Absolution

by Jambrea Jo Jones

  “After the gun went off she looked down at it like she hadn’t seen it before. Over and over she was screaming, ‘What have I done?’ I still couldn’t move. I dropped my fork. The clatter was loud. I think it echoed in my head. I thought for sure I was next. Mom looked over at me. She was struggling with the gun—almost like it was alive or something. She looked right at me and said—‘I’m sorry, baby’. It was like the fight went out of her, she raised the gun, told me to look away and shot herself.” Kitty sobbed.

  She didn’t remember Everett moving, but he held her and rocked her back and forth.

  “Shh, Kitty, it’s okay. I’ve got you.”

  “Don’t you see—it could run in the family, she was crazy.”

  “Kitty, did you say she was struggling with the gun? Like she didn’t want to do what she was doing?”

  “I…I guess. Yes.”

  All she really wanted to do was forget that night. After it had happened she’d taken her sisters and run with them. She didn’t get too far until the Tyler pack found her and all she wanted to do was stay away from Uncle Kurt. She would have done anything. It was one of her biggest mistakes, or so she’d thought. Now she wasn’t too sure because it had brought her here, to the Masters.

  “Think. Try to remember what they were arguing about.”

  “Ev—”

  “Stay with me for a minute here. Think.”

  Kitty closed her eyes and replayed the event. It was difficult because of how long she’d been trying to suppress the memories. It was right there—Kurt, they were talking about—

  “It was Uncle Kurt. They didn’t like the way he’d been looking at me and Mom wanted him to stay away from the house, but Dad kept saying he was his brother and maybe she was imagining it. That night—that—at the table—”

  Think…think…what did she yell?

  “Yes, at the table…”

  “She yelled at my dad. She said—she said, oh my God, Everett, she yelled, ‘Kurt sends his regards’. Why didn’t I remember that? That’s a big deal, isn’t it?” She looked over at Everett.

  Why would she have blocked that bit of information? The horror of the whole thing was big, that was her only excuse.

  “Yes, it is and once we prove to the world that shifters exist it isn’t a big leap to magic and we can get proof that your mom didn’t kill your dad. She wasn’t crazy, Kitty, she was under a spell. We need to tell Russ before he meets with Kurt. Russ can’t go into that blind, if Kurt has a magic user on his side who knows what else he could be capable of.”

  Kitty wrapped her arms around Everett and hugged him tight. She didn’t want to let him go. Kitty nuzzled her face into his neck. His scent was overwhelming and it was like a weight had been lifted off her. Her mom hadn’t killed her dad or herself. It had been her uncle. That bastard had taken her parents away from her and he was going to pay.

  She licked his skin. It was salty and tangy all at the same time. Kitty did it again. Everett groaned and pulled her in tighter. It was okay to let go. Everett had her back, he was her mate. Everett took her face in his hands and she moved away from the yummy smell to look at him. His green eyes were so dark they were almost black. Kitty whimpered.

  “Kitty—I—” He took her mouth in a kiss.

  First he nibbled on her bottom lip before caressing it with his tongue. She opened to him, never before had she been kissed with such passion, it felt right. Kitty moved so she could straddle him. She rocked her body against his. They both needed to be naked. Now.

  The front door slammed shut and Kitty jerked away. The girls. How could she forget they were here?

  “You guys seriously need to get a room because—gross.”

  Kitty looked up to see Bunny hovering by the door while Poppy stood next to the couch with her arms crossed, looking disapproving, her nose wrinkled.

  “Gross? Really? That’s what you’re going with? Come on, Poppy. Give them some privacy.” Bunny moved farther into the room.

  “Privacy? They’re in the living room. And—he’s a dude, of course it’s gross.”

  “I think it was hot,” Bunny defended them.

  “You would.” Poppy glared back at her sister.

  Now the girls shoved each other. She should stop them, but it was kind of funny. Ever since Poppy had announced she liked girls the twins had arguments about what was hot and what wasn’t.

  “Just because I’m not a lesbian doesn’t mean you can make fun. I think Everett is cute. But it’s even better when Peter and Grey kiss.” Bunny gave a dreamy sigh.

  “That’s just double gross.”

  Was Everett—? He was. Everett’s face was turning red.

  “Girls, don’t you have something better to do?” Kitty broke in.

  “No,” they said together.

  “We need to go talk to Russ anyways so behave or I’ll be telling Peter and Grey you think they’re hot.” Kitty pointed at Bunny.

  Bunny groaned and Poppy laughed.

  “Don’t think I don’t know who you’ve been panting over, Poppy…”

  “You wouldn’t.” Poppy looked horrified.

  “You know I would.” Kitty smirked at her sisters.

  Everett chuckled, but hid it by pressing his face to her shoulder. She had thought last night at the dance was one of the best moments in a long time, but sitting in the living room with her mate and sisters—that topped just about any one memory she had. It helped that now she knew her parents had been murdered. The heaviness of thinking her mom had gone crazy had been bigger then she’d ever imagined.

  “We just came in to tell you Joy and Valerie are going into town and said we could tag along if that was okay.” Bunny looked at her hopefully.

  She had to let them go sometime. They were sixteen and old enough to do more than she let them.

  “That’s fine. Just behave. You have money?”

  Both girls nodded and rushed out the door as if she was going to stop them. Kitty shook her head.

  “You guys should go on tour.” Everett snorted.

  Kitty smacked his arm and moved to get off his lap, but he pulled her back down.

  “I like this.” He nuzzled into her collar bone, peppering it with kisses.

  “What? Watching me and the girls bicker?” Kitty closed her eyes and ran her fingers through Everett’s hair.

  “No, you—happy.”

  “I like me happy too. Now—oh, that’s nice, but ahh—we should go. Russ. Yeah—Ev!”

  He’d nipped where her neck and shoulder met.

  “You’re right. I don’t want to let you go.”

  “The girls will be gone for a while. We can come back here after we’re done.”

  “All right.”

  Everett let her get up this time. She held out her hand and helped him. She had to get her head back in the game. The information they had was important. Everett didn’t let her go, he laced their fingers together, and they walked towards the big house.

  “So, you’ve heard a bit about my family and you’ve met the girls. What’s your story?”

  It was a nice walk to the main house and she could use the time to get to know her mate.

  “Well—you know my uncle Roger and what an ass he is. He’s my mom’s brother. She left when she met my dad James. He was part of the Masters pack and was visiting—I’m not sure why he needed to talk to my uncle’s pack, but my mom fell in love and never looked back. Or maybe that should be they fell into ‘mate’ or ‘lust’. But I try not to think about that—them being my parents and all.” Everett winked.

  “What’s your mom’s name? Are your folks still here?”

  “My mom is Jerri. She and my dad are still around, but on vacation right now. They’re on a cruise. They’ll love you and the girls. I’ll introduce you when they get back. You also know my cousin, Peter. He was kicked out of his pack and finally found his way here. It’s been his home ever since. I have another cousin, Don, but you’ve met him too. I think he’s been a bit brainwashed by his dad
. If he could get away from Roger, he might be worth knowing.”

  “I agree with you there. He seemed okay unless his dad was there.”

  “I kind of figured. Nothing I can do about it now, right?”

  “Right. I love it here with the Masters pack. Everyone is so welcoming. And it’s nice to know that Poppy isn’t the only gay person here. I worried about that. It wasn’t that big of a deal at home, what with my dad being the alpha, but we kept it on the down low at the Tyler house because we’d heard the stories about Peter.”

  “How did you end up with Roger?”

  “We were running. After my folks were gone my uncle…he…why is this so hard to say? He made a pass at me. Freaked me out and I just wanted out of there. Everything was all wrong. Don actually found us and welcomed us into the pack. We went, pack life is all we’ve ever known and I figured we’d be safe from Kurt. And we were, but not from Roger and all his anger.”

  “How long were you with them?”

  “A month maybe. I kind of lost track of time.”

  * * * *

  They finally reached the house. Everett opened the door for her, and they headed straight for Russ’ office.

  “I don’t know if he’ll be in here, but it’s worth a shot. I know he had things to do to get ready before the other alphas arrived.”

  The door was closed. Everett knocked and Russ told them to enter. They stepped through. It was just Russ, thank goodness. She didn’t know how many more people she could tell this story to.

  Everett must have felt her hesitation because he squeezed her hand.

  “What brings the two of you back?” Russ smiled at them and motioned to the chairs in front of his desk.

  “I remembered something…it’s probably important,” Kitty started.

  “Okay, what’s that?”

  “My mom—it wasn’t her fault.”

  “The shooting?”

  “Yes, the thing I remember…it was dinner time and it was only my folks and me. She stood up and shouted—‘Kurt sends his regards’ before she shot my dad. Then she struggled with the gun before giving up and shooting herself.”

  “Are you sure?” Russ’ jaw was set and his knuckles white.

  “Yes, sir. I wouldn’t come to you if I wasn’t. After my parents died, Kurt tried to get me to…he, ahh…that is…he wanted me for himself. I think he thought after my dad was gone, he’d be alpha and I’d fall in line, but I ran instead.”

  “And now he knows you’re here. Things are never easy around here, are they? No worries, we’ll figure this out. It means he has access to magic somehow. My pack has the only magical wolves that I know of. Do you know who in your pack might have helped him?”

  “No, I don’t. I wasn’t aware of people who had magical powers until I got here.”

  “It could be those drugs, remember, Russ?” Everett broke in.

  “Drugs?” Kitty was confused.

  “There is a drug out there that can give shifters a magical boost. We ran into some of it not that long ago. It’s a possibility. We need to get Zareb and Joy in on this.”

  “Will we be safe?” Kitty looked between the alpha and her mate.

  “You have my word. I’ll do everything in my power to keep you and your sisters safe.”

  Russ said it with such conviction she had no choice but to believe him. Thank the fates that this pack found me when they did or who knows where I’d be.

  Chapter Six

  Kurt Kelley paced his office waiting for the call from Langford. It had been too long already. The man should have got back to him by now. How was this difficult? All he wanted was Kitty. He had the pack, now he needed his mate and who better than the most beautiful wolf he’d ever seen? He’d been jealous of his brother when he’d married Ginger. He’d tried everything to get the woman to pick him, but she went on and on about how it wasn’t true love for them and how Arthur was her true mate.

  Bullshit. There was no such thing as true mates. It was a fairytale elders told to keep horny young wolves from humping each other every chance they got. Well, Ginger and Arthur were dead and Kitty would be his. He didn’t care about the other brat kids. They could stay where they were.

  He didn’t want to chance another hit of the magic dust he’d bought off the black market. It’d drained him that last time.

  Finally his cell phone rang. He looked at the number before answering.

  “Tell me you found her.”

  “I did, sir. She is with the Masters pack and has pledged alliance to them. But that isn’t all. Russell, the alpha, requested that you meet with him. He said if you can’t get there physically a conference call would do, but that shifters are about to be exposed to the humans and everyone needed to be in the loop.”

  “Who cares about that? Like humans could prove it without catching a shifter. Big fucking deal.”

  “He said they have a seer and she had a vision of the news catching a shifter mid- change on film.”

  “It could still be called a hoax. I want to know why you didn’t just grab Kitty and bring her to me.”

  “It doesn’t work that way, Kurt. She’s an adult. I can’t force her to do anything she doesn’t want to.”

  “Then you should have grabbed the brats. She would follow them anywhere. Wasn’t I listed as their guardian?”

  “You were, but Ginger and Arthur changed their wills recently. Remember? Kitty gets everything, including guardianship of her sisters. Legally there is nothing more I can do, but give Kitty the paperwork she needs to get everything transferred to her name.”

  “What about the pack?”

  “Technically it would be hers too, but since you are the relative here at the time, temporary control of the pack is yours. If she wants to come back, it reverts to her.”

  “Fuck. And you couldn’t tell me this sooner?”

  “I tried, but you just wanted me to get to Kitty. So that’s what I did. Are you coming here?”

  “Yes, I’ll get on the first flight.” He hung up the phone, not waiting for Langford to say anything else.

  He had plans to make. The magic worked better when he was close. It had been fun watching Ginger shoot Arthur. He wished she didn’t have to kill herself, but it was for the better. He figured she’d rather be dead than in jail. So ultimately it was for her. Kitty had been totally freaked out, but it had been necessary. She wasn’t supposed to have been there, but plans had changed and Kurt already had the magic in his system so it had been ‘go’ time.

  Kurt had questioned her after the fact, but she’d still been in shock. He figured she had no idea what really happened. If she did, someone would’ve been after him by now. He was safe enough. Once he got her home, he’d keep her locked up if he had to. She’d be his one way or another.

  Maybe he would need the twins for leverage. He just needed to convince Masters that Kitty was crazy. They’d be begging him to take her off their hands. Then things could get back to normal. The scandal was already dying down and Arthur had been big on keeping his kids out of the news. Most people only knew he had three kids and no one had ever seen them outside of photos.

  It would be safe to make Kitty his. He might need her to change her name—maybe dye her hair, but those were little details he could take care of later. For now he had flight plans to make.

  Kurt called his butler and told him to pack for an extended stay away. He was living in his brother’s house, it was bigger than his own, and he’d fired all the staff and brought in his own. So confident of his success, he’d already put his home on the market. Nothing could touch him. Even if Kitty did remember, the only people who might care would be wolves, and they tended to stay in their own packs. They wouldn’t mess with him and if they tried, well, he had more magic dust to take care of that.

  The world was his and he was taking it with both hands. Nobody got anywhere if they didn’t take what they wanted.

  He shut down his computer and informed his secretary he’d be gone for a couple of days and t
o shift all his appointments to junior members of the team. Kurt didn’t have anything pressing on his calendar so it was a good a time as any. That was the joy of being your own boss in one of the most prestigious law firms in town.

  * * * *

  It didn’t take him long to organise a flight and be on his way. He’d get to see his obsession real soon. What he wanted, he got. It had been that way his whole life and it wasn’t going to change now.

  Kurt had Langford meet him at the airport.

  “Did you let them know to be expecting me?”

  “Yes, sir. Here, let me take that.”

  Kurt passed off his suitcase and followed Langford to the car. He should have sent someone who wasn’t loyal to his brother, but figured Kitty would respond better to the man. Langford had been a friend of the family for a long time. Kurt might have to get rid of him at some point. Just fire him, unless Langford gave him grief.

  “Are we headed straight there?” Kurt inquired as he got into the back seat of the car.

  Langford glared at him, but Kurt ignored it. It was his due to be driven around. He didn’t need to be in the front seat with a person who was beneath his social standing.

  “Yes, the other alphas are there and they are waiting for you and one other to arrive so they can start the meeting.”

  “Good. Is it very far?” Kurt glanced out the window. He was bored, but he figured Langford needed the small talk.

  “It’s a good distance, yes. The Masters pack lives in a secluded area away from town.”