Blood Rule (Book 4, Dirty Blood series)

by Heather Hildenbrand

  “What the hell was that about?” Alex asked.

  “I have no idea.” I searched my mind for some voice that wasn’t George’s or Emma’s, some feeling I couldn’t match with their mental signature, but found none. It was only them inside my head.

  “Strange guy,” Alex said.

  “You have no idea,” George agreed.

  “Tara, we need to go,” Wes called. He didn’t move from the bench, but his foot tapped incessantly.

  “George, can I have a minute?” I said.

  “Fine,” George said. “I guess that’s as close to an explanation as we’ll get.”

  “What do you mean ‘close’?” Alex demanded. “That was the truth.”

  “You expect me to believe that you, Wood Point’s most badass Werewolf slayer,” he drew out the words dramatically, “called in the strike team and honestly thought it would only be an extraction? Oh, and I forgot the part where I get hit in the head for my own safety. Right. Absolute honesty, man. Most of all with yourself. Come on, Emma, let’s go wait with the others.”

  Alex let them go without a word.

  “Can we walk?” I asked.

  “Sure.”

  I fell into step beside him, keeping my pace slow, partly for Alex’s benefit and partly my own. Unlike Wes, I wasn’t in a hurry to end the visit.

  “You’re not going to set him straight?” I asked.

  “No point. You all believe what you want. My words don’t change a thing.”

  “They might. For me.”

  Alex snorted.

  “I’m serious,” I said, my voice rising. “For weeks, I sat by your bed, holding your hand, talking to you, practically begging you to wake up so I could—”

  “Could what?” he prompted.

  A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth as I finished, “So I could yell at you.”

  “Huh. And how’s that working out for you?”

  “Fantastic.”

  We both grinned.

  “Lucky for me, your temper packs the punch of a newborn circus kitten,” he said. “And besides, being angry now is like double jeopardy.”

  “How is that?”

  “You already tried to kill me. I’d say that makes us even.”

  “Alex, about that.” I couldn’t even laugh at his joke. The memory of it was still too cutting.

  “Don’t worry. I’m fine.”

  “I know that but … There’s something else you should know.”

  “Why do I have a feeling you’re about to make us not even again?”

  I couldn’t look at him as I said the words. If I did, they’d never come. “When I bit you … You were dying, Alex. Like, truly dying. Shock. Seizures. The whole thing. There was nothing to be done.”

  I broke off, hating my next words. Not for me. For him. He was going to be pissed.

  “So? What did you do? Obviously something, because here I am.” He poked himself in the ribs as proof. I didn’t smile and his expression clouded. “Tara, say it already.”

  “I didn’t know if it would even work,” I said. “But it worked on them and on George and—I gave you my blood.”

  His brow furrowed in momentary confusion. Then, as understanding dawned, his eyes widened and he stepped back. “You infused me with … Is that why everyone keeps asking if you know what I’m thinking?”

  I winced and nodded. His voice was entirely too calm. Any second now he was going to lose it.

  There was a beat of silence before he let loose a long string of curses that would’ve impressed a pirate. Or even Cambria.

  “Can you?” he demanded.

  “What?”

  “Hear what I’m thinking.”

  “Um. I don’t think so.”

  “You don’t think so?” he repeated, clearly disbelieving.

  “There was a moment when we were on the phone. I thought I could, but I think it was someone else.”

  “Great, so you’re getting me and George confused now?”

  “Not George. My pack.”

  “Your … Um, obviously I’ve been out for too long. You have a pack?”

  I tried to keep my cool. This was all new information for him. The reality of the bond with the hybrids had taken me weeks to acclimate. I could give Alex five minutes. “Do you remember what happened when I bit you?”

  “Um, it freaking hurt?”

  “Not to you, to me. The fight.”

  “I remember lots of yelling. You said something about calling them off and for some reason, Kane did. You said…” He tilted his head. “You said you could feel what they feel.”

  “I do. Or I did. They’re gone now.”

  “What do you mean gone?”

  “Steppe took them. He wants me to come in for questioning.”

  “About Olivia?”

  “And attacking you.”

  “Shit.”

  “I’ve been expelled from school. He’s framing Wes for killing that girl. I don’t know how he got them to listen, but Steppe is using the hybrids to hunt us.”

  Alex shook his head, clearly at a loss.

  “Angela didn’t tell you any of this?” I asked.

  “Angela is very good at being quiet,” he grumbled.

  I snickered. Something in his tone told me it hadn’t been for lack of trying.

  “Tell her I’m sorry I missed her,” I said.

  “Tell her yourself when she gets back.”

  “I don’t … If tonight goes according to plan, I won’t be back for a while.”

  “Sounds very vague,” he said.

  “I can’t … I can’t let Steppe bring me in. I’m pretty sure I won’t come out.”

  “And what’s tonight’s big plan?”

  I kicked at a pine cone, not meeting his eyes.

  “You still don’t trust me, do you?”

  “It’s not that.” I sighed. “It’s safer for you if you don’t know.”

  “Right. So, let me get this straight. All those hybrids are your pack now?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you can hear all of them in your head?”

  “Not right now. Steppe did something to the bond when he took them. But normally, yes.”

  He frowned. “Is that why George was asking how I did it?”

  “We were hoping for some clue as to how Steppe did it. And how to reverse it.”

  “Why would you want it back? Sounds like a pain in the ass.”

  “You sound like Wes right now.”

  “Watch your mouth.”

  I stuck my tongue out at him. “If you really want to know, I’m empty. Like some important piece of myself is missing. And until I find it, I won’t be whole. I won’t be one hundred percent me.”

  “I know that feeling.”

  I stopped walking, surprised. “How?” I realized the answer as soon as the words were out. “Oh.”

  I didn’t know what to say. We’d made this subject off-limits long ago. And I’d made my choice. “Alex, I …”

  “Don’t say it.”

  “Alex—”

  “Not saying it, remember?”

  “But I need to tell you. I made my choice.”

  The teasing note vanished. “No, you don’t.” His voice was sad but not surprised.

  “You know?”

  “I’ve known since the minute I saw you with him. There was never a choice.”

  His hand came up and hovered over my cheek, so close the air shifted but not close enough for his skin to brush against mine. I had the urge to lean in so he’d have to touch me, but I didn’t. It wouldn’t be fair. Especially now.

  Our eyes met and what passed between us felt full of “if only’s” and “what could’ve been’s” and made it hard to swallow.

  “Out of all the crazy that’s happened: you having a pack, Steppe going off the deep end, almost dying, being injected with your blood, there is one thing that comforts me,” he said.

  “What’s that?”

  “I can honestly tell St. John you gave your
self to me.”

  He jumped out of reach the second before my fist would’ve made contact with his face.

  Chapter Fourteen

  On the ride back from the hospital, George and I took turns telling the others Alex’s story. Logan and Victoria were an easy sell. Not only did they believe him, they also seemed to accept his calling Kane as perfectly normal. I supposed for a Hunter it was. Wes and Emma were a different story. Even in her quietness, I could tell Emma was not a fan of Alex or his excuses. Then again, he’d tried to kill her pack, so I hadn’t expected her to love him.

  “You really believe he thought it was an extraction?” Wes asked when we’d finished. The question was more like a challenge than him simply asking for my opinion. Like if I said yes, I was an idiot.

  “I think,” I said slowly, “he wanted to believe that.”

  Wes rolled his eyes.

  Emma hadn’t spoken, but her hands were clasped tightly together in her lap. Disbelief and indignation rose inside her. She was remembering the fear of that day. She’d lost friends in the fight and been afraid for her own life. In her mind, Alex was responsible for that. I couldn’t blame her. But I couldn’t keep watching it replay in her thoughts either.

  I tuned into George. He seemed calmer than he had at the park. Thoughtful. He stared at Astor, who’d somehow ended up in the driver’s seat.

  “Wes, you have to understand,” Logan said, “that as Hunters we are taught over and over the proper response to a Werewolf is attack. He didn’t know another way.”

  “So because someone taught him to be this way, it makes it okay that he sold us out?” Wes shot back.

  “No. None of it is okay. I’m just telling you what he was thinking. He was scared and all he knew was to call—”

  “Oh, I’ve heard what he thinks. I don’t want to know any more.”

  Logan sat back. “Yeah, I get it. You want to be mad, go ahead. But he’s still on our side.”

  Wes snorted.

  “He obviously didn’t think it through,” I said, “but I can’t stay mad at him for making a rash decision based out of fear for someone he cares about.” I gave Wes a pointed look.

  The bus jolted violently and I grabbed the seatback in front of me to keep from being thrown against the window.

  “What the hell?” Victoria asked, smoothing her hair back from her face.

  From the front, Astor laughed and there was a maniacal edge to it that made me wonder again how he’d ended up with keys.

  “Curb check,” George announced.

  “Are we almost there? I can’t take much more of this,” I said.

  Somehow, Astor managed to park the bus without causing mayhem. Or property damage. For that, I was grateful and took it as a good omen for what we were about to do.

  The parking lot was deserted except for a few compacts parked in spaces labeled “restricted” near a set of side doors. By the entrance, a security booth sat empty. Every few feet, signs read things like, “Restricted, Keep Out” and “Authorized Personnel Only.”

  “Wow. They really want their meat protected,” George said.

  Wes and Logan snickered.

  “Really, George?” Victoria curled her lip in disgust and poked Logan.

  He shrugged.

  “If that’s the case, where is everyone?” she added.

  No one answered. She was right, the place was deserted. My neck prickled but when I turned to look, there was no one there. I kept walking, my pace slower.

  “Does this seem off to anyone else besides me?” Logan asked.

  “I’m always off, son,” Astor said, patting his shoulder as he passed.

  George snorted. “What?” he asked when I shoved him. “At least he knows it.”

  I appreciated everyone’s ability to joke and be light despite our circumstances, but I couldn’t make myself join in. My pack was in there, and they needed me. We reached a set of metal doors at a side entrance near the parked vehicles. I tried the handles. “Locked,” I said under my breath.

  “Duh,” Victoria whispered.

  We huddled around the doorway. It was recessed and the overhang gave some semblance of cover, although anyone passing by on the road would’ve noticed the shadow we cast in the light of the orange bulb.

  “Now what?” George asked.

  “Sshh.” I shushed him and listened. In the silence, an electronic device hummed. I looked up in time to see a small black camera swiveling toward us.

  “Motion activated,” Wes said.

  “C’mon,” I hissed, grabbing the closest sleeve—Astor’s—and yanking.

  We scooted around the corner, stumbling over each other to get clear of the camera.

  “Do you think it saw us?” Emma asked.

  “Why didn’t we anticipate that?” George asked.

  No one answered either question.

  “Not deserted after all,” Logan said, peeking around the corner and quickly leaning back again.

  “There are definitely people inside,” Wes said. He craned his neck, his back to the group, as he stared down the length of the building. We were on the side farthest from the parking lot now. An alley stretched before us, dumpsters marking doors I assumed were locked before the darkness swallowed it all up.

  Astor licked his lips. “Is it my turn yet?”

  “In a minute,” Wes said.

  “We need to hurry,” I said. “I’m sure there are cameras we’re missing. Steppe has this place locked down.”

  “We can’t send him to the door alone,” Wes said, eyeing Astor.

  We stared at each other. No one wanted to be left out of the action in order to babysit.

  Emma raised her hand. “I’ll do it,” she said.

  “No way,” George said. “You’re staying with me.”

  She stepped back. “Why? So you can baby me and shove me out of the way when we get inside? I can take care of myself—and him.” She pointed at Astor. “Right, Tara?”

  “I—well, yeah. George, she’s got this. And honestly, she’s the best choice. If they get into trouble, I’ll know.” I tapped my temple.

  He glared back at me, unable to argue with my logic but unwilling to go along. “Whatever,” he mumbled. Traitor, I heard in my mind.

  He took Emma’s hand lightly in his own. “If you get into trouble, Tara will know, but … be careful.”

  “I will.” She hesitated, deliberating. I urged her on. She bit her lip and then rose to her tiptoes and kissed George somewhere between his mouth and his cheek. “See you soon,” she said.

  I smiled and turned to Astor. He was bouncing a little where he stood, clearly impatient. “You be careful, too,” I said, “and no eating people. Just scaring them.”

  He stuck his nose in the air. “I do not eat people. They taste like week-old sushi.”

  Victoria snorted. “What?” she said when I shot her a look.

  “Nothing.”

  “Emma, you stick close to him,” Wes said. “And if it gets crazy, get out. Meet back at the bus. Tara will pick up on it and let the rest of us know.”

  “Got it. You ready?” she asked Astor. There was a light in her eyes I hadn’t seen since before Janie. Maybe the action was good for her. It gave her a sense of purpose.

  Astor craned his neck side to side until there was a loud crack. “Ready.”

  I put my hand on his arm. “Astor …”

  I wasn’t sure how to finish. “Be careful” didn’t seem quite right. We’d never been affectionate. I hadn’t known him long enough for anything like that. But this. He was putting himself into danger—into public, for crying out loud—for me. That was huge.

  “Well?” he prompted.

  Taking a cue from Emma, I leaned in and kissed his cheek.

  His eyes bulged and he raised his hand to his face. “Huh.”

  That’s all I got. A grunt.

  “Let’s go,” Wes said as he headed into the gathering darkness of the alley. Logan and Victoria followed, all three sticking close to
the side of the building. I reached out and squeezed Emma’s hand. She gave me a reassuring smile.

  “George,” I hissed, backing away. “Let’s go.”

  He whispered something in Emma’s ear and fell into step behind me.

  Three steps later, I turned back, but Astor and Emma were already gone. I worked to control my breathing. So close. I was so close to them. I had to get them back.

  “Can I ask you something?” George whispered as we walked.

  “What?” The word was barely out of my mouth before my thoughts picked up on his. “Really? You want to talk about this now? We’re a little busy.”

  “I don’t know. I guess it can wait. But I mean, when are we not busy?”

  He had a point.

  “It’s not weird for me at all,” I assured him. “I’m really happy for you.”

  “Yeah?”

  His voice, that one word, was such a mix of hope and uncertainty that I stopped and turned to face him. I reached out and squeezed his arm. “Absolutely. Emma’s great. And I think you should go for it. It’s about time I got to eavesdrop on your dates.”

  “Damn right it is.” He made a show of licking his lips. “And I’m going to make it good.”

  I groaned as mental pictures floated through the bond. “Never mind. I take it back.”

  “Are you guys coming or what?” Victoria hissed. She stood at the corner up ahead, ushering us to follow. The others had already disappeared around the other side.

  “Coming.” I rounded the corner with George on my heels and slowed when I saw the others. Logan held a metal door using one hand as he stood out of the way. Wes was halfway inside, peering right and left.

  “It was unlocked?” I whispered.

  “Not exactly.” Victoria pointed to a lump on the ground behind Logan. I craned my neck and saw a body slumped against the wall.

  “Is he—?”

  “Knocked out. He’ll be fine,” she said.

  Wes poked his head back out. “Did Astor get anyone’s attention yet?”

  I stared into the back of the alley without really seeing it. Instead, I concentrated on Emma, picking out what she saw. “Someone answered the door. Emma’s talking to him. Alone. Astor’s—Oh!”

  “What?” all three of them asked in unison.

  I laughed, clapping a hand over my mouth to muffle the sound. George’s eyes widened and then he laughed too.