Captive Mate - Eliot Grayson Page 0,61

and then funneled a bit more magic into the stream of salt I was pouring out of my bag to keep it neat.

Nate made an approving noise from behind me. Maybe he even sounded a touch impressed.

“Why are you doing this?” he asked abruptly when we were halfway around, with the full diameter of the circle between us. “I’m trying not to be too suspicious. I really am. I’m pissed at you. But I’m trying to get over it.”

I poured more salt, focusing on keeping the line smooth and even. “Did Matthew tell you what I heard from Colin? About —” Shit, I really was getting soft. Mentioning Nate’s father felt cruel. “About what the Kimballs were involved in. Some kind of movement to reorganize supernaturals.”

Nate snorted. “Get us under someone’s thumb, you mean. My father was involved. That means they’re not out to help anyone. And yeah, he told us.”

That simple us caught me by the throat and made me swallow, hard. Nate was part of an us, and he didn’t even think about it. Everything he did was with Ian; even if they weren’t together physically, their mate bond made them one.

“Good,” I managed to say. “Then you know why I’m here. I’m as against that as anyone else.”

He hmm-ed but didn’t say anything else.

A minute later we met on the other side of the circle and stood back to survey our work. It looked good. Even and geometrically accurate.

“We’re glad you’re here,” Nate said quietly. “Even Matthew. I mean, I know it’s the spell and everything, but I think underneath that he was genuinely worried that asshole Taft had caught up to you when you escaped and then just disappeared.”

I turned my head and glanced at Nate, trying to figure out if he was fucking with me. I’d taken off the spell. Why wouldn’t Matthew tell Nate and Ian that it was gone? And his council, for fuck’s sake. That was their reason for suspending his leadership of the pack. All he needed to do to get back his full authority was show them the spell was gone, which meant telling them first, and then having Nate do a thorough magical examination to prove it.

Maybe he hadn’t had the time? But I’d been gone for days.

Well, fuck Matthew. If he had some reason for hiding it, he could stuff it up his arrogant alpha ass. I wasn’t a mind reader. And I wasn’t obligated to keep his secrets.

“I undid the spell before I left. There wasn’t any reason to have it in place anymore, and I hoped you all would take that as a goodwill gesture and let us go our own ways.”

There was a short silence. Nate stared at me, his eyes narrowed. “Um, no,” he said. “You didn’t. Matthew said the spell was still on him. Obviously you fixed the proximity effect when you got your magic back, but —” I raised one eyebrow, staring him down, wanting him to remember how and why I’d gotten my magic back. “Yeah, I know — I mean — yes, I fucking know that was my fault, all right? I got too confident. I thought it would hold you even if I wasn’t there. Fine. You won that round. Are you happy?”

“It wasn’t hard to break,” I said dismissively.

Nate’s face shut down completely, and he turned away. My heart sank a little. Well, there went the tentative rapport we’d built.

“Yeah, whatever,” he said. “And fuck you for lying about the spell on Matthew.” He whirled on me again, his eyes flashing. “And when this is over, you’re taking it off for real, you hear me? He doesn’t deserve this bullshit.”

I was going to argue, shout, something, but the sound of approaching voices shook me out of it.

Fuck this. Matthew probably hadn’t wanted Nate poking around magically for some other reason, or he’d wanted to show the council he could function even enchanted — or something, fucking whatever. I didn’t care. Matthew’s brother-in-law and council and pack were his problem, not mine.

I turned to see Ian coming out of the trees. “We’re done,” I said. “What’s their ETA?”

“Ten minutes,” Ian said shortly, not even bothering to add something insulting or threatening. “You two need to get in position.”

I nodded and walked past him, but he caught Nate by the arm, holding him back and whispering urgently in his ear. Probably more warnings about being alone with me, since Ian would be here dealing with the Kimballs directly while Nate