Chapter 133
Sebastian
I took my seat, accepting the wine glass Amy handed me.
"A toast!" Amy raised her glass. "To new friends and unexpected reunions!"
I raised my glass, my eyes meeting Lirael's.
"To Miss Lirael," Amy continued, "and to her wonderful relationship with Mr. Gray. May you two have a lifetime of happiness together!"
The wine glass in my hand cracked.
"How touching," I said, my voice cold. "Though I wonder about a relationship where the man isn't even present on Christmas Eve. Seems like a significant absence."
Lirael's eyes flashed. "Mr. Blackwood makes an interesting point. Though I notice he's also spending Christmas Eve without female companionship."
"Oh, I had companionship," I said. "Unfortunately, my woman decided to cheat on me. Went behind my back to find another man."
Amy made a sympathetic sound. "That's terrible! She must have been blind."
"Blind or simply dissatisfied," Lirael murmured, placing asparagus on my plate. "Here, Mr. Blackwood. Asparagus is excellent for vitality. Perhaps your woman might find her way back home."
I felt my jaw tighten. "How considerate. Though I wonder about Mr. Gray's vitality. What was his record? Three seconds?"
Lirael's fork clattered. "You're being crude."
"I'm being honest." I leaned back. "If anyone cheated, it was you. Unless you'd like to explain what you were doing with Damian while wearing my collar?"
"Maybe," she said softly, "you cheated first. Maybe that's why I left."
"Interesting theory. Though I notice you didn't deny the possibility of returning to me after you marry him. Quite telling."
Lirael's phone lit up—Damian's name on the screen. Something dark surged through my chest.
"Excuse me," I said, deliberately knocking over my wine glass, sending red liquid splashing across the tablecloth.
"Oh god, I'm so sorry!" I stood, grabbing napkins, while Lirael bent down to grab her phone.
Which gave me the perfect angle to read the message: Just boarded. Landing at Ark City at 12:21 AM. Can't wait to see you.
I straightened. "I should go. I have a friend arriving tonight."
"But you haven't finished—"
"Another time." I moved toward the door. "Thank you for your hospitality, Amy. Marcus, those contracts on my desk after the holiday."
I paused at the door, looking back at Lirael.
"Enjoy your reunion with Mr. Gray," I said softly. "I'm sure it will be everything you're hoping for."
Then I walked out, my mind already calculating. I'd told her I wouldn't come looking for her.
But I hadn't said anything about making sure she couldn't run to someone else.
---
The parking garage was nearly empty, just rows of silent vehicles under harsh fluorescent lights. I sat three spaces away from the silver sedan—Damian's backup car—watching the elevator doors through my windshield.
She was still upstairs. I could feel her through the blood bond, that awareness that had tormented me for two months now amplified by proximity. The rational part of my brain screamed that I should leave, that I'd promised not to do this, but rationality had died the moment I'd seen Damian's name on her phone.
I popped the trunk and retrieved the tactical knife, its weight familiar in my palm. Four quick punctures, one per tire, the hiss of escaping air satisfying in a way that made my wolf stir with approval. I worked methodically, watching the sedan settle lower with each deflating breath.
My phone was already dialing before I straightened.
"Sir?" Marcus's voice was cautious.
"The surveillance system in parking structure B-7, Moonfall residential complex. I need it offline. All of it. Make it look like a malfunction."
"How long?"
"Permanently." I slid behind the wheel of my own vehicle, backing into a spot with clear sightlines. "And Marcus? This conversation never happened."
Through my windshield, I watched the security cameras go dark one by one, their indicator lights winking out.
She's willing to drive Damian's car, I thought, jaw clenching. Well, she can drive mine instead.
---
Lirael
The cold hit me as I left Amy's building, and I pulled my coat tighter. The evening had been pleasant enough, but I was exhausted, and picking up Damian at the airport felt like one obligation too many.
My heels clicked against concrete as I made my way down to the parking garage. Damian's sedan sat where I'd left it, but something was wrong. The car listed to one side, sitting too low.
I approached slowly and crouched beside the rear tire. Completely flat. I circled the vehicle—all four tires, every single one.
This wasn't bad luck. This was sabotage.
I knelt and ran my fingers over the sidewall. The cut was clean, precise, professional. My gaze swept the garage. The nearest cameras hung at odd angles, their lights dark.
Then I caught the scent—gunpowder and winter forests, that distinctive cologne I'd spent two months trying to forget.
Sebastian.
Before I could process it, an engine sound reached me. A black SUV rolled toward me with predatory precision, stopping three meters behind me. The passenger window lowered.
"Still here this late?" Sebastian's voice was smooth, but I heard the satisfaction underneath. "Car trouble?"
I forced myself to meet his gaze. "This is quite the coincidence, Mr. Blackwood."
His smile was all teeth. "Is it? I was just leaving Marcus's apartment when I noticed you seemed to be having difficulties." He gestured toward the tires. "Four flats. That's remarkably bad luck."
"You did this."
"Did I?" He tilted his head. "You're welcome to check the security footage. Oh wait—the cameras seem to be malfunctioning. How unfortunate."
My hands clenched. "You absolute bastard."
"Probably." He shrugged. "But that doesn't change your situation. Damian's flight lands in forty minutes, and the fastest tow service has a two-hour wait on Christmas Eve."
The bond pulsed between us, carrying his satisfaction. He was enjoying this.
"I can call a cab."
"You could." His voice dropped lower. "Or you could accept a ride from someone heading to the airport anyway. I have business there. Same direction."
"I'd rather walk."
"In those shoes? It's twelve miles, Lirael. And it's starting to snow."
Snowflakes touched my cheek as if on cue. I looked toward the exit, seeing white flurries swirling in the darkness.
"Besides," Sebastian continued, "if you tell Damian someone sabotaged his car, he'll want to know who. And when he figures out it was me—" He let the sentence hang.
A confrontation between the two most powerful wolf families would be catastrophic. And it would be my fault.
I wanted to scream, but survival instinct kicked in. Damian couldn't know about this.
"Fine." The word tasted like ash. "Just a ride to the airport. Nothing more."
His smile widened. "Of course. Nothing more."
I climbed in, immediately pressing myself against the door. The interior smelled of leather and his cologne—smoke and winter forests, scents that still haunted my dreams.
"Comfortable?" he asked, pulling out.
I didn't respond, just stared out the window as we emerged onto the street. The snow was falling harder now. I focused on counting streetlights, controlling my breathing, ignoring the man beside me and the way the bond hummed with his presence.
Ten minutes of silence. Then his voice cut through it.
"So. You and Damian. How far has that gone?"