Foust, Jagger, Brunton, Grizz, and Kat stayed close while Jase and Dean tried to lay out what had happened that night in a clinical fashion, hitting the highlights only and leaving unnecessary details out. They didn’t want to fuel his apparent anger any more than I did. Once they finished, Merc stayed silent for an uncomfortable length of time. I could feel Foust and the others tense with every passing second. My anxiety made my chest hurt, knowing that Merc was likely to blow when he finally opened his mouth. I wanted to run to my room screaming and lock myself in.

  “Piper,” he said softly, his voice eerily calm and monotonous. “I’d like to speak to you. Alone.”

  Kat shot me a look and shook her head. It reminded me of her warning at the bar the night I’d met Merc. My past and my present warred in my mind until I shut it down, deferring to my heart. Though it ached from the mark on my chest, it still believed he wouldn’t harm me, so I agreed.

  Kat’s objection was immediate. “Nope!” she said, stepping from the group to flank me. “You can say it here or you can stuff it, but you’re way too on edge to be alone with her right now.” Merc cast a sharp glance her way and she simply shrugged. “Sorry man. You made your bed. Now you have to lie in it. I can smell your anger right now, and I’m not letting any of it near my girl.”

  “Neither are we,” Foust added, his calm, unaffected voice belying his growing tension.

  I could see the frustration in Merc’s eyes. Part of it was aimed at my friends: the rest, at himself.

  “Do you share their opinion?” he asked.

  I swallowed hard. “No. But you have had a short fuse lately. I know the stress of filling in for the king can’t be easy… that you’re worried for his safety.” I added the latter to keep up the front. “I don’t want everyone to fight about this. We’ve had enough fighting for a lifetime. I don’t want to be at the center of it tonight. Or at all.”

  He nodded. “Where is Knox?”

  I hesitated for a moment. “He stormed off…” Panic started to rise within me, and I bolted for the door. “What if the assassin got him?” I shouted, pounding the security code into the pad. Just as it beeped and unlocked, the handle turned and the missing alpha strolled in. He didn’t look any worse for wear, but his mood sure hadn’t improved. Seeing Merc the second he walked in didn’t help. “You’re okay!” I said. Throwing caution to the wind, I hugged him, even though he still looked like he wanted to kill someone.

  “I’m okay.” His reply was unconvincing.

  “We put your wolves in the infirmary to be cleaned up for burial,” Jase said. Knox looked at him and gave a tight nod.

  “Where have you been?” I asked, fearing the answer.

  “Hunting.” I let that single word lie. I didn’t want him to expand on it for fear his response would trigger a war in the foyer. I was worried he’d done something illegal that would require enforcer intervention.

  “Oh… okay. We filled Merc in on everything that happened tonight.”

  “And did he return the gesture? Offer full disclosure on his whereabouts this evening?”

  “Why would I need to do that?” Merc replied, eyeing the wolf.

  “I just find it curious that the king is missing and you’re gallivanting around in his place, covering for him. I wonder if he’s really gone, or if he’s gone rogue…”

  Merc laughed. It held an edge of superiority that was so not helpful.

  “Vampires don’t go rogue—werewolves do. And as for the king in particular, he is indeed missing, but he is not assassinating your wolves. He doesn’t care enough about you or your kind to bother.”

  “Merc…” I said before Knox cut me off.

  “That’s because the only thing that asshole cares about is himself—but I’m pretty sure you already know that, don’t you?”

  “Everyone knows that,” Kat said, stepping closer to me. “But for all his dickish qualities, I can’t believe the king would kill your boys, Knox.”

  “You don’t think it’s strange that this assassin can essentially appear out of thin air, then disappear just as quickly? That we can’t track him?”

  “Right, but he’s hardly going to be mixed up with Mack or the fey king,” she argued. “I mean, even that old bastard has standards. And besides, the king doesn’t have that ability.”

  Knox’s heavy stare moved from Kat to Merc. “Where is he?” he asked, pressing nearer.

  “He is not your killer,” Merc replied, evading the question.

  Knox just shook his head and started up the stairs. I preferred that to him taking a swing at my mate, but somehow his dismissal seemed to irk Merc more than a physical attack. The vampire disappeared from my side, reappearing at the top of the stairs, right in front of Knox.

  “The king is not your killer,” Merc said again.

  “Unless you can produce him right now, I don’t believe it.”

  “But Knox, Kat’s right. Only Merc and his brothers can ghost. Not the king,” I argued from the foyer.

  Knox looked over his shoulder at me, eyeing me long and hard before turning back to Merc. He took a step around the vampire to stand next to him on the landing.

  “Who do you think they got that ability from?” he asked, letting the implication of his words sink in before walking off to the media room. I felt like I’d been hit by the truth train. I stared up at Merc, my face full of disbelief. He did nothing to dispute Knox’s claim.

  “Holy shit…” It all made so much more sense. Why Merc was next in line. Why he was so enraged by the king’s treatment of me. Why he never trusted his leader. He knew the vampire king better than any other because he was his oldest son. His mercenary.

  His heir.

  Realization dawned in my expression and his eyes softened at the sight.

  “I could not tell you,” he said. “It endangers us all if it’s widely known.”

  “You could have trusted me,” I said softly, unable to keep the hurt from my tone.

  So many secrets from the men I loved.

  “You are right. I should have. But we have other matters to discuss tonight. Pressing ones.” He looked to the media room where Knox had just gone and exhaled. “You all should come up here. You will want to hear this.”

  Kat’s gaze fell upon Jase and Dean, her eyes darting back and forth between them.

  “So you two assholes are…”

  “Second and third in line,” Jase said, indicating himself, then Dean.

  “How the fuck have you managed to keep that under wraps all this time? You two can’t keep a secret to save your fucking lives!”

  “Because keeping that secret does save our lives,” Jase replied. “The fewer people that know of it, the smaller the target on our backs.”

  Kat let out a sigh of disbelief, and we all filed into the media room. Merc drew the double doors shut and locked them before turning to address the crowd.

  “Something has been brought to my attention this evening,” he said, daring a glance at me. “I’m still not sure what it means or how it can be dealt with, but it concerns Piper.”

  “Of course it does,” Kat said with a great exhale as she flopped onto the couch.

  “Me? What now?”

  “What are you talking about?” Knox asked, stepping toward Merc.

  Merc pinned his dark eyes on the blond alpha and glared.

  “There has always been a relative balance of power among the different breeds of supernaturals. A universal balance that helped keep one from annihilating the others. That, combined with the treaty, allowed us to live in some measure of peace. Now that the treaty is gone, we are left with only that balance to depend on.”

  “To keep everything from going to shit overnight,” Dean added from his position against the wall.

  “Your point?” Knox said, pressing the issue.

  “My point is that if one of the leaders of any faction falls—without a successor—so does that inherent balance.”

  “It would create a shit show the likes of which we have never seen,” Jase added, coming to stand by his larger brother.

  “Precisely.”

  “But…” I started, working through what he’d said. “That hasn’t happened—at least not yet, right?” Merc and I shared a knowing glance before I continued. “So why is this an issue? And what does it have to do with me?”

  “For all but the wolves, that successor must be a blood relative.”

  I stared at him for a second, begging my mind to keep up.

  “But wait… that means that… ” I cut myself off before I could let loose a truth I couldn’t quite comprehend. One that was far more insidious than I could have imagined.

  “Yes. It does.” Merc’s reply would make sense to only me in that moment, but it was confirmation nonetheless. We stared at each other until the others began to stir, and Kat finally cracked under the weight of our silence.

  “I’m usually not the slow one in the room, but I’m willing to be the village idiot for the day and ask what the fuck you two are talking about.”

  “The warlock lord.” Brunton said from somewhere behind me. I turned to see his expression sharp. “He’s dead—and yet there is no imbalance.”

  I could feel the weight of every set of eyes in that room on me.

  “Wait,” I said, piecing the puzzle together. “Are you saying that…”

  “You are Reinhardt’s successor?” Merc said, cutting me off. “Yes. I am.” His words nearly knocked me off my feet, and I felt his strong arms wrap around my biceps as my stance faltered.

  “So I’m the warlock lord?” I asked, incredulity in my tone.

  “Drake said that you were Reinhardt’s, did he not?” I nodded. “Do you have reason to doubt his claim?”

  “Well, no, but… it’s just a lot to take in. I mean, I don’t feel any different. Shouldn’t I feel different somehow?”

  Merc shook his head. “I do not know. That is not how it works for the vampires.”

  “It is for the wolves,” Knox argued. “When an alpha dies, the strongest wolf in the pack takes his place—but he also inherits a certain amount of the power that is lost in death. It’s the only way to ensure our strength and survival as a breed.”

  “Looks like Drake and I need to have yet another chat,” I muttered to myself.

  “That would explain why he is protecting you,” Knox said, walking toward me. “Why he’s sticking his neck out for you. He failed Reinhardt. He doesn’t want to fail you.”

  “Yeah… I guess so.”

  “And why he made sure your man-bear over there can be around you at all times,” Jagger added. Grizz, favoring his bear form for that meeting, growled at Jagger. The ginger wolf threw his hands up in frustration. “I don’t get why he hates me.”

  “He hates everyone,” Kat said, running her hands through the fur on Grizz’s head. “Except for Piper and me, of course.”

  Jagger scoffed at her and shook his head. Kat laughed in return.

  “So if I’m the warlock lord, should I be doing something? Trying to assemble what’s left of my kind—if there even are any other than Drake?”

  “There are,” Jase said, “but they are scattered and unorganized. I have seen a few, but they are skittish. They won’t be easily found. You’ll need Drake’s help if you want any chance at locating them all.”

  “Why bother?” Knox asked, ever the practical one. “Piper doesn’t need them. She needs us. We’re her family…”

  “Damn straight,” Kat shouted from the couch.

  “And we’ll stand at her side, warlock lord or not.”

  “You know as well as I do that there is power in numbers,” Merc argued. “She will be stronger with her kind behind her.”

  “She doesn’t need more power,” Knox said. “She has me for that.”

  “And when she can no longer handle your amplification?” Merc countered, stepping around me to stand toe to toe with the alpha. “What then?”

  “We’ll figure that out.”

  “Will you now? Funny that you haven’t lifted a finger to do so.”

  “You have no idea what I’ve done for Piper.”

  “And you have no idea what I’m willing to do.”

  My lungs suddenly felt like they were in a pressure cooker. The males were mere inches from one another, their expressions tight with rage that threatened to boil over. I could feel the pack behind me, slowly approaching. Whether it was to pull them apart or join in the fight, I wasn’t sure, but I damn well didn’t want to find out.

  I tried to shove my way between them, but it was like trying to shove myself into a narrow mountain crevice. Their bodies were walls of tense muscle that couldn’t be budged. I looked over my shoulder at the approaching wolves and found grave expressions on their faces. If I couldn’t shut things down, the media room would be the next battleground in the supernatural war.

  “That’s enough, you two,” I said, still attempting to push them apart. Neither one seemed to even hear me.

  “Piper,” Kat said, a note of caution in her voice. “Remember my toy analogy?”

  “Yeah,” I said, stepping back from Merc and Knox. I remembered it a little too well. Kat had once told me that things would come to a head between Merc and Knox one day—a fight over their favorite toy. The one they didn’t want to share.

  “Time to let them sort this shit out… without becoming collateral damage.”

  A low growl cut through the tension in the room as I backed away from the wolf and the vampire. I bumped into something furry in my retreat. Grizz gave me a stern look as he passed by, stalking toward the two males about to come to blows. In one fluid motion he unfurled his massive body to stand on his hind legs. Then he let out a roar that shook the wall hangings until they crashed to the ground in unison, glass shattering around the room.

  That seemed to get their attention.

  I couldn’t see the look on Grizz’s face, but whatever expression it held seemed to shame the rage out of both Merc and Knox. Grizz looked over his shoulder at me and then back at them. He came down with a terrific thud between them, forcing them farther apart before lumbering his way back to my side. He positioned himself so that my hand rested on his back. My fingers ran reflexively through his fur, calming me with every pass.

  Merc and Knox looked at me, concern in both their faces.

  “I’m sorry, Piper,” Knox said, moving to come closer. One lunge from Grizz kept him at bay.

  “I, too, am sorry, Piper,” Merc said. He didn’t bother trying to come near me. He learned from Knox’s mistake.

  “I think you pissed the bear off,” Kat said. I could hear the couch creak as she got up. Moments later, she was at my side. “Might want to check your sheets before you climb into bed tonight.”

  Grizz snorted, and Kat looked across me to him and smiled. Thick as thieves, those two were. They seemed to be starting a pack of their own.

  “There will be no pooping on anyone’s bed and that’s final!” I shouted, wiping the smile off of Kat’s face.

  “Buzzkill.”

  “Now if you two are finished with whatever the hell that just was, we have other matters to discuss… like why Mack is working with the fey king and what this assassin asshole wants.” Knox opened his mouth to argue but I shut him down. “As for organizing the warlocks—maybe it’s not a bad idea. I mean, if I’m their leader, then they need me, Knox. Just like your guys need you. Surely you can understand that.” His frustration faded to resignation. He nodded in agreement. “And maybe they could be of use in catching the assassin. I had him for a moment tonight. I just couldn’t hold him. Maybe with their help, I could.”

  “Let Drake rally the troops,” Kat said, her tone unreadable. “You can’t be expected to do everything—not with what’s going on. And let’s not forget the fey queen, shall we? That bitch could pop up at any time.”

  “Agreed,” Merc added. “She’ll lay low for a while and nurse her pride. Once she has the perfect plan in place, she’ll come back, but not before.”

  “Great!” I replied, my voice heavy with sarcasm. “One less obstacle for the time being, but that doesn’t change the problem at hand.” The one that had killed two of Knox’s boys earlier. “We need to find Mack. He might be our only lead on this killer, but Knox can’t do it. Not with the king’s pet out there.”

  “We’ll see what we can find out,” Jase offered. Dean stood beside him, nodding in agreement.

  “Thanks guys. I’m going to talk to Drake and see what he can dig up,” I said. “Maybe I’ll search for him tomorrow—hunt someone a little more tangible and a lot less deadly.”

  “We can discuss it further tonight. Alone,” Merc said. Judging by the set of his jaw and the tension in his shoulders, he wasn’t keen on me going out at all. Especially not after what had happened that night. The weight of his stare was like a vise—it clamped down on my ribs and squeezed until I could hardly breathe. I took a step toward the door, needing to get some fresh air. Needing some distance between us.

  With our shaky plan in place for the time being, I headed out of the room. With every step I took, the pain in my chest eased. The stress of everything going on around me was getting to me more than I wanted to admit. I knew there was no way I could live like that much longer.

  I couldn’t be everyone’s hero.

  I felt Grizz’s breath on the back of my legs as I made my way out of the room. The group was about to disperse, but Kat’s voice followed us. The question she posed forced us all to a halt.

  “I don’t mean to bring this back to Merc’s earlier point, but I think this is worth mentioning—especially before you and Drake go out rounding up stray warlocks.”

  “What?” I asked, desperate for the conversation to be over.

  “Has anyone considered that maybe there’s another reason why the balance didn’t shift with Reinhardt’s death?” Everyone turned to stare at her, just as I did.

  “What reason is that?” I asked, my voice barely audible as fear snaked up my spine.

  “That Drake is a lying sack of shit and Reinhardt isn’t actually dead.”