“I’m going to tell her you said that,” she teased, knowing Vaughn would do anything to protect his sister, the same way Briana’s brothers would her.
“Sun is going down.”
She went along with the abrupt change in subject, following his gaze out the window where she caught a glimpse of Lucan across the courtyard.
Turning away, she wandered across the room, hearing the unmistakable sounds of someone fighting.
“Nessa and the witch.”
Briana cocked a brow at the term Elena would have taken issue with.
He shrugged unapologetically. “They’re sparring in the gym. It’s next to the weapons room,” he tacked on.
“And the others?”
“Haven’t seen the slave dealer for a while,” he said, referring to the Korrigan. “The Fae is meditating that way, and the enchantress and Kel are tolerating each other’s company in the dining room.” He motioned in the opposite direction. “She piled twice as much food on her plate as the dragon, and he could probably eat a small village.”
Movement from the corner of her eye snagged her attention, and she watched through the glass as Lucan approached the door on the opposite side of the room.
“Does he worry you?” Vaughn put a plate of cold chicken on the counter.
“He should worry everyone here.” Herself included.
Vaughn came to stand beside her. “I was talking about Kellagh the Black, but I can’t say your wraith friend doesn’t freak me the fuck out.”
“We’re not friends.” They weren’t anything anymore. It shouldn’t bother her to admit that, considering she and Lucan had barely seen each other in centuries until recently, but it did. Beneath her ribs she could feel the gnawing throb of the loss. “Lucan knows my brothers.”
Biting into a sandwich he’d pulled from the fridge, Vaughn cocked his head. “I’ve never crossed paths with a wraith until now.”
“Lucky for you that Morgana and Rhiannon aren’t BFFs, otherwise you might have been marked for assassination long ago.”
He grinned like it was a compliment he’d managed not to get himself killed serving the rebellion.
The door opened behind her and she kept her gaze trained on Vaughn. Her friend dove back into his sandwich without betraying how much the wraith intimidated him. He glanced over her shoulder to where Lucan stood.
The weight of the former knight’s stare bore into her. Though she didn’t acknowledge his presence, he lingered, his presence a bittersweet stroke across her fledgling resolve to forge a new fate for herself.
“The twisted bastards got the raw end of the deal with Rhiannon,” Vaughn murmured a few moments after Lucan had gone.
Briana didn’t comment. Focusing on the competition was the only hope she had of tempering the beast inside her. She forced herself to eat something with Vaughn, then followed him to the training room to watch Nessa and Elena for a while. He stretched out on the bench, looking much too at ease given the situation as he resisted both their attempts to get him to spar.
Watching the huntress dominate hand-to-hand combat left Briana a little nervous. She knew she could hold her own for a while, her brothers had guaranteed it, but she spent far more time working on her security systems these days than she did channeling her inner huntress.
“She’s trying to screw with our heads, you know.” Vaughn didn’t bother opening his eyes. “She wants us to be scared of her.”
“There will be much scarier things than Nessa to face.” Briana’s gaze landed on Kel, who stood just outside the training room. Things worse than even a dragon with a reputation for being a willing mercenary, unlike Lucan.
A gong sounded outside, and everyone stopped.
“Time’s up I guess.” Vaughn was the first on his feet and walking out of the room.
She was the last to leave the training room, mentally preparing herself for a competition two gods had decided to include her in, maybe solely for her connection to Lucan. If she hadn’t been in the parking lot that day, she might have escaped their notice.
Somehow she knew that would have been worse than being given the chance to change the path that fate and her mate bond had set her on.
By the time Briana joined the others, Kel and the enchantress were slipping outside to gather with everyone else. She kept her gaze from seeking out Lucan for as long as she could He stood watching Maeve and Aren, who lounged atop a snowy-white gazebo straight out of a bridal magazine photo op.
Below them, a black gong at least ten feet wide continued to vibrate in the center of the gazebo. The handle lay next to it where the Korrigan had tossed it aside.
“You’ve declined our invitation to participate?” Maeve pouted.
The Korrigan nodded.
“If that is your decision.” Aren lifted a hand and the vine covered wall that enclosed the courtyard parted, revealing a dense jungle on the other side.
The Korrigan walked toward it without looking back. As he disappeared into the surrounding foliage, Maeve sat up straighter. “Does anyone else wish to decline?”
Briana watched Lucan from the corner of her eye, but he made no move to approach the gazebo. The enchantress took a step forward, looking unsure.
A scream rang out and seconds later chunks of the earth rained down on the courtyard. No, Briana quickly amended. Chunks of Korrigan, including his head, which landed directly at the enchantress’s feet.
Hand over her mouth, the enchantress spun away from the gruesome sight. The Fae who sat on the ground, his back against a low stone wall, tipped his head up toward the gods. “I thought we could refuse?”
Aren nodded. “We did indeed say that. But we never said you would be allowed to live if you declined.”
Maeve giggled. “The competition begins at midnight.” The pair vanished along with the gazebo.
“Well, that settles it.” Vaughn glanced at Elena. “I guess you’re gonna get to spend more time with me, beautiful.”
Chapter Seven
Lucan stared at the door leading to Briana’s room but made no move to knock.
He knew he should apologize. He just wasn’t entirely sure what for. For sounding like a bastard when he warned her that she couldn’t trust anyone in this competition, not even him? Or for lying to her? Again.
He pushed away from the wall, taking two steps toward the door that loomed in front of him. The need to set things right between them ate at him. He just didn’t know what right was anymore.
Every time Briana got too close, she blurred the lines that kept him from making a mistake. Being with her—being anywhere near her—was a mistake that had hurt them both before, and here he stood with only a door separating them.
Bracing his hands on the frame, Lucan closed his eyes. Downstairs he could watch the others, shadow them while they remained oblivious to his presence, noting their strategies and skills. Instead he had to talk himself out of speaking to Briana for just a few minutes, as if that would ever be enough time to make up for the pain he’d already caused.
He reached a hand out to knock. The sight of his hand, pale and tinged an icy blue, stopped him. Although he didn’t feel the wraith’s presence, threatening his control, he spun away from the door.
Maybe it was better if he said nothing. If he smoothed things over—if that was even possible—he risked making her think she could rely on him throughout the competition.
A potentially costly mistake for both of them.
But how could he protect her if she continued to avoid him as she had since their last conversation?
Another glance at the door had him imagining her sitting at a desk, her dark brows scrunched in concentration, her fingers gliding across the keys of her laptop. More than a few times he’d caught a glimpse of her that way in her brother’s office at Pendragon’s or at her family’s home. Lost in concentration, she always remained unaware of his presence for long minutes, giving him time to watch every nuance of thought cross her face while she worked.