"OH, LOOK AT THAT. The big bad wolf actually caught the bird before she flew away."
Carson's voice broke the heavy silence of the clearing. He burst through the shimmering silver ribbons of the trees on his horse, his face flushed with the thrill of the hunt.
Close behind him, Lucson and Mason followed, their expressions far more serious. Ravenson seemed to simply appear out of the darkness, a shadow detaching itself from the edge of the woods.
Grayson didn't pull away immediately. He kept his hand tangled in Mailah's hair for a second longer than necessary, his eyes locked onto hers with a look that promised this conversation was far from over. When he finally stepped back, the air felt suddenly, agonizingly cold.
"Late as usual," Grayson said, his voice returning to its sharp, aristocratic edge. He didn't look at his brothers; he looked at the unconscious man from House Cinder crumpled on the frosted moss.
