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She blinked. “Phil chose to leave—”
“No. Our father kicked him out. He does it to boys every year. Some of them as young as twelve years old. ”
Glynis shifted uneasily on the bed. “I didn’t realize they were so young. We’re not supposed to talk about them. Once they’re out of the pack, they—”
“They still exist. Imagine being without your home and family—”
“Don’t. ” Glynis shuddered. “They wouldn’t have been banished if they hadn’t misbehaved. ”
“How can you say that? These are young boys with nowhere to go. ”
Glynis gave her an injured look. “I’m not heartless, you know. I’m glad you found a home for them. But you weren’t banished like them. Your home is here. ”
“Doing what?” Brynley muttered as she sprawled into an armchair upholstered with pink roses. “You’re twenty-three years old, Glyn. Don’t you want to do more than play hostess every month for the Hunt?”
She looked indignant. “I do plenty of things. I get to travel—”
“With an escort. ”
She waved that aside. “I feel safer with them. And I get to shop—”
“With Dad’s money. ”
Glynis huffed. “Well, someday I hope to marry, but Dad insists that you get married first. ”
Brynley dropped her head back on the cushion. “No wonder you’re eager to marry me off. ”
“Brynley!” Glynis tossed a pink satin pillow at her. “Don’t make me sound so selfish. I want you to be happy. And Rhett really wants to marry you. He promised me he would be a good husband to you. ”
Brynley groaned.
“He’s handsome and charming. ” Glynis ticked off a list on her fingers. “He’s a powerful Alpha. He’s almost as rich as Dad. He has a dozen ranches in Alaska and one here so you could always spend time here in your old hunting grounds. And they call him the King of Alaska! That would make you a queen. ”
“He already has a queen. A vampire named Corky who’s probably his mistress. ”
Glynis rolled her eyes. “He’s a very virile man, Bryn. You couldn’t expect him to stay celibate while he was waiting for you to return. ”
Brynley gave her sister a worried look. “Have you fallen for him?”
“No. ” She blushed. “I’m interested in someone else. ”
“Really?” Brynley sat forward. “Who?”
Glynis’s blush deepened. “He’s a werewolf, but not an Alpha. He’s not interested in power or land. He’s an artist. Dad hired him to paint a mural in the great hall, and when no one was looking, I would bring him water to drink. He’s so sweet. Not at all like . . . ”
“Our father?”
Glynis winced. “I’m not blind. I can see how Dad and the other Alphas behave. ”
Brynley sighed. “Our father’s not going to allow you to date a guy who’s not an Alpha or doesn’t own land. ”
Glynis hung her head. “I know. ”
“Then why do you stay here?”
Her eyes widened with surprise. “Where else would I go? I live here. I have most everything I could want here. ” She smiled. “Especially now that you’re back. I want you to be happy, too. And I think Rhett is perfect for you. You were always the strong and fearless one, and he’s that way, too. ”
“Me? Strong and fearless?” Brynley shook her head. She’d lived most of her life in fear of her father.
“Yes, you are,” Glynis insisted. “You’ve done all kinds of things I would never have the nerve to do. You went off to college, you joined the rodeo, you’re teaching school. ” Her eyes glimmered with tears. “You’re always leaving me. And I need you here. ”
“Oh, Glynis. ” Brynley sat beside her on the bed and hugged her. She couldn’t blame her sister for taking comfort by clinging to the security of the Lycan world. Unfortunately, the world that made Glynis feel safe made her feel trapped.
“Please give Rhett a chance,” Glynis begged with tears in her eyes. “He wants you. And it’s not just for power and prestige. He’s taken a real interest in you. He’s always asking me questions about you. What do you like? What do you dream about? Where do you go when you want to be alone?”
Brynley winced. “You told him about Phil’s cabin?”
“Sure. I told him lots of things. I want you to be happy with him. ”
She felt the prison bars closing in.
“He plans to court you, you know. ” Glynis beamed with excitement. “So you’ll be happy to marry him. Isn’t that romantic?”
Brynley started to explain that Rhett’s idea of romance was threatening to kill others so she would submit. But as she studied her sister’s hopeful smile, she couldn’t bring herself to tarnish the gilded cage her sister enjoyed living in.
“And only three days to the wedding!” Glynis clasped her hands together. “It’s so exciting! And guess what? Dad had a beautiful gown made for you for the last wedding. It’s still hanging in your closet. ”
A seed of panic stirred in Brynley’s chest. She had to get out of here. If only she could teleport like the— She gasped. That was it! All she had to do was call a Vamp, and he’d teleport in and swoosh! She’d be outta here!
“You look shocked. ” Glynis grinned. “But don’t worry. I’ve seen the gown, and it’s really lovely. ”
Brynley nodded. She needed a phone. Her gaze swept the room. No phone in sight. But close to the door there was a bombé chest with Glynis’s bright red designer handbag sitting on top. There had to be a cell phone inside. What wealthy young lady didn’t own a cell phone?
“I’ll be your maid of honor, right?” Glynis asked.
Brynley nodded, still focused on the red handbag. Her portal to freedom.
“Oh, I bought the cutest dress the other day in Billings. It’s teal-green. Is that all right for the wedding?”
“Why don’t you try it on?” Brynley suggested. “I’d love to see it. ”
Glynis jumped to her feet. “That’s a great idea! Then you can help me decide which shoes to wear with it. ” She dashed into her giant walk-in closet. “I’ll just be a sec!”
“Take your time. ” Brynley rushed over to the red handbag and dug through its cavernous interior. No phone? She checked inside pockets, outside pockets. Dammit. She opened the drawers of the bombé chest. Scarves, mittens, hats, berets, gloves.
She ran to the bedside tables and checked the drawers. No phone. There had to be a phone somewhere in this damned house. Her bedroom had a phone. At least it had before she’d run away. It was just down the hall.
She eased open the door, and a guard quickly appeared.
“Can I help you?”
He was a new guard, probably from a pack far away in Idaho. The other two guards stood nearby. Strangers to her, but loyal to her father.
She cleared her throat. “I thought I’d go to my bedroom for a second. My wedding dress is there, and I’d like to see it. ”
“We’ll arrange it,” the guard responded. “Anything else?”
Could you arrange to jump off a cliff? “I’m a bit hungry. ” Actually, after killing that deer and having wild sex with Phineas, she was starving. She needed to keep her strength up.
“We’ll have a tray brought up for you. ”
Before she could say anything else, the guard shut the door in her face.
“What do you think?” Glynis bounced from the closet, wearing a beautiful teal-green dress.
I think I’m screwed. She heaved a big sigh. “It’s lovely. ”
With a laugh, Glynis twirled in a circle. “Only three days till your wedding!”
Three days to escape. She wondered again how Phineas was doing. She should have told him she loved him while she had the chance.
The sat phone buzzed again. Phineas groaned inwardly. Freemont had to know something was wrong. He was going to get chewed out for sure if—
F
our forms materialized nearby. Zoltan with Roman hitching a ride. Vanda giving Gregori a ride. Of course. Freemont’s choices had been limited to those Vamps who had teleported here before. Zoltan and Vanda. The location of the cabin was embedded in their psychic memory. And they’d brought Roman and Gregori, because most of the MacKay employees were still in Russia and Eastern Europe.
Zoltan and Roman were armed with swords, Gregori with an automatic pistol, and Vanda with a whip.
Roman sheathed his sword. “Jack? Phineas? Are you all right?” He knelt beside Phineas. “Can you talk?”
Phineas blinked.
“We’re not alone. ” Zoltan pointed his sword toward the couch. “Let’s get back to Romatech now. ”
“Just a minute. ” Roman picked a dart off the floor and looked curiously at it. “I think they were drugged. ”
“It must be Nightshade,” Gregori said. “I don’t think they can move. ”
A groan sounded from the couch, then a sleepy “What the hell?”
“Vanda,” Zoltan whispered. “Go. Take Jack with you. ”
She fell to her knees beside Jack, wrapped her arms around him, and vanished.
“Roman, take Phin—” Zoltan stopped.
A huge growl sounded behind Phineas, and he knew Kyle must have shifted.
“Watch out!” Zoltan shouted.
Roman jumped back just as the werewolf leaped, his vicious jaws snapping.
Gunshots fired, and the wolf jolted in midair, then landed with a thud on top of Phineas. He winced inwardly as the two-hundred-pound weight squirmed in death throes on his torso.
Zoltan shoved the wolf off him, and it shimmered, returning to human form.
“Shit,” Gregori said softly, the gun still in his hand. “Is he dead?”
Zoltan felt for a pulse on Kyle’s neck. “He’s gone. ”
Gregori grimaced, then muttered another curse.
“You had no choice,” Roman told him. “He was attacking us. ”
Gregori holstered his gun. “I thought he was going to bite you. I just meant to stop him. I didn’t mean to . . . Shit!” He paced away.
Phineas blinked slowly. Nate Carson would have a lot to deal with when he woke up. His first night as a vampire. And the news that his brother was dead.
Zoltan straightened and looked around the cabin. “Brynley’s gone. The werewolves must have taken her. ”
Phineas managed to make a sound something like a moan.
Zoltan leaned over him. “We’ll get her back. ”
Roman knelt beside him. “The drug should wear off during your death-sleep. Tomorrow night, you’ll be as good as new. ”
“And tomorrow night, we’ll have a small army,” Gregori added. “Angus ordered everybody to return to New York. They’ll arrive tomorrow. ”
Zoltan picked him up. “We’ll find her, Phineas. Mark my word. ”
The next night, Phineas awoke in his basement bedroom at Romatech. Alone. It was only last night when he’d kissed Brynley in this bed. Just last night when he’d made love to her by the Cloud Peak Glacier.
Frustration seethed in him that he had spent the rest of the night drugged and entirely helpless, unable to rescue her. He guzzled down two bottles of blood, threw on some clothes, and zoomed upstairs to the MacKay security office.
“Hey, bro!” Freemont grinned at him from behind the desk. “You’re looking a lot better. Last night, you looked kinda stiff. ”
“What took you so long to send someone? We could have fried there on the floor if the sun had risen!”
“Dude, it was only fifteen minutes. ”
Phineas blinked. “What?”
Freemont snickered.
Damn. “It felt longer than that,” Phineas mumbled. “I was paralyzed, you know. I couldn’t see any clocks. ”
Freemont nodded, his eyes twinkling. “You have to admit I did pretty good, huh?”
Phineas shrugged. “Yeah. ” So there had been several hours of darkness left, hours that he should have spent rescuing Brynley, but he’d been unable to move.
He turned away, and one of the monitors caught his attention. Nate Carson was sitting up in bed, drinking a bottle of blood. His sire, Zoltan, was standing nearby, talking to him. Nate’s bare chest looked completely healed.
“We have a new Vamp,” Phineas murmured.
“Yeah. ” Freemont walked over to stand next to Phineas. “I heard your wolfie-girl is missing. I’m sorry. ”
His heart squeezed painfully. “It was my fault. ”
“I think it was mine. ” Jack walked in, a bottle of blood in his hand. “I should have managed to escape. I felt so damned helpless, lying there on the floor, unable to move and worried that you and Brynley might return at any minute. ”
“Well, we have good news from the school. ” Freemont gave them an encouraging grin. “Caitlyn had her twins this morning. A boy and a girl. No fur, but healthy lungs. ”
“That is good news,” Phineas agreed.
Jack nodded. “I should go pick up Lara. ”
“Whoa!” Freemont pointed at a monitor. “Angus and the guys just teleported in. ”
They stepped into the hall as Angus and ten of his employees entered the side entrance. Angus lifted a hand in greeting. “Phineas, Jack, how are you? I heard ye were drugged last night. ”
“We’re fine, sir,” Jack said. “Did you hear the good news? Caitlyn had the twins, both healthy. ”
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