by Jodi Vaughn
“Ah, your genteel Southern manners always make me feel warm and fuzzy inside, Barrett.”
“How about I rip out your fucking liver. Bet that would get you a raging hard-on.”
Boudier burst out laughing. “Come now, Barrett. We are not at war. We are neighbors, after all.”
Barrett slammed his glass down on the bar. The glass shattered, silencing all the voices around the fire. “We are at war, Boudier. We went to war when you skinned and killed my Guardian.”
“That’s only hearsay. There’s not a shred of evidence to prove that was me or that I ordered that.” He lifted his chin. “Besides, sounds like a disgruntled employee who wanted to paint me in a bad light.” He narrowed his eyes, all his false humor gone.
Now Barrett was seeing the monster behind the mask. Now he was seeing the true Edward Boudier.
“What’s this?” Jack walked over, his expression pinched and pained. “We are here to discuss the future. The future of our Packs. Not to bring up old grievances.”
“Seems Barrett doesn’t know how to have an adult conversation. He’s pouting over some Guardian he lost.”
Barrett’s anger boiled over into every muscle in his body. He plowed his fist right into Boudier’s face, knocking the Were back onto the ground. His head made a sickening crack as it met the concrete.
Gerald Davidson laughed and tossed back his drink.
Charles Price stood up from his seat and glanced around, his face worried. He looked like he was going to be asked to take sides and everyone knew Charles Price didn’t take sides.
“We’re not here to start taking swings at each other,” Jack bellowed. He cut his glare from Boudier back to Barrett.
Barrett wanted to do more than take swings at Boudier. He wanted to gut him.
“He started it,” Boudier whined and then cut his eyes over at Jack. “I gave him no reason to hit me.”
“Skinning and killing one of Barrett’s Guardians is more than a reason to hit you, Boudier.” Gerald wasn’t afraid to stand up to Boudier.
Barrett’s blood boiled.
“There’s no evidence of that claim. And if you keep saying shit like that, I’m going to bring you before a tribunal for slander and libel,” Boudier growled.
“Are you that much of a psychopath that you can kill without feeling?” Barrett snarled. He fisted his hands at his sides. He knew Boudier liked to fight dirty, and he was waiting on the Pack Master to shift into wolf and lunge at him.
Barrett was ready.
“Enough!” Jack slammed his fist down across the counter of the bar. “This is not why I called you here tonight.”
“But shouldn’t it be the real reason we are here? I mean, come on. We can keep dancing around the issues of what Louisiana has done, or we can straight-up address them.” Gerald stood and threw back the rest of his drink. He set the glass down on the edge of the fire pit.
“There are differences and grievances between the states. If we don’t start working together to work them out, then we will end up destroying each other. I, for one, don’t want to see that happen.” Jack gave everyone a hard stare before finally resting his gaze on Barrett.
There would be no working with Louisiana. Not with Boudier in charge. Barrett would never forget what had been done to his Guardians.
“We as Pack Masters of our states need to start working together. We have to, or we will all fail,” Jack pleaded.
“What about justice? What about honor?” Barrett addressed Jack but kept his eyes on Boudier.
“What about having factual evidence?” Boudier glared. “Bringing accusations against another Pack Master without substantial evidence is suicidal.” A ghost of smirk played on his lips.
“I like suicidal.” Barrett leaned in and growled.
“I’d like to take some odds on that one.” Alabama smirked. “I bet ten thousand dollars that Barrett will rip your throat out without even shifting.” He glanced around to Charles and smiled. “Any takers?”
“You’re not helping, Gerald.” Jack snarled. He stood between them and placed a hand on each of their chests. “If you can’t get along with each other, then I’m going to ask you both to leave.”
“Don’t bother.” Barrett shoved Jack’s hand away. “I’ll leave.” He shot Boudier a glare and headed for the house. Quick footsteps followed behind him.
He didn’t need to turn to know that it was Jack.
“The only thing I will apologize is for trying to fight him on your property. I should have waited until it was just the two of us before taking his ass out.” Barrett stormed through the house and headed straight for the front door.
“Barrett.”
He tensed at the sound of his name. He took a deep breath before turning around to his old friend’s face.
“This situation is way out of hand.” Jack leaned in and lowered his voice. “I know you’re upset about Heimy, but think of the best for the majority.”
He curled his fingers into fists. “Fuck yeah, I’m upset about Heimy. I’m upset about Mitchell and Lucien too.” He cocked his head. “Do you know how long it took Lucien to heal from his scars? And for his mate Catty to see him like that? To see his flesh flayed from his body? What about their justice?”
Jack swallowed and licked his lips.
For the first time, Barrett got an uneasy feeling about the Mississippi Pack Master.
“What happened is very… unfortunate. For all involved.” Jack admitted.
His unease grew tenfold.
Barrett took a step back. “Unfortunate?” He turned to leave, but Jack grabbed his arm.
He rounded on the older male.
“What’s wrong with you, Jack? This isn’t like you. You used to be a male of great respect, of great integrity. The Pack Master I knew would demand immediate justice.”
Jack shook his head. “We took a vote, and the Pack Masters didn’t have enough votes for an investigation into the alleged incident.”
“What vote? I didn’t hear about a vote. Why wasn’t I told?” Barrett asked.
“Because since you filed the complaint, you can’t vote. Boudier was disqualified as well. It came down between Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Mississippi. You only had one vote in your favor.” Jack shook his head.
“Let me guess who sided with me. Alabama.” Barrett swallowed back the knot that had developed in the back of his throat.
“Listen, just let me talk to the other Pack Masters without Boudier around. I know Kentucky would like to see Boudier gone, but he feels like he doesn’t want to start trouble since Boudier has left his state alone. Tennessee isn’t going to go up against Edward Boudier for anything.”
“What about you, Jack?” Barrett cocked his head. “Where do you stand in all this?”
Jack’s eyes bulged. “You know where I stand. How can you ask me that?”
“Before I walked in here tonight, I would have sworn that you were on the right side of all this. That you were on my side. But now, I’m not so sure.”
Jack took a step back and pursed his lips. “I take great offense at your statement, Barrett. I’ve always been a good friend and a supporter of the state of Arkansas. I refrained from voting because I figured it would be a conflict of interest since everyone knows I’m your friend.” He lifted his chin.
“Yeah. Well, things change. People grow weary of doing the right thing. They want to do the easy thing.” Barrett walked through the front door and slammed it behind him.
Chapter Fifteen
“Do you have enough strength to ride? Are you sure the baby is okay?” Jaxon stepped away from the window and turned back to Ginny. Her bruises from where John had hit her were now healed, and only the dried blood on her shirt showed evidence that she’d been stabbed by her psychotic mother. He stepped closer and rested his hand on her stomach.
“I can ride. The baby is werewolf. He’ll heal.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “What about you? You’re the one bitten with silver.”
He rol
led his shoulders where John’s teeth had sunk into his flesh. He was still sore, but the wound was closing up fast.
“I’m good.” He narrowed his eyes on the corpse of her husband. “I can’t believe that fucker had his teeth coated in silver.” It was a sadistic move. “If he had bitten his own cheek, he could have poisoned himself.”
“He had it done right after we were wed. He said he wanted every part of his body to be a weapon so any werewolf who went against him would feel the bite of death.” She swallowed and looked away.
“Ginny?” His gut clenched.
“Yes.”
“Did he ever use those teeth on you?” He forced the words out, needing to know the truth. “Did he ever bite you?”
“Every time he forced me to have sex.” Her voice was distant but soft.
He took a step toward her, but she held up her hand to stop him.
“I need you to know that I never mated with him. Never. I was forced to wed him and act the wife to him.” She shook her head. “But I was never his. Not in ways that it mattered.” She looked up at him and lifted her chin.
“I don’t expect you to want me after this, after he’s had me. I know I’m ruined. I’m not that perfect girl you once knew.” She shook her head. “But if we get out of here, then I can have some kind of peace, away from this life, away from this violence. Then that will be enough for me.” She licked her lips.
“Ginny”—he took a step—“we’re getting out of here. And then we’re going to talk. If you think you can get rid of me this fast, you don’t know me very well.” He glanced at the floor. “Besides, it’s not like I’ve been lily-white. I’ve had other women. You need to know that.” He looked at her. “I never felt the same way about any of them that I do you. They were just there to try to fill a void. But they never could. You need to resign yourself to the fact that you’re not getting rid of me. Not now, not ever. As far as I’m concerned, you are the only mate for me.”
Her blue eyes swam with unshed tears and her lip trembled. It was all he needed.
He closed the distance between them and covered her lips with his in a promise-filled kiss for the future. When he pulled back, he looked down into her face.
“I promise you that we are getting out of here and back to Arkansas. It’s safe there. Barrett will see to that. I promise my life on it.”
* * *
“Thank you for inviting us over for dinner. Sorry Damon couldn’t make it.” Ava wrapped Granny in a big hug. The scent of old-lady perfume and dessert had Ava smiling.
“Come on in. Lucien and Catty are here. So are Jayden and Haley.” Granny waved her in toward the dining room.
The aroma of home-cooked food made Ava’s stomach rumble. She smiled when she saw her friends already seated around the table.
“You’re here,” Jayden groused. “We can finally eat.”
Haley giggled and stood up and gave Ava a kiss on the cheek. Ava liked Haley. She thought of her like a sister and knew that she was a good match for Jayden.
“Hey girl.” Ava hugged Catty and then turned her attention back to Lucien. She patted him on the chest. “Looks like you are as good as new.”
“I am.” He grinned and pulled Catty into his embrace. “It helps that Catty knows how to make a werewolf get better quick.”
“Maybe I should go into medicine instead of law,” Catty quipped.
“When do you start college?” Ava sat down in the dining room chair and looked around for Granny. The older woman had disappeared back into the kitchen.
“In the fall. But I’m already reading up on everything. And talking to my dad.” She grinned. “He’s glad at least one of his children decided to follow in his footsteps and go to law school. He thought it would be Zane, but it turns out, to everyone’s surprise, it will be me.”
“I’m not surprised.” Ava placed her napkin on her lap and suddenly wished Damon were with her. Now that he was filling in for Barrett, she was getting lonely. Looking around the table at the couples made her a little sad that her mate wasn’t with her.
“I do miss my partner in crime, though. I mean, who’s going to go on chocolate runs at ten o’clock when I need something sweet?” Ava crossed her arms and feigned a pout.
“I thought that’s what Damon was for.” Jayden snorted. He sighed with relief when Granny walked out of the kitchen carrying a large plate of roast beef.
“Not anymore. Not since he’s filling in for Barrett while he’s gone doing whatever it is that he does.” Ava sighed and held her empty wine glass up. Catty smiled and poured a liberal amount of red wine into her glass. Thank God Granny always had an abundance of wine with dinner.
“So where did Barrett go?” Granny asked and sat down at the head of the table. She passed the beef to Jayden, whose eyes grew wide, and Ava was pretty certain she saw a bit of drool on the corner of his mouth.
“Some Pack Master’s meeting. I think they were having it at Jack Welbourn’s house in Mississippi,” Ava said and then took a sip of wine and cringed at the sour taste. She grabbed her water instead.
“Jack Welbourn. That’s a nice-looking gentleman if I ever saw one.” Granny grinned a little. “And if I were a few years younger, I just might take a crack at him.”
Jayden’s fork clattered to his plate and he gave his grandmother a look of horror. “Absolutely not! You got yourself in enough trouble with that little Valentine’s date from hell.”
“How was I supposed to know he was a criminal?” Granny shrugged.
“Maybe by the look in his eyes.” Jayden frowned.
“To be honest, I thought he looked constipated. I figured once we had dessert and coffee that would loosen his bowels up a bit. Figured after a trip to the bathroom, he’d come out a different man.”
“Jesus, Granny.” Jayden flinched. “I’m trying to eat here.”
“Watch your language at my table, Jayden.” Granny narrowed her eyes on him. “You’re not too old for me to take you across my knee.”
“Actually, I am.” He pointed his fork at her. “Plus I’m faster. I can get away from you.”
Ava burst out laughing. Whenever she felt a little down, she knew a visit to Granny would perk her up.
“So how long is Damon filling in for Barrett?” Lucien cut his eyes at her. The large Were might look big and intimidating, but he’d always been kind to her. He’d been through a lot in the last few months after being captured and tortured. But his mate Catty was bringing him back to life again. They both seemed to help heal each other from their painful pasts.
“Not long. Just until he gets back from this meeting with the Pack Masters.” She shrugged. She didn’t care for this side of Pack business. She preferred Damon doing his missions and coming home to her. It was a simpler life than the political bullshit that Barrett had to muck through.
“I’m kind of surprised that he didn’t ask Zane to fill in.” Catty frowned and then spooned some potatoes onto her plate. “I thought he was Barrett’s right-hand guy.”
That thought had crossed her mind. She looked up at her friend and shrugged. “I don’t know. I think he felt like Zane had enough on his plate with getting SYKLAR’S HOME ready to open.”
Catty averted her eyes from Ava.
Unease settled in Ava’s gut. She looked at her friend. “Catty, are you upset that Damon is doing this rather than your brother?”
“It’s not that, Ava.” Catty set her fork down and sat back in her chair.
“What is it?” She looked at everyone around the table to see if they knew where this conversation was headed.
“Is the reason Barrett didn’t offer the job to Zane because of me?” Catty met her gaze.
“What are you talking about? Why would that have anything to do with you?” Ava asked.
Catty lowered her gaze to her lap. “Look I know that people put a lot of stock into what you do with your life. And the fact that I used to be a stripper…”
“Wait.” Ava held her hand up to stop her frie
nd from going any further. “Stop right there. I can honestly tell you from the bottom of my heart that your past had no bearing on why Damon was put in charge.”
“Catty.” Lucien turned and wrapped his arm around Catty. He pulled her into his protective embrace. “Why would you even say that?”
“Because I know what mistakes I’ve made in my past. I own them. They are what made me the person I am today. I just don’t want my family to pay for my choices or my mistakes.” She lifted her chin and looked round the table.
“And you know our Pack Master.” Jayden nodded and stopped eating. “He would never judge someone by their past. He’s not like that.” He cut his eyes at Ava. “I agree with Ava. Ever since Zane and Skylar hooked up, I see a change in Zane.”
“A change?” Catty frowned.
“I mean, he’s still a hard-ass,” Jayden admitted.
“Jayden, language.” Granny scowled.
“Sorry, Granny.” Jayden looked back at Catty. “But I see something else in him. He seems calmer now. I mean, he’s over at SKYLAR’S HOME for children every chance he gets. He loves his job as Guardian, but being over there with Skylar, I think he’s a different Were. I don’t think he wants to be next in line for Pack Master.”
“Whoa. Hold on. Wait a second.” Ava set her water down. “What Damon is doing is just filling in. Not prepping to take over for Barrett on a permanent basis.” She grabbed her fork and pointed it to everyone around the table. “Let’s get that straight.”
“Wouldn’t you like to be the wife of the Pack Master, Ava?” Haley grinned and took a sip of her wine.
“Ah, no.” She shook her head and concentrated on cutting her roast. She didn’t like the direction this conversation was headed in.
“Why not? I bet you’d get invited to a whole lot of parties and balls and…” Granny had a dreamy look in her eyes as she spoke.
“Balls? Parties?” Jayden’s eyes grew wide. “This ain’t no President of the United States. This is Pack Master. Why Barrett’s lucky if he gets an invite to a barbeque.” He snorted. “And have you seen his home?”
“Barrett has a home?” Catty sat up and paid attention.
