“August is right. They’d already be here if he’d called them,” Cole added.
Liam backed away. “Burn the place down,” he said before shifting back into fur.
He craned his neck and watched me through his yellow eyes. Let’s hope they’ll believe Lucy did all this on her own. Cole, phone Rodrigo. Tell him to stall the firetrucks as long as he can. He swung around. Keep your phone on, Ness. I’m going to try and do some damage control. In case I can’t . . .
He let his voice trail off, but I heard all the absent words.
In case he couldn’t talk sense into the Creeks, we’d be at their mercy.
I tugged on August’s hand, trying to dislodge him from where he stood beside Cole, watching the fire devour Aidan’s mansion. They’d splashed a variety of chemicals throughout the house, over the expensive drapes framing his large windows, over the wooden furniture. The flames skipped around the trails of flammable liquids, growing rabid.
I heard Aidan’s hounds howl. I’d broken the window of the study in which he or Lucy had locked them, hoping they’d find their way out. I hadn’t dared open the door, afraid their master had trained them to scent Boulder blood and attack.
“We need to go,” Cole said, heading to his navy sedan.
August got in the back with me, his arm wound tight around my shoulders.
“I’m glad he’s dead,” I whispered so he’d stop torturing himself.
“It was the right call,” Cole said as he sped down the darkened roads toward the warehouse.
Grunting, August set his attention on the moonless sky. Even the stars seemed darker tonight. At some point, he squeezed the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, so I cupped his jaw.
“Look at me,” I said.
He did.
“My aunt fled. After cozying up to him, she fled. They’ll connect the dots and blame her.”
“What if they don’t, Dimples? What if they don’t?”
“We were going to duel them anyway. It was a matter of days.”
He made a low growly sound in the back of his throat and punched the headrest of the empty passenger seat. “We don’t even know the outcome of the Sillin injection. What if that’s not Morgan’s trick?”
“Maybe Sarah found out something.”
“Sarah?” Cole asked. “I thought she’d turned to the dark side.”
Of course he’d think this. “I know that’s what Liam and Lucas think, but I don’t.”
Cole’s gaze flashed to mine in the rearview mirror. “She set us up to help her new pack steal the Sillin.”
When August frowned, I recapped all that had happened, from the concealed missive inside my birthday present to the theft.
“Why didn’t you tell me before?” he asked.
“Because I didn’t want to worry you,” I mumbled.
He twisted around on the seat to peer down at me. “It wouldn’t have worried me. What worries me is you carrying the weight of this on your own.” He pushed a lock of hair off my face. “I’m here for you.”
He’d always been there for me.
I attempted a smile but failed miserably. He settled back against the seat and pulled me into him.
“Cole, can you get in touch with her?” I asked, my voice cracking around each word, as though the knife had damaged my vocal cords.
He scrutinized me a long minute before offering, “I can message her from a remote number when I get home. What do you want to know?”
“If she’s all right.” I wish I’d thought of asking Lucy.
I took my phone out of my pocket and dialed Jeb. His phone didn’t even ring, which made me think he’d turned it off. Or maybe he’d tossed it so he couldn’t be tracked.
“And if maybe”-I flipped my phone around, then flipped it again-“if maybe she found out how they’re planning on using the Sillin.”
He nodded. Everything had gone from bad to shit so quickly, and yet, I feared we hadn’t reached rock bottom.
Soon, Cole was pulling in next to the warehouse. “I’ll call you if I get news.”
“Okay,” I said, scooting out after August. As Cole drove off, August wrapped his arm around my waist, and together, we walked toward his front door.
He punched in his code, and the door beeped open. After he entered, he let go of me and paced while I turned the lights on.
“Let’s go away. You and me,” he said suddenly. “We can leave tonight.”
“August, I can’t leave.”
“So you want to see Liam die?”
I swallowed. “Liam won’t die.”
“Ness-“”He won’t. He’s stronger than you give him credit for.”
“Strength won’t help him if she’s cheating!”
“Don’t yell, August.”
He dropped into his armchair and cradled his head between his large, blood-soaked hands. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m sorry.”
I went over to him and placed my palm on his hunched spine. He sighed, long and hard, and then he pulled me into his lap and hugged me, burying his face against my collarbone. After several quiet minutes, he pulled away and leveled his gaze on my injured neck. I probably looked like I’d escaped from the set of a slasher film.
“Bet this wasn’t quite how you pictured our romantic lakeside evening going,” I said, curling my fingers around the nape of his neck.
He grunted, and I flicked him. Although it brought a little light to his eyes, it wasn’t nearly enough to disperse the shadows teeming in them.
I stood up and extended my hand. “Come on. Let’s go wash away all this blood.”
Exhaling raggedly, he took my hand and rose. On the way to the bathroom, he said, “We need to burn our clothes.”