My bizarre life is definitely catching up with me, and right now I feel like there’s not enough caffeine in the world. Jaxon must feel the same way, because he’s looking a little haggard, too.

“You okay?” I whisper, sliding my hand into his as the others laugh and joke around us.

“Yeah.” He smiles back. “This is the first time I’ve fed in a couple of days, and I think it’s wearing on me. Especially after the trip to the Bloodletter.”

“Jaxon, you can’t do that! I know you’ve been worried about me, but you need to take care of yourself, too.”

I burrow into him, and as I do, I feel that same warmth glowing inside me…and between us. The mating bond? I wonder. Most of the time I barely notice it—maybe because I still don’t know as much about it as I should—but right now I can feel a connection between us, bright and lovely.

I lean into it a little, loving the way it feels. Loving even more the way Jaxon feels at the other end of it—warm and welcoming and strong and steady.

I don’t know what I’m doing, don’t know, even, how to interact with the bond. But Jaxon looks so soft and sleepy and unlike himself that I can’t help reaching out. Can’t help closing my eyes and putting a hand across his heart, on this space where it feels like something exists between us, and smiling at him warmly.

Jaxon’s cheeks start to have a little more color in them, and his eyes look more alert, so I pull back even as I squeeze the hand I’m still holding in my own.

His midnight eyes heat up at the connection between us, his brows quirking in a sexy way that has me burrowing even deeper into his side and whispering, “Later,” into his ear.

As I relinquish the last of my hold on the bond, Hudson flops down in an empty spot at the table and snarls, “At least warn me the next time you’re going to do something so completely nauseating,” he orders. “I can go look out a window or something.”

He’s my mate. I’m allowed to fawn all over him if I want to.

Hudson’s only response is a narrowing of his eyes and a growl so intense that it actually sends a shiver down my spine.

“You’re really going to spend the afternoon jumping off the castle?” Macy is asking the vamp contingent at the table.

Jumping off the castle? I mouth to Jaxon, who just inclines his head in a “what can we do?” way.

“Got to start practicing for Ludares, don’t we?” Mekhi answers her. “It’ll be here before we know it.”

“So you guys are really going to compete?” I ask, looking at Jaxon. “I heard it was dangerous.”

The entire table turns to stare at me, eyebrows raised.

“So what if it’s dangerous?” Rafael answers. “It’s our last year at Katmere—been waiting for the chance to dominate the tourney forever. Damn straight we’re going to compete.”

“Besides, there’s danger, Grace, and then there’s danger.” Mekhi grins at me. “No one’s actually died from competing in the Ludares.”

“Nobody’s died? Are you kidding me with this? How is the fact that nobody’s died yet a ringing endorsement for this game?” I look to my cousin for a little solidarity, but she’s right there with the others, a patronizing look on her face, like I’m the one who doesn’t understand.

And that’s when it dawns on me. “Wait a minute, Macy. You’re not actually going to compete in a game where danger is the first adjective that comes to everyone’s mind, too, are you?”

“‘Danger’ is the second adjective,” Luca tells me with a grin. “‘Fun’ is the first.”

“Oh, well, in that case, of course we should all compete,” I tell him. “Wouldn’t want to miss out on a good time.”

“Exactly!” Rafael says with a wink. “Plus, you know, if any of us ever hopes to end up on the Circle, well…training starts now!”

“You mean that’s still a thing?” I ask. I vaguely remember Amka mentioning something about how Ludares originally wasn’t a game but a trial to end up on the Circle, but to be honest, I haven’t thought much about it. “You play a game to become a Circle member? What if you suck at sports?”

Jaxon chuckles. “Ludares started out as a competition for the strongest mated pairs. If you survived the test, you earned a seat on the Circle.”

Mekhi smiles. “Can you imagine how brutal it was? One mated pair against eight kick-ass opponents? I would have loved to have seen Jaxon’s or Flint’s parents compete to be on the Circle. It must have been wild.”

Umm, yeah, so not my idea of a good time. At all. “So only mated pairs can sit on the Circle, then?” I didn’t expect that, but I probably should have, considering both of Jaxon’s and Flint’s parents are on it.

Jaxon nods. “Pretty much—it takes at least two people to survive the Trial, or so they say.” He squeezes my hand, his gaze holding mine. “I keep thinking we should do it one day. The Circle needs someone to lead it who won’t let that happen.”

“Us? Why? I thought you hated all the prince stuff?” I mean, being queen certainly isn’t on my agenda. I’m more interested in art school, even if I have to do a gap year because of the whole “trapped as a gargoyle for four months” mess that screwed up college apps and everything else in my life, apparently.

“I do,” he assures me. “But there’s been a Third Great War brewing for a long time, and Hudson only exacerbated it with the shit he pulled before he died.”

“Yes, let’s blame me for the fact that Dad and the wolves are teaming up with made vampires so they can wipe everyone else out of existence.” Hudson rolls his eyes. “What a wanker.”

“What does that have to do with us being the head of the Circle?” I ask Jaxon, though I definitely want to follow up on Hudson’s comment later, because it sounded very different from anything else I’ve heard.

“Gargoyles are peacekeepers,” Mekhi interjects. “If you and Jaxon take his parents’ place, you have a much better chance of keeping shit under control. Between Jaxon’s power and your ability to chill things out—”

“I can do that?” I interrupt.

“That’s what the old stories all say,” Rafael tells me. “Gargoyles were created to keep the balance among the factions.”

“Exactly. So when my parents abdicate, we can take their place and get things going back in the right direction,” Jaxon says seriously. “Which definitely includes avoiding war.”

“Yeah, like that’s going to happen.” Hudson rolls his eyes. “First of all, the only way dear old Dad would abdicate is if you severed his head from his body and then burned him, twice. And even then I’m not so sure. And secondly, who says sitting on the Circle is a good thing anyway? Jaxon may suddenly have this starry-eyed vision of how easy it will be to stop a war, but the truth is, it’s hard and it’s bloody brutal.” He speaks with assurance, like he knows what he’s talking about.

“Besides, it’s not like being on the Circle is such a good thing. I’d rather stay off the damn council and keep my mate safe than be on it and always have to worry about someone trying to kill her to take our place. Trust Jaxon to not give a shit about that part.”

“What if someone’s mate dies?” I ask. “How does that work?”

“Usually, that only happens if someone murders them,” Macy says. “Vampires are the only immortal creatures, but the rest of us tend to live a really long time.”

“You wouldn’t have to worry about that,” Jaxon insists. “No one will ever try to touch you once we lead the Circle. No one would dare.”

I don’t know how I feel about any of this, including the fact that Jaxon has apparently been making plans in his head for our future without consulting me at all. And the fact that he seems to think it’s going to be his job to take care of me for the rest of our lives. I mean, I’m okay with taking care of each other, but I’m not okay with being some kind of burden he’s responsible for.

No effing way. I’ll just have to double my efforts researching gargoyles. I don’t want to be anyone’s burden. I want to take care of myself.

Jaxon turns to discuss some particularly cool strategy with Mekhi, and I can’t stop my gaze from seeking out Hudson’s to see if he agrees with Jaxon that I need protecting.

“You could kick all our asses, Grace.” Hudson’s fathomless blue eyes never leave mine. “And then some.”

I laugh. I can’t help it. I don’t believe him even a little, but the tightness in my chest eases a little bit, anyway. I mean, if Hudson thinks I’m kick-ass, that’s gotta count for something, right?

“Damn straight it does.” Hudson grins at me, and I realize I’ve missed it in the time he’s been so quiet.

Before I can think much about that, though, Macy complains about a wolf she wants to teach a lesson. When she doesn’t elaborate, I remember she never answered my earlier question. “Macy? You’re not really competing, are you?”

Macy’s whole face lights up. “Of course I’m competing! This is the first year I can compete, and I can’t effing wait!”

“You go, girl,” Flint says as he drops down onto a chair at the end of the table beside Hudson, who gets up and leans against a nearby wall. “This year’s tournament is going to be epic.”

Flint holds a hand out for a fist bump, and Macy nearly swallows her tongue. Right before she bumps his fist hard enough to give herself a bruise. Apparently, some things never change…

“Completely epic,” Jaxon agrees. “When do we need to register our team by?”

“This Wednesday,” Flint says. He waits for a few seconds, then says oh so casually but not actually casually at all, “Do you guys have your team together yet, Jaxon?”