just arriving home. Who was it this time? The human? Or perhaps a new conquest with the mage?’
‘I spent all night self-flagellating for my behaviour towards you, my Lord,’ she snapped, finally meeting my eyes, her irritation visible.
I tried not to grin. ‘That mouth of yours does get you into a lot of trouble, doesn’t it?’ I watched her carefully. The spark in her eyes promised bloody violence. I wondered how far I could push her and what it would take to get her to re-consider joining us in London. It would be entertaining, if nothing else. And if we did bring along smitten Betsy too, perhaps Tom could be persuaded to involve himself more in her direction than Mack’s. Not that I was in the business of splitting couples up, but they were already on the skids and far from well suited. ‘Just because I’m leaving,’ I continued, ‘doesn’t mean that I won’t forget that you need to be punished for your infantile behaviour.’
‘Infantile? Why you fu…’ She stopped herself from completing her sentence just in time. ‘Yes, my Lord,’ she muttered.
I almost laughed aloud. ‘I thought you should know that I was impressed with the wolf’s fighting skills last night. And yours. You might consider joining the ranks of the Brethren. Assuming that you can learn some manners, of course.’
‘How thoughtful of your Lordship to think of us. You would do better to engage your attentions elsewhere however, I fear.’
‘Indeed,’ I said, moving next to her to take another look at her hair. The tiny line of red at her roots was becoming much more obvious. ‘Well, till next time then, Kitten. Perhaps then your hair will be back to its normal colour. I am a fan of Celtic red hair.’
A strange expression crossed her face and she stared at the air beside me as if seeing a ghost. ‘My Lord.’ Then she spun on her heel, yanked open the dorm door and vanished.
Chapter Thirteen
The moment I stepped through the portal, returning to the bastion of the Brethren, I could smell the difference in the air. I was a city boy, born and bred, but despite the efforts made by the council to clean up pollution, I could still taste the smog on my tongue. It was a depressing difference to the salty tang of Cornwall. Still, I had more pressing matters to worry about than air pollution. Greeted by two familiar faces, I wasted no time in instructing them to take me immediately to Lola.
She was in better shape than I expected, propped up in bed with a steaming cup of tea. A pallor clung to her skin, and her dark eyes spoke of horrors, but she was recovering. The silly girl tried to get up when I entered her room, as if standing to attention and then collapsing in a puddle of limbs would show me the depth of her loyalty.
‘Don’t you dare,’ I told her, sitting on the edge of her bed. ‘Until the doctor gives you a clean bill of health, you’re staying right there.’
She gave me a weak smile but I could recognise it was tinged with relief. Another damn thing to blame Brady for. He’d have demanded obvious and grovelling obeisance, probably including Lola crawling towards him on all fours, regardless of the severity of her injuries. It was going to take time to show all the shifters that things didn’t have to be like that.
‘You saved my life, my Lord,’ she croaked.
‘I did no such thing. I was on the other side of the country, for goodness’ sake.’
She shook her head. ‘I could feel it. The pain was too strong and the pull to yield and let go was overwhelming. You took that away. I don’t know how you managed it, but you did.’
I wasn’t sure how to respond. Beyond her words, the respect in her expression was clear. I pushed away my doubts that I wasn’t supposed to be the Brethren Lord and focused on what should happen next.
‘Where were you when the attack happened?’
‘We’d just left the Grange.’
I nodded. I’d thought as much from the mental images she’d sent me. It was a popular Brethren hangout thanks to its proximity to Hampstead Heath, the vast, sprawling parkland where it was possible to shift and enjoy the freedom of being in our other forms without worrying too much about being spotted.
‘Was the Ghillie Dhu at the Grange too?’
Lola knew what I was asking. I wanted to know whether any of