Chapter Eighteen #2
Once the cat is out of sight, I nose along John’s side, licking at the closest wound. His blood is rich and warm, and I search out the next gash. I’d do the same for any pack mate, and while John and I aren’t pack—yet—I’m not going to argue with my wolf.
I’ve worked my way to his rear haunch when, with a huffing woof, he sinks to the ground. There’s a subtle change in the energy surrounding him, and he shifts.
Even sprawled on the floor and smeared with blood, his body is magnificent. Time and place, dude. Come on. Sweat sticks John’s hair to his face, and as he props himself on one elbow, his eyes are bleary. “Marcus?” His voice is raw, as if he’s been screaming.
I respond by nudging him with my nose.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” he whispers.
I bow my head, my wolf’s brain aware that I’ve disobeyed an alpha. Hell, I disobeyed David, too.
And I’d do it all again.
I’m never going to be an alpha. Never going to have the power to shift without the help of the moon or somebody stronger than me. Never going to be the one the whole pack looks to for decisions and guidance.
But that doesn’t mean I can’t act on what I believe, and I knew down deep that tonight was going to be trouble for John and for the others.
Hope it was worth it.
John rests a hand on my neck. “Thank you. You were brave.”
I keep my head low, gaze on the floor. A sound escapes that in my human form would be a laugh.
“Things have quieted downstairs. We should see how events unfolded.” He slides his hand down my side, his energy shimmers, and he’s back on four legs. There’s still some dried blood in his fur, but his wounds have mostly healed.
With me at his side, John stalks to the edge of the loft, moving stiffly, as if his legs hurt. There’s a glass partition, a barrier between where we stand and the lower level, giving us a view of the scene without being part of it.
A vampire stands by a sunken fireplace. He’s got three companions, though from this distance it’s hard to tell if they’re human, vampire, or shifter.
They’re unarmed, and Connor’s facing them with his weapon ready.
Closer to the arched entrance, Rob stands with Will, Sonny, and Nasir.
There’s a heaviness to their posture, an impression of sadness.
What’s wrong?
I turn and catch John’s gaze. Without words, he tells me he’s ready to go downstairs.
Without words, I tell him I’ll follow.
John
Descending the stairs, I’m cognizant of two things: the amazing young wolf next to me and the look of utter devastation on Rob’s face. His pain is obvious from across the room, and it’s echoed in the defeated curve of Sonny’s shoulders and Nasir’s grim scowl.
Will has his back to me, standing awfully still. Something bad has happened. They’re all accounted for, so no one has died. What could it . . .
Fuck, Fritz was down there.
The memory lands like a blow. Marian Fitzwilliam. Fritz. Our companion of old, whose whereabouts have been uncertain. Child of Brigid, healer, strong as the oaks that are his birthright. If he has left this plane, things are dire indeed.
At the bottom of the stairs, I shift to two legs.
Marcus stays in his wolf form, though I wish he too would shift.
I aim us to where Rob and the others are standing.
We don’t get far before we’re interrupted by a blond man.
He’s as naked as I am and the raw power he exudes prompts me to step between him and Marcus.
“It’s cool,” he says. “Come here, Marcus. I’ll help you.”
I stand, chin raised, fingertips resting on Marcus’s head. I’m much taller and broader than the blond, though as weary as I am, I would not want to fight him. Inhaling, I roll his scent around on my tongue. There’s something familiar, something that reminds me of Marcus.
Pack.
This must be his alpha. The idea twists beneath my sternum, the need to claim Marcus for my own fighting with what’s left of my common sense.
Marcus brushes my leg with his muzzle. His eyes are large and dark and eloquent. I nod, and he steps past me. The blond touches Marcus’s shoulder and mutters something. There’s a surge of power, and Marcus stands on two legs.
He and the blond stare at each other for a long moment and then Marcus returns to my side. The blond doesn’t protest, though from the tension in his jaw, it’s a struggle.
“This is my cousin David,” Marcus says, speaking softly. “David, this is John.”
Neither of us offers to shake the other’s hand.
Instead, I take hold of Marcus’s shoulder, a claim as obvious as I can make it. A thoughtless gesture, born of the moment. A thing I cannot undo.
“I need to speak to Rob.” To find out what happened, why my closest companions are bereft.
“Yeah, something’s up,” Marcus says, shifting his weight to stand closer to me.
“You can stay here if you want.” I don’t want to force myself on Marcus if he’d rather—
“I’m coming with you.”
Claim made and confirmed. “Good,” I rasp out. David waves us on, though it’s hard to discern whether his smile holds sadness or relief. Maybe both.
The others are still in a small cluster. Will has moved to put an arm around Rob’s waist, tears streaking his face. “Is Fritz dead?” I ask, the words escaping before I can find a more elegant way to phrase the question.
“Worse,” Sonny says, the fire in his eyes gone dim. “He’s working with Leander de Lisle.”
“What?” It’s less a word than a reaction to being punched in the gut. “How can that be?”
Rob meets my gaze, the lines in his face carved from ice. “He’s been distant lately. Evasive. Tonight we saw why.”
“It’s impossible.”
“They came in together,” Nasir says harshly, “and Fritz interfered with Rob so de Lisle could escape.”
“That’s . . . that’s . . .” I don’t know what to say. To betray Rob after hundreds of years of loyalty is unthinkable.
Rob closes his eyes, leaving his face blank. “We should get the young people.”
I nod helplessly. Despite everything, Rob would remember the ones we left upstairs. Turning to Nasir, I explain the situation. He’s on his phone before I’ve finished.
“I’ll need a team, at least two medics, and a cleanup crew,” he growls into the phone.
Prince storms up, his slick persona very much tattered. “You’re going to need more than that. My house is ruined.”
Nasir and I share a glance, both of us naked as the day of our birth and possessing even less patience. I get ahold of one of Prince’s arms and Nasir grabs the other. “I told you to stay by the fireplace,” Nasir says, and we start walking him backward.
“I’ve done nothing wrong. You attacked me and my household.”
I tighten my grip so much that if he hadn’t been a vampire, I’d have crushed bone. “You’ve got children upstairs, and you’ve been recruiting them for Leander de Lisle. You’re lucky all you have to clean up is some broken glass.”
He blusters on until Nasir tells him the Securitas will want his statement, and we leave him with the handful of scions and hangers-on who haven’t deserted him.
A team from the Securitas shows up soon after, and, accompanied by me and Marcus, Rob goes upstairs and unlocks the door to the room where the young people are waiting for us.
Four walk out on their own. The one young man needs to be carried, the medics beginning their treatments before they move him, which is a relief. At least he’s not too far gone to be helped.
It’s nearly dawn before we’re finally able to leave, and we’re in the car before I remember to ask whether they’d been successful in exchanging the diamond.
“For all the good it did us.” Will holds up a leather pouch, unzips it, and pulls out the necklace.
In the end, I’m not sure it’s worth the cost.