“I can’t protect you, Drantos. It would look bad.”

“I know.”

“The last thing we need is dissension in the clan by my playing favorites. I must always be fair.”

“I don’t regret what I’ve done,” he admitted. “I’d do it again. You were wrong for making me chose between you and Dusti.”

“It shocked me when I learned who the sisters were. My hatred of Decker runs deep. I’ve had time to cool down and think it through, and I agree with you. Your mother and I spoke. I can’t publically apologize without it making me appear weak but I do, son. I’m sorry. I should have ordered you to go after her instead of remaining with the injured.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“I wish I could take it back.”

“It’s done. Let’s just get this over with.”

His father sighed. “Sometimes the bullshit gets to me. This is one of those times.”

“You’ve changed a lot of the laws but this is an important one. You can’t have our people arguing with your every decision.”

“I know, but there should be an exception between fathers and sons.”

“I’ll take my punishment.”

“Be at my home in twenty minutes. I consulted with the clans so everyone is satisfied with the outcome. I had to explain everything that happened and your state of mind when you defied me. They were generous. We were lucky. They took into account that your Dusti doesn’t know our laws and that it was stressful to find out she’s so human. They were sympathetic, considering she’s a relation to Decker on top of it and he had his clan attack us.”

“How severely will I be punished?”

“Nothing you can’t handle. Tell your mate you will return in the morning. You probably want to avoid her until you’ve had time to heal.”

Drantos winced. “You’re right. I don’t want her to see me when they’re done. It would terrify her. I’ll be there in twenty minutes. I won’t be late.”

“I’ll double the sentries to make sure your mate is safe. I wouldn’t put anything past Decker. He’s insane.”

“Aveoth is after him.”

“It could take time for Aveoth to find him and Decker might still try to come after his granddaughters. It’s better to be safe than sorry. We’ll stay on alert until we hear he’s been captured or killed.”

“Thank you, Father. How is Kraven doing?”

“He’s almost totally healed.”

“And Bat?”

“She’s fine and with him.”

“Good.” He ended the call.

* * * * *

Dusti backed away when Drantos hung up the phone. She’d overheard enough of the one-sided conversation to know he’d gotten into trouble for going after her. She turned in the hallway and tiptoed back into the bathroom. She’d been on her way to ask him if he had new razors, not wanting to use his personal one. If she hadn’t, she’d have never known about the punishment.

She stripped out of his shirt to climb into the large tub. She had no clue how to turn on the jets but it didn’t matter. She washed quickly, used his shampoo and conditioner in her hair, and readied to climb out of the tub when Drantos entered the bathroom carrying a tray. The smell of soup and toast made her stomach rumble.

He smiled. “I need to go tell my family that you’re safe. You’ll find clothing in the dresser, and just leave the tray in here when you’re done eating. Go to sleep afterward. Don’t wait up for me.”

“How long will you be?” She was upset that he wasn’t mentioning his conversation with his father but she tried to hide it by forcing her own smile. She hoped hers looked less fake than his did. “Do they live far away?”

His gaze shifted from hers when he set the tray on the corner shelf of the tub. “I thought I’d go by and check on Kraven. While I’m out, I’ll also make sure your sister is settled in. And I’m sure my father will want to discuss what happened.” He backed away, still avoided looking at her, and then paused. “I’ll be back by the time you wake in the morning.”

Liar, liar, pants on fire, she thought. “Okay. I’d like to see Bat in the morning.”

“That’s fine. I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you as well.” He met her gaze. “I hate to leave you.”

He wouldn’t meet her eyes when he fibbed. She caught on to that quickly but decided to test it. “Can’t you stay? You haven’t even shown me around the house and you need to eat too.”

“I snacked while I warmed your soup.”

Truth, she surmised, since he didn’t look away. “Okay. Are you leaving right now?”

“I’m going to use the second bathroom to shower real quick and put on some pants.” His attention shifted away. He met her gaze again. “I’ll be thinking of you, and will hurry back as quickly as I’m able.”

“Okay.” You suck at lying, she added silently.

He hesitated and then backed toward the door. “Eat all that food. You need it.”

“I will,” she lied. She wanted to eat so bad she wouldn’t even need silverware. She’d happily just tip the bowl and drink the contents. “See you in the morning, baby.” She purposely added the nickname, hoping he understood that she cared about him. He was facing some kind of punishment thanks to her—and he probably believed he was protecting her by keeping it a secret.

He spun and left her but not before she saw regret flash in his beautiful eyes.

Dusti waited until she heard a dresser drawer slam closed before she rose out of the tub. Her hungry gaze landed on the tray of food and she softly groaned, but grabbed a towel instead. She didn’t even bother to dry off before entering his large bedroom.

She glanced around. He had a massive room with a king-size bed, a big-screen television, and a soft-gray stone fireplace in one corner. It was the kind of bedroom she’d always dreamed of having. Her focus locked on the dresser. She advanced quickly to find something to wear.

Drantos had a lot of clothes but they were all huge on her smaller frame. She settled on a thick black sweater with a hood that she rolled the sleeves on to free her hands of the extra material, and a pair of black drawstring pants. She hoped the dark color would help her sneak around. She was tugging on two pairs of black socks to protect her feet when she heard a door slam.