Larkin and Tate sucked in sharp breaths behind me.
“Can’t this guy fucking die?” Rhodes hissed behind me.
I agreed. Part of me had known. The lack of a body after our fight at Granite Peak had left me wondering, waiting. At least now I knew that I wasn’t crazy for thinking about it all those months.
Cassian was like a cockroach; able to survive under the most of unlikely circumstances.
My eyes darted to Remy, watching as the muscles in his back bunched, his hands forming fists and then relaxing alternately as he watched Cassian approach.
“Guess I get my wish,” Remy murmured for my ears only. “I really wanted to kill this dickhead myself.”
I turned to him, gaping a little when I saw the glint of happiness in his dark eyes.
“You know, I’ve been looking forward to this moment,” Cassian said, walking towards Remy. “Our fight got cut off a little too fast last time.”
“You mean because my girl tackled you off a cliff like you were a pillow?” Remy smirked, but I could see his skin rippling as his wolf pushed for him to change. If he was shocked, he was hiding it well. His mask of calm seemed impenetrable.
Cassian grimaced. “She got lucky. And I don’t see any cliffs around here, do you?”
Nikolai moved to stand beside Remy before I could grab him. “So, this rancid little shit is the Alpha of this hellhole?”
Cassian grinned, tipping his chin up. “You must be Skye’s daddy. Thanks for bringing her home.”
Nikolai ignored him and turned to Remy. “He’s the Alpha?”
“Apparently,” Remy replied coolly, not taking his eye off the undead Cassian.
Nikolai grinned, spreading his arms wide like he welcomed the news. “Wonderful.”
He lunged forward, kicking Allan’s knee with a crack. Allan staggered and went down with a bellow, but Nikolai’s hands were there to cradle his head a brief second before they twisted, wrenching his head to the side.
The second crack that split the air was met with silence.
Allan fell forward limply, his neck broken. He was dead before his cheek hit the dirt.
“Sorry,” Nikolai apologized, almost congenial, before stepping back and away from the two Alphas. He gestured to the space separating them. “Carry on as you were.”
Cassian gaped down at where Allan was slumped.
Remy rubbed his jaw. “I guess now’s a good time to challenge you for your pack.”
Cassian’s head shot up, his eyes narrowing with hate. “Challenge fucking accepted.”
Remy grinned.
44
Remy
“Just so we’re clear,” Lulu said softly as I turned back to the group to get ready for the challenge, “I can totally just suck all the air out of his lungs right now and kill him.”
My eyebrows shot up.
She shrugged at me. “Or set him on fire. Snap his spine. Really, there’s a lot of possibilities.”
“You’ve been hanging out with my mother too much,” Dimitri grumbled, shaking his head.
“I’ve got this,” I assured them, feeling the familiar pull of my wolf as he readied for the challenge.
Skye’s small hand hooked around my pinky finger. It was a tiny gesture, but I knew it was her way of saying she was supporting me in every way, even if she was terrified.
I lifted her hand to my lips, kissing her knuckles as I gave her my full attention. “It’s going to be fine.”
Her green eyes blinked owlishly at me. “Can you just make sure that he actually dies this time? I’m getting tired of him coming back and messing with our lives every time I think I’ve gotten away from him.”
A smirk pulled at my lips. “Sure. Consider it a belated birthday present.”
“We never did get to have your birthday party,” Katy sighed.
“If your friends are throwing you a party, I would like to as well,” Nikolai spoke up. He scanned the group of Long Mesa members. “Are there any other heads you would like? I could post them on spikes around the fence of the house for when you return to visit.”
Skye stared at him. “I probably won’t be back to Russia for a while.”
He waved a dismissive hand. “It’s cold there more often than not. The cold will preserve the heads well. Simply point them out, and we’ll take care of it.”
“No heads,” she said forcefully. “I don’t want heads as a gift. Ever. In any context.”
Nikolai turned to Addie. “Sometimes she truly is more your child than mine.”
Even Addie couldn’t help cracking a smile. She’d been fairly pale since Nikolai broke Allan’s neck, but