Read Online A Council of Betrayal by Kim Schubert - Free Book Online Page B

handle
things in my absence, but if you cannot, I will find a
replacement.”
    That pissed her off. She turned, pointing a
finger at me, “No one else could possibly put up with your shit and
handle all the prissy succubi as well as I do.”
    “Everyone is replaceable.” Then, my eyes
narrowing at her, “You would do well to remember that.”
    I turned away from her, not liking the way
this was going at such an important juncture, or the way I kept
screwing it up. I just needed her to be honest with me, honest
about Hash, about her concerns for her safety. I could—I would forgive all that had happened, if she would just tell
me the truth. But I had a meeting to keep, and at this point I
might end up in the cages.
    Jerry was waiting for me in my room, an
outfit laid out. He rested his chin between his thumb and first
finger.
    “I’m not sure about tonight’s outfit,” he
admitted.
    I swallowed my anger; it wasn’t with him.
“Why?” I asked, coming to stand over his shoulder.
    High-waisted white shorts were paired with a
navy blue crop top, but my favorites were the knee-high boots.
    “These are hot,” I admired them, eyeing the
flat heels.
    I dressed quickly, with Jerry and Mark
waiting to escort me to Logan’s room. In the extra five minutes we
had, Jerry smeared more makeup on me and pinned up my still dark
brown locks into an artful mess.
    I was admiring my boots and the very neat
hiding places they had for my knives when Logan, Hudson and Alec
entered, surprising me. I turned my attention to them, smiling.
    “How did it go with Grams?” Logan asked me,
coming to walk next to me.
    I groaned, “Not well.” I was closed-lipped,
not giving away any more. The walls had ears.
    He nodded and we all piled into the elevator
together.
    “Those shorts are hot, Olivia,” Hudson
stated, admiring my long legs.
    “Jerry picked them. I have zero sense of
style.”
    “That’s true,” Alec confirmed.
    “Although it doesn’t have pockets for my
phone,” I muttered, holding up the object to Logan. He stored it in
his pocket with a small smile, his warm fingers brushing my
own.
    …
    The ride went quickly, all of us listening to
Hudson and Logan talk about their past exploits. Logan was far
older than I had originally thought. Like World War I old.
    The noise level surprised me when we arrived.
I could hear it from the street as we forced our way between pack
bodies into the huge building. I locked my arms around Logan’s
waist, not wanting to get lost. Finally making it into the main
rooms, I was taken aback by the raw needs flooding the space.
    “Whoa,” I muttered, leaning heavily on
Logan.
    “You alright?” he asked, turning and resting
an arm around my shoulders.
    I nodded, stepping back, bracing myself. “I
wasn’t expecting that.”
    “What?” Hudson asked. “I figured after your
sex tape, open displays of sex wouldn’t bother you.” He was
watching closely the two naked women in the corner.
    I shook my head. “It’s not what is happening,
it’s the emotions underneath it all. I’ve never felt anything as
desperate before.”
    Jerry and Mark surveyed the group. “Where is
Alec?” Mark asked.
    “Shit,” Logan hissed, grabbing my hand and
towing me after him. “I fucking told him not to do this.”
    “Do what?” I yelled at him over the
uncomfortably loud music.
    We moved into an auditorium and at the bottom
was Alec, facing off against two opponents.
    “Logan, they’re drugged. On the same stuff
Bear was,” I whispered to him, moving close.
    He looked down at me in surprise. “How can
you tell?”
    I shrugged. “The way they are holding
themselves back, the drool, the emotion they are kicking off. All
of it is exactly how Bear reacted.”
    “We are still looking for a companion to
fight next to Alec!” the announcer boomed.
    “Logan, you have to put someone down there,”
I hissed at him, desperate to protect Alec.
    “What would you have me do, show him favor?”
He pulled me