"That was quite the unexpected entrance, huh?"

Ravenne turned his gaze toward me and understood without my having to add another word. I could imagine what he was thinking, too. Ever since the little bunny arrived, he had been even quieter than usual. Talking had never been his greatest gift, but this was bordering on mutism. Or had it already crossed that line? Yeah, most definitely.

"Then again, he must get his flair for the dramatic from Alice. The little bunny is the spitting image of him."

"Alice is easier than he is. This one likes making his presence known. No one can ignore him once he walks into a room," Ravenne complained.

I couldn’t help chuckling at his words. Could you really blame someone for shining too brightly? Alice had always shone with ferocity and talent, enough to draw every Grey to his feet. Alice and elegance had always been one and the same. It had rubbed off on the little bunny. With those two, you really could say, like parent, like son.

"You could show a little more enthusiasm about having him here," I teased. "He keeps trying to get a reaction out of you. And thanks to him, we can finally begin our ascent. Besides, I know you’re always more motivated to fight when you have a reason."

Ravenne’s gaze became as sharp as his pheromones. That only amused me more. Smiling, I answered him in silence by releasing my own, without the slightest trace of aggression. He was more wild beast than rabbit, but he didn’t bite. Unless he or someone else was involved, which was precisely why I wanted him to become invested in the little bunny. Once Ravenne grew attached, he became a blessing to us and a curse to everyone else.

"It amuses me, Ravenne, but I’m serious. I need you more than ever. We have to make this work."

I pointed toward the top—the crust, the next stage awaiting us once we reached the highest ranks.

"Alice is waiting for us. And it would be better if his son were with us, or following close behind."

Ravenne nodded. From him, that was worth a thousand words, especially when his scent softened. The conversation over, I turned my attention back to the warehouse. Something had been bothering me ever since we’d come to collect the medication meant to prevent a full-blown orgy in the first place. The fact that things had gone wrong really stuck in my throat. Usually, we went inside, did our little shopping, and left. Everything always went smoothly.

It was a coincidence—a little too big of one—for everything to suddenly go wrong. The little bunny’s arrival must have gotten people talking, enough for half of them to want to snatch him away and the other half to want him dead. There would soon be two distinct sides, but I wasn’t worried about those who wanted to kill him. Far more people wanted my little bunny alive.

Truthfully, the war being fought over him higher up was enough to protect him. Even among those who wanted him alive, there were two opposing factions, and luckily for him, both were influential enough to make the cockroaches back down. Still, that business with the guard kept bothering me. Hell, the little bunny had nearly been riddled with bullets!

Suddenly, Ravenne’s muscles tensed beside me. His pheromones assaulted the very air under the force of his emotion, and I followed his murderous gaze.

"Is that the guy we paid?" I asked. "Damn, and here I thought I’d found a good kid."

I lowered the rabbit mask over my face and, moving in perfect unison with Ravenne, let myself drop over the edge of the building. Without making the slightest sound, we followed the little guy by clinging to the sides of the buildings and gradually working our way down. We waited for the right moment, until he was far enough from the warehouse. The closer I got, the more the whole thing got under my skin. With the agility of real little beasts, we surrounded him.

I completed my descent by dropping directly in front of him. He looked to be in his early twenties. Maybe he wasn’t a bad kid, but… damn, he had pissed me off. He jumped when I landed in front of him. It took him several seconds to recognize me. In fact, it wasn’t until he noticed the name engraved around my neck that realization struck. Once he knew who I was, he stumbled several steps backward, suddenly terrified. I raised my hands in amusement.

"Everything’s fine, kid. I just want to talk."

"I… I… There was a problem with one of the guards, but I… It won’t happen again! I swear!"

Ah… that irritated me even more.

"Were any of you hurt? I…"

I approached carefully, slowly—slowly enough to keep him from turning and running. Once I reached him, I placed one hand on his shoulder and the other against his cheek. I took a deep breath and gestured for him to follow me. Poor kid was going to drop dead if he kept holding his breath like that!

"There, there. Everything’s going to be fine! Listen, I want to believe you, kid. The problem, you see… is that this whole situation bothers me. We paid you, but when the time came, you didn’t deliver. You understand?"

He nodded so vigorously I thought his head might come loose and roll across the ground. Laughing, I grabbed the back of his neck to stop him.

"Relax. We’re just going somewhere quieter to have a little talk, all right? Ravenne will help you calm down."

At my words, he tried to turn his head. He struggled to escape my grip, but failed. I even clamped a hand over his mouth. He was about to scream. I showed my disapproval with a grimace. The narrow street around us was quiet and deserted, but that was no reason to raise his voice. It would be better for him to keep his mouth shut. So I signaled to Ravenne, who had silently positioned himself behind the kid.

Like a true predator, his hand wrapped around the kid’s throat and squeezed. Tighter and tighter—not enough to crush anything, but enough to cut off his air and hurt like hell. His body quickly went limp like a rag doll, and I left him in Ravenne’s hands.

We carried him back to the hideout unconscious. And honestly, I was glad to be home. Nothing was warmer than home, and I was irrepressibly curious to see how the little bunny would react to this. I mean, we were taking such good care of him that we had even gone after one of the people responsible for nearly putting holes through his precious body! The mere thought already amused me. I was genuinely eager to see it.

The familiar scent of the hideout struck me as soon as I stepped through the door. Pheromones I knew like the back of my hand. I caressed each of them with my own, but one in particular came to tickle my senses. Malik hurried toward us, followed by the little bunny, both eager to see what we had brought back. After offering me his throat in a gentle greeting, Malik moved toward Ravenne—but his steps suddenly stopped.

My smile almost completely faded when his scent, thick with terror, flooded over me. The surrounding noise fell silent, and I bent down to look at his face. His beautiful eyes were fixed on the unconscious man, but his expression revealed a fear beyond words. Then I remembered seeing that same look on Malik a month earlier. I bitterly remembered his tears and his torn clothes when he had finally made it back to us.

Ravenne remembered too, and his reaction proved it. The unconscious man was still wearing his guard uniform, which meant he still had his gloves on. Ravenne tore them both off to examine his hands, and when we saw the two missing fingers, we understood. I signaled for Ravenne to take him away as usual. I would follow close behind, but first… I pulled Malik against me. I drowned him—literally—in my pheromones. I gave him everything he needed: trust, love, protection.

His hands clung to my arms, and I pressed myself against his throat to soothe him. I let my nose caress him; I let my breath carry his fears away. And with fury barely held in check, I promised him.

"We’ll take care of it."