go, his aura shimmering and thinning into a barely there mist. I touched his face, and his gaze shifted to me. His eyes looked haunted. He shook his head and handed me my clothes before pulling on his single pair of pants. It was the only possession he had, and that thought nearly killed me.
Today was going to be a battle.
Miranda
I felt like we were on a perp walk. I strode next to Drak, who held his head high as we were led by Daz, Ward, Gar, and Sax to the dining hall. Members of the clavas watched, keeping their distance like we were diseased. At least they hadn’t chained Drak.
The girls stood huddled together in front of the dining hall. Frankie looked absolutely livid as she glared daggers at Daz. I gave her a brave smile to let her know I was okay. My heart warred with my head. As a lawyer, I understood Daz’s need to sit down and hear the full story. As a woman in love, I hated every minute of it.
As we entered the dining hall and made our way back to the sacred meeting room of the head of the Night Kings, I wondered if it would be the last time I’d be welcome inside these walls.
We filed inside, where Xavy and Nero waited for us. Nero’s expression remained calm and impassive as always, while Xavy’s jaw was clenched and his leg bounced in agitation. He gave me a brief nod, and I saw the sympathy there. For such a joker and wicked warrior, he was a very empathetic guy. I knew he hated this almost as much as I did.
Drak and I sat at one end of the long table while Daz sat at the other. The rest of the males took their seats along the sides. Daz sat with his hands folded on the table, eyes on me. “I know you’re angry with me, Miranda. And I’m sorry.”
“I’m not angry with you,” I said. “I’m very frustrated over the situation. I get it, but that doesn’t change how I feel.”
His lips twitched into an almost smile. “Frankie is less understanding.”
“Frankie runs on pure emotion,” I said.
“And you don’t?”
“I do, but I also understand order, and your position as the leader here. So, let’s start talking. The sooner we do that, the closer Drak and I will be finding out where our future lies.”
Daz’s jaw clenched. “You will always be welcome here.”
I scoffed and held up my wrists, loks on display. “He’s my mate. Where I go, he goes.”
He sighed heavily and glanced at his brother before speaking again. “I need you to explain what happened the day you went hunting with Gar.”
I nodded. “Everything was going fine. Gar shot an antella, and he went to retrieve it and told me to wait with Crius.”
Drak’s body jolted, and he sucked in a breath as his gaze whipped to me. The mist of his aura kicked up, swirling into an angry tunnel.
“What?” I asked, placing my hand on his.
He blinked rapidly, and then shook his head, but his aura remained stormy.
“Go on,” Daz said.
“Uh.” I shot Drak another look, distracted by his reaction. “Uh, so when Gar was gone, Crius said that he’d noticed a welf burrow and he’d show it to me. I said I thought we should wait for Gar, and he said it would fine and that we’d only be gone a moment. So, he led me away. After a while, he nudged me in front of him, and told me to keep walking. I did, but I didn’t see any welf burrow. I turned around to ask him where it was, and he wasn’t there. Just… gone.”
Gar slammed his fists down on the table so hard, the legs creaked. I jerked at the sound. “The fleck you say!” he roared.
I stared, stunned at his reaction. “I’m sorry…” I glanced around the table, but no one would look at me. “Wait, what’s wrong?”
Gar paced the length of the room, fists clenched at his sides.
“Get him,” Daz said, flicking his fingers at Sax.
Sax stood swiftly and left the room.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Daz looked me square in the eye. “You’re telling the truth, Miranda?”
“Of course, I am. Why would I lie? When I realized I was alone, I panicked and heard someone walking toward me. I thought it was Crius returning, or Gar, but instead it was three Kulks.” I leaned forward, using my closing argument voice. “They grabbed me, hit me,