Gaslight (Crossbreed #4)(122)

“But isn’t that a better idea? A world where there aren’t good and evil people—that maybe it’s all just action and reaction? Good and evil don’t exist in the animal kingdom. All they know is survival and instinct. Why are we bound to those beliefs of morality?”

“Because it’s what separates us from the beasts. Evil deeds make evil men, not the other way around. It darkens our light, but you know all about that. If you keep searching for labels, it’ll make you doubt yourself and everyone around you. It may even destroy you. We’re not born one way or the other, and as long as we draw breath, we have the capacity to change. It sounds like you have a lot of soul searching to do, but take heed not to allow this man any influence over your life.”

“It’s not like that. He never hurt me like Fletcher did.”

“That doesn’t make him a better man. I don’t know anything about your maker or what you went through, but stay true to your heart.” He nudged his shoulder against mine. “That’s a separate thing from your mind and your instincts, Ravenheart.”

“I can’t make him my enemy. I made a promise. He let me keep my memory of him knowing I could use it against him. Maybe I should, but I can’t. He knows where my father lives, and even though I don’t think he’d do anything, a betrayed man is a dangerous man.”

“Do what you must to survive and protect what’s important.”

When we rose to leave, my foot slipped. Niko caught me. I stared down three stories, realizing how lucky I was to have people who genuinely cared about me.

Once Niko climbed inside, I started to crawl through the window, and then Claude’s strong hands suddenly hauled me the rest of the way in. Sometimes I felt like a pygmy standing beside him.

“I missed my girls.” He wrapped his arms around me, and a loud purr vibrated against my cheek. It was like cozying up to a lion.

I pulled away and closed the sash to the hall window. “What’s everyone doing here? I thought the roof was my private thing.”

He put his arm around me. “Private? Nothing you do around here is private for long. I have good night vision, and I’ve seen you a time or two, walking the ridge. You came home without saying hello.”

“Hello.” I branched away and peered around the corner.

“Looking for something, female?”

I swung my gaze up at Claude, who gave me a tight-lipped smile. “Just curious if you brought anyone else. You two are acting suspicious.”

Claude put his arm around Niko and tipped his head to the side. “You slay me, Raven. Since when is checking in on friends a suspicious activity?”

“Since two minutes ago.”

Claude and Niko fell into step beside me as we headed down the hall.

“I wonder what’s on the menu tonight,” I said, thinking how nice it was not to have cooking duties anymore.

When we reached the staircase, Claude sat on the flat handrail and slid down ahead of us. “Whatever it is, I’m sure it’ll involve french fries.”

“Why do you say that?”

He looked up from the landing. “Wyatt was using a visual demonstration to convince Kira that frozen french fries are healthy. She makes hers from scratch in the oven, but you know how Wyatt loves grease. She didn’t look confident about using a deep fryer.”

“Better she not learn,” I said. “He’ll have her bringing those upstairs every six hours. It’ll smell like a dumpster in there.”

“I’m not comfortable with her serving us at all,” Claude remarked, walking ahead of us.

“Like it or not, she has a job to perform,” Niko said. “To refuse her service devalues it. She’ll think you don’t respect her.”

“I respect her,” Claude fired back, turning sharply to look at us. His golden eyes pulsed as his pupils briefly widened. “Which is exactly why I’d prefer her not to serve meals. Food is sacred among my people. Males serve females, not the other way around. It was difficult enough accepting it among the team, but we were rotating responsibilities, so it was a shared duty. This female’s sole job is to cook and serve me food… as if I’m her master.”

I chuckled and unzipped my leather coat. “Your problems are the dreams of other men.”

When we reached the first floor, I veered down the corridor that led to the dining room. Claude snagged my arm.

I wrenched away. “What gives?”

He jerked his chin in the other direction. “Christian wants to speak with you before dinner.”

Niko nonchalantly headed to the dining room. “I’ll save you a plate.”

I gave Claude a guarded look. “What’s this about?”

He shrugged. “I’m merely a messenger, m’lady. He’s in the garage.”

After Claude bowed and turned away, my stomach knotted. I hadn’t seen Christian, who had spent the whole eleven hours in the trunk, since New Brunswick.

Maybe this time I’d gone too far.

I could have rescinded the bet since I’d made it before our night in the cabin, but I wanted to see if he was a man true to his word. Had it been me who lost, I would have done it. My daddy used to say that a man is only as good as his word.

I went outside toward the underground garage, the last drop of daylight finally gone. The door was open, so I headed down the ramp. It wasn’t a massive sea of parking spaces like in commercial buildings, but it comfortably housed our vehicles with extra room to grow. The wall up ahead had a workbench with lots of tools, and we parked the vehicles to the left or right. Unlike most of the mansion, there were overhead lights. They gleamed against the white floors and sparkled on the cars. Claude’s Porsche, Wyatt’s classic Mini Cooper, Shepherd’s grey Jeep, Viktor’s black van, Christian’s bike and Honda, and Blue’s blue Mustang. There were a couple of other cars, but I wasn’t sure if they were in running order.