Midnight Kisses (Shifter Island #1) - Leia Stone Page 0,55

her, my father decided extra lessons in hand-to-hand combat were the best backup plan for my wolf, who locked up in life or death situations.

“Does your entire pack know your weakness?” Honor asked, his hand going to massage that spot on his right leg that must be causing him pain.

Calling it a weakness hurt, but he was right.

I knew where this conversation was headed. “Yes, but I doubt the wolf who attacked me was Nolan.” Moving my position slightly, I winced when the movement sent a sharp zing deep into my bone. I knew Nolan’s wolf’s markings and smell, but there was magic to cover that up, so I wasn’t sure.

“Damn,” Honor said as if he wanted it to be Nolan.

Noble shared a look with Honor, and the latter nodded.

“You need lessons,” Honor said, fur rippling down his arms. “That’s a weakness no shifter can afford.”

“Sure,” I said. “Where do you propose I squeeze that in? Saturdays might work, assuming I’m not cramming for fire or water classes. Or the alpha studies in the gym. Not to mention serving meals in the dining hall.” I shook my head at the absurdity of their proposal. “I don’t have time for one more thing.”

Noble sucked in a breath. “Nai—”

“You can’t afford to not take time for this,” Honor snapped. “How can you expect your pack to follow you if you can’t shift when there’s danger?”

I glared at him, forcing myself to keep my eyes off his injured leg; it was rich coming from him. “It hasn’t affected me … so far.”

Honor crouched and stared at me eye-to-eye. “It just did, Nai. That’s why you’re in here.” He gestured to the healing ward I lay in and straightened. “Lessons start Saturday night, 8 p.m. sharp.”

Then he turned and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

“What the mage is his problem?” I grumbled, picking at the edge of my blanket. Lessons? Honor was going to teach my wolf to shift in danger? Hah. Good luck. My father had been trying for years.

Noble shook his head, making it clear he wasn’t pleased either.

“You almost died, Nai. Everyone is really wound up about this attack.” Noble pursed his lips. “No one knows if you were the specific target or just the best opportunity to strike at the heirs. Think of what it could mean if our own kind was uniting with the selkies and betraying us. It could put others at risk, not just you, and there’s the tension with the other shifters too…”

Wolf shifters uniting with the other shifter races to pick off heirs? I shivered at the thought. I’d never asked anymore about the selkie incident, and the boys didn’t offer anything up.

“But the attack on me was an isolated incident, right?” I argued, my voice still sounding raspy. “Or have there been others?”

“As much as I hate to say it, you’re the only one. Hardly reassuring at this point.” He gave my good hand a squeeze. “Feel better. I’ve got to report back to the king.”

Then he, too, left the room.

My attention bounced from the door and back to my friends, who swarmed back to the bed again.

“Whoa,” Nell said.

“Super whoa,” Kaja agreed, her brown eyes as big as saucers. “What’s up with you and the Midnight princes?”

Speaking of… “Where’s Rage?” I asked. “He’s the one who saved me.”

I needed to thank him. Big-time. The memory of his green eyes flashing fire when he scooped me up set my heart fluttering.

Both girls shared a look, a look that one hundred percent promised I wasn’t going to like whatever they said.

“He’s briefing the king on the attack. Justice too.” Nell forced a smile, the flat-lipped kind that wasn’t really a smile at all. “You legit almost died. It’s Sunday afternoon.”

Sunday! I’d slept almost twenty-four hours? That was scary, but I was going to focus on the fact I was… not dead. “Why are they only briefing the king now? What happened? Why didn’t they brief him last night, right after the attack?”

Kaja scooted onto the bed, and Nell sat at my feet, but Kaja’s bouncing indicated she was nearly bursting with something.

“Spill,” I told her more urgently.

She grinned. Leaning forward, she dropped her voice to a whisper. “Rage lost it. He was white as a sheet when we arrived on scene, yelling orders at everyone. You looked like a ragdoll in his arms.”

On scene. Yelling orders. In his arms. My stomach dropped. I wanted to hear more, but I also needed