Chapter 22

I woke with a smile on my face after a mesmerizing night of sex with Kahlo, but as sleep faded, reality pushed to the front of my mind. And the ache in my gut returned. I should have stopped Reed and Gage from going to Tritonia, should have made it clearer they weren’t to give up anything. But hindsight was a fucking bitch, and no matter how much I cried, it didn’t change the cold, hard facts. I needed to get myself into gear and get up. I turned toward Kahlo, but he wasn’t in bed, only Gingernuts sleeping in a ball on his pillow. I patted him, but he grumbled and ducked his head deeper under his paw.

Was Kahlo out searching for Reed, or had they returned? I climbed out of bed, pushing my hair out of the way, and the sexy ache between my legs reminded me of Kahlo, and how I craved to crawl into his arms. Perhaps I should have been out in the streets looking for Reed, but with the way he’d taken off, I wasn’t so sure he wanted to see me. Our situation had been complicated enough; now it was wrapped in barbed wire.

Except there was no more sitting back. I had to confront him eventually. The guilt sat heavily in my chest. I stood and made my way to the bathroom, where I spotted a bowl of food and milk near the couch for Gingernuts. Kahlo was a keeper.

Once I got dressed, hair plaited and curled up into my bag, I threw it over my shoulder and marched out into the corridor. Nerves twirled in my stomach as I reached the next door. I knocked, but when no response came, I rushed downstairs. Please let them have found Reed.

I skipped down the steps and curved around the banister toward voices in the main tavern area. The place was mostly empty except for three men at a main table near the window drenched in sunlight. My men. I bounced on my toes at seeing Reed. He may not have wanted to talk to me, but fuck it, I was just happy he’d come back.

Pancakes with berries, bacon, and porridge bowls filled their table. Gage spotted me first and waved me over to sit on the long bench next to him. Across from him sat Kahlo and Reed. Both glanced my way, Kahlo smiling with a confidence that promised to pull me into his lap and keep me there forever. While Reed offered me a simple smile. Enough to give me hope he’d speak to me.

Gage stole a kiss as I plonked down next to him, and Kahlo’s leg grazed mine under the table. “Morning, beautiful.”

I grinned, adoring how they both watched me with so much admiration in their eyes, but my concern lay with Reed. So I addressed him right off, unable to sit there pretending otherwise. “Reed, listen, I’m so sorry. I-I mean, you didn’t have to give up your mane for me.” I squirmed in my seat, the words not flowing as easily as I’d hoped.

“Don’t—” he began, his brow furrowed.

“No, please hear me out. All three of you have come into my life and I never imagined myself falling so hard for each of you. Hell, when I was younger, I used to beg the universe to send me a knight in shining armor. Someone to help me. But instead, she blessed me with the three of you.” My throat dried, and I picked up the glass Gage had filled with orange juice. I gulped half down. “For too long, I believed the only way I kept others safe was to keep them at arm’s length. Then, Reed, you showed me what a coward I’ve been. I stayed safe, thinking I protected those around me, but all I did was conceal my affection. If I’d been more open, then you would have understood how much each of you mean to me. How if I lost any of you, I’d wish for the world to open and swallow me. Maybe then, you may have reconsidered sacrificing your lion and known I would never want you to do that.” I finished the juice, unsure if I’d even expressed myself well or whether I’d just rambled.

The men studied me, Kahlo chewing on bacon while Gage topped off my juice.

Reed on the other side also watched me, his posture stiff, clearly ready to argue his point. “That’s where you’re wrong,” he finally said.

Gage piped up. “I’m with Reed on this one.”

Kahlo nodded in agreement, his mouth full of food.

Of course they’d stick together, as they’d done so ever since the trip to Tritonia, and I loved that they got along. But this ganging up against me would drive me insane.

“If you’d let your walls down earlier, I would have given up my mane quicker,” Reed said, his eyes narrowing with that stubborn look. “I don’t care if that pisses you off.”

Biting my tongue, I gave him the chance to talk.

“I mean, I don’t regret my sacrifice when I know it gives you a fighting chance to escape the gargoyle. Faye was returning for you, and if we’d sat back and done nothing, we might never have gotten the chance to protect you again.” His voice was hard yet caring because the reasoning came from his heart.

“You had no right.” I raised my voice. “I didn’t want you sacrificing what’s crucial to you. What about your pride? Will you lose them? What if you need to transform to protect your sister against other shifters?” Lava twisted within me.

He squared his shoulders. “I had every right. It was mine to do with as I pleased.”

Fire lit up my veins, and I slid to the edge of my seat. “But not for me! I’m a nobody, and—”

“Never say that.” Kahlo growled. “You’re the first person I’ve met who brings me to life. For years, I’ve wandered alone, convinced I didn’t deserve a family. I wasn’t good enough because no one wanted a lone tiger. Even two tigresses I’d tracked down craved a leader who has a large pride, so they crossbred with other shifters rather than being with me. But when I’m with you, you carry no judgment in your eyes, and you see me for me. So if someone asked me to give up my shifter side to help you, I’d do it in a heartbeat. It’s about what’s inside that counts.”

Gage’s hand was on my thigh. “I’d give up my dragon wings for you, honey. In fact, I offered them to Vanore, but she didn’t want them.”

Rawness spread through me. “You’d all sacrifice so much for me? Even after I drove each of you away? Shit, I’m like the worst person in the world.”

“You entered the mansion at the risk of getting caught, and you were. It could have gone so much worse, yet you took that chance for me,” Reed said. “So what I did was my choice and don’t you dare hold yourself responsible.”

I shifted in my seat, unable to get comfortable. “But last night you—”

Reed cut me off. “Last night, I was dealing with the outcome. I won’t lie and say it’s easy having lost what I lost, but I don’t blame you.”

Yet guilt cloaked around me, cutting into me. If it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t have done it. Studying the men with their strong expressions told me they weren’t backing down in this argument. Still, it didn’t sit right with me with one inch, but even if we argued until we were blue in the face, it wouldn’t change the situation. Reed had given up his lion. His pride and sister remained kidnapped. The albino psycho and I were linked. Those were the issues to deal with.

My throat thickened, and the words struggled to come. I stretched across the table and grasped Reed’s wrist. “What you did for me was fucking stupid, but also heroic, and I’m left in awe that you gave up so much. I love how much you care and my admiration for you is endless. But once we find your pride and sister, I’ll do everything in my power to get back your lion.”

His eyes widened. “No—”

I waved a palm in his direction. “It’s my decision and I have every right to do so.” My mouth curled upward, and it didn’t take long for him to follow suit. “Until then”—I grabbed a piece of bacon and a slice of buttered bread—“no more secrets between us. Understand? We talk about everything.”

They all nodded in reply.

The smoked meat was divine, and I was tired of talking about shit that still bugged me. But I meant every single word. I would visit Vanore and give her anything to return Reed’s lion side, and I’d deal with any consequences of that then. For right now, I had to believe I’d be able to give Reed what he’d lost. Otherwise, I couldn’t smile again.

“Speaking of being open…” Gage’s voice brimmed with mirth. “I’d like to know what happened in your room last night. There were some interesting sounds coming out of there.” He eyed me, and my mouth gaped open.

I sucked in a breath. Did they listen to me screaming like a siren from Kahlo ravaging me? My face was on fire while Kahlo puffed out his chest. He had his arms in front of his chest, as if he were steering a carriage. “Well, I had her ass—”

“Shut up!” I tossed a piece of bread at him, which he caught and ate. “That’s not the kind of sharing I’m talking about.” Curling my fists in my lap, I was unsure what killed me more—the men discussing my sex marathon last night in front of me, or the tingle in the apex of my thighs sparking alight, well aware Reed and Gage would get off on the update.

Bet you wouldn’t complain, not after you what you did last night.

Heavens, even my subconscious had me blushing.

Kahlo broke into a chuckle, deep down from his gut, then blew me a kiss. “Come on, baby cakes. They ought to know I took your virginity!”

My face must have reddened like a tomato because I felt hot.

“What are you talking about?” Gage blurted out. “I’ve been with…” He glanced at me and cocked an eyebrow. “Oh, I see. Honey, you’re into the whole backdoor thing?” He waggled his eyebrows.

I gritted my teeth before stuffing food into my mouth. Yep, time to drown my embarrassment by gorging. I might even pass out from a food coma. Yay.

Reed smirked my way. “I’d definitely be interested in hearing more about last night. But first, we need to get moving. I need to find my sister and pride members.”

“I know a friend of my dad living here in Crosswind,” I said. “Yesterday, Gage and I visited her, but no one was home. I want to return there, as the woman used to love cats and maybe she can look after Gingernuts for a short time too. She might have insight into the lion shifter who attacked the locals. Where he came from. Anything to help us.”

“Sounds like as good a place as any to start.” Gage pawed the fried meat dumplings and ate two without pause.

“While you do that, I’m heading out to visit a lion pride nearby,” Reed said. “Kahlo, you with me?”

He nodded, and Gage nudged me. “Looks like you’re stuck with me.”

And just like that, I was ready to dive in and take down the assholes who’d played God with my life.