Exposed [Book 4 in the Expiring Series]

46 Is Erik Concerned or Does He Just Like Picking Fights?

My heart still feels as if it thumps erratically, like it did when it was just me and Rydersin. The last person to make me feel this way was Molly, not Iris. I want to peel way from Meilin and find Rydersin. I want to know if what Meilin said is true, that the kiss meant something to Rydersin. That I wasn't just a pretty face and handsome body who happened to be there.

Meilin stops before a door and knocks sharply, and when it opens, Percy is on the other side, the top buttons of his shirt undone, his hair tousled. His dark brown eyes flick to me, and it's clear he's tired.

"Erik, you're still in one piece."

I shrug before feeling something poking at me and remember the glass. Not wanting to drag shards of glass into a room with two Expired, I carefully remove the jacket, glass tinkling to the floor.

Percy leans against the door frame. "Can't wait to hear about that one." He looks at Meilin. "Thank you for bringing him."

She bows. "Of course, Iota."

Percy moves to the side, allowing me to step past him before he shuts the door. Iris and Jonas sit in the middle of a large bed, while Vienna's legs are stretched out in front of her on a deep green rug, and Colton lounges in a chair, a ceramic white mug in his hand.

I wave.

Colton snorts, setting his coffee on an end table beside him.

I stroll across the room, plopping onto the green rug. Close enough to Vienna that she's forced to scoot over. "Care to share what happened after I made my grand exit?"

Jonas's face is quite serious. "I was about to pin the Preeminence against the wall."

Iris rolls her eyes, and Percy takes a seat on the edge of the bed.

"Which would have jeopardized your mission," he says to Jonas.

"He harmed a member of our family. It was justified. However, it didn't get that far as the Order didn't know what the Preeminence had done to you, and all twelve of them went at it."

"Great to know they don't all approve of his methods of diplomacy."

Iris tilts her head, studying me. "Are you okay?"

I place my hands behind me, the rug firm under my palms. It's not a comfy rug. Just one more thing for which to dislike the Preeminence: his taste in rugs. "I'm fine. Andrew helped Rydersin find me."

Jonas's expression darkens. "And why would he know where the Preeminence was keeping you?"

"He didn't. But he witnessed me being taken. I haven't had any communication with him since Borilia." When I let Iris scream until she was probably hoarse. But unless Colton told her—and that would be incriminating himself—she wouldn't know about that. "I hear you're all sharing a room now."

A shadow passes over Iris's face, and Vienna points her foot. "Someone tried to kill them," she says.

I blink, coldness settling into my veins. "And you think it was Andrew?" This explains why they are all sleeping in the same bedroom and why there is not a single window in this room.

"No," Colton drawls, mug held close to his nose as if he needs to smell the espresso just to get him to the next second. "Percy thinks Bently did it."

I throw my head back and laugh. In France, I'm fairly certain I was picking up on signs that my woman-despising cousin was in love with Iris. Despite his rather pathetic attempt to kill her in the past, he wouldn't do that now. And he certainly wouldn't kill Jonas to get him out of the way.