49

49
“Yeah.”

Aislin laughed and I felt it. Exceedingly sensitive, I twinged and laughed too.

Eventually, we did pull apart. It would have been nice to cuddle all night, but we still had to keep an eye out for threats. After the amorous moment we shared, I hoped desperately that David wouldn’t appear. I couldn’t bear to have this night ruined.

We showered and got dressed again, then rejoined everyone downstairs. No doubt they would be able to smell the sex on us. I was never the type to be shy, and I wouldn’t be now. Even if they knew what we’d done, Aislin was my fated mate—I should be allowed to enjoy her, especially as a deviation from all the stress. So I stood tall and proud with her by my side, delving back into our responsibilities without so much as a blink.

The rest of the night saw my confidence rise. There was only silence and stillness on the mountainside. I wanted David to stay far away from Eastpeak, but at the same time…

I wanted him to come here, so I could show him the retaliation I was capable of. I felt stronger now, strong enough to defend my pack and take vengeance on those David had ripped away from me. I wanted to hurt him for what he did.

He was lucky he never showed up.

Chapter 23: Aislin

T

he night came and went without any sign of David. As the sun rose, we all breathed a collective sigh of relief that we had survived. It would be another month yet before the next full moon, which would give us at least a week before we expected Dalesbloom and the Inkscales to strike again. He wouldn’t want to wait too long, though. David was smart enough to know that the Mythguard would be on him soon. 

I went with Everett to spot check the perimeter. As we drove, he tilted his head to me but kept his eyes on the road. “Sebastian will be coming by later to give us an update on the extermination order.”

My insides coiled at the mention of him. He had come and gone from the house over the past three days, but I’d been so busy with Everett and helping out his packmates that I barely saw him. “What does he think of… us?”

“Why does that matter?”

“Because I tried to take a bite out of him, remember?”

Everett furrowed his eyebrows. The sun hitting his dirty blond hair made it look like a halo surrounded him, my fated mate enveloped in heavenly glow. I was momentarily distracted until he spoke again. “If he doesn’t like it, he can just deal with it. In fact, maybe I’ll tell him to apologize to you.”

I laughed. “Him? Apologize to me? Shouldn’t it be the other way around?”

“No, he was careless about our fated bond and encouraged me to take advantage of it to get to Muriel. I understand now that it’s wrong of me to plan to take Muriel from Grandbay. He needs to understand that too.”

“Well, I think you’ll be hard pressed to get an apology from him.”

“For the sake of Eastpeak’s affiliation with the Mythguard, he’d be wise to make amends.”

I hummed and thought about it, recalling the conversation with Sebastian that set me ablaze. “He is pretty manipulative, isn’t he?”

“That’s the Mythguard for you.” Everett turned the wheel as we hit a curve in the road. “Why, what exactly did he say to you?”

“He was just trying to get information about Muriel by using my interest in the Mythguard. Telling me how I was your top recommendation for secondary representative.”

Everett said nothing, which worried me. Of course, I didn’t believe Sebastian when he said that, but I hadn’t anticipated how much it might sting for Everett to confirm as much. “I hate to admit it, but I never said that,” he spoke finally.

My heart sank with disappointment. “I know,” I said, hiding it. “You would’ve told me if you did, right?”

“Yes.”

So Sebastian had outright lied to me about the chance I had of actually becoming a Mythguard correspondent. Prior to getting to know Everett, he hadn’t even considered me for the role. I was quite aware that he thought I was an ignorant moron, but… did he still think I was unqualified for it? It wasn’t like I was desperate to serve the Mythguard anymore, but if it came down to it, did he think I wasn’t suited for the role, still?

“I just didn’t know you well enough,” Everett continued, sensing my dismay. “I may change my mind about it now.”

He must have known what I was thinking about. I gave him a small smile, reassured. “Thanks.”

“It is concerning that Sebastian said that, though. I don’t like how he has tried manipulating both of us.”

“No, that was kinda shitty of him.”

“I’ll speak to him about it.”

“Can I talk to him too?”

Everett glanced at me. “About what?”

“About all this.”

“Alright, just… don’t let your temper get the better of you.”

I wanted to bristle at him, but laughed it off. “If things start getting heated, you just come cool me down, okay?”

My fated mate smirked slightly from the corner of his mouth. “Alright.”

There were nine stops to make on our perimeter check. At each intersection of the road with Eastpeak’s borders, we stepped outside and breathed in deeply, assessing the scents that came in on the breeze. The dragons were a constant presence, but less so along the southern and western borders. They were patrolling vigorously between Dalesbloom and Eastpeak. At the western borders, we caught Gavin and Billie’s scents as well. They must have recently come by on their own patrol. Otherwise, there seemed to be no evidence that David and his followers had passed into Eastpeak’s territory, which was a good sign.

By the time we got back to Everett’s place, Sebastian was already there. I recognized his car, with the mirror I had dislodged and the paint I raked with my teeth. Inside, he was standing alongside two more members of the Mythguard who had been helping us out earlier: a man named Brad, and a woman named Carla.

“Do you have the extermination order?” asked Everett, joining them in the living room. I followed his steps and stood beside him, meeting Sebastian’s eyes with a challenging stare.

The lanky man met my eyes first, visibly resisting his grimace. He had a briefcase in one hand that he set down on the coffee table, opening it to reveal a pile of paperwork. “Here,” he said, handing Everett the papers. “You’ll see that seven individuals have been approved for extermination attempts, including David, Colt, and Garett Roydon from Dalesbloom; Lothair, Sibyelle, and two other dragons from the Inkscales.”

“Why Garett?” asked Everett, pouring over the papers.

“Our investigations have determined that he is directly responsible for Taylor’s death. Given the information in the audio recordings you sent us, the scents detected around Taylor, and his estimated time of death—we determined that he was slain at Garett’s home.