Brave (A Wicked Trilogy 3)

“When will we discuss finding Marlon?”

Still focused on Merle, he said, “We’ve already discussed it.”

A hot flush swept over me. “You have?”

Only then did he look at me. “A few hours ago. A team leaves at nine in the morning to scout for him.”

I saw red. “And I’m guessing I was conveniently left out of this meeting?”

Tanner’s gaze dropped away.

A bitter laugh punched out of me. “But I bet Ren wasn’t. During this meeting did he tell you about my plan to leave?”

“He did before Fabian and his consul arrived,” Tanner answered. “I do believe he didn’t mean for this to happen.” He glanced wryly at Merle. “I made the error of mentioning it to Merle, who as you can see, had a strong reaction.”

I was about to have a strong reaction.

“I will be with whatever team leaves tomorrow.” I stepped around Tanner and Merle, silently daring her to get those handcuffs near me. “I am done with this conversation.”

I didn’t give them the chance to respond, stalking out into the hallway. I made it about five feet.

“Ivy. Wait.” It was Tink.

Inhaling deeply, I turned to tell him that whatever he had to say had to wait, but I saw the look on his face.

His expression was stricken. “You were going to leave me?”

Oh God. “I—”

“You really were going to do that?” Tink crept closer, his eyes welling with emotion. “Why would you do that?”

Running my hands down my face, I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. The Prince—”

“Found a new halfling and doesn’t care about you anymore. Yeah, I was there for that.” His hands opened and closed at his sides. “But before? You were planning to leave me—leave us. That’s why Ren is so upset.”

“Well, there are a lot of reasons why he’s upset, but yes, that’s one of them.”

Tink stared at me for so long that unease filled me. “So, you were going to leave without telling me.”

I shifted my weight, uncomfortable. “I learned that the Prince could get through the glamour. I . . . I panicked. All I could think about was him using you or Ren. I thought that if I left, then you guys wouldn’t be at risk.”

“Did you not think that we would’ve freaked out and left, looking for you?” he demanded.

“I didn’t really think it through.”

“No.” Hurt filled his eyes. “You didn’t.”

Shame settled over me like a coarse blanket. “I know, and I’m sorry. I would do . . . I would do anything to protect you two.”

“And we’d do anything to protect you,” he said quietly. “You saved my life, Ivy.”

“You saved mine,” I reminded him.

“And you yelled at me for it.” When I started to respond, he continued on. “I get why. I do.”

I rubbed the heel of my palm against my hip. “Can we . . . I don’t know? Start over? I really am sorry. It was a stupid plan—”

“A cruel and stupid plan.”

“Yes.” I sighed. “It was.”

He lifted his chin. “I already lost my family once. I do not want to lose my family again, Ivy.”

My breath caught.

“And that’s what you are to me—you and even Ren,” he said, and I sort of wished Ren was here to hear that. “You two are all that I have. If you had left me, it would’ve killed me.”

Guilt was a knot in my throat, one I needed to live with. I stepped forward, placing my hand on his arm. “I’m sorry, Tink. I just panicked, and I know that’s not a good excuse, but it’s the truth. I panicked and I didn’t think about what it would do to you and Ren. And that was wrong, because you two are all I have left. You are . . .” I drew in a deep breath. “You’re my family.”

Tink studied me a moment and then sprang forward, wrapping his long arms around me. He hugged me—hugged me tight, and I reacted without thought, folding my arms around him. Squeezing my eyes closed against the sudden rush of tears, I planted my face against his chest.

I was learning Tink gave great hugs.

“All is forgiven,” Tink murmured into my ear. “But if you ever think about doing something like that again, I will not forgive you.”

“Okay,” I whispered thickly.

“And I will go onto Amazon and order some weird shit. Not only that, I’ll make my wish list public, which means it will be your wish list,” he continued. “You don’t want that.”

My lips twitched as I pulled back. “I don’t want that.”

“Good.”

Drawing in a deep breath, I glanced at the closed door to the gym. “I need to find Ren. Do you have any idea where he’s at?”

“I think he’s at the pool.”

Surprise filled me. “There’s a pool?”

Tink looked at me like I was half stupid. “All the roaming around you’ve done and you haven’t found the pool yet? You are not living your best life.”

Tink was right.

I wasn’t living my best life if I didn’t know there was a damn pool in this building, and there apparently was one on the second floor. The faint scent of chlorine led the way, and with each step, my earlier anger resurfaced with the vengeance of a thousand burning suns.

I knew I’d made a mistake with the whole leaving thing. Ren had been right. It had been a knee-jerk reaction, but him running to Tanner was going too far.

It was time to have that strong reaction that didn’t include crying and feeling like a douche.

Slamming my hands into the double doors, I burst into the room and immediately came to an abrupt halt. My eyes widened. The room was large and bright due to the floor-to-ceiling windows all along the furthest side. The pool was one of those huge ones, Olympic size, but it wasn’t the pool that had rendered me completely incapable of moving.

It was Ren.

“Holy crap,” I whispered.

He didn’t hear me, because he was currently gliding under the water like some kind of sea God, his body sleek and quick as he swam. He was only wearing what appeared to be black boxer briefs. There was a pile of neatly folded clothing on a nearby bench, and I could almost picture him standing there, folding the jeans and shirt. His shoes were tucked under the bench.

The panther tattoo on his back moved with him, an absolutely stunning piece of artwork somehow highlighted by the glistening water. Lean muscles along his back flexed as he broke the surface in the deep end. He didn’t see me at first, which was great because it gave me more time to creep on him as he lifted his powerful arms, pushing the water and hair from his face.

My mouth dried as a zing shot from my chest to my core. He was. . . .

Ren’s head swung sharply in my direction. Those eyes were like polished emerald jewels, placed perfectly behind thick, wet lashes.

Tense silence filled the room as we stared at one another. He was the one to break it.

“Hey,” he said, wading away from the middle of the pool, toward the edge where I stood.

I blinked slowly and then got my hormones in check. Okay. Ren was hot and he looked like some kind of God. Whatever. I was not that easily distracted.

“I am so pissed at you right now,” I told him.

“Really,” he replied dryly, dropping a heavy arm on the cement. One side of his lips kicked up. “Is that any different from this morning when you were pissed at me?”

“Oh.” I laughed harshly. “You think this is funny?”

The smirk didn’t fade. “I always think you’re funny, Sweetness.”

Did he now? “Okay. I’ll show you something that’s really funny.”