Derek hauled a pile of charred debris out of the warehouse. His eyes flashed with anger as he tossed it onto the growing pile. He’d been mostly silent since the attack. This place meant everything to him. Having it damaged like this had to be infuriating.
They’d almost lost everything. He couldn’t imagine something happening to Ceri. He curled his hand into a fist and cursed the demon and the sorcerer.
Chapter 53
GENEVIEVE
It had happened again. Her pack had been fighting for their lives while she was miles away, unable to get to them in time to help. She'd just hurried back to the house to find Ceri having convulsions on the living room floor. Then she’d had to stay behind to protect that demon girl while Ceri had gone to see Amber and the others.
Genevieve bit another hunk of chicken off the sticky drumstick in her hand and glared at the wall as if it were to blame.
"Did you eat that entire chicken?"
Amber's voice startled her out of her angry thoughts. She looked down at what used to be a rotisserie chicken and sighed.
"Apparently I did. Guess I'll order pizza for dinner." She tossed the bone onto the now ravaged carcass and threw the whole mess away. "Is Ceri feeling better?"
Amber shrugged. "Yeah, she's just...angry. Everybody is on edge. Evangeline is scared out of her mind."
"Tommy said he thinks she's going to try to bolt." Genevieve walked over to the fridge and pulled out two beers. If any conversation required alcohol, it was going to be this one. With all the chaos going on, it was even more important to get the stuff with Greer nailed down. And it made her feel like she was actually contributing instead of just goofing off while her friends nearly got murdered.
"She probably will. He's keeping an eye on her. As is the house," Amber said, looking around like it might hear her.
It probably could. It probably watched them all the time. She was glad it decided it liked them because living in some kind of sentient house that had it out for you was her worst nightmare.
"It's kind of cool it can do all that. Makes me wonder who put all that magic into it." She looked up at the ceiling curiously. The house was older, but it wasn't anything too special design-wise. She took a sip of her beer, then decided to get the awkwardness over with.
"So..." she paused and tried to remember how she'd wanted to phrase this. "When we were visiting the Lockhart Pack, or whatever the hell it's called now, one of them approached me. They want you to sponsor them if they can take the pack on the next full moon."
"Seriously?" Amber looked about as surprised as she'd felt that day. "Why? Not that I have the money anyhow."
"Well, I had dinner with him yesterday and asked him that very question," she said nervously.
"You're taking this request seriously?" Amber laughed and took a long drink of her beer.
Genevieve's fingers tightened on the icy cold bottle she was holding. "Yeah, I am. It's actually a really good opportunity for the pack, especially since you are on the council. We're a little bit of a target right now. I mean, honestly, we're lucky no one has come to challenge you yet."
That sobered her up a bit. "Is that common?"
She nodded. "Smaller packs don't tend to last long."
"I still don't see how I could sponsor this guy, and there's no guarantee he'd help us after we did regardless."
"According to the deal I've begun negotiating with him there…" Genevieve began, pulling her notes out of her pocket.
"You started negotiating without even talking to––"
"Slow your roll," Genevieve said, holding up her hand. "So, traditionally, a potential alpha approaches the beta of the alpha they want to sponsor them. He, uh, assumed that was me."
"Oh."
"And nothing is set in stone, these have all been preliminary negotiations. It's all part of the game, basically. I told him it wasn't even worth bringing up to you if I couldn't show you that it would help the pack in some way. And I was right," she said, giving Amber a look.
Amber snorted. "Ok, fine. I'm cynical and suspicious. What can he give us?"
"First, he will cover the sponsor fee, and we will return the funds to him if he passes the Trials. Second, a basic alliance. He won't act against us, and we won't act against him. Third, he will, personally, come to your aid any time you call to fulfill a single favor." She smirked at her alpha. "I took a little inspiration from the demon for that one."
"Lawyers, demons, same thing really," Amber said with a smirk.
"Hey! I'm trying to help here and now you're insulting me?"
Amber threw her head back and laughed. "Sorry, it was too easy."
Clearing her throat, she folded the paper back up and shoved it in her pocket. "Anyhow, that's what I have for now. You have to do the final negotiating if you agree to meet with him. And...you should also choose who is your actual beta. Though, since I started the negotiations it's probably best if I just finish it with you."
She crossed her arms and stared at Amber, waiting for some kind of response.
"This is a trap, isn't it?"
"It's not a trap. You just have to tell me who your beta is." Genevieve shrugged like it didn't matter.
"I don't know. I've never thought about it." Amber looked like she wanted to bolt. "This is worse than trying to pick your maid of honor for your wedding. Maybe I should make y'all fight for it."
Genevieve glared at her. "I'm not fighting for anything. Just pick."
Amber shook her head, her lips pressed firmly together. "Nope, not going to happen. You can deal with this little sponsor issue, then we'll just go back to normal. Nobody needs a rank."
She then fled to the living room while shouting for Ceri.
"This conversation is so not done," she muttered as she dialed the nearest pizza place, knowing full well that Amber could still hear her.
Chapter 54
AMBER
Rain pattered against the window in a soothing rhythm. Amber yawned as she stared absently at the gray fog outside. Maybe she could get to bed early for once.
The mark moved under her skin and she felt the demon now known as The Asshole behind her. "I see you're hard at work staring out a window now."
She rolled her eyes and turned to face him. "When are you going to stop being a dick? You were almost pleasant when you first showed up, but now you're acting like an angry sixteen-year-old girl who lost the title of Prom Queen to her little sister."
He sneered at her. "I had every right to kill you for what you did when you banished me. I'm surprised you would complain about my tone."
"I didn't ask the wolf to do that or help her do it. She just did it on her own! So quit fucking blaming me for it!" Amber shouted at the demon, fed up with the attitude and constant digs. Red bled into her vision as she glared at him. The urge to shift and rip something apart crawled under her skin. "If you had told me a young girl was going to be killed for being half demon, I would have helped without the damn mark. We saved her. She's here, safe and sound, and she's going to stay that way. Quit being a damn drama queen about it!"
"You have no idea how important she is!" Angel shouted back. Flames shot from his mouth and he doubled in size, as he always did when he got pissy.
"So tell me, you stubborn asshole!"
He solidified for a split second and knocked a pile of books off the table, sending them scattering across the floor. His chest heaved as he panted from the exertion of affecting the material world. He shrank as he turned away and crossed his arms. "She's my niece, as you know.”
Amber sat down in her armchair but didn't reply. This had been a long time coming, and she didn't want to interrupt. She pressed the palms of her hand into her eyes until she saw stars. She was sorry the wolf had banished him. He had completely overreacted though, and it was hard to trust him now.
Angel floated toward the fireplace and settled in front of it, a smoky chair appearing behind him. He grew legs and sat down, crossing them at the ankle as he stretched out. He looked
mostly human in this form. His face wasn't fully formed, just shifting shadows. She caught a glimpse of a strong jaw, eyes that burned red, and aquiline nose. She wondered if this was close to what he really looked like, or if it was just another illusion.
He sighed before finally speaking. "My sister, the idiot that she was, fell in love with an angel. It was a real Romeo and Juliet situation. And everyone knows how that ended."
He fell silent again and Amber looked down at her hands. She knew the pain of losing a sibling. It was something most people didn't get.
"Angels hate us. Well, everyone hates us. We're monsters. Tricksters that are after your soul." He snorted and shook his head. "Nobody knows or cares about the truth."
"Are you saying you aren't after people's souls?" Amber asked, skeptical. It was indisputable that a deal with a demon came at the price of a demon mark. If you failed to fulfill your end of the bargain, you died. What happened to your soul was debatable, but she doubted it was good.
"It's complicated," he said, waving away her question. "Evangeline was never supposed to be born. She's an embarrassment for the angels. There have been others like her in the past, but none of them ever made it past infancy."
She looked up sharply. "The angels killed them?"
He nodded slowly. "Killed them and their parents. That threat is enough to deter most romances, but not all of them. Some people are too stupid to be helped."
"Why do the angels hate you so much?"
Angel stood and ignored her question for a second time. "I have things I need to do. Get some sleep."
"Why can't you just be honest with me?" she asked quietly. She wanted him to give her a reason not to kill him. The thought of it still made her sick to her stomach, but she didn’t know if that was because he was manipulating her, or if it was because her instincts about him were right.
He paused, glancing back over his shoulder. "It's for your own good."
Chapter 55
TOMMY
Tommy had been paying attention, and he knew what she was going to do. It’s what he would have done in her situation, what he almost did. If Amber hadn’t come back early that day he’d be wandering in the woods somewhere as an omega.
He stood outside her window and waited quietly. Evangeline was zipping up the backpack she’d taken from his room earlier that day. He had no clue why she thought she could get away with it, but she seemed more stubborn than smart. She was too angry to think anything through clearly.
The window slid open and the screen flew out, follow by the backpack, then her foot. He crossed his arms and waited for her to hop down. She straightened her jacket, pulling her hoodie farther down over her face, and picked up the backpack.
“Nice backpack,” he said in a normal tone.
She jumped with a strangled yelp and whipped around to face him. “What the hell are you doing out here?”
“Convincing you to not run away and getting back my backpack. Not gonna lie, it was a little crappy of you to steal it after I took a bullet for you.”
Her eyes flashed with anger and she didn’t look the least bit remorseful. “Just buy a new one. I’m not staying, and neither is your backpack.”
“No, you need to stay here and stop being an idiot.”
“I’ll be better off alone, and everyone will be safer with me gone. Get your fake mom to buy you a new backpack,” she said with a sneer.
“You’re going overboard with the whole tragic, teenager thing,” he said, shoving his hands in his pocket.
“Excuse me?”
He shrugged. “You’re a demon, and you don’t have any control over that. But the whole woe-is-me act is getting old.”
“Woe is me? Seriously? I have people actively hunting me because one of my dead parents was a demon, and you’re mocking me? You have no idea what it’s like––”
“We’re a brand new pack that everyone already distrusted simply because we were bitten and not born. I know exactly what it’s like to be an outcast. And now, I have a monster in my head that likes the taste of blood, and every time I get angry, I think I might lose control.” His voice rose with every word until he was practically shouting. “You’ve been a total ass to every single person around you since we rescued you. We’re all having a shitty week. Do you think anyone wanted to deal with this? ”
“So just let me leave!”
“If you leave and get hurt, not only will it devastate Eloise, but it will kill Amber.”
Evangeline yanked the backpack off her shoulder and threw it on the ground. “What am I supposed to do then? Just sit in my bedroom and hope for the best?”
“Yes. Stay optimistic, help your mother heal, and learn how to control whatever magic you have. And maybe try admitting that you’re sick.”
She looked at him, expression furious with her lips pressed into a thin line. “It’s not that easy.”
“I never said it was easy, but running away isn’t going to help anything. It’s just going to get someone hurt and break your mother’s heart. Did you even think about how she’d feel when she woke up in the morning and you were gone?” She had no idea how lucky she was to still have her mother. He’d never left his mother’s side when she was sick. He’d stayed as her hair fell out and her skin grew pale. He’d stayed when his dad escaped into the bottle. He’d stayed until she took her last breath. There was no way he’d let Evangeline run away from this when she still had a chance to be with her mother.
“You don’t understand what Kadrithan wants from me,” Evangeline said quietly.
Tommy sighed. “Then tell me.”
She looked away and shook her head. “Can I at least sit outside for a while? I’m going stir crazy in there.”
He wanted to shake the truth out of her, but if he pressed now, he knew she’d just clam up. She was stubborn like that. “Fine, but I’m staying with you.”
She turned on her heel and walked toward the porch without responding. He followed, shoving his hands in his pockets and wishing he was a mind reader instead of a shifter.
Chapter 56
GENEVIEVE
Genevieve’s palms were sweating, but she was managing to keep her face straight at least. Having to sit here silently while Amber negotiated this part was killing her. Maybe she should have taped her mouth shut before they started, just to remove the temptation.
Amber didn’t look nervous at all. If anything, she looked bored. “Honestly, if I came here just to quibble over the details of an alliance, I will consider this time wasted.”
She had to actually bite her tongue after that comment. Cool and untouchable was good, apathetic was not. They had talked about this beforehand, but Amber was already striking out on her own and improvising.
Greer snorted and shook his head. “You’re too impatient. The details are what matters in this agreement, unless you want to end up having to take over my pack in the event of my death?”
“Then let’s make this clear and simple.” Amber grabbed a fresh sheet of paper and numbered it one through three. “First, I don’t act against your pack, and you don’t act against mine. Second, if I have any knowledge of someone that intends to harm you or your pack, I tell you. You do the same. Third, in the event of my death, you agree to sponsor my chosen successor if they successfully claim the position, and vice versa.”
Amber pushed the paper toward him and leaned back, crossing her arms. Paul reread each of the points, tapping his finger against his cheek thoughtfully. This was exactly what she and Amber had talked about earlier. The alliance would help them, without requiring them to exert much time or energy. It was the perfect balance for a small, isolated pack like theirs.
This all depended on Paul now. She couldn’t quite read him despite the research she’d done. He kept a cool, thoughtful expression on his face, making him look almost bored at some points in the conversation. The only time she’d gotten him to break was the other day when she’d brought up his last try at being an alpha.
His eyes flick
ed up to hers, then he turned his attention to Amber once again. He extended his hand toward her. “I accept.”
Amber shook his hand firmly, sealing the deal once and for all. Werewolf agreements were always sealed with a handshake. If you couldn’t be trusted to uphold your word, then you were worthless in the werewolf community.
“Is that it?” Amber asked.
Genevieve nodded. “Now Paul just has to win his challenge, and pass the Trials, of course.”
“I’m not concerned with either,” he said, rising from his seat.
“Glad we worked this out. You aren’t half bad, Paul,” Amber said with a smile.
He chuckled as they all headed out to the parking lot. “You’re just as determined as I expected.”
As they exited, Genevieve paused in front of the door. “Thank you for reaching out, and for meeting with us today.”
Paul looked at her, a genuine smile turning up the corners of his mouth. “It was a pleasure.”
“See you around,” she replied with a self-satisfied smile.
“Absolutely.”
She turned and headed toward the truck, jogging to catch up to Amber. Maybe she wasn’t really Amber’s beta, but for today she had been, and she hadn’t let her down. The pack was better off than it was the day before and it was because she’d figured out what needed to be done and had helped her alpha. She could get used to this.
Chapter 57
AMBER
High on the thrill of actually accomplishing something as an alpha, Amber wrapped Genevieve up in a big hug. “We did it!”
Genevieve stiffened with surprise for a moment, then returned the hug with gusto and actually lifted Amber off her feet, swinging her around in a circle. “You owned that negotiation! Even though you deviated from our plan of attack which you specifically agreed not to do.” Genevieve lost her grip and Amber almost tripped over her own feet trying to save herself from falling.
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