“Let them go,” Unis’ father bellowed and the obvious idiots of Freebasin yelled out their agreement. Arguments were breaking out all around as people disagreed with each other. Angeline ignored them. She was watching Cara leaving with the pack. When she looked Angeline’s way again her expression was cold and hurt. Darian was glaring at Angeline and so was Killian, but as Darian and Cara kept walking they turned their gazes away from Angeline while Killian did not. He was so furious with her it was like he saw no one else.
“Stop looking at them,” her brother Herro said. “That one with the black curly hair looks mad.”
“He won’t hurt us, Herro.”
Barthos shook Angeline hard. “You don’t know that. Shut your mouth.”
“Have a care, Barthos,” her father warned Barthos.
“We should leave before they drag us into their plans,” Herro said.
Barthos increased the pressure of his grip trying to get a reaction out of Angeline. She didn’t look at him until Killian left the building and his eyes were no longer pinning her in place.
“It’s wrong to not say anything,” Angeline said when her father looked at her again.
“Don’t start. This is your fault. If this is the highest price you have to pay for your interference you should count yourself lucky.” He looked to Barthos and Herro. “Let’s get her out of here.”
Herro took hold of Barthos’ wrist. “Let her go,” he said in a stern voice. The two stared at each other for a moment before Barthos finally released her.
Her father turned her toward the door and pushed on her back to make her walk faster out of the town hall. “You’ll do exactly as you’re told from now on, young lady, do you hear?”
“Yes.”
“She’s not going to listen,” Barthos snarled with narrow eyes directed at his younger sister. “She cares more about everyone else than she does about her own family.”
With Barthos there was no point in arguing because even if she did argue and prove she did in fact care, he’d just grow angrier with her for making him look stupid.
“You have to listen,” Herro pleaded with her. “Mom was very sick last night. She is too weak to get out of bed now. If we are pushed out of Freebasin, she’ll die.”
“I’m not trying to hurt anyone. I just wanted to help.”
Her father exhaled on a hiss of breath. He bent over and picked up a bucket. “If you really want to be helpful, go get water from the well and bring it back to the house. Your mom needs fresh water. Soup would do her a world of good too.”
Angeline accepted the bucket from her father and started for the well.
“Are we sure we can leave her alone to get the water?” Herro asked.
“She only has them when she’s sleeping. Besides, you have to go and check the traps we set yesterday to see if there’s anything we can eat.”
This meant that it would be Barthos asked to keep watch on her. Angeline ran down the small streets to the well that was situated in the middle of the largest circle of houses in the community.
She lowered the bucket into the well checking over her shoulder for any sign of Barthos. Angeline didn’t see Barthos but she did feel someone looking at her. From the heavy concentration of it, she was pretty sure it was one of the wolves.
CHAPTER SIX
KILLIAN FOLLOWED UNTIL Darian and Cara joined with the rest of the pack to fill them in on what had happened. The mood was tight all the way back.
Darian was furious with the humans for blaming Cara and wanted nothing more to do with them, while Cara argued that they were driven by fear. She pointed out how as shifters they had weapons and the means to fight at any given moment.
She tried to explain how weak humans are and when she asked Killian to confirm what she’d said he didn’t speak.
He was not going to support any action to help the human community. It wasn’t worth the risks. Angeline was the perfect example of that. She’d allowed Cara to take all the heat and then had the gall to stare him back in the face as he passed her?
“I’ll be back,” Killian said turning back toward the town.
“Killian, it’s not safe,” Darian yelled after him.
Killian kept going, he wanted to reach the town and get answers out of the woman. He wanted her to face someone for what she’d done.
“Let him go,” Cara told Darian.
Killian reached the town and followed the scent of Angeline to the well the town used for water. She was lowering a bucket into the well as the rest of the town remained inside trying to figure out what to do about the murderer.
“Was it fun for you?” Killian asked as he approached her. “To watch what your cowardice did to Cara? To the pack?”
“No.”
“And yet you left the meeting. The show was over when we left, huh? Now it’s back to the same old grind of finding people to ruin?”
Angeline began to bring up the bucket. “You can think whatever you want of me, Killian. I never wanted to hurt anyone when I found Unis. I’m sorry that the town turned on Cara.”
“Is that why you stood there watching without raising a single finger to come to her aid?”
Her cheeks flushed a bright pink. “You wouldn’t understand. I can’t explain it to you anyway. Just hate me, if you must but if you hadn’t drugged her up, I could have sent her back to her house on her own without an escort at all.”
“Are you saying this is my fault?”
“I never asked for your help. I certainly didn’t ask you to drug her. Why hasn’t she woken up yet?”
Killian folded his arms. “Exhaustion. Obviously.”
Angeline grabbed the bucket as it reached the top and pulled it off the hook. She turned and started walking.
“Where do you think you’re going? I’m talking to you coward.”
Angeline whirled around spilling some of the water across his feet as she did. “I am guilty of standing by when I could have said something to make it easier for Cara. I understand what I’ve done, but that doesn’t make me a coward, you overgrown dog. I am not a coward. I’m not ruled by fear.”
“Then why didn’t you say something?”
Angeline pressed her lips together. “I can’t say but it was a good reason. That’s all I can say.”
“That’s not good enough. You’re going to start another war. The wolves are furious about the way we were treated by the people of this town. They’re scared to death of us. It will only take a single grain to tip the scale in favor of war and that’s all thanks to you.”
Angeline swallowed hard lowering her eyes to her feet.
“Still nothing to say for yourself? You’re pathetic, you know that? If it comes to war and I lose a single pack member, I’m coming for you and I guarantee my wolf will show no mercy.”
Her blue eyes snapped to his. “If it comes to that I hope you do. I’m not afraid to die. Are you?”
Killian stared at her, surprised by her answer.
You make no sense. How can you be this strong willed and still stand by and watch another take the fall for something you yourself did?
“Tell me this reason that kept you silent.”
“Angeline, what are you doing?” A young man with the same white blond hair color as Angeline asked.
His hair was cut short except for in the front where he spiked up his bangs like knife points just above his forehead. His black eyebrows matched the shade of his eyes. The look on his oval shaped face was one full of anger and hatred.
Another human who hates shifters. Great.
“Get the water and get home.”
“I am,” Angeline snapped back at the young man.
His lips curled as he glared at her. “You know I always get even, Angeline. I owe you two.”
“I am getting the water for mom. I am not scared of you Barthos. Go ahead and owe me a thousand. I owe you thousands and you know I’ll be paying you back.”
Killian watched the two humans with confusion. They were family b
ut not at all devoted to each other. Killian wasn’t sure if they were talking about money or something else and he really didn’t care what it was they were arguing about. He just wanted his question answered.
“I asked you a question,” Killian reminded her.
“And I’m telling you that you wouldn’t understand.” Angeline walked away from him returning to the well. She began to lower the bucket again as Barthos stood watching them.
Killian was watching Angeline trying to decide if the reason she’d stayed quiet was because she was guilty of the crime. It didn’t seem likely considering how hard a time she’d had helping Unis to walk. More likely she knew the person who was responsible.
Leaving Angeline by the well, Killian approached Barthos. His black eyes widened before he fixed a scowl on his face. “What the hell do you want?”
Killian was prepared to smell a similar smell as the one that Barthos’ sister had but it wasn’t at all the same. He moved closer to Barthos inhaling deeply to see if he could pick up any scent of Unis on him, or the cave.
Nothing.
“Get away from me,” Barthos backed up. The fear in his eyes and voice surprised Killian considering that his sister Angeline was not afraid of him.
Killian continued staring at the young man who was trembling under his gaze. “Do you know why Angeline remained quiet when she should have spoken up?”
“Hey,” Angeline said setting down the full bucket to stomp over to where the two were standing. “You’re not going to bully anything out of him. He doesn’t know anything anyway.”
“I think he knows plenty. I’ll rip out his fucking fingernails if it means I get the answers I came for.”
Barthos took off running back toward the town.
When Angeline turned back from watching her brother run away Killian expected to see anger on her face. Instead, she was smiling.
“Nothing you do makes any sense.”
“That’s not true. It all makes perfect sense to me.” She started walking away but Killian followed after her. Angeline picked up the bucket of water.
Killian considered dumping the bucket to force her to stay where she was but he didn’t want to waste the water. “Cara is very hurt by what you’ve done and by how this town has treated her. At least give me something to take back to her to help her to understand.”
“I can’t,” Angeline said turning away from him and walking off in a different direction than her brother had gone.
Killian held himself still. He was so furious that he did not yet trust himself to approach the selfish, spoiled, brat who was walking away from him.
Taking to the woods he followed after her. He waited for his spirit wolf to calm but since he was just as pissed as his wolf, Killian was finding it more than just a little bit difficult to control his wolf.
Angeline walked with purpose. She took large steps and was pushing herself to move faster than was a comfortable pace for her. Killian didn’t know if it was because she could feel him watching her or if she truly did have somewhere she needed to be.
If she thinks she can get away with treating the Rizer pack with so little respect after we helped her, she’s wrong.
CHAPTER SEVEN
HER THROAT ACHED WITH the need to cry. It was so hard not to tell Killian when he’d asked on behalf of Cara. Angeline didn’t know how much longer she could keep living the way she was.
As she approached her family’s home, she could hear Barthos talking to their father. Angeline couldn’t hear exactly what he was saying but the tone of his voice was clear enough that she didn’t have to know his exact words.
Barthos was like a steel poker, disturbing the fire of their father’s anger, and adding kindling to keep it alive.
Angeline entered through the back door to avoid the two even though she knew it would do her little good in their tiny home. Herro was inside the kitchen where the back door let her in. He took the bucket from her.
“What took you so long, Angeline? Mom is burning up with fever. I am supposed to be at work right now, they are going to give my job away to someone who is more dependable if I keep coming in late.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll go to mom-”
Herro poured some of the water into a pot on the wood burning stove. “No. I already had to tell them I wouldn’t be coming in today because of you. I’ll take care of mom. You need to watch over her tonight.”
This was his way of making sure that she didn’t leave, going after one of her visions. Angeline recognized this but she also recognized that Herro was doing the best he could to keep his temper with Angeline.
“I’ll make sure to watch over her tonight.”
Herro nodded and then he stepped away from the stove and gave Angeline a hug. “I was worried about you. We all were.”
She hugged him back but couldn’t say anything. She couldn’t lie and say she’d never do it again. Angeline also knew that even though the harsh outcome of her actions should make her wish she hadn’t gone, they didn’t.
Herro took the remaining water in the bucket and headed toward their parents’ room.
“Angeline.” Her father entered the kitchen. His light blond hair was long and he had it pulled back in a knot behind his head. His bushy white eyebrows were sitting low over his blue eyes. “You were speaking with one of the shifters?”
“Yes,” Angeline admitted.
Barthos came into the kitchen after their father. His mean smile fixed to his pale face. “She was practically challenging the thing.”
“Why would you do that? I told you when we found you this morning that you were to stay away from them. I’ve begged you and pleaded with you Angeline to ignore your silly dreams. Again, and again you defy me.”
Angeline wanted to argue but as if he saw it coming he took a giant step toward her so that he was standing toe to toe with her.
“What if she says something? This young woman, Unis. What if she tells her loud-mouthed father that you were the one to find her? How will you explain that you found her? Or what you were doing in the forest in the dead of night? Huh?” His voice was so loud with his last question Angeline was surprised her hair didn’t blow back and away from her face.
“She promised she wouldn’t say anything.”
“The shifters helped you get her back. They know you were there. Unis will be grateful for their help. Why won’t she tell when she wakes? You don’t think she’ll want to stop the battle that is clearly brewing between this town and the shifter pack on the mountain?”
Angeline lowered her gaze.
He was right. Too many people witnessed that she was there and it was very likely one of them if not all of them would eventually tell the truth about her involvement.
“I’m sorry, Dad.”
“Not good enough,” he said, throwing up his arms. “The murderer that you stopped from killing that girl. Did he see you?”
Angeline shook her head.
“How do you know he didn’t see you? He might have seen you in the woods helping to bring back the girl. What if he decides to target you? What if he decides telling everyone about you is going to keep his identity safe?”
“I was very careful not to be seen by the murderer.”
Barthos snorted from behind their father.
“Like you were careful not to be seen by anyone other than the girl you saved? Except for the entire wolf pack of course.”
Angeline looked down at her hands but her father grabbed her chin and forced her face back up so that she would look at him. “Believe it or not, Angeline. I’ve kept my temper dealing with you and these damn visions.”
She swallowed unsure of what this would mean. While her father had never held his tongue with her, she knew he’d wanted to strike her many times and held back.
“You mother is dying,” He pointed toward the bedroom where she lay and then directly between Angeline’s eyes. “and it’s your fault.”
Angeline already knew it was her fault her mother was sick but sh
e never let herself believe that she was dying. Her mouth trembled as she fought back the tears and emotion that threatened to break free and reduce her to a heap on the kitchen floor.
Her father’s hand dropped away from her chin. “I can’t even look at you right now.” The cold look in his eyes as he backs away from Angeline makes her feel even more like crying but somehow, she holds it in.
“We will be low on trading marks since Herro missed work today. Barthos, go with your sister to the garden. We’ll need all the food we can get.”
Angeline opens the back door and exits the house to start working in the garden. She doesn’t want to hear any more from her father, even if she knows she deserves to hear every word he’s saying.
When the back door slams shut, Angeline knows that Barthos is watching her. She glances up from her position on the ground bent over the garden to say, “Don’t slam the door. Mom is trying to rest.”
Barthos strides toward her and she braces herself. There’s no telling what Barthos will do. He’s angry and he was humiliated by his own actions in front of Killian.
His dark gaze is focused on her middle. She knows what he’s going to do even before he does it but she doesn’t try to avoid it. If he gets a hit in right away, maybe it will be enough.
Barthos’ foot connects with her stomach so hard it nearly lifts her off her hands and knees.
He knocked the wind from her lungs with the blow. Angeline tipped over onto her side trying to draw in air, as her lungs were collapsed.
Barthos knelt down and leaned over her. “You have ruined all of our lives, do you know that? You don’t care. All you care about is playing the hero. You care about strangers in your dreams more than you care about your own fucking family.”
Angeline tried to sit up as her lungs whistled with the tiny gap of air beginning to funnel in, but Barthos slammed her back down. Her head hitting the hard-packed dirt.
“You remember Riverside, don’t you? One of the last fully functioning cities after all the human shifter fighting and somehow, we were allowed inside. They had busses and water from the tap. Dad got that job with the official’s office and we the trademarks he was bringing in meant that we were going to get to go to higher education.”
Rizer Pack Shifter- Complete Series Page 14