braided?”
“Braided please,” Brynna mumbled, her eyes still closed. He turned her sideways so he could step behind her, and Travis plaited her long hair. It wasn’t anything fancy, but he was learning.
“If you don’t feel like talking to the others, I’ll go fix us something to eat and bring it to our room.”
“No. I’d rather get it over with. And I feel better. Thank you, Travis.” Brynna stood and pulled his head down, pressing her lips to the side of his mouth. The kiss was gentle, but it conveyed everything she was feeling.
“You never have to thank me for anything, Princess, but you’re most welcome.”
Chapter Eleven
Brynna felt better. Not good, but better now that she knew Travis wouldn’t hate her for killing those two humans. When they entered the kitchen, everyone was sitting around quietly. She smiled, or at least she tried. “I know you have questions. So do I, but I need a drink first.”
Lawrence rushed from the kitchen and returned with his arms full of liquor “I didn’t know which you wanted.” He set four bottles down, and Brynna chose a bottle of Jameson. Knowing Jasper had a hand in launching the brand had her reaching for the Irish whiskey when she wasn’t in the mood for tequila.
“Do you want us to leave?” Marcie asked.
“No. You’re family, and what I have to say affects you and Lawrence too.”
The kitchen was large, but it was still more crowded than usual with the addition of Dacey and Cal. Brynna didn’t mind them being there, though. Especially Calder. She might need him in the future. Marcie passed out glasses, and everyone except Travis poured a hefty amount of liquor for themselves.
“Cal, I want to hire you as my attorney.”
“That goes without saying,” the male replied.
Travis stood behind Brynna’s chair with his hands on her shoulders. His love and support were what she needed to get this over with. She relayed everything that happened from the moment she was stabbed until they picked her up. She left out no detail.
Banyan, who was sitting to her left, grabbed her hand. “Gods, Brynna. I’m sorry you had to go through that. If you weren’t as strong as you are… I don’t even want to think of how it could have gone differently.”
“I’m sorry too.” Urijah stood and paced the area behind the table. “They took you because of me.”
“What I don’t get is why the kidnappers were human and not Goyles,” Dacey said. “You mentioned the woman was called Sphinx. Surely that’s a code name.”
“I wanted to keep their phones, but I didn’t want whoever they were working for to have a way to track my movements. It’s why I didn’t take one of their cars.”
“That was smart,” Banyan agreed. “If Sphinx is a code name, they probably work for a group of mercenaries, or at the least they were hired guns. But I’m with Dacey on this; why not send in Gargoyles?”
“It could be because we’re in your territory,” Travis said. “This area is full of shifters, and maybe Drago didn’t want to chance sending in a handful of his males knowing they would be outnumbered.”
“What happens now?” Marcie asked.
“We continue with our lives, but we remain vigilant. I’m going to ask some of the local Goyles I trust to act as guards. The contractors are shifters, so I doubt they’ll have a problem agreeing to work on the house. Brynna, I would ask that you and Travis limit your trips into town. If you do go out, please take at least two males with you,” Banyan said. “Marcie, you and Lawrence should do the same. I have no doubt whoever is after us knows about the two of you.”
“Marcie, do you still want to live here? What I did…” Brynna searched her best friend’s face.
“What the hell are ya going on about, do I still want to live here? I’m proud of ya for what ya did. I always knew you were a badass, and that just proves it. If that had been me tied up, I’d have pissed myself and would still be hanging there.” Marcie shook her head, then turned to Banyan. “I’m good with guards, but do you need to worry about the bodies Brynna left behind? Brynna, I know you said you took every precaution not to leave behind any evidence you were there, but do we need to worry about the politi showing up? Whoever did this was able to have Urijah taken in on fake charges.”
Banyan