CHAPTER NINETEEN
Sek paused in front of the closed bedroom door. It was the door to Kess' room and it had remained closed since she'd left, only opening for the cleaning service. He didn't like to spend much time in this wing of the house. It reminded him of what was missing. But since the death of his father, he found himself walking the halls when he was unable to sleep.
He opened the door, the first time he'd done so since he'd discovered she was gone. It still looked the same as when she left it and when he entered the room he felt like he was back in time. He could almost hear her quick feet slapping against the tile floors, her laughter as she spoke on the phone to one of her friends. He could envision her flopped on the bed, as she had been the night before she left...
Sek shook his head to clear the memories that clung like webbing in his head. He remembered wanting to show her how much she meant to him, how much he loved her. He hadn't wanted Kess to go away to school; both he and his father thought it best that she stay within clan territory. He wanted to convince her that she could have everything she ever wanted right here. With him.
It had gotten away from him though. He'd been rough with her, more than he ever intended, but he hadn't expected her to fight him. Sek knew Kess loved him. He had chalked up her distance and moodiness around him to teenage rebellion. He thought that once she was over this phase, they'd be closer than ever.
Instead she'd fled like smoke.
His cell phone rang. "Hello?"
"Sekhmet? It's Charles." The investigator's voice crackled over a bad connection. "I've got a lead on your sister."
Sek stiffened, barely believing the words his investigator spoke. "Where is she?"
"Don't know yet. She's headed back east though." He broke up. "...men on it."
"Do whatever it takes," Sek ordered, clamping down at the thrill that surged in him. They hadn't found her yet.
But they would.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Cormac dropped Kess off at Bran and Anita's boarding house before heading over to campus to drop off the last of his library books from the semester. As he was leaving the boarding house lot, he got out his cell phone and called the Lodge. His mother picked up the phone after a few rings.
"Hey mom," Cormac answered. "Is Dad around?"
"He's out in the workshop. You need me to get him?"
"No, but I'm coming by to talk to him. Make sure he doesn't leave, okay? I'm coming from school so I should be there in a little while."
"Everything alright?" There was concern in her voice, but then again, there always was when it came to her children.
"Mmmmhmmm. Just need to talk to him about something before he hears it from someone else, that's all. Nothing big." Cormac didn't want to worry his mother--that would come later, once he told his father.
"Okay, sweetie. See you in a bit."
The drive over to the library helped him clear his head and get a handle on the events of last night. Burke and Finn now knew that Kess was a were. Cormac knew he had a grace period with Burke before his cousin went to tell Alaric, but it would not be a long one. Truth be told, part of the reason he was heading to the university and not directly to the Lodge was because he was procrastinating. He had no idea how to bring this up to his father—he had hoped to have more time with Kess and more time to introduce her to his family before having to bring up her were status.
Cormac had no idea how his father would react. Alaric was the pack leader and the safety of his pack--of his family--was his primary concern. That was part of what had put up walls between the two of them: Cormac wanted to leave, if only for a little while to find out who he was without the pack, and Alaric was trying everything he could to change his son's mind. His father warned that it was dangerous and difficult for solitary weres far from home with no pack to rely on, but after meeting Kess, Cormac wondered how much of that was mere supposition. She had done okay for herself and that was without a pack's backing. Cormac would be in a much better situation than she was, since he wouldn't be fleeing for his safety and since it would only be a temporary absence.
If it were Griff, he'd have no problem coming clean about Kess' nature. Griff worked with her, had hired her; he knew that she wasn't a threat. But Alaric was the Alpha, Griff, the Beta. It was Alaric's decisions that counted. Cormac got along better with Griff too. Their easy natures complemented each other; Alaric was more subdued and serious. It made him less approachable. Cormac knew that his father wanted only the best for him. Unfortunately, his idea of what was best for his son and what Cormac thought were sometimes wildly different. Cormac was afraid Kess would be one of those things.
He pulled his Jeep into the No Parking zone at the rear of the library, close to a book drop. He hopped out of the Jeep and dumped the books into the metal repository. His semester was officially over. With that, he could put off the inevitable no longer.
Cormac tried to use the drive to come up with a strategy for breaking the news to his father. He wasn't entirely sure why he dreaded telling him. Originally, after finding out Kess was a wereleopard, he told himself it was because he wanted to earn her trust and protect her secret until she was ready to tell others. But he had known he'd be violating one of the pack rules by doing so. He had numerous opportunities to tell his father and had still held back. He wasn't sure where his hesitation was coming from, just that he had it.
He pulled up the long winding driveway that led to the Lodge and followed it around to the back of the house. He pulled into his usual spot right outside the back door and went in, dropping a kiss on his mother's cheek as he passed her in the kitchen. She was prepping a chicken for dinner. He loved her roasted chicken, and regretted it when he had to turn down the invitation to stay. He didn't expect the conversation to go well and didn't feel like an uncomfortable dinner afterwards.
"Where's Dad? Still in the workshop?"
His mother shook her head. "Study. Go on, he's waiting for you."
Cormac had to fight against gulping in dread like a twelve year old boy who got caught breaking the neighbor's window with a badly thrown baseball. He nodded his thanks and headed out of the kitchen and down the hall. His father's study was on the left.
He knocked on the closed door, waiting for his father's deep voice to invite him in. Alaric's study was off-limits to everyone but Cormac's mother without express invitation. Cormac had only seen the inside of it a couple of times and that was when Alaric wanted to talk to him about something important. The study contained a huge antique rolltop desk, a couple of chairs and bookshelves that lined the walls and were full of books and memorabilia that was important to Alaric. If any room inside the house was his father's, and his father's alone, it was his study.
"Come in," came the muffled command. Cormac let himself in and closed the door behind him.
"Hey Dad."
Alaric raised a brow. "Your mother said you needed to talk to me. What's going on?" He gestured to one of the leather chairs that faced the one at his desk.
"There's something I need to tell you," Cormac began, taking a seat. He hoped that a seated conversation was less likely to become heated. At his father's curious look, he continued. "There's another were in the area."
Alaric was instantly alert, body shifting from relaxed to tense in a nanosecond. "Bear?"
Cormac shook his head. "Leopard. She's alone."
"She?" Alaric raised an eyebrow.
"It's Kess."
Alaric's brows drew down in a thunderous frown. "How long have you known?"
"That she was a were? I don't know," he hedged. "A couple of weeks, maybe a little longer."
"You chose to disobey a pack order? " His father's voice was quiet, but there was no mistaking the anger it held. "You chose not to tell me this?"
Cormac ran a hand through his hair and rubbed his neck. "She's not a threat, Dad. She's just looking for a place to stay."
"And you are qualified to make this call how exactly? Last time I checked, I was still the Alp
ha." Cormac could see his father was building up a good head of steam. "You should have reported her to me as soon as you knew. Those are the pack rules. Cormac, you know that!"
Cormac lowered his eyes, not wanting to challenge his father. Everything he said was right. He should have told the Alpha as soon as he knew; he just hadn't wanted to. "So what now?"
"First, you do what you should have done weeks ago and you tell me. Everything."
Cormac told his father everything he knew of Kess and her clan in Miami. He even told him about Sekhmet. After it was all out in the open, Cormac watched his father carefully. Alaric was not pleased.
"She could have killed someone in the time she's been allowed to run loose." Then his voice rose to almost a yell. "She could have killed one of us! Do you understand that?"
"Yes, Dad. But she didn't and she wouldn't," Cormac argued. "It was an accident that she was even out the night she ran across Finn and Burke."
"And if you hadn't followed after her, what then, son? If she'd been left alone and been treed by one of us, what then?" His father sighed, rubbing his temple with a large hand. "She's a leopard, Cormac. We don't know much about them, but what we do know is that they are cunning and treacherous and very, very dangerous. And you let one run around our territory, our people, your pack, all because of some kind of infatuation?"
Cormac looked up, eyes flashing. "It’s not just an infatuation, Dad. Don’t make it sound like that."
"Then what is it exactly? What on earth about a total stranger could make you take complete leave of your senses?" Alaric’s voice was hard as the frozen earth.
"I don’t know what it is!" Cormac exploded. He challenged, "Did you know what it was when you met mom?"
Alaric stilled, and Cormac saw his father eye him strangely. When he spoke, his voice was quiet again. "Is that what you think this is between you?"
Cormac shook his head, realizing what he had said. "I don’t know." He got up to pace a bit, unable to sit still any longer. "I like her, more than any of the other girls I’ve been with. But it’s more than that she’s not like the others--I can’t really explain it since I don’t get what’s going on myself."
"Wolves mate for life. Leopards don’t," his father warned.
That we know of, Cormac amended silently. "That’s skipping ahead, don’t you think? I’ve only been out with her a couple of times."
Alaric stared at Cormac for a long time, making him uneasy. At last his father seemed to come to some decision. "I'll have to talk to Griff about this." Cormac took a breath. Of course, he was stupid not to think of it. Griff would also be able to vouch for Kess. He'd been employing her since she got here. For that matter Bran and Anita could also confirm her conduct. He began to feel a little better when his father surprised him with his next question. "What do you propose we do about her?"
Cormac sat back down in the chair, thinking for a minute. He was beyond grateful that his father had asked his opinion of the situation; it was more than he hoped for after keeping Kess’ were status from his father. He knew that if his suggestion wasn’t a viable one, his father would disregard it and keep to his own counsel--he still might do that anyway. "Tell the pack what she is but that she means no harm." He paused, still thinking. "And tell the pack that I’ll vouch for her. Her behavior will be my responsibility."
His father raised a brow, frowning. "That means if she missteps, you will be held accountable."
Cormac nodded. "She won’t though."
"You have a great deal of faith in this girl," Alaric sighed, as though realizing his son would not be talked out of it. "Fine. I’ll put the word out. Griff and I will discuss your punishment for breaking pack rules later. But for now, patrols every day until I say otherwise. And you'll do it as a human."
Cormac nodded, ducking his head. It had gone better than he had ever expected. He didn't like the idea of extra patrols, or the fact that he wouldn't be able to do it in wolf form, but it was fair. He could handle whatever pack justice was meted out as punishment. He looked at his father gratefully. "Thank you, Dad. Kess won’t be trouble for us—I’ll make sure of it." He walked to the door.
"Those she runs from will bring the trouble," Alaric said before Cormac left the study. As much as Cormac wanted to disagree, if only for Kess’ sake, he knew his father wasn’t wrong.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
It was with a dull feeling of dread that Kess returned to the Barn after her discovery by Burke and Finn. She knew Cormac had talked to his father and that she was being allowed to stay, for now. That meant that Griff knew what she was—and that she'd had a run in with his sons. She wasn't sure what kind of reception awaited her. Would she still have a job? Nobody had gotten hurt, but Griff was the pack Beta--sort of a second in command, if she understood what Cormac told her about the dynamics of wolf relationships.
It was very strange to her. With her clan it was more of a first among equals thing because nobody actually believed you could order a cat to do anything and expect obedience. The clan leader held power, sure, but the leopards in her clan were allowed to be pretty autonomous so long as they didn't cause trouble.
She had put her things away and went in search of Griff. He was in his usual spot in the kitchen and when he saw her, he broke into a familiar grin. Kess found herself smiling back.
"Walk with me," he said as he left the line. She fell into step beside him and let him lead her through one of the side doors and out into the parking lot.
"I'm really sorry," she apologized. She wasn't sure why--it wasn't like she had known she was working for a werewolf who happened to also be pack Beta. But it was his sons that could have gotten hurt out in the woods that night in what amounted to a simple were misunderstanding.
"Nothing to be sorry for, girl," he said. "My boys are fine and actually a bit excited to meet a fresh face."
"But Cormac's father..." she began, trailing off because she wasn't sure of what to say. "I got the impression that he isn't too fond of me being here."
"He isn't," Griff answered honestly, and Kess appreciated that he didn't try and coddle her. "But I've seen you work and I hope I know a bit about you. I don't think we have anything to worry about from you. It may just take him a bit of time to see it." He put an arm around her and gave her shoulder a squeeze before letting her go.
"So I can get to work?"
"I certainly hope. You don't expect me to wait tables, do you? I'm terrible at it."
She was grateful to Griff for accepting her and letting her continue on with her job. And she believed him when he said there were no hard feelings between his boys and her. But he had the luxury of that kind of easy affability. He wasn’t the pack leader. Ultimately, it was Alaric’s decision that counted.
At the next Thursday lunch, Burke, Finn and Cormac were sitting at their usual table. Kess walked over, pad in hand, although she had placed their order for them as soon as they walked in. She had their drinks already waiting for them before they'd sat down. Finn still stared at her but now it was with curiosity. Burke nodded his head to her. It didn't look like they were holding a grudge.
"How's it going?" she asked the table.
Cormac smiled at her, but it was Finn who spoke. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure."
He leaned forward conspiratorially. "So, if I gave you some catnip would you act all weird and stoned?"
Cormac looked thunderous. Kess found it didn't bother her. From someone else it might have been insulting, but this was Finn. From everything she’d heard and witnessed, his maturity had been arrested somewhere around the age of twelve. Finn wasn't going to be happy until he got the ribbing out of his system. And maybe not even then. "I don't know. If I throw a stick, will you fetch?" She smiled sweetly at Cormac's cousin.
Burke made a choking noise, covering a laugh with his hand. Finn screwed up his face, as if in disgust. "Dude. I am NOT a dog."
"And I’m not a pampered house cat." She could hear Cormac chuckle but didn’t look
at him.
"Yeah, why can’t we all just remember we’re lethal predators and get along?" Burke said, quiet now. Kess looked at him. She really liked Burke, maybe because he reminded her so much of his father. But the look he gave her was questioning. Finn may have accepted her, but Burke seemed to be more cautious.
"Now that we’ve convened the first meeting of the shapeshifter mutual admiration society," Cormac began, amusement in his voice, "are we all good?"
"One more question." Finn had a smirk on his face. "Do you use…"
"If you say litter box, I will empty that pitcher of water on your head." She thought for a second and added, "Before I slash the tires on your car."
"My baby?"
Kess grinned. "Kidding! I'd just key it." She turned to Burke who was smirking at the look on his brother's face. "Is he always like this?"
"Worse usually," he drawled, eyes hooded. "Family holidays are especially bad. We’ve learned to tune him out."
"Hello? Girl threatened my Jeep over here!" Finn was pretending to be offended.
"Calm down, sweetheart. It's not like you're particularly careful with it anyway." Cormac dodged a lazy punch from Finn.
"You just don't understand the bond between a man and his vehicle. Heathens."
She laughed easily, surprised by how much she was enjoying their banter. "I’ve got other tables to check. Be back in a few. You guys good?" At their nods, she took off to look after her other guests.
It was a busy lunch and she was grateful that she wasn't working with Rebecca. When Rebecca had discovered that Cormac was coming by to see her all of the time, her attitude toward Kess had changed from barely tolerant to downright hostile. With this many tables to see to, working with someone who didn’t actively hate her was a relief. She heard a burst of laughter erupt from Cormac’s table and fought down a smile. She wondered if they ever were serious about anything when they got together. She doubted it.
Moon 01 - Leopard Moon Page 14