Blood Bond

by Heather Hildenbrand

  I ignored it—and the way she’d said “choice.”

  “I think she assumes my life would be easier, less like hers, if I was involved with a Hunter. She’s afraid of the complications a Werewolf brings. If she had her way, I’d marry a human and lead Girl Scouts or something. Speaking of Werewolves, how’s Derek? He seemed wound pretty tight during the service.”

  Cambria nodded. “He thinks he has to be strong for Cord and Fee, but he’s not letting himself grieve.”

  It shouldn’t have surprised me that she knew so much about him already. Every moment she wasn’t with me, she was with him. I had no idea what they talked about, and he still barely said two words to me, but he seemed to have a soft spot for her, and she acted more serious about him than I’d expected.

  “Maybe after the burial, you can talk to him. Maybe he just needs someone to listen,” I said.

  At Wes’s insistence, I’d agreed to let Cambria tell Derek where we really were. I hadn’t wanted to, but if Wes trusted me with the plan, the least I could do was trust his judgment when it came to his best friend. And Cambria wouldn’t agree to compel him.

  “Yeah, I’ll have to wait until after their run, though,” she said. “Sort of a weird tradition for Werewolves. One of your pack members bites it and you run? I don’t get it.”

  “It’s a unity thing,” George said.

  We both looked up at him, surprised. He shrugged. “Wes and Derek were telling me about it yesterday. It’s to show unity in the remaining pack, like they’re all there for each other and have each other’s backs and stuff. And it’s a sign of respect toward the deceased, a symbol of family.”

  Cambria smirked. “So, you’re like BFFs with Tara’s boyfriend now?”

  “Wes isn’t a bad guy,” he said. “He just makes it hard to get to know him.”

  “And you don’t think that’s because you’re in love with his girl?”

  “Cambria,” I warned but George didn’t seem bothered.

  “Tara’s my best friend. Always has been, always will be. I’m happy that she’s happy.”

  “Or you’re just waiting for him to screw up,” Cambria pointed out.

  I glared at her. “Can we talk about something else?”

  “Sure,” she agreed, ignoring my icy look. “Oh, hey, your mom said to tell you it’s family night tonight.”

  “I thought you were going to use your compulsion thing on her,” George said.

  “I’m not doing that until later. I want to be home with her for a while, make sure the story sinks in,” Cambria said.

  “Family night?” I frowned. “How is it family night with Grandma gone and—”

  “And me here?” she finished. “I dunno, but she said something about Beaches on DVD. You know I don’t watch that mushy crap, right?”

  “It’s something we used to do when I was a kid,” I explained. I tried to remember the last time Mom scheduled a movie night but I couldn’t. It made me ashamed over what I was about to do. I’d promised I’d meet her halfway, that I’d do my part to repair the distrust between us. And here I was, already sneaking away before we’d even begun.

  “Tara? Earth to Tara, can you hear me?” Cambria waved her hand in front of my face.

  “Yeah, sorry.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “Just distracted. What was the question?”

  “I asked you what the chances are of getting your mom to watch Kill Bill instead. I don’t even know what Beaches is about, except that it’s a chick flick.”

  “Oh, it’s sad, actually. I cry every time.”

  She gaped at me. “And your mom thought we’d want to watch something sad? Tonight?”

  “She probably didn’t think about it.”

  “Um, yeah, or she sucks at this game,” she said.

  “What game is that?” George asked.

  “The game of cheering us up,” Cambria answered. She pulled her phone out and started clicking buttons.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “Checking for the closest Redbox. I need a backup plan.”

  “Let me guess—a romantic comedy?”

  Cambria eyed him, clearly not amused. “Action. Fighting. Blood and guts. I’m a Hunter, not a cheerleader.”

  George chuckled. “Cheerleaders are your stereotype of choice, huh?”

  Cambria shrugged. “They strike me as the type to make eww faces at the screen when someone gets staked. Plus, their voices annoy the hell out of me.”

  “Buffy was a cheerleader,” I pointed out.

  Cambria tipped her head. “Point taken.”

  “Tara was a cheerleader,” George said.

  “For three seconds,” I corrected, “and I only did it because of you.”

  “Me?” he asked.

  “Tara? Cambria? Are you out here?” Wes’s voice rang out from the trail behind us.

  “Here,” I called, rising to my feet.

  He rounded the path, his fingers tugging absently at the tie knotted around his neck. “The pack’s assembling for the run. We need to head back.”

  I ignored the fluttering in my stomach at the sight of him in his suit. Now was not the time. “And they believed you weren’t feeling well?”

  He shrugged. “After the service, how emotional everyone was … it wasn’t a hard sell.”

  “Won’t they be offended you didn’t do the run?”

  “I told them I’d catch up. They’ll wonder about it but not enough to come looking. There’re a lot of people here for this one, so it’ll be harder to realize I’m not there.”

  “You make it sound like you do a lot of these,” I said.

  “Enough to know this large crowd doesn’t happen often.” His eyes hardened. “Liliana’s was a ghost town. The only ones who ran were Jack and Derek.”

  “No one else?” I asked. I’d never met her before the night she attacked me, but it still made me sad that no one else had cared enough for her to make the run.

  “A few others came, but I think it was mainly out of respect for Jack and Fee.”

  “You didn’t run?” I asked.

  “No.” His eyes flashed in anger, hot and quick. “She hurt you. I didn’t run.”

  I remembered the way we’d met that night, the shock I’d been in. It felt like years separating that moment from this one. I was no longer someone who lost it at the sight of death. Still, the grief over life lost thickened the air just the same. As did the guilt.

  Wes looked at Cambria. “Derek was looking for you. He said to save him a seat at the dinner table—and a brownie.”

  Cambria smiled. “The seat I can do. I make no promises about the brownie.”

  Wes trailed a hand down my cheek where my makeup had run.

  “Am I a mess?” I asked.

  “You look beautiful,” he said, his voice low enough that it wouldn’t carry to where the others stood down the path. “I didn’t want to leave without telling you that.” The way he stared at me, like could see all the way through to inside me, made me shiver.

  “You look pretty amazing yourself,” I whispered. I ran a hand over the smooth fabric of his jacket and rested my palms on his shoulders.

  “I should dress up more often.” He kissed my cheek and then moved lower, pressing his lips to the space between my jaw and neck. He smelled like the woods, a heavy scent that made me think of loose bark being pulled away from a tree. My arms around him tightened.

  “Hey, it’s all right. I’ll see you in a couple days,” he murmured. His hand made soothing circles on my back for a moment longer before he pulled away. “I’m only a phone call away,” he added.

  “I know,” I whispered.

  “You ready?”

  I nodded.

  He kissed me on the forehead and took my hand as we headed back.

  The front lawn was packed with cars, scattered this way and that, no rhyme or reason. Wes’s Aston Martin was parked near the end of the driveway, out of sight of the house. He’d done it on purpose on the
hope no one would notice right away that he was gone. George and Cambria hung back as we neared his car.

  “I almost forgot. Cord is in with Vera. You should check on her,” he said, stopping in front of his door. He opened it but didn’t climb inside.

  I sighed. I was the last person Cord wanted to see, especially today, but I couldn’t say no. And I needed to make sure she didn’t see us leave. “All right, I’ll see her before we go.”

  He cupped my face with his hands and pressed his lips lightly against mine. I pressed back hard. He responded to the pressure by deepening the kiss. I needed it that way. Tenderness would only make the goodbye harder.

  “I’ll see you soon,” he said, pulling away and leaning his forehead against mine before finally breaking contact.

  “Do me a favor,” I said, “and stay clear of Steppe while you’re in Washington.”

  “Got it.” He slid sunglasses into place so that I wasn’t sure if the look in his eyes matched his spoken agreement.

  “And that includes his minions,” I added. He grinned back at me, making my stomach tighten into a hard knot.

  “Aren’t I supposed to be the worrier here?” he asked, arching a brow above the rim of his glasses.

  “Be careful.”

  “You first.”

  “Wes …”

  “All right, all right.” He held up a hand. “I’ll be careful.” His smile disappeared. “Call me every single day.”

  “I will.”

  I watched him climb behind the wheel and pull the door shut with a soft click. I caught his eye in the side mirror and hugged my arms around myself. The car eased forward with barely a sound. He hung his hand out the window, waving at me. I waved back, a single hand raised in the air, and stood there until he reached the end of the driveway and disappeared around the curve of the trees.

  When he’d gone, I scanned the spot at the edge of the grass where I’d left my car. I’d wedged it in at an odd angle, just short of double-parking, so that no one could block me in. I’d have to drive between a few trees to get out, where the edge of the woods met the yard, but it was doable.

  I joined Cambria and George and headed inside.

  “Wes said Cord’s with Vera.” My voice sounded loud against the absolute quiet.

  After the rumble of so many hushed conversations that morning, the silence seemed to echo, like a ringing in the ears. “We should go say hi, make sure she’s not planning on coming out anytime soon.”

  I stopped in the foyer and faced the others. Their tense expressions mirrored my insides.

  “See you in ten,” said George pointedly. The three of us exchanged a look.

  George disappeared up the stairs to retrieve his bag. I followed Cambria back to the library that had now become Vera’s hideaway. Cambria’s knock was followed by a faint, “Come in.”

  Vera was in the armchair, her specially brewed tea cooling beside her. Cord stood against the far wall, her arms folded. Sunlight leaked into the window behind her, giving her blond hair a halo effect. She looked up as I came in and the expression on her face struck me as angelic. Not in its gentleness but in its fierce anguish. Then she looked away and all that was left were shadows—under her eyes, across her cheekbones—and drying tears sparkling in the light.

  “Hello, girls. Come in, sit down.” Vera gestured to the chair across from her. I nodded at Cambria and moved behind it, resting my hands on the back.

  “Are they gone?” Cord asked.

  “Yes,” I said. “They left a few minutes ago.”

  She nodded and bit her lip. I hoped she wouldn’t start crying in front of me. Or that if she did, I’d know what to do.

  “Um, how are you feeling, Vera?” Cambria asked, cutting through the awkward silence.

  “Better, now that I’m out of that heat,” she said. “This is certainly a day I’m glad not to be a wolf. I don’t think I could’ve kept up.”

  “Yeah, it must be pretty cool to have all that speed,” Cambria said. The wistful note in her voice caught my attention. I looked down at her, but all I could see was the top of her head from where I stood. Was it simply curiosity or something bigger that had her imagining what it would be like to be a wolf?

  “I was telling Cord what a nice turn-out it was,” Vera said.

  “Who were all of those people? Did they really all know Bailey?” I asked.

  “Some did. Others were here to support Jack and The Cause as a whole.”

  “So the group is bigger than just you guys?” Cambria asked.

  Vera nodded. “We have branches in almost every state. Not everyone came today. Only those who lived close enough and could get away.”

  “And all of them want peace? They believe it can really happen?” Cambria asked.

  “They believe in the right not to fight in a war that isn’t theirs,” Vera said.

  “But they have to realize how impossible it is. Peace, I mean. Especially with someone like Gordon Steppe in charge.” Cambria was leaning forward now, like she was hoping Vera would argue, tell her it wasn’t impossible. Near the window, Cord made a noise like a snarl at the mention of Steppe.

  Vera smiled patiently, as if she’d heard all this too often to be bothered with debating it. “Faith is believing even when you can’t see the solution.”

  I shivered at the same time a knock sounded at the door.

  It opened before Vera could call out and George poked his head inside. His eyes were wide, his breathing uneven. “Tay?”

  I stiffened. “What is it?

  “I don’t—” He stopped and clutched at his stomach, doubling over.

  I took a step forward, alarm shooting through me. “George, what’s wrong?”

  He straightened enough to look at me. “I don’t feel right,” he said in a shaky voice.

  “You don’t look so good,” said Cord.

  My stomach dropped. No way. This couldn’t happen yet. We had to get away first. Get to Astor. I rushed forward, arms out to steady him. Just as I reached him, he looked straight at me and winked.

  I faltered.

  The gesture threw me off for only a moment before I realized what he was doing and redoubled my efforts. “Let’s get you some water. We need to get you cooled down,” I said. I took his arm and led him out.

  “You need some help?” I heard Cambria say from behind me. Her tone was off, and I knew she’d recognized the ploy.

  “No, we’ll be fine. You stay,” I called back. I ushered us through the door and pulled it closed. George’s bag sat on the floor in the foyer. He grabbed it as we passed.

  The front door clicking shut echoed in my ears like a gunshot. My heart pounded, my breathing shallow. Any second, I expected the front door to open and Cord to come running out demanding to know what was going on. Or Jack and Fee to come barreling out of the trees to carry me home and lock me in my room.

  I ran to the car, weaving in and out between bumpers and truck beds. George followed, not saying a word. I opened my car door, crawled inside, and eased it closed again. George did the same, only his door slammed. I whipped my head around and glared at him.

  “Sorry,” he muttered.

  I didn’t answer except to crank the engine, shift the gears, and drive.

  I stared harder into my rearview than I did the gravel driveway in front of me. The woods closed around the view of the house behind us, finally obscuring it. I rolled to a stop where the gravel met the asphalt and forced myself to breathe steadily. In and out. In and out.

  George dropped his hand onto mine where I white-knuckled the gearshift. Our eyes met, and he grinned. “We did it.”

  “We did it,” I repeated, surprised and relieved and a little scared as I pulled away.

  Chapter Ten

  At the Tennessee state line, to the sound of Plain White T’s singing about feeling like a boomerang, my phone finally rang. George lowered the volume as the screen lit up with a single name.

  “It’s Wes,” I said, filling with anticipation and d
read. If he was calling so soon, did that mean something had gone wrong?

  The phone rang again.

  “Are you going to answer it?” George asked. He reached over as if to take it. I yanked it back out of his reach and scowled at him.

  I hit a button on the keypad and pressed it to my ear. “Hello?”

  “Tara?”

  “Hey. Is everything okay? Did something happen?”

  “Nothing happened. I’m fine. Just making sure you got out okay.”

  “Oh.” I allowed myself to breathe. “Yeah, George pretended to be in pain, from shifting or whatever, and we snuck away.”

  “Good. I’m getting close and I just wanted to tell you I love you. I’ll call you when I have the hard drive.”

  “I love you too. We’ll talk soon.” I disconnected, a little more grounded, a little more sure. Wes was almost there. In a few hours, he’d have the hard drive. I’d get George to Astor. Cambria and Alex would do their part in making sure no one knew where we were until we’d figured this out. It would’ve been better to fly, time saving. But I couldn’t be sure George wouldn’t shift, and that was definitely something I couldn’t risk at thirty thousand feet.

  The phone rang again. I read the screen.

  “Who is it?” George asked, leaning over to see the caller ID. “Damn. I guess you should answer.”

  I hit the button and brought the phone to my ear. “Hey, Grandma,” I said.

  “Hey there, favorite granddaughter, how’s your day?”

  “It’s been … tiring. How’s yours?”

  She sighed. “I’ve had better. These stupid meetings are wearing on me. Cambria’s mom got arrested.”

  “I know, Logan called.”

  “Good, he’s a nice boy. Listen, I just came from a meeting about the whole thing and its better she knows. CHAS is trying make an example out of her. They want to charge her with treason.”

  “What? For making a few comments to her therapist?”

  “It was more than a few, but yes, it’s extreme, even for Gordon.”

  “If she’s found guilty …” I couldn’t finish. I wasn’t well versed in the Hunter judicial system, but they were big proponents of the death penalty.