!”

“And on that note…” Kade leans forward to pull Dariel’s door closed and tugs me down the hallway. “You need to eat, and I need to check the security footage.”

I go complaining, but I’m thinking over so many things.

What’s going to happen with Aden? How long is it going to take him to gain control of his wolf so he’s no longer in pain?

Then there’s Detective Jake Morgan. Kade threw him out, but I know cops—and Detectives—and he won’t stay away.

If Kade, Dariel, and Aden set his land on fire to rescue me, Rylan has good reason to want to punish them for it.

And Rylan’s punishments always hurt.

CHAPTER 13

DARIEL

Kade must have seen the battle raging inside Aden for him to tug Saige to her feet, pull the door closed behind them both, and lead her downstairs.

Aden had battled with his wolf for as long as he could, faking a yawn and waiting until Kade had Saige downstairs before he lost control.

Not two minutes after Kade nudged the kitchen door closed, Aden was on his knees, light brown fur springing out across his back. His wolf burst free, shredding his sweatpants.

After an hour spent pacing the confines of the room, snarling at me when I refused to move from the one way out, he shifted back and almost immediately passed out on the floor, exhausted. Only then did I move from the door so I could put Aden in bed and cover him with a sheet.

Now, I watch over him.

It takes two hours of Aden tossing and turning before his wolf leaves him alone enough for him to sleep. And during those hours, I lean my back against the wall with my arms folded across my chest and take Rylan Trevailer apart piece by piece in my mind.

At every pained cry that bleeds from between Aden’s lips, I break one of Rylan’s bones.

With every soft whimper, I find a new organ to eviscerate with my claws.

I take my fucking time, as I will when I have Rylan in front of me.

Aden was mine to protect. And I failed him.

It doesn’t matter that Kade let Rylan taunt him into opening that front door, making our plan fall apart. I should have known what cards Rylan would play and prepared for them, because if I’d been him, I’d have played the same ones.

Kade taunted Rylan on his piece of private land—Rylan’s city paradise—a place Kade had set on fire so we could rescue Saige from him. There was no way Rylan was going to forget that. What better way to give him a taste of vengeance than by taunting him back?

As much as I want to stay here with Aden, giving him the time he needs to embrace this new permanent change in his life, he doesn’t have time, and neither do we. Rylan is somewhere out there, making plans, and we can’t sit around waiting for him to strike. We need to find him, and we need to end him.

The moment Aden’s eyelids stop flickering, and his body relaxes into the bed, I straighten from the wall and cross over to the closed bedroom door. The blackout blinds covering the windows mean I have no idea what time it is, but it’s late in the day.

Downstairs, Kade and Saige are quiet.

I couldn’t help but hear them before. And the detective, Jake Morgan. Something is going to have to be done about him. A man doesn’t stop looking for revenge for a dead family member when he’s found someone who can help him get it. He’ll be back. Better I deal with him soon or risk leaving Kade to make a mess we don’t need. A mess that could bring cops on all our heads.

Kade’s been better at deflecting Saige’s questions about what happened the night our plan fell apart than I thought he would be. Mostly, his habit of deflecting her has been kissing her.

It’s a habit I wouldn’t mind trying myself.

I creak the door open an inch and stick my nose out. “Kade.”

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