Destined for Greatness ✔️

Chapter 11

Most of the Shadow Walkers were gathered in the living room, spread out over sofas, chairs, cushions on the floor. Only Corbin and the kids were missing. The table in the middle of their circle was filled with food. The wine had been flowing freely for several hours – it was a popular saying of theirs that if you were to cut a Shadow Walker, they'd bleed only silver and wine – and though they had, at first, attempted to stifle their laughter so the neighbourhood wouldn't grow suspicious, they had long since abandoned every pretence of caution.

"You did not," Ryleigh said, tipping her cup back and downing the last of her wine. "Tell me you did not go to a human bar, Park."

"O, he did," Mason, the Shadow Walker's head warrior, said, laughing. "Not only did he go, he also had to get into a fight."

"You started a brawl?" Ryleigh fell back against the sofa, hiccupping a laugh. "I would have loved to see that."

Parker chuckled. "You would have loved to participate, you mean. I'll have you know I kicked their asses."

"Kicked their asses!" Paige said. "I spent half an hour healing you when you got home. You were a mess!"

"And the alpha made him walk patrol for four nights in a row as punishment," Acton, the beta, said.

"Goddess, that sucked." Parker pulled a face at the memory.

"You deserved more than that," Rhys said.

"O, come on, Rhys, I just had some fun." Parker leant forward, grabbing a bottle of wine from the table and refilling his cup.

"That's not what bothers me," Rhys said. "It bothers me that you went out drinking and didn't ask me to come!"

More laughter burst out at that, and the others joined in with their own complaints at being left behind.

"I could hardly have brought all of you," Parker said. "We're supposed to stay in hiding, remember?"

"O, yes, pretend that remaining in hiding was your objective when you started that fight," Dawn said. "I'm with my mom – you should've asked us to come."

"Ho!" Rhys said. "I said he should've brought me. I don't want to see you anywhere near any human bars, missy!"

"Goddess, I missed this," Ryleigh said, her voice low so that only Parker would pay attention. He was sitting right beside her, their legs touching. She dropped her head against his arm, eyes flitting around the circle.

"What did you miss the most?" he asked, lifting his brows. "Or should I say, who?"

Ryleigh grinned and plucked his cup from his hands, bringing it to her lips and draining the contents in one fell swig. "I missed the shameless drinking the most."

"Right, right." He took his cup and refilled it.

"Me too." She stuck out her own cup and, rolling those pretty golden eyes of his, he filled it to the brim.

"Maybe if I get you drunk enough, you'll admit that I was on your mind more than I should've been."

"Keep dreaming."

He moved his shoulder away, so that Ryleigh nearly toppled over, wine spilling all over her trousers and the sofa. "Hey!"

"If you didn't miss me, you don't get to use me as a pillow either."

"O, come on! I didn't say I didn't miss you. And I might have spared a thought or two for you while I was gone. You know, you being my best friend and all." She laughed at his dismayed expression, but he recovered fast, that cocky smirk turning the corners of his mouth upwards.