Page 79 of Protect Me

I answer it and find D on the other side, scowling. “I’m pretty sure, as your boss, I’m supposed to do the summoning, not the other way around.”

“You know we can’t leave her alone,” I say.

“Yeah, yeah.” He waves me off as he strides past me into the room. “What’s this request?”

“We need to talk about that name we got last night,” I say, and he stops, his eyes narrowing instantly.

“Robert Bardot,” he says. “I heard it. What about it?”

“We know his name and his House—”

“So now you want to hunt,” he finishes.

I wait, already not liking the hard glint in his gaze.

“We’ve been over this. You know you can’t do that in his territory,” he begins.

“No, but we can do it in ours,” I say.

He studies me, and my heart thuds because, if he shuts me down, friends or not, I’ll have to go against him. So will Bracken and Killian. And none of us wants to have to choose, but we will. And it’ll be Sway every fucking time.

“She’s special to you,” D says, glancing past me to Killian and then back to Bracken on the couch.

I hesitate because this is not how I wanted to out myself, but D needs to know what’s at stake here. “She’s my mate,” I say quietly.

The room falls silent, and I cringe as I wait for my brothers to freak the fuck out.

“Mine too,” Killian says, stepping up beside me and patting my back.

“Mine too,” Bracken says, getting up from the couch and coming to stand with me and Killian.

I don’t question them, but now my heart thuds double-time because—seriously? When the hell were they going to tell me?

“I see,” D says. “In that case, we’ll need to do this carefully. I won’t let you bring war to my doorstep. Not even for a mate.”

“If our plan works, we won’t have to,” Killian says.

“What’s your plan?” D asks.

“Remember that group who came by a few weeks back, looking for information?” Killian asks.

D rubs his jaw. “You want me to cash in on the favor they owe me.” He frowns. “A favor isn’t enough to get them to agree to murder one of their own.”

“All we need is for you to set up a meeting with them,” I tell him.

D’s brow lifts. “You want me to make an appointment so you can walk in all civilized and ask them to sanction a killing?”

“Do you have a better idea?” Killian tosses at him.

“What’s in it for them?” he shoots back. “Because, unless you can make it worth their while to say yes, even a favor owed isn’t enough for what you’re asking.”

“How about, if they don’t, they’ll be inviting a coup,” I say grimly.

“What are you talking about?”

“Sway’s a muse,” I say. D’s eyes light with understanding.

“I thought muses were extinct.”