Chapter Six
Branson
I slump against the wall as Elias and Maisey dress. I don’t know who to watch, who to blame for the fractious, horny state I’m in. I’ve just come but it’s barely scratched the itch of what I want. What I need.
“Sort yourself out.” Elias nudges me as he walks past.
“Er, yeah.” I tuck myself away, wash my hands and then slink into the shadows in the corner of the living room. Should I shift? I’m safer as a panther if there are two wolves around.
“Hello.” Maisey peers at the camera on her intercom.
“I need to speak to Elias.”
She turns to Elias. “It’s Fraser. Your alpha.”
“Shit. What is he doing here?” Elias weaves his fingers together and turns to me. Suddenly he looks like a cornered beast.
We’d spent years being careful never to be seen together, or found together, and this was bad. The apartment stunk of sex and spunk and arousal, the alpha will instantly know what we’ve been doing.
“You’ll have to let him in,” I say with as much confidence as possible. But the truth is I’ve always been less concerned about being discovered. Elias said I had less to lose as I’d only ever been or ever would be a beta.
He frowns. “I could go down and speak to—”
“He might have information about the girl near the museum.” Maisey buzzes the main door open and makes the decision for us. “We need to know.”
In an instant Fraser is at her apartment door.
Maisey opens it and steps aside. She is the epitome of grace and control despite only minutes ago writhing in ecstasy underneath Elias and experiencing his gorgeous knotted cock.
My heart squeezes and a rush of adoration for her floods me like warm honey and milk.
Fuck! Am I falling for a woman?
My attention swings back to Fraser. He’s staring at me despite me standing in the shadows of the room. Who am I kidding? I’m too damn big to hide in the shadows of a small apartment.
“You have a cat here.” He nods slowly. “Hello, Branson.”
I’m surprised he knows my name, but not that I’m a cat. He can smell my feline pheromones the way I can smell his sharp, musty dog-ness.
I jerk my chin in greeting.
“What’s happened?” Elias asks.
“The girl is safe.” Fraser takes Maisey’s hand and squeezes it. “You did the right thing, telling us what you saw in your mind’s eye. My betas and I got there in time.”
“Oh, thank goodness.” Maisey presses her hand to her chest.
“The fevered beast was neutralized,” Fraser goes on. “Another coyote. It seems to be spreading through them the quickest.”
“Did anyone get infected?” Elias asks.
“No, we were very careful not to come in contact with its blood.”
“Good,” I say and fold my arms. “We can’t afford to have more attacks or deaths. The public and the cops will begin to guess something is up.”
“We’ve kept our shifting secrets hidden for millennia, through thick and thin, there is no need for that to change.” Fraser points at a chair. “Can I?”
“Go ahead.” Maisey shuts the door and also sits.
“Why are you three here together?” Fraser sniffs the air, his nostrils flaring. “Smells ... funky.” He raises his eyebrows at Elias.
“I’m staying with Maisey, as you suggested.” Elias points at me. “Branson also found her, independently from me, the best solution was for us both to watch over her. He doesn’t trust me, I don’t trust him and she’s precious.” He sets his hand on her shoulder. “Very precious.”
“Indeed, she is.” Fraser stares intently at Maisey. “And quite possibly the solution to our problem.”
“What problem?” she asks.
“Moon fever.”
“I don’t understand.” She looks at Elias and then me. “What can I do other than hopefully predict attacks?”
Fraser gestures around the room. “Do you have a pin?”
“A pin?” she repeats.
“Yes, a sharp little pin, or needle.”
“Er, yes, in the bathroom cupboard there’s one.”
Fraser nods to Elias. “Go get it.”
He’s back in a second.
I stay tucked in the corner. I have no idea what is going on but I’m not going to interrupt an alpha, whether he’s the head of my clan or not.
“Here.” Elias gives the pin to Fraser.
He holds it to the light and then smiles. “Maisey, would you mind giving me your finger?”
“Why?” I step forward, protectiveness flaring despite my last thought. “What do you want with her?” I growl.
Fraser considers me for a moment then, “I need her blood.”
“Like hell you do.” I march forward, my spine tingling, my panther-self scratching to get out and take the dog down. “Stay away from her.”
“Don’t get your claws in a twist.” Fraser glares at me. “I intend her no harm, she is more valuable alive to all of us.”
“I’d agree with that,” I say with a hiss catching in my throat.
“Maisey has been the subject of much discussion this last hour amongst the elders,” Fraser says.
“Which elders?” I ask.
“All of them, from all clans.”
“I don’t believe you,” I snap.
“Desperate times call for desperate measures, Branson.” Fraser narrows his eyes at first me and then Elias.
“I had no idea they’d organized a meeting, but it just goes to show their wisdom must always be respected.
Their willingness to lay down arms and collectively solve a problem is to be admired. ”
“And did they?” Maisey asks. “Solve the problem?”
“You met with Raif,” Fraser says to her. “And that one meeting gave him a springboard to finding out who and what you are.”
She swallows noisily and looks at me. “Okay.”
I smile reassuringly though I’m feeling distinctly twitchy about the entire situation. Panther elders are known for their reclusiveness and short tempers, it was hard to imagine them heading away from their dens on a cold night.
“Your scent holds ancient ash. It circulates in your blood. Faint, but still there.” Fraser looks steadily at Maisey with his piercing blue eyes. “It means...”
“What?” she asks.
“That you are related, many years ago, to the High Priestess Grindaya.”
“Who?” She frowns.
“Grindaya. She was a great witch and a great friend of all creatures, including shifters. She is much revered not just by wolves but by panthers.” He gestures to me. “Bears, coyote, leopards, all of us in this underworld. She never judged, only sought to help.”
Maisey nods. “Elias and Brandon talked about my witch heritage.”
He nods. “Do you recall if your mother or grandmother had special powers?”
She looks at the table and withdraws her hands. “I was adopted at birth, I have no knowledge of anyone other than my adopted parents who live upstate. They are wonderful people but could tell me nothing other than I had been found outside a police station on a cold December night.”
“As a newborn babe.”
“Yes.” She takes a sharp breath and I know this fact about her origins hurts her.
“And you survived.” Fraser nods. “The animals of the night cared for you.” He pauses. “Shifters kept you warm against their fur until you were discovered.”
“I ... what ... I mean, who kept me warm?” She looks at me and then Elias. “You?”
“No, we were youngsters.” Elias strokes her forearm. “I don’t know who.”
“It was Raif,” Fraser says. “He recognized your scent today. It took him back nearly thirty years to a night as cold as this one.”
She blows out a breath and shakes her head. “No wonder he was so interested in me. And I owe him a lot—my life. How could I ever repay him?”
“There is a way.” Fraser nods seriously and spins the pin in his fingers. “And it has been asked of me to request it of you.”
“Request it?” I say cautiously. “What do you want her to do?”
“Moon fever will destroy our world if we do not destroy it first. That is what happened in Argentina a century ago. It obliterated an entire population of shifters. No animal was safe. Toucan and sloth shifters went extinct.”
“I still don’t understand,” Maisey says.
“Your blood.” Fraser points at her with the pin. “One drop on the tongue will prevent us from getting infected. That’s all it takes to protect the shifters of New York from moon fever.”
“One drop. How can that be?” she asks.
“It’s an ancient spell cast by your ancestor, the High Priestess, and she meant for you to know it. Or to at least carry it within you.”
She shakes her head and my instinct to hold her close is almost overwhelming.
“How much do you need?” I ask and walk up behind her chair. If he wants too much this won’t happen.
“A vial for each clan,” Fraser says, “and there are five, you won’t notice it, Maisey. No more than a trip to the doctor for a health check.”
She looks at Elias and then me. “What do you think?”
“It’s your choice.” My heart is clattering. She holds the key to our survival. No wonder we were so drawn to her. Our instincts were raging, shouting at us to go to her, to take her, to kill anyone who even looked at her the wrong way.
“Elias?” she asks.
“I only want what’s best for you. As Branson says, it’s your choice.”
“What’s best for me is to finally be connected, in some way, any way, to a blood relative.” She takes the pin from Fraser and pricks the tip of her index finger. “And to help those who have helped me. The shifters of New York City.”
A ruby drip grows on her flesh and glistens beneath the overhead light. “Fraser,” she says and holds out her finger.
“You’re sure?” he asks.
“I’ve never been surer. You go first.”
It was a smart move of her. Make the guy who suggested it take the first sip.
“Thank you.” He holds her wrist, pokes out his tongue, and takes the drop into his mouth. There’s no hesitation, no qualms about doing it. That makes me feel better.
“Elias.” She squeezes her finger and then offers the drip to him.
Elias takes it, his eye contact not wavering from hers.
She smiles then turns to me, a fresh drip ready.
“This is a lot for you to take onboard,” I say.
“And a lot for you too.”
She half smiles and I know she’s not just talking about moon fever and her blood. She’s talking about the fact I desire her, a woman, for the first time, and that our exploration of each other is only just beginning.
“Take it.” She pokes her finger at me.
I close my eyes and take it deep into my mouth. Tasting not just the copper of blood but her, the very essence of her femaleness that’s calling to me like some kind of impossibly sexy siren.
“Good,” she says and touches my cheek with her free hand. “You are all vaccinated. Now where do I go to give my blood?”
“To the panther den,” I say with a frown. “There is no argument about that.”
“Why?” Fraser asks. “Why with you?”
“Because I can protect her as well as Elias, and you know full well one of our shifters is also a doctor. He can take the blood and organize distribution.”
“Nikoli.” Fraser nods. “Yes, I know of him.”
“You do?” Elias asks.
“My friend.” Fraser leans toward Elias. “When you were alpha you kept the wolves distant from other clans, resisted sharing knowledge, and avoided integration, it was not on your agenda to be as one with them.”
Elias stiffens.
“But that is something I want to change going forward. Together we are stronger.” He looks at me.
I swallow tightly.
His eyes glint with challenge as he says, “At least you always gave the impression of not integrating with other species, Elias, but I had my suspicions.” He looks back at Elias. “Was I right?”
Elias stiffens, his shoulders drawing up. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I think you do, and for the record, we are not living in ancient times anymore.”
Elias’s jaw tenses and his lips press together. He looks away from Fraser and appears to make an active decision not to look at me either.
Fraser stands. “Living a lie is painful, Elias. Don’t do it if you don’t have to.”
Elias makes a low growling sound.
Fraser turns to me. “Look after her, she is everything to all of us, remember that.”
I set my hands on Maisey’s delicate shoulders and feel the warmth of her body. “Nothing will harm her. You have my word.”
“And a man’s word is all he really has.” Fraser pulls up the collar of his leather coat.
“And I leave you knowing I have the High Priestess’s ancient protection swirling in my veins.
I thank you with all that I am, Maisey. You will always have a home with us, from this day forward, never doubt the wolves’ loyalty to you.
” He smiles, a rarity, and then slips from the room.
“Fuck.” Maisey flops back in the chair and shakes her head. “That’s a lot to wrap my head around.”
I massage her shoulders with firm but gentle movements. “You took it very well.”
“Mmm, that’s nice.” She pauses and seems to enjoy my touch. “Maybe it doesn’t feel like a massive surprise to me. I’ve always known I’m a bit different, that I think things and they happen, or I just know stuff.”
“Definitely witchy traits,” Elias says.
“Do you know many?” she asks him.
“No, only one.” He kisses her cheek. “The best one.”
It feels so right, the three of us connected, so I’m reluctant to break up our little party, but needs must. “I should get Maisey to Nikoli without delay.”
“I don’t disagree.” Elias stands. “But I do think she should eat, we all should.” He looks at Maisey. “Giving blood can be draining.”
She laughs, a deliciously soft sound that warms me to my core. “Is that supposed to be funny? Draining.”
Elias’s brows draw together. “I didn’t intend it to be but if it is I’m glad.”
I laugh too as a lightness comes over me.
Fraser’s parting words about bringing clans together and not living a lie give me hope.
I’ve been trying to tell Elias for years that he’s overestimated the wrath of the wolves if they found out he loved me, that we spent secret nights together, and now I had my first scrap of proof that I’d been right.