Chapter 7

I almost spun on my heels and fled from the room.

Almost.

I was halfway through backing out when the need for revenge twisted like a dull, rusted dagger inside my gut, and I stopped.

“You owe me fifty bucks,” Darius commented. “Typical spoiled rich princess.”

Hunter muttered something incoherent as I turned in time to see him fish out cash from his pocket and toss it across the table at Darius. “As if you need it.”

“I still won.” Darius pushed the potted plant aside, and I didn’t miss the once-over he gave me. My heart did this stupid tumble inside my chest, and it took everything out of me not to run off as I initially planned to do.

No. I was going to ruin his day. I had no idea how I would go about that, but I sure as heck would try.

I clenched my fists to my sides, the need to beat the trash out of them like I did with Jace, but I had to be realistic here. The Savage–or should I call him by his real name now that we were acquainted?–was an almost-alpha of a rival pack. Hunter was a rogue, making him as unpredictable and unstable as my dad’s love life.

This brought me back to the most basic question; “What. Are. You. Doing. Here?”

Darius raised a brow, glancing over at Hunter with an unreadable look. “Maybe you might win the bet after all.”

I bared my teeth. “What freaking bet?”

To my utter shock, this time, Hunter replied as he leaned back in his seat. “Your father needed some spies from outside of the pack.”

“For what?” I asked.

“That. And you screwed up,” Darius added between mouthfuls of scrambled egg. “Daddy hired us to make sure you don’t get yourself killed, and as a side job, we supply him with some information about the ongoing events outside of the Black Syndicate.”

“And he…he hired you? The two biggest shitheads on the face of the earth?”

Hunter chuckled, shooting Darius a knowing look. Darius muttered under his breath, fishing out the money Hunter gave him and placing it on the table. “She still hadn’t.”

“She’s going to,” Hunter smirked.

“Un-bloody-believable. Are you two really doing this right in front of me?”

“Yes.” They both deadpanned.

Every inch of my body wanted to leap forward and smack those smug looks off their faces. Though, currently, Hunter’s was bigger than Darius’ due to that stupid bet they got going.

“I’ll be right back,” I muttered stiffly, making a beeline for the kitchen. I had to calm down and get my head straight if I wanted to make them suffer. But I wasn’t going to lie. I had no clue how I was going to go about it.

I found Harris standing in the kitchen, taste-testing–as he liked to call it–from a tray of variable savory snacks. When he spotted me, he lowered the half-eaten biscuit topped with caviar and herbs. “Miss Cartwright, is there anything I can do for you?”

I lifted an arm and pointed angrily toward the kitchen door. “My dad hired them? Of all people, them?”

Harris blinked slowly as if considering his next words. “I’m afraid so. Yes, Miss.”

“But…but…one is…” I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud.

“An outsider,” Harris shrugged.

“And the other one is…”

“A bigger outsider,” he finished.

I took a deep breath, shoving my fingers into my hair. “Harris, did my dad ever mention why the hell he thought hiring one of our biggest rivals was a good idea? He’s probably going to kill us in our sleep!”

Harris’ eyes went wide. “Well, Miss, maybe everyone else. Doubt the Bloodmoon Brotherhood prince would harm you.”

I stiffened. “What do you mean?”

“You are his chosen mate,” he spoke casually. “He won’t harm you.”

“He rejected me, Harris.” Why the hell did those words hurt so much? I barely knew the guy or cared for him.

“Yes. But has he done the unbinding ritual with you yet?”

“No.” I frowned. “But it’s not like he got a chance yet. I was locked in juvie, remember?”

Harris smiled. “Painfully aware of it, Miss. The house was obnoxiously quiet without your shenanigans.”

“And besides, there’s the…” my voice trailed. The binding ritual, to make it official.

“If he really wanted to break the bond with you, he would have done so by now.”

“Harris,” I sighed. “Did you hear the part where I said I was in juvie?”

“Quite clearly, Miss. But if you knew Mister Monroe, you’d know he’s no man to wait anything out. The people are talking.”

If there was anything Harris was a sucker for, it was romance and happy endings. So much so that he overlooked rejections like they didn’t exist. Even as forbidden as my pairing with Darius was.

What have I ever done to tick off the moon goddess to such an extent that she thought pairing me with the Savage was a good idea? And as someone who was supposed to be a sworn enemy–who was working for my dad now.

Working against me.

I wondered if my dad knew about this. Likely, as gossip carried faster than a traveling bullet among our pack. Bet Fat Tony told him. Maybe that was why Dad thought Darius would bite whatever deal he had on with him.

I was more curious about what was in this deal for Darius, as it had to be something big. It had to be. Why else would two opposing pack leaders team up and work together?

I bet my bare ass it had nothing to do with babysitting me.

I took a deep breath, attempting to gather my thoughts and decide how to move on from here. “Wait, so they’re staying here now? Or what?”

“For the time being, yes. They are living under this roof.”

“Wonderful. Any other nasty surprises I should be aware of?” I crossed my arms, realizing I was shaking. Heck, if I could spit fire, I would.

“If anything does come up, Miss, you bet I would run my short, ageing legs as fast as I could to tell you,” Harris assured.

I couldn’t help but smile. “I know you would, Harris. Thank you.”

“Any time, Miss.” Harris turned to pick up a jar of milk from the counter and headed for one of the three giant fridges on the other side of the kitchen.

As I forced my legs toward the kitchen door, Harris called, “Oh, Miss?”

“Yes?” I glanced at him over my shoulder.

“There may be a few bottles of concentrated prune juice that had gone off in the pantry. The taste is off–bland if you ask me. But still quite effective.”

“Okay?” I blinked, not sure where he was going with this.

“Well, it’s the same color as that bourbon the men like.” Harris paused, looking thoughtful. “In fact, they go through quite a few bottles of bourbon a week.”

I snorted a laugh, finally catching on. “Did I ever tell you how much I love you, Harris?”

“For interest sake, I like to keep spoiled products behind the bottles of bleach for potential later use.” He winked. “More specifically, for colon cleansing purposes.”

I couldn’t hold back the fit of giggles escaping me as I made my way back to the dining room, making a mental note to visit the pantry later when no one would notice.