BUTCH WAS ALIVE, BUT he wasn’t conscious. Definitely wasn’t about to hop to his feet and swing a sword.
“I’ll take care of this,” Lupe told us. “Ryder, feel free to take one of the Jeeps by the boat shed. You’re off duty until Wednesday morning.”
She didn’t even glance at me and Tank. We were dismissed. Off the team. No longer relevant.
Or, no, that wasn’t true. “Athena,” Lupe called as I turned away. “You’ll still be paid. Tomorrow morning, I’ll cut you a check.”
And...I was furious. Yes, cash had been one of my incentives for joining the Samhain Shifters in the first place. But Lupe’s reassurance made me sound like Nick, being paid off to let Harper continue boarding school. “I don’t...” I started, knowing even as I spoke that there was no way to argue the point with someone who coul
