by V. Vaughn
All it takes is a low, rumbling growl from Reese to make me resume jumping again. And to make me continue to think about how sexy the man is, which is not a place I should be going considering I have a true mate. I’m not sure how I even can. I thought the true-mate attraction was so strong no other guy could capture my attention. But I have learned a lot about werebear recently that the Eradicators don’t know. Things I should take the time to share when I get a chance to do it safely.
Right now, though, I have more important things to be concerned about. I notice Nick and Evan enter the gym along with a younger guy I know is called Jake. Reese begins to add fancy footwork to our rope jumping, and I wonder if he’s trying to trip me up, but I rise to the challenge and quickly match his movements to keep pace with him.
Last night it came to me that I could use the werebear belief in destiny to my advantage and try to convince the Le Roux that I was sent to them as Max’s true mate to ensure they’d listen to what I have to say. If I’m going to get out of here alive, then I think I need them to believe I’ve come as an ally with valuable information about the Eradicators.
The other guys move over to the weights, but they’re definitely watching me and Reese. I suppose this isn’t usual behavior for a warrior and his prisoner. I’m just glad I’ve got more of an audience for what I need to do.
To prove my worth I need a scapegoat, and my ideal candidate is Madison. I’ve struggled a little with that decision though, and I have been trying to come up with someone else. Unfortunately, nobody else has the unique traits of being a half werebear and the appearance of being too kind-hearted and sweet to be evil.
I’m not supposed to have feelings of compassion or friendship for Madison, and I blame the need I had for love before becoming an Eradicator as the reason why I do. I let myself slip, and now I need to squash down my old ways and return to being the cold hard assassin I was trained to be. So if my roommate has to go down for me to complete my mission, then that’s the way it has to be.
I switch up my footwork to something more complicated in a challenge to Reese. Madison really is the perfect person for me to lay blame on. She couldn’t be more of a typical good girl if she tried, which is the last thing anyone would expect an Eradicator spy to be. Or— exactly what one would be.
After Reese determines we’ve had enough of a warm-up, he gives me a minute to recover. Ice cold water soothes my dry throat as I drink from my water bottle, and he says, “Time to test out those fighting skills of yours.”
He grins at me before moving over toward the punching bags, which are closer to the other warriors who are working out. We start off with a simple combination that allows me to breathe fairly easily, and between thumps I ask as casually as I can, “Do you still have that knife you took from me?”
Reese grunts out a yes as he keeps punching, and I glance over to see if anyone else is listening. Nick catches my eye before dropping his gaze, and I have to fight to hide my smile of satisfaction.
I say, “Good, because it’s Madison’s, and she might notice it’s missing.” Reese pauses slightly, making me think what I said affected him, and Evan is definitely eavesdropping. “Anyway, just thought you might want to figure out a way to get it back into my dorm room before she finds out. She keeps it taped under her desk, which makes me think she didn’t want me to know she had it.”
“Your roommate keeps a knife like that on hand?” Reese isn’t the least bit concerned that the other guys are listening to us.
I shrug and step back from the punching bag to lean over my thighs as if I’m out of breath, pleased that my plan is working so well. “Yeah, I thought it was strange too. Seems like a dangerous weapon in the hands of a girly girl. You know?”
“Probably something her father gave her for self-defense,” chimes in Jake.
“She doesn’t have a father,” I say to him. “Well— he’s a werebear, and you know how that goes.”
Jake nods at me, but Reese scowls and motions with his hand for me to punch the heavy bag. He holds it firmly as he says, “I guess her mother’s a badass then.”
I chuckle and throw a strong punch at a bag that will stay put. “Nope, she died a couple years ago. But Madison might have gotten her tough-girl ways from her mom.”
When Reese doesn’t say anything, I share a little more. “That girl puts me to shame. We sparred a few times—” I pause to throw out a combo, and my fists smack hard on the bag. “Madison may not have ever done any formal fighting, at least that’s what she told me, but she’s got some moves.”
Reese raises his eyebrows at me, and I notice out of the corner of my eye that the other warriors have looks of concern on their faces too. I drop my gaze to focus on my punches before I casually add, “It’s like she’s a trained assassin or something.” I stop moving to look Reese in the eye. “Crazy, right?”
He doesn’t respond, but when he moves away from the bag to go get boxing gloves, I think he’s mulling over what I said. I think the other warriors are too, and I smile to myself because that’s all I need. I planted the seed in a few warriors’ minds, and over time one of them will begin to wonder if I might be onto something and feel compelled to share it with his alphas.
Reese tosses me a pair of boxing gloves. “Ready to spar?”
I grin at him as I think how easy it’s going to be to take Madison down to get what I want, and I say, “Bring it.”
Eleven
Audrey
I’m not sure what is more shocking to me, Grandmother sitting at the kitchen table in my family home or the fact she’s wearing jeans. Especially since it’s a business meeting concerning Madison, one of her clan members. It made sense for her to come to us instead of the other way around, though.
Poker face, Audrey, chides my father telepathically. Your grandmother’s attire is a sign of respect.
It only took, what? Twenty- five years to get her on your turf? I joke back as I lift my mug of coffee to hide my amusement. Not only do we dress up to go to the Robichaux mansion because that’s what Grandmother expects, but she’s always finagled things so we’d go to her. A point that has infuriated my mother over the years. I’m not sure what changed Grandmother’s mind this time, but she seems to be taking this switch in stride, because at the moment she and Donna are discussing their gardens. My father, Max, and I are sitting at the table with them, waiting for my mother to join us.
Donna says, “One hundred tulips? You might as well lay out truffles for the deer because they’re going to pluck them off the stems like chocolates come spring, Marion.”
“Elsie has a plan,” Grandmother replies. “Something about natural bear essence scaring them away.”
Donna lets out a snort. “She’s going to pee on them?”
Grandmother grins at her. “I believe so.”
I chuckle along with Max as my mother enters the kitchen, and once she gets a cup of coffee and sits, my father clears his throat. “Shall we begin?”
We all turn our attention to him.
“Yesterday Josie gave us some information that is very concerning. Apparently, Madison is not the sweet young woman she appears to be.”
“Josie told you this?” Grandmother asks in a tone that makes me think she’s on the defense.
My father relays the information he got from the warriors to Donna and Grandmother. “Now, I realize Josie could be lying to us about Madison, but she’d be doing so for a reason. We’re right to be suspicious about the fact that we’ve got two women who arrived in Maine at the same time. They’re each half werebear and were somehow made roommates. Both are currently in the midst of werebear clans.”
My mother adds, “One of them is a werebear now. That’s something that would be very attractive to the Eradicators.”
“Yes, it certainly would be,” Donna says. “But I find it hard to believe they’re that clever.”
My mother, who used to be half human, raises her eyebrows but lets the comment slide. “Max was sent to us by destiny to hel
p us save werebear. I think we have to explore every possibility.”
Grandmother says, “It seems rather extreme that the Eradicators would think a human turned werebear would want to destroy what they’ve become.”
“It does, but we’ve underestimated them before,” says my father with a cold voice that sends a chill down my spine.
Grandmother can’t deny that he’s right. Over the years, the Northeast Kingdom has lost members due to the Eradicators, and her expression is just as hard as my father’s when she switches gears and asks, “Have we had any other recent editions to the other clans of the Northeast Kingdom?”
Dad answers, “I haven’t heard anything from the DeRoziers or Veilleuxs, but I’ll certainly follow up on this.”
“Don’t forget to check with the Ouelette clan in Canada, too,” Donna says.
My father nods at her.
Grandmother lifts up her teacup. “We don’t want to send out an alarm, but I’ll do some quiet digging with other clans in the Americas.”
I’m not convinced Josie was telling the truth, but Max is, and he looks at Grandmother as he asks, “What do you plan to do with Madison?”
Her face remains expressionless as she sets her teacup down gently. “She will be monitored closely.”
Max narrows his eyes. “Will she be questioned?”
“If I deem it necessary.”
Max is sitting next to me, and I reach under the table to place my hand on his leg as a sign for him to keep his cool. I say, “I offered to help her locate her biological father. Perhaps I can ask some questions about her past using that as an excuse.”
Grandmother’s gaze darts between Max and me. “If Madison is a spy, alerting her of our suspicions would be foolish.”
Anger spikes in me that my grandmother thinks I’d be so callous. “But—” I catch myself before I lash out like a child. One is not supposed to question the alpha, and I dig deep to find a calm voice. “I’m sure you know what’s best for your clan, Grandmother.”
I may have managed to find a way to control my emotions, but Max hasn’t. “Hold on,” he says. “You’re not going to question Madison?” He looks at my parents. “And you’re okay with that? What about surveillance? You’ve got Josie under lock and key, but you’re letting Madison roam free.” He glances at Donna, apparently trying to find anyone who’ll back him up. When she doesn’t, he says, “I don’t understand you people.”
Donna clucks her tongue. “Max, dear, your true-mate bond is showing.”
His eyes flash with anger, and a low growl comes from him.
Grandmother sips her tea as if she’s waiting for him to finish a temper tantrum, and to his credit, Max does find a way to tamp down his anger rather quickly.
When Max is visibly calm again, Grandmother says, “Madison is a member of my clan. She will be treated with the respect she deserves under the protocol we have for new members.”
I smile because I’m aware of that protocol. Basically, when an adult human becomes a werebear they’re watched carefully. We have ways that are explained to the half before they are allowed to change, but it can be tough for a human to accept them in reality. Madison is likely already under guard to make sure she’s adapting happily to her new life.
“Now,” Grandmother says as she reaches for a pastry on the plate located in the center of the table. “I cannot resist your bear claws, Carly.” She sinks her teeth into it and lets out a sigh of satisfaction.
Twelve
Max
Audrey and I are cleaning up the kitchen after our meeting with Marion Robichaux. I’m still steaming over Marion’s reaction to the news that Madison might be a spy for the Eradicators. She doesn’t seem to think Madison is a threat, and I believe that’s a big mistake. The fact that Donna Le Roux dismissed my concerns as if I’m stupid made me even angrier.
The platter of leftover pastries thuds on the counter where I set it, and I open the storage container drawer to find one the right size. I ask Audrey as calmly as I can, “Is your alpha grandmother always that narcissistic?”
“Marion? That’s a horrible thing to say about her.”
“It beats the word I really want to use. I can’t believe she’s not taking us seriously.”
“She is, Max.” Audrey sighs. “You did question her authority, but you’ll be happy to know that surveillance is part of the protocol she was talking about. Madison is being watched.”
My irritation grows, because an alpha of the Levesque clan does not get humiliated. But I try to let my logic take over. I am hanging out with multiple other alphas in their territory. “Good. But jeez, someone could have told me instead of letting me —” I recall the way Audrey set her hand on my thigh in a warning. But I was too worked up to pay attention. Shame simmers in me because I suppose I should have figured Marion might not share the tricks up her sleeve with a man she barely knows, and I bet her alpha side enjoyed making me look like a fool. I hate the power games leaders play.
“Yup. Grandmother plays hardball.” The dishwasher rattles as Audrey shuts it, and a button beeps as she sets it to wash. She gives me a serious look. “Why are you so sure Madison is working for the Eradicators and that Josie didn’t just say that to throw us off course?”
“I’m not, but if we’re going to treat one of them like a criminal, then it only seems fair we do the same to the other suspect.”
Audrey begins to wipe down the counter. “Totally different situations, Max. Madison found her true mate and has become a member of a clan using the proper channels.” She looks at me. “Josie, on the other hand, tried a different approach.”
Pain and jealousy flash in Audrey’s eyes, and my bear perks up and floods me with desire over his mate’s emotional reaction. He wants to assure her she’s all he can think about, but that’s not true. Her scent rushes to the forefront of my mind, making it easy to pretend anyway, and I reach out to take her hand. “Josie did push herself on us,” I say. “But I’ve already explained why she felt she had to.”
“Okay, think of this a different way. Josie knows we suspect her, but Madison has no clue. Who’s more likely to make a mistake?” Audrey swallows hard, and her eyes are shining with tears she’s fighting to hold back. “If Madison tips her hand, you’ll know Josie wasn’t lying.”
My heart aches with the knowledge of Audrey’s pain. I squeeze her fingers. “I’m sorry.”
She shakes her head and drops my hand before turning away from me to rinse the sink out. “I’m doing laundry this morning. Do you have anything you want washed?”
“I do.” When she moves to leave, I follow her upstairs to go get my dirty clothes and meet her in the laundry room.
I lean against the dryer as she plucks dark clothes out of our combined piles. I imagine her doing this in our own home one day, and then I wonder if Josie is the kind of woman who throws all the clothes in as one load.
I’m startled when the laundry detergent bottle flies off the shelf and magically opens itself to pour into the machine. Audrey smiles. “Practicing my new skills. I keep forgetting to do it.”
I nod as a memory from my past comes to me. “My mother used to practice this way too.”
Audrey studies me for a moment. “Tell me about her.”
I reach for my medallion like I always do when I think about my mother, and I hold it as I try to recall the sound of her voice. I envision her standing on our back deck with her arms outstretched toward the sky, wind blowing her long dark hair back as she listened to the spirits who guided her. “She was beautiful,” I say. “Like most little boys, I wanted her to be my mate when I grew up.”
Audrey chuckles. “My brothers fought about which one of them was going to be my mother’s mate.”
“My mother was a gifted witch, but it was her incredible empathy for everyone that was her best trait. She was the kind of woman who’d catch the spider in the shower and take it outside to be let free.”
Audrey stares at the washer and the lid closes with a soft
thud as she shuts it telekinetically. “She sounds sweet.”
“She was, but there was a fierce side to her too.” I chuckle when I recall how she’d practically sizzle with magic when she and my father fought, and I’m reminded of when Audrey threw me up in the air the day I arrived in Maine. “Like you, she wasn’t afraid to use her powers when she was mad.”
Audrey gives me a sheepish smile. “She had a temper?”
I nod. “She used to say it was a Gemini trait to have such opposite sides to her personality, but I think it’s a feature of a powerful witch.”
Audrey shrugs. “You might be right.”
My heart swells with my emotions. I can’t help but love all the sides of my mate’s personality, and the urge to pull Audrey into my arms and tell her how much I love her is strong. I decide not to fight it and step closer to her so I can place my hands on her hips.
She leans into me, and I wrap my arms around her as she sighs. “Max, this isn’t supposed to be so hard.”
“I know. Trust me, I thought saving our clans was going to be the difficult part.”
Audrey looks up at me with a wry smile. “I know, right? I just wish you knew who your true mate is supposed to be so we can move past this phase.” She takes a deep breath and steps back from me. “If my heart is going to be broken, then I need to get it out of the way. I’ve got more important things to be concerned with.”
“I know. I’m—”
“Don’t.” When Audrey looks at me, I see a mix of emotions in her expression before she lets out a little noise and grabs my shirt to tug me into her.
She crushes me with a kiss as if she needs to release her frustrations into me, and I cling to her as if that’s what I need too. A thread of her magic begins to twine itself down my throat, and I suck it in like a potion that can fix everything. Her energy swirls in me and gathers bits of mine like a golden ball of yarn getting bigger and bigger until a strong need to let it go fills me. It’s as if I’m supposed to heal her now, or at least ease her pain, and I open my mouth to nearly engulf Audrey’s lips as the power rushes out of my body into hers.
