by Gwen Rivers
“Emma?” Kiesha called from the other room. “Are you still here?”
I panicked and dropped the knife. Damn it, I didn’t want her to see Liam like that. Shit like that could traumatize a kid. And something in me warned that no one should approach him until he was fully recovered. Which made no sense, because I was right next to him.
“Yeah. Go upstairs, Rage,” I called out. “Liam’s going to treat us to breakfast. Better go get dressed.”
“Breakfast?” She sounded skeptical.
“Yup.” It wasn’t a lie. I’d pick his pocket and take her myself if only to keep her away from the injured Alpha.
I heard her light tread on the stairs and then jumped when a hand gripped my ankle.
“Thanks.” Liam’s voice was rough but it too was returning to normal. “I’d been trying to get that out for hours.”
My lips parted. Hours? “Why didn’t you wake me sooner?”
Imagining him down here, impaled on silver and struggling on his own made me shiver.
He sat up and grimaced. “I wasn’t here until a few minutes ago. I didn’t want to be caught out in public when the sun came up…that way.”
I wanted to ask where he’d gone. Why it had taken him so long and why he hadn’t come back until daylight had driven him to seek privacy.
But the more questions I asked him, the more Liam would feel free to ask me.
So I settled for, “Will you be all right?”
“Yeah.” He glanced down at the jagged wound and grimaced. “That’s going to scar ugly. But what’s one more.”
“Any other injuries?” He was covered in blood. I’d be shocked if there wasn’t more damage.
“Just my phone.” Using his uninjured hand, he reached into his back pocket and held out the remains of what had been a very snazzy smartphone. “I just got this thing, too. Can I borrow yours to call my PA?”
The Alpha werewolf had a personal assistant? “I don’t have one.”
His brows drew down. “What? Why not?”
I shrugged. “No one to call.” Plus having a plan cost money. And money was one more thing I didn’t have. The revenge business didn’t exactly pay well.
“Well, I’ll get you one when I go replace mine. I want to be able to get in touch with you. Did I hear you mention something about breakfast?”
“Just to get Kiesha out of sight of the mess.” I waved at the blood still coating the floor.
Liam winced. “Sorry about that. I’ll clean it up. And yeah, I’ll take you both out to breakfast. The contractor should be here soon anyway.”
I studied his pinched features. There was obvious fatigue there. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Worried about me?” He raised a mocking brow as though he couldn’t imagine such a thing.
“Yes.” The word came out before I could stuff it down.
His face softened and when he reached to stroke my cheek with the hand not covered in gore, I allowed it. “I’ll be fine, Emma. Thanks to you.”
For a moment our eyes met, an instant when I felt something deep within me stir to life. It wasn’t physical attraction, or some weird Florence Nightingale thing because I’d helped him. No, the feeling was one of recognition.
And it scared the hell out of me.
I pulled away and got to my feet. He let me go without calling me on the exchange. Had he felt it too?
Liam also rose, though he swayed on his feet. I watched him closely, to make sure he wouldn’t keel over.
He steadied himself on the counter. The wound in his shoulder looked days old instead of freshly made. He looked gaunt though, as if the injury had wasted away twenty pounds of muscle overnight. He needed to eat, too. “Go get changed. I’ll clean up and we’ll head out.”
I nodded. Because I was hungry and because I didn’t want to see either of the werewolves I was cohabitating with underfed. Between Kiesha’s young age and near starved condition and Liam’s healing injury, the two of them could probably lay waste to half the restaurants in Manhattan.
I turned toward the door when a glint caught my eye. The dagger I’d dropped. Not only was the blade silver, but the handle was as well. Funny looking markings were etched onto the handle. Not pictures or letters, but odd-shaped symbols. More runes? “What should I do with this?”
Liam, roll of paper towels in hand, looked over at me and blanched. “Just keep it away from Kiesha. No one in the pack can so much as handle it. I don’t want it on the streets again for obvious reasons. Would you mind hanging on to it for me?”
Mind? I had been looking for a better weapon than the Swiss Army knife. I wouldn’t do much good against a clutch of recently juiced twisted ones with that. Between the stiletto I’d plucked off the bastard gang members and the knife, my inventory had tripled. “Sure.”
After wiping the blade clean with a paper towel and tucking it into the waistband of my pants, I pulled my shirt down to conceal the bump at the base of my spine.
It dawned on me that I could sell the thing at a pawn shop and have enough money to get me a more substantial cache of weapons. More knives, maybe even a gun.
But maybe it was smarter to hold onto it for now. Just in case the Alpha turned on me.
“Why do I smell blood?” Kiesha had changed her clothing to a pair of too-tight jeans and a baggy purple t-shirt. She stood on the stairs and sniffed.
I gave her the truth, but not the grim version. “Liam got a cut but he’s healing.”
Her eyes narrowed. “There’s something you aren’t telling me.”
“There are a lot of things I’m not telling you.” I studied her clothes. They looked new, but not her size. “Where did you get those?”
She glanced away but not before I saw the shame on her face.
“Rage?”
“I stole a girl’s shopping bag.” Guilt stained her cheeks bright pink. “I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t have anything else.”
“No more of that. Liam is going to look after you. You need something, you tell him. Or me.”
“Why?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. I didn’t want to be the one who let the werewolf out of the bag. But the kid deserved answers. And it would give Liam time to collect himself.
“You know that Liam is a werewolf.”
She nodded.
“Well, he’s sort of their….” My mind brain-farted on the word Alpha. Leader? Ruler? Big Bad Wolf? “He’s in charge of the werewolves.”
“The Alpha.”
So, she did know that word. I waited to see if she would offer up anything I could work with. When she didn’t, I sighed. “Rage, I don’t know how to say this—”
She rolled her eyes. “Emma, I know I’m a werewolf. My dad was one.”
“Oh.” If she knew, why was she asking why Liam would provide for her?
Unless whoever had raised her had taught her to fear the pack.
“I guess if you really want to know, you should ask Liam.”
Kiesha narrowed her eyes on me. “Fine.”
I pulled on semi-clean jeans and bra and then pretended to fish in my guitar case for a t-shirt, all the while burying the silver knife down deep. I dawdled as long as I could upstairs with my werewolf charge, offering to brush her hair for her. It needed it. I moved slowly to buy Liam time to clean up the blood. When we joined him in the kitchen, the place looked no worse than it had the day before. Liam stood dressed in his jeans and black t-shirt he’d worn on arrival. They were wrinkled and stiff looking from air drying, but still in better shape than the bloodied sweats. “Ready ladies?”
He took us a few blocks over to a little hole in the wall diner. The place smelled of bacon, fried potatoes and freshly brewed coffee. A round male in his mid-fifties with thinning hair and an impressive stomach barely held back by a white apron appeared the moment we crossed the threshold.
His accent was distinctly Irish as he greeted the Alpha. “Ah, there you be, boy-o. I was wondering when you would darken m
y door.”
Liam grasped the male’s hand and pulled him into a bear hug. “Hey, Pat. I’ve been meaning to come by.”
Pat turned curious hazel eyes on the two of us. “And who be your pretty companions?”
“I’d like you to meet Rage and Emma. Ladies, the old rascal is my nephew, Patrick O’Donnell.”
Patrick O’Donnell was definitely human. I could feel genuine pleasure at the sight of his uncle, as well as the discomfort from the blister on his big toe.
Kiesha put her hands on her hips and looked between the two men. “How can he be your nephew? He’s older than you.”
“Rage.” I shot a worried look to Patrick, but the Irishman’s eyes twinkled merrily.
“Because Pat here is my brother’s youngest son,” Liam explained patiently.
A small crease formed between Kiesha’s brows but then she nodded, as though the explanation was acceptable for the time being.
Pat gestured them to a booth in the back of the small diner. Liam immediately took the seat with his back against the wall. It gave him a view of the entire diner, especially the door.
Kiesha plopped down on the other side. After a moment’s hesitation, I slid into the place next to her and across from Liam.
Pat set a menu down before Kiesha and handed me another. It was a single sheet of paper, unlaminated, no photos. Instead of offering one to Liam, he just raised a brow and asked, “Will it be the usual then?”
Liam flashed him a grateful smile. “And lots of coffee.”
Kiesha’s gaze roved over the menu, then shot me a nervous look.
“You can get whatever you want, Rage.” Liam picked up on her anxiety. “My treat.”
The girl’s eyes were wide. “Okay, can I have the blueberry pancakes, please?”
“Sorry, dove. We don’t have any blueberries.” Pat sounded genuinely apologetic.
She grew quiet and fidgeted with her menu. I didn’t like the way her shoulders rounded, as though to ward off a blow.
“How about regular pancakes?” I asked. “Or French toast?”
“French toast.” She pounced on that suggestion.
“Excellent choice,” Pat bobbed his head with enthusiasm.
“And a side of bacon,” Liam interjected and then looked to Kiesha. “Milk?”
The girl nodded eagerly.
“And for you, lovely?” Pat didn’t bother to write anything down and I got the impression he would scoff at the idea.
“Just coffee.” I had enough in my pocket to cover a mug plus tip.
Liam frowned. “Aren’t you hungry?”
I felt a twinge of sympathy as I took my place in the hot seat. I couldn’t afford most of the things on the menu, not until I started earning a paycheck. We were here for Kiesha. I planned to make some lentil soup out of the ingredients I’d scrounged back at the restaurant. Coffee would tide me over until then.
But Liam narrowed his multihued eyes. Without looking away from me he addressed Pat. “Double my order. And pack up some bagels and cream cheese to go as well.”
For a hefty guy, Pat scuttled off to the kitchen before I could contradict the Alpha.
I intended to pay my own way. The more Liam flashed his cash around me, the more uncomfortable it made me. But with Kiesha sitting right there, I couldn’t challenge him outright.
Stupid werewolf with his stupid dominance game.
Liam finally looked away and I felt as though I could breathe again. “I think after we eat, we’ll head to the phone store and then to Gray’s place. You two can hole up there while the work is being done at the restaurant.”
And there went my plans to make soup and spend the day searching the streets for signs of dark fae. But I couldn’t do that and watch Kiesha at the same time. The werewolf girl had been on her own far too much already.
I excused myself and headed into the ladies’ room. Taking full advantage of the running water, I washed my hands and made sure I got the rest of Liam’s blood out from under my nails.
Such a simple thing, running water. Something most people took for granted. I never would again, and I was betting Kiesha wouldn’t either.
I dragged her into the restroom next, making sure she washed thoroughly as well. “I have an extra toothbrush in my bag. We can brush our teeth after we eat.”
She lifted her chin. “I talked to Liam. Asked him why he was being so nice.”
“And what did he say?”
“He said we looked like we needed someone to have our backs.”
A lump formed in my throat. That wasn’t the only reason why, not for her anyway. But I couldn’t tell her. She wouldn’t want to find out that her new hero wore tarnished armor.
We returned to the table to find it on the verge of collapsing with food. Liam’s usual was steak and three fried eggs, pancakes, cinnamon apple oatmeal, bacon, rye toast and hash browns.
“There is no way I can eat all this,” I muttered as I stared at my half of the haul. I should have just ordered a muffin.
Liam winked. “It won’t go to waste.”
That wink did funny things to my insides.
Leaving the protein for the werewolves, I ate the aromatic oatmeal and buttered the toast. Kiesha ate my fried eggs and Liam made short work of both steaks, pancakes and hash browns.
The only thing worse than being impoverished and on the run? Doing it with a werewolf’s appetite.
When Kiesha excused herself to go brush her teeth, I decided to cut to the chase.
Unfortunately, that was the precise moment the pretty brunette stormed up to the table with all the fury of a woman scorned. She smelled of expensive perfume and rage. “So, this is where you’ve been hiding, you bastard.”
Liam stared at her a moment. His expression had gone completely blank. I sipped my coffee and did my level best to hide my amusement.
“I have been trying to get in touch with you for six months!”
“Right. Sorry, babe. Things have been busy.” He flashed her a smile and she crossed her arms, clearly not charmed.
He didn’t remember her. I could tell by the way he intentionally didn’t use her name. So, the Alpha was a bit of a player, was he?
And what did it mean that he’d turned down my offer of a quickie?
Other than that he was a hypocrite.
The woman’s delicate foot began to tap out an impatient beat. “Well?”
“Well what?” Liam was clearly exasperated. “Maybe if you’d tell me what you want me to say, I could say it and then get back to my meal.”
I winced. Poor, stupid werewolf.
“We had a date. You stood me up.”
“Sorry?” He phrased it more like a question.
She planted her hands on the table and got in his face. “Sorry, who?”
Yeah, I wasn’t the only one who’d picked up on the omission.
“Sorry…Maddison?”
She sucked in a breath.
“I mean Madeline.”
“You…you…” Her nostrils flared.
Liam ran a hand through his hair. “Is it my fault you aren’t all that memorable?”
Oh. No. He. Didn’t.
She smiled too sweetly. One didn’t need to be an empath to know that beneath her well-polished exterior a volcano of rage was about to erupt. She picked up a glass of water and tossed it in his face. “You alphahole.”
I wove a little wind shield to keep the water from rebounding onto me.
“It’s Michelle.” She turned to me. “Take it from me, honey. He’s not worth it.” With that parting shot she walked out of the restaurant.
Pat rushed over with a towel. “You really shouldn’t sit in view of the street, boy-o. You be begging for trouble.”
“I don’t beg,” Liam took the towel and wiped his face.
Pat just shook his head, cleared a few plates and returned to the kitchen.
“Sorry you had to see that,” Liam grumbled.
“Does this happen often?” I asked.
; “Less now than it used to. Typically, nothing gets thrown.”
I rolled my eyes. “You kind of set yourself up for it.”
He scowled. “What do you mean?”
Seriously? I shook my head and mimicked Pat’s accent. “Boy-o, if you can’t be figuring it out yourself there’s no help for ye.”
5
“Take it,” Liam handed the shiny new smartphone to Emma.
Again his mate glanced to the window. He’d seen enough new wolves that he understood that look. She was waiting for the next shoe to drop.
His wolf prowled, eager for the chance to prove himself to her.
“I can’t.” Emma pushed the phone back to him. “It’s too much.”
“I’ll need to get a hold of you throughout the day.” He handed Kiesha her phone and was gratified to see the pup take it without argument.
Emma hesitated then pocketed the newly activated device. “You could have gotten a simpler model.”
Mates are for spoiling. He kept that thought between himself and his wolf.
She’d protested when he’d put her and Kiesha on his plan as well. Emma was a proud sort, something that the wolf valued. Stubborn too. And a fighter. Her capitulation thrilled him in a way he was uncomfortable with.
He’d never let himself imagine a mate before. Imagine what she’d be like. How they would mesh their own personalities together. There was a great inner strength in Emma. Beneath her guarded nature, he also sensed her pain and cleverness. Brave, but not as bold as he’d first thought. She kept to herself, guarded her thoughts and actions.
Except with Kiesha.
He smiled as he watched her interact with the pup. They were playing some sort of game, finding passersby that wore certain garments like hats or sunglasses.
“Red hat,” Emma said. He wondered whether or not she realized that any werewolf could see twice as far as she could.
“I see three,” Kiesha announced after a quick scan of the street.
Liam swiped his credit card and then collected his females. The thought made him pause. The wolf in him was used to thinking of the pack as his own. It was a possessive and greedy beast by nature. But when he’d looked over to spy Kiesha and Emma, the thought had been from the man, not the monster.