Anchor of Secrets by Tessa Hale

16

Ice slidthrough my veins at Damien’s name. The thought of his father conjured images of a man harsher and crueler than Damien could ever be. I instinctively pressed into Colt’s side.

He wrapped an arm around me, pulling me close. “He’s obviously got sources keeping him in the loop.”

I looked up at Colt in question.

He tipped his head down to meet my gaze. “Someone had to tell Alister that you were back at school. He knows if he shows up here, on neutral territory, it’ll be harder for us to reject a meeting.”

A shiver ran through me.

“He can fuck right off,” Trace growled as he strode up behind us, Ronan following after him.

Colt’s jaw hardened as he glanced in Trace’s direction. “You know it’s not that simple.”

“He knows, but we can’t just leave her at his mercy either,” Ronan argued.

There was a tension in Ronan’s words I’d never heard before. My gaze swept over him, taking stock. A muscle in his cheek fluttered. His jaw was set. A vein pulsed in his neck. Everything about his body was braced.

I slipped from Colt’s hold on instinct, crossing to Ronan. I pressed a hand to his chest. “Hey, I’ll be fine. He can’t hurt me here.”

It was the first time I’d touched Ronan since I’d been rescued. Heat bloomed in my palm, snaking up my arm. I’d missed him.

Ronan’s eyes went liquid gold as they locked with mine. Then he moved so fast it was a blur. He crushed me to his chest, holding on tight. “You don’t know that, Firecracker.”

An ache spread along my sternum. It was the first time he’d used my nickname, too. I hadn’t realized how much I hated him always calling me Leighton.

I burrowed deeper into his hold, and my hand slipped under his blazer so that I could better feel his heat. “I know because you’ll be with me.”

Ronan’s hold on me didn’t loosen, but he pressed his nose into my hair, breathing deeply.

Something wasn’t right here. This was more than the leader of the vamps showing up at school to question me. Something had tweaked him.

Dash cleared his throat. “What do you think Alister wants? This is bold, even for him.”

Ronan’s arms spasmed around me, but he gave me just enough space to turn in his arms so that I could face the group.

“If he wanted to talk to Leighton, he should’ve gone through official channels, The Assembly,” Declan grumbled.

Colt’s jaw worked back and forth. “If we deny him, it’s an insult. Could point us more toward war.”

“Let war come,” Trace snarled. “He’s been fucking with us for decades. I still think he’s the one who leaked information to the shadow demons about our strongholds.”

A full-blown shudder racked my body as I remembered the creepy shadow being that had attacked me and Colt. I remembered the guys saying the demons had attacked the clans in ways that said they had inside information.

Colt’s expression went stormy, and Ronan shoved Trace. “Not helping.”

I glanced at Colt, worry digging in deep. “Colt?”

But it wasn’t just him who’d gone dark. It was Dash and Declan, too.

Declan met my gaze across our little huddle. “The shadow demons killed Colt’s father and Dash’s family. My and Ronan’s mother.”

I sucked in a breath. Oh, God. An image of that black tar-like substance dripping from the creature’s teeth flashed in my head. The article about Colt’s father being found drained of blood. I was going to be sick.

“You think it was the vampires who leaked their whereabouts.” It wasn’t a question, but it still begged for an answer.

“We don’t have proof,” Dash said quietly.

Trace scoffed. “They’re the only ones who want to see us all fall.”

“Then why the hell are they in your little peace treaty, Assembly thing?” I asked.

Colt shook his head. “The treaty has been around for generations. There are rules and guidelines in place that don’t make it easy to remove clans. There are processes we have to go through.”

“Are those processes happening now?” I pressed.

“Kind of,” Declan explained. “They’ve been disciplined for unprovoked attacks, but Alister has played it off as young vamps getting out of hand.”

“That’s smart,” I grumbled.

“He’s too smart. Manipulative,” Ronan gritted out, his raspy voice skating across my ear.

“But he’s also someone we have to play ball with,” Colt said. “We don’t have a choice.”

I took a deep breath. “Let’s go, then.”

Damien’s father probably expected me to cower after what his son had put me through. I wouldn’t give him the pleasure.

“Fuck no,” Trace snapped.

I turned to him, slipping from Ronan’s hold. “I’m not weak, and I won’t let this asshole think I am. He wants to play games? I’ve had to play them my entire life. He thinks he can show up here and intimidate me? He’s going to realize I’ve dealt with far worse than him and his mind games.”

Trace’s eyes flashed purple. “I know you aren’t weak. But that doesn’t mean we should drop you into the lion’s den.”

“I’m not going alone. You’ll all be with me. And it’s time to show this creep that if you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us.”

Colt’s lips twitched. “Missed that fire.”

My gaze shot to him, liquid heat pooling inside me.

He tugged me toward him and brushed his lips across mine. “Missed you.”

My heart cracked. “I missed you, too.”

Ronan cleared his throat. “As much as I’d love to watch you two make out, I think we need to deal with the bloodsucker first.”

Colt glared at him. “Cockblock.”

Dash choked on a laugh.

My cheeks heated, but I extricated myself from Colt’s hold. “Let’s get this over with.”

The guys surrounded me as we headed in the direction of the Castle Prep offices. Each step made my insides twist tighter. I focused on my breathing, working to keep it even, knowing that Alister would be able to hear my heartbeat.

As we stepped inside the reception area, we were greeted by a visibly nervous Headmaster Abrams. He wrung his hands as he met Colt’s eyes. “I don’t want any trouble. Should I call The Assembly?”

Colt clapped the headmaster on his shoulder as if they were old friends. “You won’t have any issues today unless Alister starts them.”

That didn’t seem to reassure Headmaster Abrams, but he stepped aside anyway. “He’s in the conference room.”

Colt led the way to a set of double doors and opened one, moving inside. The rest of us followed.

My gaze instinctively moved to the man standing at the head of the conference table. I would’ve instantly known he and Damien were related. Same hair, same dark eyes, but it was the nose and jaw that cemented it.

Alister smiled, and there was nothing authentic about it. He crossed the room, stopping just in front of me. His nostrils flared as he breathed deeply. “Leighton, it’s lovely to meet you. I can certainly see what all the fuss was about.”

It was the exact wrong thing to say. Snarls sounded from all around me.

Oh, fuck, someone was going to die.