A Crown of Blood

Chapter 12

"Again."

"But—"

"Again!"

The heat of Damon's breath on the back of my neck sent shivers cascading down my back. Wiping my hand across my mouth, I raised my fists and sank into a low stance in front of the sparring ring, ready to launch myself back onto the mat where Sutton lazily strolled, eyeing me warily.

"I prefer kickboxing the bag," I argued. "Not that it hasn't been a pleasure, Sutton."

Sutton grinned. "Likewise."

Standing at my back, he grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. My body instinctually ducked when he moved to grab my waist, and I swiped a kick at his ankles, narrowly missing. The sizzle of electric magic buzzed in my ears and I clamped onto the power, using the burst of energy with my momentum to let the magic scatter through my body and dissipate instead of setting the ring on fire.

Damn, Jude. His training was actually working.

But he wouldn't hear that from you.

Rolling onto my back, I sat up. "When do I get to meet the rest of the pack? They've been back long enough. Quarantine was—what? Two weeks if you tested positive?"

Meeting the pack meant gathering more intel. It meant digging my claws deeper into the fabric of the Caine pack. It could even mean protection if something awful were to find me.

Like Natalia.

Just the thought of her set me on edge.

Extending a hand, Damon said, "When I say you're ready."

Goddesses above, he was such a dick sometimes. He'd been in a sour mood since the night on the rocks. Not that I blamed him. I tolerated the snide remarks, the grueling drills, and harsh words. But, I still had my limits.

Taking his hand, I paused. Took in the feel of it. The strength in his fingers. The freckles and scars and marks on his skin. A wolf—my wolf—had her limits, too. She wouldn't tolerate this farce for long.

"I think I'm ready," I said, quickly pulling away and standing on my own. The stark white lights painted Damon with a bluish glow that felt too close to the blue of his lips that night. Even if it was an illusion, it left me unsettled, and my teeth gritting so hard, my jaw ached.

His brows furrowed at my expression. Curiosity. Confusion. Instead of the anger displayed over the last two hours. Why was he angry? I was the one with two awful secrets now.

I knew it was a trick of the light, but for a moment, I swore something else flickered in his eyes—recognition—a familiarity to our most primal connection. Staring at the ruby light throbbing at the base of his throat that only I could see, I knew it was not the case. The magic that hid our connection remained intact. The wolf hadn't surfaced much since I invoked it.

"Stop looking at me like that," I snapped.

"Excuse me?"

"Like I did something wrong. Don't you have some other pack to bully?"

He barked a laugh. "Bully? Is that what they're calling it?" He glanced at Sutton, who rolled his eyes. I didn't know exactly who they were. Only after the attack on the Caine pack earlier, Damon and Sutton and the others disappeared into one of the houses on the hill, obviously scheming for a much more permanent retaliation. I didn't get the chance to sneak down there; the security system was on. A guard at my door.

"You're bullying me by keeping me isolated. Sorry, Damon. You're pretty and all, but I can't just keep staring at your face or Jude's face all fucking day. I'm going to lose it."