I leaned back against the bar, the motion nearly jostling me out of my chair, but whatever. “Because you allow Sebastian in the bar?” I narrowed my eyes at Kingsley. “You were being serious earlier. You really didn’t want a mage in here.”

“He didn’t know who you were,” Austin said.

A flash of anger tore through me. Power followed, ballooning around me.

“My kind has been hunted by mages for a decade now,” Kingsley said, a growl riding his words. I felt the sweet rush of his answering power. “My pack is too big, too well established, too prosperous for the mages to go after, but if we continue to pretend it isn’t happening, it’ll only be a matter of time. Meanwhile, entire packs are being wiped out for frivolous reasons. For spite disguised as genuine offense.”

It was the same thing Sebastian had said to Niamh. She’d told us about Momar and the threat he posed.

“He would know,” Kingsley replied, and I realized I’d said that thought out loud.

“Not all mages are against you,” I said. “A blanket generalization will only hurt you in the end, because you’ll alienate the mages in the middle—or worse, the ones who support you. Then it’ll really be war. If you want to fight Momar, the best approach would be to recruit some mages of your own. He must have a crapload of enemies. Powerful people always do. Find some of those and push back.”

“Things are a lot more complicated than that,” he replied after a silent beat.

I’d felt a surge of energy, of motivation, but something about his tone took the wind out of my sails. My heart dropped, and I sagged against the bar. “I’m making everything harder on you,” I said to Austin, my eyes filling with tears. One got loose and shimmied down my cheek. I quickly wiped it away. Liquid courage had turned into liquid emotion. I needed to get out of here, and I needed some chocolate. “Your pack is in chaos because of me, isn’t it? You have people coming to challenge you because they hate that you’re working with a mage.”

He rubbed my back, humor in his eyes. “They aren’t coming because of you. They don’t know anything about you until they get here and see you…working on your magic.”

“Bumbling around with yer magic, more like,” Niamh said.

“God you’re surly,” I told her.

“Well, aren’t ye slow on the uptake tonight?” she replied with a grin.

“Jess, you’ll make this territory stronger,” Austin said. “And I will make that house stronger. Together, we’ll create something that hasn’t been accomplished before, and we’ll both be stronger for it. And if it doesn’t work out that way, Kingsley will get to say, ‘I told you so,’ for the rest of my life.”

Kingsley just grunted and averted his gaze.

“Okay, well…” I pushed the half-filled glass away.

“Here, wait, get one for the road,” Niamh said, raising her hand.

“No. No!” I pointed at her and pushed to my feet. She leaned away from my jutting finger. “No more. I am an ab…solute mess.” I hiccupped. “That was timely.”

“I’ll walk you home.” Austin waited by the chair.

“Ulric and Jasper are out there. One of them can walk me home while the other keeps their dates warm. They apparently don’t mind sharing. Or you could just set me free, and I’ll blast anyone who tries to bother me.”

“Ye’d probably accidentally blow up someone friendly and mistakenly get captured by Elliot Graves,” Niamh said. “Or whoever’s using his name, if that’s what’s going on.”

“Well…” I shrugged. “That might be true.”

“Alpha.” Donna leaned over the bar. “There’s a problem to the south. They need some direction.”

Austin paused, frustration and urgency roiling within him. He looked at Kingsley, who nodded.

“Sorry, Jess, I have to go,” Austin said. “I’ll call you tomorrow, okay? We need to do more planning for the mage visitor.”

“Sure, yeah.” I clung to his arm for a moment before peeling myself off again. “Sorry. I am not exactly all hands on deck right now.” I grimaced.

“Kingsley will take you home. I’ll text you later.”

“Oh no, I don’t need him—” His fingertips on my jaw stopped my breath. I parted my lips, wondering if he would kiss me. Wondering if I’d be able to peel myself away a second time if he did. Instead, he ran his fingers down my throat, and the heat in his eyes made me shiver.

“Let him take you home. I want to make sure you get there safely,” he whispered.

“Okay,” I heard myself say, as meek as a lamb.

It wasn’t until he was striding away that I came out of the heat-induced coma.

“Ye sure told him,” Niamh said.

“Shut it,” I replied, staring at Kingsley as he rose.

“Ready?” he asked, putting out his hand, offering to help me. Clearly he thought I was a risk to myself.

“I’m good.” I waved him away and picked my way through the chairs, bumping into someone once I was free.

Kingsley pushed the person away.

“Sorry, alph—sir,” the man said, edging farther away, a bubble opening up around me.

“That’s embarrassing,” I murmured, eyeing the bathroom. “I’m just going to hit the loo.”

And then give him the slip. I got why Austin was worried: I was not thinking rationally. But seriously, I had the guys to watch me and my magic to protect me. Kingsley would just turn a pleasant drunken walk into an uncomfortable slog.

“Ye are saying out loud every single thought that is in yer head,” Niamh said, then stood and gulped the last of her drink. “I’ll take her home. I’m going that way anyway. I live right next to her.”

“Use the restroom. I’ll be waiting outside.” Kingsley walked from the room, commanding a wide berth from everyone as he did so.

“Ah well, it was worth a try.” Niamh sat back down.

“Wait, what?” I grabbed the chair back to steady myself. “You’re going home anyway.”

“They’ll give me one more if I ask real nicely.” She gave Paul a bulldog stare. He flinched, pausing in taking a glass off the bar.

Knowing I wouldn’t be able to convince her, I didn’t bother with the restroom (I hadn’t actually needed to go) and met Kingsley on the sidewalk. He was waiting on the curb, watching everyone meander away, but he stepped closer as soon as he saw me.

Without a word, we started walking down the sidewalk toward home.

“So.” I swerved a little his way, and it was the first time I saw him tense. He put out a hand but didn’t actually touch me, as though he didn’t want to make contact unless I was actually falling. “You shifters aren’t really touchy-feely types, huh?”

“Touching means something different in our world, especially when it concerns someone Austin…cares about.”

“Oh. That. With the past and everything.” I paused on the corner, looking down the main drag, seeing broad bodies walking with purpose. Patrolling, probably. “He only got upset earlier because I was uncomfortable.”

Kingsley reached out again as I stepped off the curb. “It’s shocking how easily you get intoxicated.”

“Apparently. Niamh finds it endlessly entertaining.”

“Austin has calmed down since I saw him last.”

“He’s been trying, I think, to get over that.”

“Yet he didn’t step up to claim his position as alpha until you.”

“Yeah.” I ran my fingers through my hair. My toe hit a crack and my body weight shifted forward. “Bugger.” I staggered to a stop, Kingsley’s hand gentle around my arm, stabilizing me. “It’s fine, seriously. I fall a lot. It’s really not a big deal. I have this sleek, athletic body again. I don’t care. I can heal myself really quickly. I can heal you, too, if you want. You tired? I can fix that up really quick.”

“No.”

“Okay. Just say the word and…” I snapped my fingers, only no sound came out. “You get it.”

“No one has spoken to me like this in…” He peered down the next street we reached, only one person down the way, the hourglass figure indicating she was female, the powerful frame saying I didn’t want to fight her. “It’s a lesson in control, one I haven’t had to wrestle in—”

“You should get out more. It’s good for you.”

“My brother has never lost his temper with you? He’s never lost his temper with others because of you, other than earlier tonight and the instance you spoke of earlier?”

“Well there was one time at Ivy House. This other alpha didn’t like Austin, and Austin didn’t like him, and they almost went at each other. I kept Austin from blowing up, and I shut the door on the other dude. They had a bit of a scuff-up another time, too, when Dam—the other alpha—was a douche in Austin’s bar. But honestly, Austin is really worried about losing control, but he doesn’t do it much. He really doesn’t.”

“And you don’t want him to.”

It wasn’t a question this time.

I paused at the next corner, looking both ways, feeling a little strange. I put a hand to my stomach, wondering if it was the beginning of the end. I didn’t think I was going to hug a toilet, but sometimes it snuck up on me.

“I should be able to heal an upset stomach, though,” I said to myself, looking back the way we had come. My senses were swimming in alcohol, but I knew that danger lurked that way. Something was amiss.

I put my hand out, meaning to touch Kingsley’s shoulder, a silent command to stop. Only that was a Jane sort of gesture, and he moved out of the way, trying to keep contact to a minimum.

I pitched forward like a puppet with broken strings, my limbs flailing and my balance obliterated. My knee gave out and I staggered off the curb, not adjusting for the sudden change in altitude, and dove forward. My hip hit first and I rolled, my arms slapping cement, my legs askew.