saw a small mirror on the wall above an edge of white porcelain, and she guessed it to be a private bathroom. Knight returned a moment later with a paper cup in his hand. He went straight over to Brynn and held out the cup.
“Put the ring inside,” he said in a tone that dared her to argue.
She did as he asked, grateful to have the dangerous object off her finger and away.
“Thank you.” He folded down the top of the cup, creating a neat little package for the ring, which he tucked into the front pocket of his jeans. “Now stay there for a minute.”
“Okay.” Brynn remained perfectly still while Knight helped Rook over to the bathroom. She heard the unmistakable sound of running water, which lasted for a solid minute of washing. She was desperate to do the same, to wash the offensive drug off her skin, even though it would have no effect on her own system. It only killed loup garou, not Magi.
When the brothers returned, Knight jacked his thumb over his shoulder. “Your turn,” he said. “Scrub it off good. Leave the door open.”
Brynn nodded her acquiescence, then gave them a wide berth on her path to the bathroom.
Knight helped Rook settle back into his chair, more than a little concerned by the glassy sheen in Rook’s eyes. The fear he’d sensed from Rook was disappearing behind the drugs in his system. Everything that had happened in the last few minutes, from the instant Knight had stepped into the office and heard the word “antidote,” had scared the holy hell out of him. Initial fear from both Brynn and Rook had battered his empathy, and he was only just starting to get out from under his own stifling sense of panic. Injecting Rook with the syringe had been one of the hardest things he’d ever had to do—trusting the word of a Magus that the contents would help Rook, rather than harm him.
He’d done it, and only because Rook had not hesitated to say he trusted the girl. Knight did not trust her. His beast was furious and wanted to punish her for hurting his kin, despite her explanations and tears. She was a Magus; she was their enemy.
She also had loup garou blood, which made her one of them, as well. She called to his White Wolf, who wanted to soothe her. It was all too confusing.
“How do you feel?” Knight asked.
Rook blinked up at him. “This must be what being stoned feels like.”
“Come on, rock star, I thought you knew that feeling.”
Stoned or not, Rook still had the coordination to flip Knight off.
Loup garou physiology made it nearly impossible to get drunk or high—either state required serious amounts of alcohol or recreational drugs, and the necessary quantity could be fatal before it was fun. Certain barbiturates and anesthetics were effective when dealing with serious wounds, as their town doctor knew all too well, and ketamine was definitely on that list. And Knight knew that Rook had done quite a bit of acting in order to present the kind of guy others thought a member of an alternative rock band should be. At home in Cornerstone, surrounded by loup and a handful of trusted humans, Rook didn’t have to pretend to be someone he wasn’t.
None of them did.
“They’re going to miss you downstairs,” Rook said.
“I know,” Knight replied. “We have to tell Father about this.”
Rook sank deeper into his chair. “Yeah. One more example of me fucking things up.”
“What? How is this you fucking anything up? It’s Brynn’s fault, not yours.”
“You heard her, Knight. I activated the ring, and then I grabbed her damn hand. I poisoned myself.”
The water shut off in the bathroom, but Knight ignored that. “Brynn Jones brought a deadly weapon into this building. A concealed deadly weapon that you had no way of recognizing. Setting it off was not your fault, you hear me?”
Rook shrugged.
“He’s right,” Brynn said from the bathroom doorway. “All of this is my fault, and I’ll accept full responsibility for it. I am so sorry.”
“Our Alpha
“Put the ring inside,” he said in a tone that dared her to argue.
She did as he asked, grateful to have the dangerous object off her finger and away.
“Thank you.” He folded down the top of the cup, creating a neat little package for the ring, which he tucked into the front pocket of his jeans. “Now stay there for a minute.”
“Okay.” Brynn remained perfectly still while Knight helped Rook over to the bathroom. She heard the unmistakable sound of running water, which lasted for a solid minute of washing. She was desperate to do the same, to wash the offensive drug off her skin, even though it would have no effect on her own system. It only killed loup garou, not Magi.
When the brothers returned, Knight jacked his thumb over his shoulder. “Your turn,” he said. “Scrub it off good. Leave the door open.”
Brynn nodded her acquiescence, then gave them a wide berth on her path to the bathroom.
Knight helped Rook settle back into his chair, more than a little concerned by the glassy sheen in Rook’s eyes. The fear he’d sensed from Rook was disappearing behind the drugs in his system. Everything that had happened in the last few minutes, from the instant Knight had stepped into the office and heard the word “antidote,” had scared the holy hell out of him. Initial fear from both Brynn and Rook had battered his empathy, and he was only just starting to get out from under his own stifling sense of panic. Injecting Rook with the syringe had been one of the hardest things he’d ever had to do—trusting the word of a Magus that the contents would help Rook, rather than harm him.
He’d done it, and only because Rook had not hesitated to say he trusted the girl. Knight did not trust her. His beast was furious and wanted to punish her for hurting his kin, despite her explanations and tears. She was a Magus; she was their enemy.
She also had loup garou blood, which made her one of them, as well. She called to his White Wolf, who wanted to soothe her. It was all too confusing.
“How do you feel?” Knight asked.
Rook blinked up at him. “This must be what being stoned feels like.”
“Come on, rock star, I thought you knew that feeling.”
Stoned or not, Rook still had the coordination to flip Knight off.
Loup garou physiology made it nearly impossible to get drunk or high—either state required serious amounts of alcohol or recreational drugs, and the necessary quantity could be fatal before it was fun. Certain barbiturates and anesthetics were effective when dealing with serious wounds, as their town doctor knew all too well, and ketamine was definitely on that list. And Knight knew that Rook had done quite a bit of acting in order to present the kind of guy others thought a member of an alternative rock band should be. At home in Cornerstone, surrounded by loup and a handful of trusted humans, Rook didn’t have to pretend to be someone he wasn’t.
None of them did.
“They’re going to miss you downstairs,” Rook said.
“I know,” Knight replied. “We have to tell Father about this.”
Rook sank deeper into his chair. “Yeah. One more example of me fucking things up.”
“What? How is this you fucking anything up? It’s Brynn’s fault, not yours.”
“You heard her, Knight. I activated the ring, and then I grabbed her damn hand. I poisoned myself.”
The water shut off in the bathroom, but Knight ignored that. “Brynn Jones brought a deadly weapon into this building. A concealed deadly weapon that you had no way of recognizing. Setting it off was not your fault, you hear me?”
Rook shrugged.
“He’s right,” Brynn said from the bathroom doorway. “All of this is my fault, and I’ll accept full responsibility for it. I am so sorry.”
“Our Alpha
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