They argued for a moment longer before the brunet cut off the conversation and started toward his table. The redhead didn’t look happy but followed along behind him.
“Um, hi.” The brunet looked around uneasily.
“Hello,” George greeted. “Care to have a seat, gentlemen?”
“We shouldn’t,” the redhead began, but the other shot him a dark look, and with a resigned sigh, he grabbed the nearest chair. “Fine,” he grumbled and they each took a seat.
The brown-haired young white male smiled at him. He was cute, with the most alluring hazel eyes George had ever seen.
“Hello, I’m Jesse,” he introduced himself.
George sat up a bit more in his seat. “Jesse? As in Alpha Dante’s Jesse?”
“Yes, and this is my brother, Tristan.”
“George Keung,” he said. He didn’t hold out his hand to shake. Shifters really didn’t seem to like touching people outside their pack.
George studied Jesse a bit closer. He had never met a pet before. What they were exactly seemed to be more complicated than the normal pack hierarchy. He knew Michael was Dante’s heir because he was the only other alpha male in his pack, but pets were different. And it was common knowledge Jesse was a stray before Dante took him into his pack. How that all worked, George wasn’t sure, and he was almost curious enough to ask.
“A pleasure to meet you both. Can I get you guys a drink?” George motioned to the bar.
“No.” Tristan rolled his eyes and folded his arms, clearly not happy being there.
“Thank you, but no.” Jesse cleared his throat as if suddenly getting down to business. “I came because I had a few questions for you, if you don’t mind. About your friend. The hurt one. Dante mentioned that you were looking for a doctor for him.”
George nodded. “That’s right.”
Jesse nodded and picked at the table nervously. “I also heard that he was mad, and maybe he isn’t anymore? And that maybe he can’t shift anymore?”
George leaned across the table, his curiosity drawing him in. “Yes, why?”
Jesse bit his lip. “I, uh… I know someone who went mad, and I was wondering if you’ve taken your friend to a doctor before now that maybe told you more about the brain injury.”
“You’re looking to cure your friend?”
“Yes.”
George stared at him a long moment. Was the pack looking for a cure for the madness as well? That was odd since the packs usually just killed mad strays and didn’t seem to think much about it.
“The pack must have more resources than I do. Why aren’t you using them? Where’s your friend now?”
Jesse ran a finger over the deep wood grain in the table and picked at it with a retractable claw. “She’s not here. She can’t be here and… I don’t know what would happen if she were. But… if there were a fix, that could change.”
George wondered if Jesse was worried what Dante and the rest of the pack would do to her, or if his friend was just so far gone she couldn’t be trusted. Maybe both.
The door opened, and they both turned. Jesse let out a mild curse, and Tristan just about jumped out of his skin. A tall dark-haired black male stepped into the bar and stared hard at them. Clearly a heavy, he was broad-chested and powerfully built.
Jesse winced and sighed heavily. “For Creation’s sake, Seth, I’m not a cub!” Jesse snapped.
The heavy, Seth, frowned, grabbed a chair from the table next to theirs, and sat between Jesse and Tristan. “Don’t let me interrupt. Go on,” he said softly, motioning to George.
Jesse glared at him. “George, this is Seth.”
George inclined his head. “A pleasure.”
Seth sat back in his chair, waiting. Tristan looked suddenly trapped between wanting to leave and staying.
Jesse ignored them both and turned back to George. “So do you have any more information that you can give me?”
“Well, I can see what I can do. I don’t know the details myself of what the exact damage is. But I can try to find out for you,” George told him. “Can I ask a question?”
Jesse nodded. “Go ahead.”
“Why haven’t you discussed this with your alpha? He might be able to get better information.”
“Dante isn’t my alpha. I mean—he is, of course, but… it’s complicated.” He sighed with frustration. “Dante doesn’t have any better information. Packs normally don’t deal with strays, and if they do, it’s usually not like it is here. There is very little information about the issues many strays have.” He pulled out a card and wrote down a number. “Could you call me with the information you have? I’d really appreciate it.”
“Of course.” George smiled as he took the card Jesse handed him. It was Dante’s, and he had written his name and number on the back.
Jesse stared at him a long moment. “Thank you. I’d be in your debt.”
Seth winced but said nothing, and the group got up and left.
JESSE SAT in the passenger side of the car, watching as Seth drove them out of the parking lot and headed toward home. The silence was tense, and he was waiting for the shouting to start, but it never did.
“I had to know,” Jesse said at last. “To know if something could be done for Claire.”
Seth sighed heavily. “I know.”
“You aren’t angry?” Jesse asked.
“Annoyed that you didn’t do the one thing Dante asked you to do while he was gone, sure. Angry? No,” Seth said. “Look, I get it. But you can’t go out without a heavy. Tristan isn’t a heavy, Jesse, and you know it. If something happened Dante would lose his shit.” Seth shot him a hard look. “I’m serious. Dante would kill anything in his path. You don’t know what Dante was like before Victor. You have no fucking idea. He’s lost Victor…. He can’t lose you too. Do you understand?”
Jesse nodded, his thoughts drifting to the man he had fallen in love with. “What was he like back then?”
Tristan spoke up from the backseat. “Dangerous. Almost feral. He was still just a youth. He never laughed or smiled,” Tristan whispered. “He was always so scared. He’d wake up from nightmares in the middle of the night, screaming. He had to sleep close to Victor, or he’d lash out at anyone nearby. I can’t tell you the times he woke screaming, clawing Victor’s chest almost to the bone while Victor tried to soothe the nightmares away.”
“And that was when he finally came into the pack bed,” Seth said. “He was terrified Victor was another Caster. It took Victor months to convince him to come into the pack bed. And sweet Creation, once he put on some pounds and got a little more comfortable in the pack, it was all Ricco could do to keep him under control. Victor had to be so very careful what he said because Dante took everything like law. And every rumor about Dante is mostly true. Of course he isn’t like that now, but sometimes I see it in him. That darkness that wants to creep in. The anger he tries so very hard to keep carefully locked away. I love my brother. I love him with every part of my soul, but if he ever came unhinged, whoever’s on the other side of the line he’s drawn will be torn apart along with anything in his way.”
Jesse sat staring out the window. He had seen glimmers of that deep anger, but Dante kept it all under lock and key. And Jesse’s brief time with Caster gave him a horrifying glimpse of what it must have been like, being a cub in a pack like that.
He shook the thought away. “I’ll tell you the next time I go out,” Jesse promised.
“Thank you.” Seth tossed them a smile. “Let’s grab some food on the way home. I’m starving. You stole Tristan away so he can’t make food.”
Tristan huffed. “I’m not your cook. What if I don’t want to cook all week while Dante’s gone?”
Seth laughed. “Like you’d let that happen. I’ll send Nicky to the kitchen to cook and see how fast you dive in there.”
Tristan made a face. “He breaks stuff and puts things in odd places. It’s like a tornado hit my kitchen every time he tries to cook. No one else makes the
place look like a troop of monkeys raided it.”
Jesse smiled as he listened to them talk. The grievances were minor. Tristan might bitch, but he loved Nicky. The entire pack was a real family. He loved that part. So different and complicated sometimes, but he had grown to love being a part of it.
“Hit that barbeque place,” Jesse said. “They’re used to big orders from us. No one has to cook, and Nicky stays out of the kitchen.”
“That’s a good idea anyway,” Seth said. “I think last time Nicky burned soup. How does one burn soup?”
Jesse shook his head. “No, that was Ricco, but I think the results would have been the same.”
He leaned in and laid his head on Seth’s shoulder while he drove. He wouldn’t have thought he would ever feel so free to be affectionate with others before, but being a part of the pack was changing him. For the better. Definitely for the better.
Seth reached over and ruffled his hair as his thoughts drifted to Dante and the trouble in England. He had called and said he was fine, which was great, but Jesse still couldn’t help but worry about him.
“He’ll be fine,” Seth assured him.
“I didn’t say a thing.”
Seth chuckled. “You don’t have to. I’m getting to know you well, brother.”
Jesse frowned. “You really think he’ll be okay?”
“Dante is a survivor. He’ll live forever.”
Jesse smiled. He hoped Seth was right.
10. The Gathering
ODIN HAD insisted they stay at his place after the attack. Evan wasn’t in any shape to travel that night anyway. Dante didn’t get much sleep, but as soon as Evan’s fever broke, they flew to Paris. He hadn’t liked the idea of flying again, but Evan needed a safe place to recover and there were healers here.
Dante fought off exhaustion and smiled as they were greeted by several alphas on the dirt road that led to the gathering. Lazarus parked the SUV in a parking area shrouded by trees, and they climbed out for more formal greetings. Dante had spoken to several of the alphas over the phone, including Étienne and Gaston of the French packs, but it was nice to finally get a face to go with the voice. Angel was relaying the events of the meeting, but just the basics. They already decided to wait for details until tomorrow when they could address the gathering as a whole instead of repeating themselves a million times.
They wound their way around the stand of trees, and the pack house opened up to a large field filled with tents. The house itself was large, made of stone, and two stories tall, with a grand entrance and even a turret off to one side. Ivy covered the wall around the turret, and a small manicured garden stood out front.
Beyond the house and the sea of tents was a hilly field of tall grass and smatterings of woods here and there. It was not what he would call a proper territory for a pack. Even Angel’s lands in the middle of the desert had plenty of wild space to run with lots of hills and rocks and places to hide, and play with the cubs.
Dante shot Angel a questioning look, and the alpha shrugged. To each their own, he supposed.
They were led to a pair of white tents near the main house. Dante checked on Evan and put him to bed in the tent he’d been given, and their hosts hurried to find them medical supplies. River rushed around to tend to Evan’s wounds and make sure he stayed in bed.
It was dusk by the time he got Evan settled and met with Angel outside. Fires were being lit, and crowds were starting to gather around the biggest of them for stories, songs, and dancing.
River reappeared and cleared her throat to catch their attention. “We could really use a healer for Evan. I’m sure they have one, right?”
“Master Étienne,” Lazarus said. “He’s one of the top alphas, and his talent is healing.” He glanced at Angel and then at Dante. “I could take her to him while you two discuss tomorrow’s meeting.”
Dante glanced at River, looking her over carefully, and used the weave to make sure she was okay. “All right. Don’t be gone too long.”
She nodded and headed into the maze of tents and packs with Lazarus walking quietly at her side. It was good to see her growing into a strong young alpha, even if he did worry about her.
He pulled his attention back to Angel. “Odin will probably want to bring more people, and after the attack, I wouldn’t blame him. Something happened before we even landed in England, and now the attack on the clans. He was guarding us from something as soon as we got there.”
“Yes, I noticed that too. There wasn’t enough time to ask, and we might not want to discuss that too loudly.”
Dante nodded and glanced around. “I’ll talk to Odin tomorrow and see what he has to say. Things should be calmed down by then.”
River returned with Étienne, who was more than happy to give Evan a healing boost. Dante watched as Étienne smiled at River and moved in as close as she would allow.
Now he was a proper potential mate. Had his own pack, no alpha cubs, attractive, strong… everything he wanted for her. She would lead the pack as his equal, not some second, and her cubs would inherit the pack.
He didn’t want to push her because she had been twitchy about the whole idea of finding a mate, but maybe if the talks went well during the gathering, a visit or two could be arranged. Not that she had to pick Étienne, but someone like him would be a fine choice.
He smiled and thanked Master Étienne for his help and watched him leave the tent.
“Don’t you even say it!” River snapped as soon as Étienne was out of earshot.
Dante chuckled. “I didn’t say a word.”
She rolled her eyes and turned back to Evan in the pack bed. “You didn’t have to.”
“I just want what’s best for you. I’m not pushing, just… observing.”
“Well, stop observing,” she grumbled and climbed into bed.
He chuckled again and climbed into bed with the rest of his pack. River curled up into his arms, and he held her gently as she tucked her head under his chin. Closing his eyes, he opened the weave to the rest of the pack still in the States, and the warm glow of affection rushed in from all sides.
River moved her sense along beside his, watching and basking in the glow of the pack that connected them all to one another. He worked carefully, pulling the extra energy from the pack and feeding it to Evan to help speed his recovery even more.
Evan curled up, still asleep, against his other shoulder, and Dante kissed his brother’s head, stroking the hair from his face. Trevor tucked in near his head and was asleep within minutes. River drifted off next, and he opened his eyes to stare at the top of the tent. He changed his focus slightly and felt Jesse’s warm response. His sense was the strongest in his pack. His love, his pet. He could almost smell him, they were so close. He wrapped his sense around Jesse like a warm embrace and let himself drift off to sleep.
RIVER WAS up early. She always was. Dante could sleep until midday and work until dawn, but she was a morning person and always had been. She was clear across the world, and still she was up before dawn.
It was the first official day of the gathering, and already an air of excitement buzzed around her. She wondered if she missed anything interesting the previous night. They were all too drained, and Dante exhausted. He had been steadily feeding Evan energy all day yesterday and didn’t get much, if any, sleep during the night.
Slipping out of the pack bed, she stretched and peeked out of the tent. People were up, eating, joking, some were still drinking from the night before, but generally, for such a big crowd, the camp was relatively quiet. Heavies wandered around in the nude so they could shift quickly if trouble struck. At home clothing was always optional unless they were going into the city, but she wasn’t quite sure if that was proper here in France.
Across the way Angel’s tent flap opened and Lazarus stepped outside to stretch. He didn’t bother with his normal sunglasses here among the packs, and his golden eyes caught the glow of early dawn. He was beautiful in the morning light. The sun caught his bronze
skin and highlighted the strong contours of his body.
“Good morning.” She stepped out of the tent into the warm morning. She didn’t bother to dress. Lazarus certainly didn’t care.
“Good morning,” he greeted. “Did you get enough sleep?”
“I’m always up early no matter what. Not sure why. I’m usually one of the first ones up in the morning. But yes, thank you for asking. Did you?” Was she rambling?
Lazarus smiled. “I’m like you, an early riser. My patrol is always the last before dawn. Nothing quite like a nice run while the sun rises.”
River grinned. “That is very true. Can we run here?”
Lazarus nodded. “Of course. Would you like to run with me?”
“I’d love to.” She was sure Dante wouldn’t mind if she went for a run. It wasn’t like she would be alone. Not with Lazarus.
She followed him through the maze of tents until they were at the edge of a large field dotted with spots of trees. She crouched and shifted in the tall grass. It was kind of embarrassing how long it took her to shift, but Lazarus waited patiently for her until she was finished.
Glancing over her shoulder at him, she smiled and darted out across the field. He chased after her until they were running side by side. The scents were odd, so unlike home it was shocking but curious. She paused here and there to take it all in before running again. Lazarus seemed quite content to let her explore, his muzzle open in a slight smile.
A rabbit darted out across the field, and her instincts kicked in. Lazarus skidded to a stop in front of her, blocking her path, and she came to her senses, feeling her ears flush with embarrassment. This wasn’t home, and if there was one thing Dante had told her, it was no hunting on another alpha’s lands.
She flattened her ears at the thought of the near mistake, but Lazarus just smiled and led her into a hard run to help get the urge to hunt out of her system. It was a relief and helped relax her. After the run they sat next to each other as beasts and watched the sun rise over the hills in the distance before they headed back toward the gathering.
Cutting Ties Page 9
