Radiant Shadows (Wicked Lovely 4)

“I know.” Ani looked at him. “So what do we do?”

“The High Court’s assassin doesn’t make the decisions around here,” Gabriel growled.

“No, I don’t, but neither do you.” Devlin didn’t raise his voice or react to Gabriel’s menace. “Do you have any idea what your daughter is?”

“Dark Court.” Gabriel stepped into the hallway. “Unlike you.”

“Devlin!” Ani started toward them, but Rabbit put a hand on her shoulder.

“Wait,” Rabbit murmured.

Seth came into the room, giving Gabriel and Devlin space to sort things out. He reached out to Rabbit and clasped his forearm. “Sorry, man.”

Rabbit nodded. “I’m glad you’re here.”

Ani didn’t want to talk about grief, not now, not ever. She wanted to plan.

She raised her voice, though, and called out, “Irial?”

“Shush, love,” Irial called back. “It’s just territory stuff they need to square away before we can get to business. Let them talk.”

Gabriel and Devlin were glaring at each other.

“That’s not going to end with talking.” Ani sat down beside Rabbit and watched the confrontation.

Her brother put his arm around her. “Gabriel needs to deal with his grief.”

“By beating my…” Her words faded as she tried to figure out what term finished that sentence.

“Your what?” Gabriel growled. He shoved Devlin. “Her what?”

“Stop.” Ani jumped up, crossed the threshold, and stepped in front of her father. “He kept me safe.”

“He’s the High Queen’s thug—”

“Yeah, and you’re the Dark King’s.” She rolled her eyes. “So what?”

Gabriel reached out like he’d move her aside, and without thinking, Ani caught his hand in hers—and stopped it.

His eyes widened, and he grinned. Before she could react, he pulled back his other arm like he was going to punch her.

“I don’t think so.” She ducked and swung, and—for the first time in her life—saw her father actually moved by her punch.

Reflexively, he punched back—not the insulting love taps he’d thrown before, but a true punch from a Hound striking out at an equal.

“You tried to hit me,” she murmured. “You actually tried to hit me!”

“I did”—he touched his face—“and you did hit me.”

She leaned against him. “Finally.”

Gabriel was staring at her with pride. “You got me one worthy of Che. How?”

“She’s barely—if at all—mortal.” Devlin’s voice was even, sounding falsely calm. “Her mortal blood has been consumed by yours, Gabriel. It’s part of why she is so unusual, and—I suspect—because Jillian had an ancestor who wasn’t fully mortal.”

“Huh.” Gabriel scooped her up in a hug. “Still my pup, though. Still not going to hare off on your own again without telling us. Right?”

“I was trying to make sure you all were safe.” Ani feigned a snarl, but she wasn’t angry with him for being protective. It was a Dark Court trait and a Hound trait. “And Devlin and Barry were with me. I wasn’t alone.”