I smile, opening the lid to the barbecue. “Dang, Zo, watch out for chipmunks way up there!” I tease her.

She turns her attention back to Maddoc as Raven steps up beside me, eyeing the hot links on the grill.

“I’m so starved.” She eyes them.

“You’re always starved.”

She laughs, bumping my shoulder, but then she grows quiet a moment. “Not to cloud your happy mood, but... do you ever wonder what it was like for her?”

She doesn’t say her name, but we both know she means Mallory.

I frown at the food in front of me, flipping over the meat. “Might make me shitty to admit, but I hadn’t. Not once until I saw some things change in you.”

“Yeah,” she whispers. “Shitty you couldn’t be a part of it in some way. I hate her for you, but I imagine your hate isn’t so simple.”

She looks up at me, but it takes me a second to meet her eyes, allowing her to witness the struggle in my own.

“Nah, Raven. It’s not.”

“’Sup, RaeRae.” Royce is suddenly beside her, throwing an arm over her shoulder as he shouts. “Wanna go play at the Graven cabin again, Madman?”

Maddoc’s head snaps our way, and he mouths ‘fuck you’ while flipping him off.

Royce laughs, kisses her temple, and walks away. “Going to find that blonde who ran off the second we got out here.”

“She went up the hill!” Raven shouts.

And off he goes.

To find my blonde.

A heavy sense of unease fills my veins at the thought.

Damn it.

Victoria

With a deep breath, I close my eyes and wrap my palm around the spiked greenery, exhaling when warm liquid glides along my skin, dripping down my forearms in slow, heated trails.

“The fuck!” is shouted and my eyes fly open to find Royce a few feet in front of me, his eyes wide, yet somehow still he scowls.

“I’m fine.”

“Let go.”

“I will.”

“Now!” he snaps.

My hands tighten, driving the thorns deeper before I finally let go, looking to the heavy strips of red coating my tan skin.

He grips my wrists, pulling each hand to his face to inspect the damage, but all he gets are smears of the mess I made.

“It’s just a little paint.”

“Paint?” he deadpans, dropping my hands, and his eyes fly to mine. “Are you for real some secret psycho?”

A laugh flies from me, and I shake my head.

He already knows blood is a wicked tool meant to paint a picture of pain, revenge and hate, of death.

I, for one, have never been a fan of art.

Royce tugs the shirt over his head, patting at my hands until the tiny holes are visible.

“Fucked yourself up pretty good here.”

“Eh, it’ll only sting for a couple hours.”

He scoffs, sitting on a large boulder to the right.

He crosses his arms, staring at me. “You wanna tell me why you’re uglying up your hands?”

“Depends.”

“On what?”

“You wanna tell me what you’re trying to pull behind your brothers’ backs?”

His glare is instant. “Fuck’s that mean?”

“Come on, Royce. We just went over this...” I tip my head back and forth, teasingly. “Secrets are my thing, remember?”

His eyes narrow, and he licks his lips, kicking his feet out. “So it’s not some kinda ‘this person has a big mouth and the word spread to me’ shit? You legit fuckin’ see what others don’t?”

“It’s almost a curse.” I shrug. “Makes me question everyone and everything. Most people don’t make random moves, you know? Especially in worlds like the ones we live in. I mean shit, you guys have five other families, four now that the Gravens are out, that run towns just like yours. There’re secrets everywhere and always someone scheming. Nobody wants a seat at the bottom, they want to climb that invisible ladder to the top.”

“I’m not scheming,” he rushes out.

I smirk, bringing my eyes to his as I push off the rock. “I know.”

I walk by and the bushes rustle behind me, alerting me he’s done the same.

“Hold up, how do you know?” he asks, jumping beside me and holding the branches out of the way so we can make the small descent to the cabins.

“You’ve spent a lot of time on your phone lately, and any time I pass your room with you inside, you have your computer out.”

“So fuckin’ what, maybe I’m watchin’ porn?”

I laugh. “Maybe… but I’ve also seen you chatting with Maybell.”

“And? She’s basically my fuckin’ mom. That don’t mean shit.”

I nod, stepping onto the little bridge that carries us across the tiny stream below. “True.”

“VicVee!” he snaps.

I turn to him with a grin. “You’re tailing someone, and not someone the boys are aware of because you’re not using your main PI. I also know you took a little road trip with Mac right after Raven and Maddoc got married, but it wasn’t to see the person you’re having watched. You have a master plan that’s about to be put into motion, but it’s a self-serving agenda, and before you get all mad and snap at me, there is nothing wrong with that when it doesn’t hurt your family none.”

Royce gapes at me. “Mother of god damn, VicVee, that’s some scary shit right there.” He chuckles lightly, but then he leans forward, his mask slipping over his eyes, darkness taking over. “Say a word and I’ll...”

His threat never follows.

He gauges me and when he nods, I decide he might just trust that I won’t.

But I can’t be too sure.

He moves by me, but before I can turn to follow, a warm body is behind me, locking me against the railing.

Captain’s arms come around me, loosely holding me to him as his head falls to my shoulder, seeking out the skin of my collarbone.

He plants a small kiss there, and he doesn’t lift from the spot.

He hugs me to him, so I allow my body to relax, giving him the weight of mine, and he accepts it with a heavy inhale.

We stand there, my eyes closed as I think his are too, listening to the creek below us, neither of us letting go until somewhere behind us, Zoey calls for her dad.

That night, Captain lays blanket after blanket on the balcony and pulls me outside with him.

He turns off all the lights, nothing but the stars above us to light the area, and settles into the pallet, tugging me down beside him.

We lie there, staring up at the sky until we fall asleep, and in the morning we pack up and head back to the unknown reality awaiting us.

Chapter 25

Victoria

“And that right there, is the best lasagna you’ll ever eat in your life, Zoey Bear.” Royce winks at her, picking up his and Raven’s empty plates on his way to the kitchen.

Zoey laughs, licking her fork, little feet swinging beneath the seat.

The others roll their eyes playfully, and when I look to Captain with a grin, I find his frown focused on the screen of his phone.