“Something along those lines.” He tugged on a tendril of hair curling over my shoulder. “It wasn’t consciously done.” He rubbed the strands through his fingers. “That doesn’t mean I didn’t care, that I didn’t want you. I just… I wanted you for the wrong reasons. I’m glad at least one of us figured that out in time. I would hate for the same history you accused me of wanting to rewrite to repeat.”
I was happy we had avoided that fate as well. Our pasts were complicated enough without our futures crashing and burning too. “Does this mean you and Isaac are going to start playing nice together?”
“Too late for that now. The lines have been drawn.” A smile tempted his lips. “Besides, the knowledge that breathing the same air as you irks him is my consolation prize.”
A good ten minutes later, Isaac emerged with fresh drawings on his tablet and fresh bite marks on the end of his stylus. Absently, he sat at my feet and leaned against my legs while finishing up some complex mathematical equation I avoided making eye contact with. I gave him another five before clearing my throat. “Well?”
“I need a few more measurements, but I can get those later. I’m going to get started fabricating what I’ll need, and I’ll begin installation tonight.” He frowned at Enzo as though only just realizing the witch had stuck around. “Do you need the moon for anything?”
I had learned the power of the moon over witchy magic during Enzo’s tenure as pack witch.
“The lunar focal point boosts potency and makes casting easier, but I can set the spell with or without.”
Isaac appeared to come to a decision. “I’ll go get started, see if I can save you a couple hours of moonshine.”
“Why aren’t you home?” Zed’s stern voice banged on the door of my head.
“Isaac brought me to the parking lot to check out the RVs. I got first dibs.”
“I heard about the alphas’ plan. I don’t like it, but I understand why it has to happen.” He hesitated. “We need to talk, and I’d like to do it in person for a change. Can I join you, or is this some couple thing? If you guys are christening the RVs to help make up your minds or whatever, I’ll visit later.”
“No sex, remember?” I grumbled.
“Oh, I remember Abram outlining the dos and don’ts, I’m just shocked you took his advice for once.”
Clearly I had a long road ahead of me if I wanted to earn back his respect. Zed, being the best best friend in the world, had shielded the pack from the brunt of my self-destructive behavior. But much like Abram, he knew Isaac’s decision to stick around was just slapping a fresh bandage over an old wound. I’d had to come face-to-face with the problem before I could set about solving it. Now that I had a good support network in place, I was well on my way to recovery.
These days I had Zed for backup when conclave business drew the alphas away, my crew for when my construction work required extra hands, and Isaac for…me. That’s not to say he didn’t serve a purpose. Any good mate would support and encourage their partner in their endeavors, not to mention provide a sounding board. But the best ones also provided love and laughter, and that’s what I wanted for us.
“If you’re heading this way, I’ll let Isaac get started on his tinkering. Enzo hasn’t taken his turn inspecting the RV. He can keep an eye on me.”
“I’ll be there in five.”
Amused at the indecipherable scribbles littering Isaac’s tablet, I ruffled his hair. “Zed’s on his way over. You can scoot if you want. He’ll get me home in one piece.”
“I need to take my own notes.” To Isaac’s obvious horror, Enzo pulled a spiral notebook from his back pocket. I wondered if he’d gone low tech on purpose. “I can keep an eye on Dell until her escort arrives.”
“You sure you don’t mind?” He powered down his tablet to illustrate I held his full attention, proving he must worry he was overlooking me sometimes too. “I can make time.”
“You guys have twenty-four hours, that’s nothing. All projects experience unexpected complications. You need every second you can get.”
Pressing a kiss to my jean-clad thigh, he stood. “I’ll keep my phone on me. Call if you need me.”
Not long after meeting me, Isaac had given up on me carrying a phone. With all the shifting and nudity, it was just too hard finding a place to stash one. After his return, he had fashioned a type of bracelet that was part smartwatch and part panic button so that we could communicate regardless of my current form. GPS came standard too, of course, because he accused me of leading with my heart instead of my head. One of these days, I would take his constructive criticism to heart. After all, my head was much harder.
“I think I can manage.” I waited until he got almost out of sight and hit the panic button. He whirled on his heel and lunged a step back in my direction before he registered my manic cackling. “Oops. My finger must have slipped.”
“You’re cold, Dell.” Enzo chuckled along with me. “Ice cold.”
“If you’re talking beers, I’ll take one.” Zed appeared at my elbow, filling the spot Isaac had vacated, sounding hopeful that one of the witch’s many tricks involved pulling ice-cold fermented beverages out of thin air. “I could use a stiff drink after the morning we had.”
“That bad, huh?” I leaned my head against his side. “Did I get you in trouble with Cord?”
“Nah.” He flung his arm around my shoulders. “I get the impression he’s too grateful that me playing reporter means you don’t go snooping for news yourself.”
“Hmph.” I folded my arms over my chest. “I’m tired of being babied.”
“Tough titties. You go mother hen on us when we’re sick or hurt. You cluck around worse than Abram.” He pinched my upper arm. “Let us return the favor.”
“Ouch.”
“Are you good here?” Enzo acted torn about leaving me with my new tough-love babysitter. “I can hang around if you need me.”
“We’re good,” Zed answered for me. “Me and Delly have some talking to do.” Privately was implied by his curled lip.
“Did you miss lunch?” I patted his bony hip. “You’re so growly when you skip meals.”
“Lunch can wait.” He helped me stand then wrapped an arm around my waist to support me. I didn’t need to lean on him, but I did. Contact soothed his wolf, and I was the only one he let get close. The tactile deprivation must have been rough on him during my incarceration. “Let’s go down to the creek.”
“Okay.” I hadn’t been much of anywhere this week, so another short walk wouldn’t kill me. I had been cleared by Abram. Why not put my body through its paces? I would rather discover my breaking point in the company of friends than learn it the hard way in the field later. “You’re acting all mysterious.”
Zed kept his lips zipped until we reached a ribbon of water slicing through a bed of rock. I took a seat at its edge to catch my breath and fished out a stone from beneath the cool surface. With Faerie still fresh in mind, I kept expecting the thing to sprout eyes and wink at me or ask for the latest pack gossip. I was relieved when neither occurred.
“I think the sirens’ visit was more than a formal request for the return of their stolen property,” he began. “They figured out quick last time that their arrival tripped sensors that sent us running to the water’s edge. Their hearing is every bit as acute as ours. I’m betting they noticed the alarm in the camp last time and put two and two together.”
I tossed the rock and gave him my full attention. “Go on.”
“They couldn’t slip past us, and they knew that. What I think they did was appear front and center to distract us from a small contingent who splintered off from their party. It’s not like we can parse the exact number of trespassers.”
“Can they do that?” The prince could go invisible for short bursts, but he was an alkonost. Then again, so could Enzo. But he had limits too. I wasn’t sure what theirs might be. We would have to know if their theoretical hunting party was comprised of alkonosts or sirens or some other wi
nged cousins Rilla had recruited as henchmen.
“We don’t know for sure. Cam contacted Thierry to ask her opinion, but any delay in her response means you’ll leave before we know for sure.”
“You think they’re going to tail the RV when it rolls out for ‘repairs.’”
“We don’t know for sure we have a problem, which means we don’t know for sure how big that problem is. All we know is they want the prince back before hostilities break out, and it sticks in my craw that she made an appearance today of all days after weeks of silence.”
“The day we learned about the conclave’s upcoming field trip.” So much for the theory a mourning period had ceased hostilities. There was more here. There had to be. But we were missing the subtext.
“Rilla can’t take the throne herself.” He grunted. “Faerie is too paternalistic, and she’s not mated. Her nephew is the best puppet she’s got.”
“There was one recent exception.” Thierry had been on her way to being queen. Perhaps the revelation that a woman could win the throne had set Rilla on this path. “Has it ever occurred to you he might be her backup plan?”
His utter stillness spoke volumes. This new Faerie Thierry had helped usher in, and its flexible rules that bent toward bloodshed, was far more dangerous than any previous version on the books.
The absence of the Huntsman meant the Coronation Hunt couldn’t proceed. Rook was counting on that as insurance. But what if Rilla was counting on that too? What if she planned to usher in a new dynasty baptized in blood? Reverting to the old ways of slaughtering humans and pillaging our cities might earn her enough popular opinion that ancient fae, those who recalled the bloody feasts and battles fondly, might lend her their support despite her inferior sex.
“The truth is, this won’t change the alphas sending you away. Believe me. I checked.” Disgruntled, he paced, kicking stones to hear them splash. “The siren threat is unknown. The conclave risk is known.”
“We aren’t going far, just down to the coast. If Isaac and Enzo do their jobs right, we’ll be impossible to track except by the pack.”
“We’ve got company.” Nathalie’s voice in our heads cut our meeting short. “Three Hummers are rolling up the driveway. I can smell Thierry from here.”
The conclave had arrived.
Chapter 15
“Shit on a shingle.” Zed raked furrows in his hair with twitchy fingers. “Can you get up to your cave alone?”
I conducted a quick inventory of my aches and pains. “I won’t be good for much of anything after that, but I think so.”
“Then go.” He clenched his fists at his sides. “Those bastards. Do you think they suspect?”
That Lorimar was harboring a fugitive or that a prince was roosting in the trees? Neither looked good for us, or Thierry.
“Thierry ought to be at Macon watching Theo’s six. I doubt chaperoning this field trip was her idea.”
Unless she was more pissed about the Morrigan than she had let on and had come to collect her pound of flesh.
“She’s one rung down the logic chain from Theo if he was discovered. The conclave may have brought her along to force a confrontation with Cam over how her cousin ended up in her beta’s cell.” Stiff limbs protested as I rose and set out for the mountain. “Keep me updated.”
Zed embraced his change then raced toward the parking lot and our early guests.
“Watch your back, Delly. There’s enough food and water up there to last you a couple of days. There are blankets and a battery-operated generator.”
“Are you serious?” There had never been more than bear poop and dust in that cave. Well, except for the few months where I secreted away one of Isaac’s old flannel shirts to curl up on in wolf form. “Why would you do that?”
“I didn’t.” He sounded offended by the idea a warg needed providing for. “You can thank your mate for that.”
My mate. Each time I heard him called mine, my heart fluttered. Or maybe it was the wolf’s bliss that her claim had been acknowledged that gave me heart palpitations. Or maybe it was the trek up the mountain. Had the incline always been this steep? Who added all these extra rocks? And why had I thought crossing a stream to reach my hideaway was a good idea?
Eventually, after reconsidering my cupcake-heavy diet from the past few weeks, I reached the comfort of my cave, sweet cave. Wriggling in was easier in wolf form. I didn’t have much choice but to suck in my stomach and crawl arm over arm into the welcoming blackness that felt cushier than I remembered.
With the sun overhead, I considered the idea of sitting outside, soaking up the rays as I added to my freckle collection while pondering our upcoming trip, but I dismissed it as too dangerous. The threat of siren scouts made even my safe place feel unwelcoming.
Shivers dappled my nape when it hit me that I was holed up in a stone room, no way out except the way I’d come, meaning any enemy who located me held an automatic advantage. Nerves on edge, I groped around in the dark until I brushed an electric lantern resting in the far corner. The switch clicked under my finger and bathed the compact space in faint light that wouldn’t be obvious from the outside. The softness under me was a type of rugged outdoor carpet. Pillows lined the walls, and a blanket rested on a small crate acting as a pantry. Among the staples, I noticed a bag of pre-popped white cheddar popcorn. The generator Zed mentioned was anchored on the ceiling to conserve floor space, and a tablet had been mounted into a sort of frame above my head. I touched the black metal, dislodging a set of earbuds that dangled in my face.
Testing a theory, I reclined on the carpet, pointing my feet toward the exit, and stuffed a pillow behind my head. Yep. The tablet was placed in the exact spot for a woman of my height to kick back and stream movies. Isaac had thought of everything. Except one thing… I pushed the power button, and a movie app popped up on screen. Nope. Scratch that. He had figured out a way to get Wi-Fi inside a bear cave.
For once, when faced with a gift from Isaac, the wolf was undecided. This had been more her space than mine, and now it felt more mine than hers. After I pointed out there were other doodads mounted with no obvious purpose, she turned thoughtful. Odds were those gizmos were meant for Isaac, which meant he would join us here. That idea she found acceptable. We might suffer the occasional internal rivalry, but she would never say no to anything that kept Isaac in close proximity.
Between the exercise and the excitement, I was beat. I switched off the tablet and tucked away the earbuds. Already my lids drooped, and not even the promise of a superhero movie marathon could keep my eyes open.
Burnt metal and sweat teased my nose, and I blinked awake to find Isaac spooning me. So much for the wolf watching my back while I counted sheep. Then again, she was so smitten with our mate, she made her own calls about when to rat him out on his shenanigans. Her presence rested just beneath my skin, as near to him as she could get without us shifting. Luxuriating in his warmth, I had a hard time getting cranky over waking in his arms. My hips gave a wiggle as I nestled closer, and the hardness of his erection straining against his jeans pushed a quiet gasp past my lips.
Inside me, the wolf squirmed as dueling instincts clashed within her. The feral heart of me wouldn’t settle until Isaac and I had cemented our mate bond. Touch was critical for wargs, and sex kept our wolves calm. I was getting petted and kissed each day, but that deeper hunger for the ultimate connection had yet to be sated.
Isaac was known for his string of one-night stands, and so far, I fit in that category too. Maybe that’s what had her fur ruffled.
“Dell,” he groaned, voice thick with sleep. “I’m trying hard to be good.”
“You’re definitely hard,” I teased. “The good part has yet to be determined.”
His lips found my neck, and he bit down until it stung. “Don’t encourage me.”
“Did I ever tell you I was a cheerleader in high school?” I hadn’t been, but I would be willing to invest in a costume. “Give me an I. Give me an S. Give me an A�
�”
Husky chuckles poured over my neck, and I shivered at his warm breath. “Do you like what I’ve done with the place?”
“Honestly?” I arched my neck, since turning it was forbidden. “I can’t decide. I like it, but this was the wolf’s space more than mine. Obviously, she doesn’t have much use for the upgrades. She’s grumpy about that.”
“Tell the wolf it’s only temporary.” He took my minor rejection without any apparent hurt feelings. “I wanted a safe place where I could hide you if things got bad, and I didn’t want you—human you—to go nuts if I had to use this place. Once this blows over, I’m happy to strip it down for her.”
“There’s no way you could have managed this in three weeks when you’ve been playing nurse to me full-time.”
“I like playing nurse.” His teeth grazed my throat. “And you’re right. I finished this before I joined Thierry in Wink.”
The urge to turn my head and see his face pulled the tender muscles in my neck. “Tell me you weren’t thinking of prison-breaking me.”
He didn’t disabuse me of the notion.
“The alphas were right. You really did lose your mind.” Every scrap of it. “You can’t go around breaking people out of prison unless you want to end up in the next cell.”
“Wolves aren’t meant to be caged, and neither are wargs. I wasn’t going to leave you there. Theo talked me into giving the wheels of fae justice thirty days to turn. One minute past midnight on the thirtieth day, I was getting you out, and damn the consequences.”
Tightness spread across my chest, the sensation reminiscent of when wood glue dried on my hands and puckered the skin together. “You really do love me, huh?”
“More than you can imagine.” Hot lips brushed my shoulder. “One day I’ll prove it too, and you won’t have to ask.”
“Isaac…” I hadn’t meant for it to sound chastising.
“I hurt you, Dell. I get that explaining my reasons isn’t enough to fix what happened. I’m going to make things right between us. I don’t mind the work.” The arm banding my waist cinched. “I’ve never had someone to take care of, someone of my own. I like it.”
Wolf at the Door (Lorimar Pack) (Gemini Book 5) Page 18
