“Only in that sick bitch’s dreams,” Winter muttered, not lifting his head from sharpening his blade.
Digging into my pocket, I fished out the keys to my Ecomarion and tossed them to Autumn, who caught them without looking.
Naveen threw up his hands. “What! I’m your brother. You throw them to him?”
“He threw them to me because you’re the only fae in the Spring Court who’s a worse driver than he is,” Autumn said this without a hint of humor.
Naveen chuckled. “Worse driver than Golden Boy?” He was across the room in a second, rubbing the top of my dark hair. “I’d have to be drunk, stoned, and asleep to be a worse driver than this shithead.”
I batted his hand away. “There’s a time when you’re not drunk, stoned, or half asleep?”
“Oh, little brother, let me tell you—”
“We don’t have time for whatever inappropriate story you’re about to tell, especially in light of tonight’s circumstances, Spring,” Autumn said as he jerked his head toward the door, gesturing for my brother to take off before turning to me. “I’m assuming you’re going to wait here for the werewolf, and we’re going to be left with the joyous task of explaining your absence to your mother.”
“I wouldn’t want you to have a boring evening,” I told him.
His nostrils flared, but he nodded.
Winter unfurled from the chair, sheathing his blade and striding from the room without a word.
Naveen gave my head another rub before punching my shoulder.
I went to punch him back, but Naveen somehow hooked me in a headlock, leaned in, and whispered into my ear, “After that scene, Golden Boy, I get it. I get it. But don’t think our mother dearest won’t kill you for puppy love. A woman like your wolf queen wouldn’t want that.”
He pushed me away, winked, and headed after Winter. Autumn stayed, which was better than Winter staying, but not by much.
I threw myself back into an uncomfortable-as-fuck waiting room chair. Throwing my arms around the back of the chairs to either side of me, I looked up at the red-haired prince and lifted my brows. “What’s up?”
“Isn’t she married?”
“Who?” I tilted my head, pretending I didn’t know who he was referring to.
“Scarlet Riley, newly assigned alpha of the Six Rivers pack. Isn’t. She. Married?”
Crossing my feet at the ankle, I said, “It’s complicated. But even if Scarlet was married, I would still be sitting here, and I still wouldn’t be marrying your mother.”
“Complicated how?”
“I like you, Autumn. You’re a good guy with a terrible job. But this is none of your business.”
“I wish it wasn’t,” he said. “But twenty-two fae died today, and even though Titania didn’t know or care which ones, she meant it when she said she’s going to start picking off your alpha’s wolves one by one. She’s certain that the werewolves are guilty, and I’m inclined to believe her. That would cause a war that I’ve been doing my damnedest to prevent ever since we moved to Heartland. That would be my business. Like it or not, you’re the golden boy.” When I snorted a bitter laugh at that, he raised his voice. “You’re Oberon and Titania’s son.”
I leaned my elbows on my knees and clicked my tongue. “One of a kind. I’m just so special.”
“You love this woman. Don’t bring a war to her pack. Give Titania and my bitch of a mother what they want, let Titania forget her threat against Scarlet Riley’s pack, and keep your relationship with the alpha discreet. It doesn’t mean you can’t still see her—”
“Thanks for your advice, Prince of Autumn,” I interrupted as a squirming feeling writhed in my stomach.
Autumn waited another second before reaching forward and patting my shoulder. “No relationship is worth a war. You have to share Scarlet. Would it really be so much to ask her to share you as well?”
Now he was pissing me off. “We both know that the moment I agree to my mother’s marriage deal, she’ll ship me off to the Autumn Court while she has my head under her axe. I’ll be lucky to resurface this century. It doesn’t matter. The answer is no, Autumn. Never going to happen. Scarlet has her shit together. If the werewolf is guilty, she’ll deal with it. If he isn’t guilty, Scarlet will prove it. Even Queen Titania isn’t about to break the treaties and start an unjustified war with the wolves. She’s throwing a tantrum, that’s all. We’ve got this handled. Just back off and give us a couple of days to sort it out.”
His auburn brows rose, but his expression was far from convinced. “When it comes down to it, you’ll agree to this marriage deal to save Scarlet’s pack. She’ll never forgive you if you don’t.”
“Are we done?” I asked, pushing back my hair from my eyes. “You know what, I’ll answer that. We’re done here. Just…” I sighed. “Please, help give us enough time to fix this.”
He tossed my keys into the air and caught them. “I’ll do what I can.”
Chapter Five
Scarlet
Zane sat alone at a rectangular buffed-metal table wringing his hands. He had a medium build, not bulky or thin, but today, with a gray jumpsuit hanging off his frame, he looked positively gaunt, like he was shrinking every moment the hand of blame pointed at him. The room reeked of sex, fear, and old blood.
I did my best not to gag. The sight of him filled me with a strange mixture of anger and pity. I’d spent too long with the bastard not to feel for him.
The room was barely big enough to fit the three of us, but Jane shut the door, dragged a steel chair from the wall, and started unloading papers from her briefcase onto the metal table. She didn’t look up as she said, “They’re not listening, Alpha.”
I hadn’t asked, but I’d been peering at the mirrored walls and black boxes fastened at each of the room’s corners.
“How do you know?”
“It would actually be in our favor if they did. If they listen illegally, anything they discover based on this interview will be inadmissible and never make it into the courtroom as per the laws between the NALC and American court systems. When I proved their illegal actions, the entire case would be thrown out. That is why I have this.”
Jane clanged a recorder onto the buffed metal, pressed the button, and then pushed a pile of papers across the table toward Zane. “Zane Reed, your alpha hired me as your lawyer. These are instructions for precisely how you will act until the police release you.” She tapped the paper. “It basically says don’t be an idiot. As a seasoned wolf with a higher education, I really doubt you’ll need instructions on that, but these types of situations have a way of muddying otherwise clear minds.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Zane pulled the papers to his side of the table. His gaze lifted to mine, and I noticed the red circles under his eyes. “Scarlet, you know me. You know I’m innocent. I need you to get me out of here.”
Seeing Zane here, sitting in a gray jumpsuit, another unexpected emotion hit me: disappointment. In light of the fact that so many were murdered tonight, it was a completely self-centered emotion. But some naive part of me had been holding onto the idea that Zane had betrayed me because his mate-bond draw to Zeezee was so irresistible that his mind had disconnected from his ability to consider my feelings. But obviously when it came to screwing around, he just couldn’t help himself.
Still, I didn’t see a mass murderer sitting at that table. I saw my cheating brother in law, a sad little man who had lost everything but would never admit that he’d brought it upon himself.
Attempting to put all that aside and get my head in the game, I dragged a chair across the cement floor and took a seat across from him. “Yeah, I know you, Zane. Let’s back up a little. Were you injured?”
“Not injured, no. I’m…” He exhaled a shaky breath. “I’m innocent, and I need to go explain myself to Zeezee.”
Well, at least he was thinking about her now.
A heavy silence followed his words, and I knew that there was no easy way to broach this
subject, so I came right out with it. “What happened at the party, Zane?”
“I-I didn’t kill them, Scar.” He gripped the table, nails elongating to claws, screeching across the metal before they smoothed into flesh. “You must know that. After all the years… I loved you. I love your sister. I’m family. You’ve known me all your life.”
Loving Zeezee and killing a house full of people weren’t mutually exclusive, but he was right, I had known him all my life. Zane Reed was the last person I expected to murder a bunch of humans and fae. He was a selfish jerk, but he was also a healer, a doctor, and not because he liked to play god or something like that. He wanted to help people. Then again, Zane was an amazing liar, so what did I know?
The reek of his fear was getting to my wolf, and I squeezed my hands into fists under the table, trying to find my equilibrium. I leaned down until I caught his gaze. “I’m not here as your friend, Zane. I’m not here for Zeezee. I am here as your alpha, and I need you to tell us exactly what happened.”
He dropped my gaze like I’d burned his retinas. “Of course, Alpha.”
“The murders occurred at a party,” I prompted. “Did you go with a lover, a friend, an acquaintance?”
He paused for a beat. “I went alone. One of the other doctors at the hospital told me about it. Said it was just a gathering of friends.”
“What time?” Jane asked.
“Six-ish, probably.”
Jane tapped her pen on the table. “Did you actually go alone?”
Zane raised his gaze to the lawyer. “Yeah, that’s what I said. I was alone. The doctor was going to go with me, but he backed out last minute.”
“A human doctor? What’s his name?”
“Yes, a human. Stan. I don’t know his last name. Tall guy, dark hair. I barely know him.”
“Did he know the owners of the house where the party took place?”
Zane shrugged. “I guess he does.”
“But you didn’t know them.”
“No. I don’t know any fae, except Mack, I guess.”
“So, you basically crashed this party alone because a fellow doctor named Stan told you about it.” I took a steadying breath. “What happened when you showed up uninvited? Were they angry?”
“Nothing happened. They were happy to have me there.”
“They were happy a random werewolf showed up to a fae sex party? And you didn’t know what the party was about or know anyone there at all?”
“I didn’t know anyone,” he snapped. “You keep asking me the same thing over and over. Are you accusing me of something?”
Maybe I was coming on a little too strong. I leaned back into my cold metal chair, hoping my relaxed posture would disarm his wolf.
“Your alpha is not accusing you of anything,” Jane explained, saving me. “But if you have a history with anyone at that party, we need to know before anyone else.”
“I didn’t.” Zane rubbed a spot on his finger, and I noticed that his index finger curled at a strange angle. “When I arrived at the party and found out what kind of party it was, maybe I was a little concerned.”
“But you stayed?”
He shrugged. “I thought, why not live a little?” He dropped his head and squeezed his eyes closed. “I should have known better.”
Should have known better?
My wolf surged forward, pushing into my mind. Instinctively, I attempted to push her back, thinking she was about to rip Zane’s head off.
But an image flooded through my mind. I sat in the cold office, holding him in my arms as he cried.
Yeah, I wasn’t going to do that, ever, but I was his alpha now, and he was a submissive wolf. I should have known her first instinct would be to protect him.
While we were dating, Zane had always wanted me to refer to him as mid-dominant, though he was truly an upper-submissive. In a healthy werewolf society, a submissive nature was honored in both men and women. All levels of dominance were necessary for a pack to thrive. The shame Zane displayed was engrained in him from being part of Jacob Knight’s pack. As alpha, Jacob had applauded dominance while at the same time pruning off any wolf dominant enough to pose a threat to his position.
Pity curled into me, and I reached forward, placing my hand over Zane’s. We’d all suffered under Jacob. I didn’t want to make any promises, though, so I just said, “It may not seem like anyone is on your side right now, but we are.”
His breath shuddered, but his shaking subsided. “I know.”
“What happened here?” I asked, gesturing to his mangled finger.
“Zeezee got me a ring, and I changed with it on.”
Well, that would break a finger. Werewolves avoided jewelry for this exact reason.
“So,” Jane prompted after a few moments of silence as she leaned over the table, “What happened during the party?”
Zane pulled his hands away from mine and glared at the table. “I arrived just past six. Everyone else was arriving around the same time, drinking wine and socializing. They were friendly. A few couples went out of their way to make me feel comfortable. There was another section of the house where people were slipping off. After a little while socializing, another couple suggested I head back there with them.”
I so didn’t want to hear this, but it couldn’t be avoided, so I squeezed my hands together and nodded.
“I participated for a while, but as things got heated, I… just wasn’t into it anymore.”
“Heated how?” Jane asked.
“They were getting rough. Everyone else seemed to be egging each other on. At first, it was just enough to draw blood, but then some fae began to tear at each other’s flesh. I don’t like pain, so I decided to leave. I went to grab my things from the other room...” He swallowed hard.
After his silence dragged on for nearly a minute, Jane said, “Continue.”
Zane nodded. Fur rippled over his arms and then disappeared back into smooth flesh. “I just needed to leave. I got dressed and grabbed my stuff. But when we came out of the laundry room, I saw…” He broke off, shaking his head.
“Take your time,” I said. “We’re here when you’re ready.”
“I saw blood. I was caught off guard. They were caught in a frenzy of blood lust—like sharks.”
“What were they doing?” Jane asked, sounding completely calm.
My stomach was doing back-flips, and I was afraid to hear his answer, but I had to know.
“They weren’t having sex anymore, if that’s what you’re asking.” He slashed his hands through the air as if he could bat away the scene from his mind. “They were maiming each other.” He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “To death.”
“What did you do then?” I asked.
I wanted to believe him—damn, did I want to believe him—but there were holes in his story big enough for a Mack truck to mosey on through.
“They were laughing,” he whispered, a shudder wracking his wide shoulders. “They were…happy.”
“The ones doing the maiming?”
“Both,” he said. “All of them. It wasn’t one against the other. They were all slashing and biting, tearing at each other with their hands, teeth, claws… I saw at least a few knives. No one was trying to get away. They were reveling in it, even those being attacked. They were smearing themselves in the blood. It was on their faces, their hands, their bodies…”
Fur rippled along Zane’s arms again as his claws extended, clicking together in his lap.
I reached across the table. “Take a deep breath. You’re safe.”
“I didn’t know what was happening,” he mumbled past his extended wolf teeth. “I… I shifted. I was fucking terrified. My wolf just took over, and then we were running through the room, blood raining down on our pelt. We banged into something, a glass door, and it wouldn’t open, so we just kept banging until it shattered. I had an injury, and I was bleeding. On the porch, my wolf and I fell asleep to heal, I think. I’m a healer.”
“I know,�
� I said, keeping my voice as calm and steady as I could.
“I ran and slept,” he said. “I woke when it was all over. The police caught me with a silver net. Every one of them was dead, and I was alone.”
“I’m so sorry you went through that,” I said, my voice soft even as I seethed. Whatever happened in there, twenty-two fae and four humans had died needlessly, and one wolf would probably never recover from what he’d seen. “I’m going to do everything in my power to get to the bottom of this, Zane.”
“Who changed with you in the laundry room, Zane?” Jane asked, her tone inflectionless.
“No one.” He shook his head.
Jane blew out a breath. Grabbing the recorder off the desk, she rewound it for a minute, pressed play and rewound it a couple of times. Then she played Zane’s voice. “I got dressed and grabbed my stuff. But when we came out of the laundry room, I saw…” Jane shut off the recorder and poised a pen over her notes. “Who was with you in that room?”
Zane’s jaw clenched, and he shook his head. “Me and my wolf,” he said after a moment. “My wolf was riding me hard. If that’s all, I’d like to go home now.”
“Well…” How could I tell him that the moment he left police custody, the fae queen would demand his head? Literally.
I quavered, but Jane answered.
“Ninety-six hours is the soonest I can possibly get you out without iron-clad proof of your innocence.” Jane tapped the pile of papers before Zane. “You’re going to have to be strong and smart. I’ll go talk to the sheriff now to ensure that you get a room alone.”
“Four days?” Zane demanded. “You can’t be serious.”
“Zane, do you have any evidence to back up your story?” I asked. “Did the others take some kind of intoxicants that you didn’t? Anything like that?”
“No, nothing. I didn’t do anything, Alpha. You have to believe me. Scarlet, please. I’m a healer, not a killer. And I need to get out of here.”
“Why?” I asked. “Is it just about talking to Zeezee? My parents got in touch with her earlier, and I’ll check in on her. But you probably should give your mate a couple of days to cool off, anyhow.”
Filthy Fae: A Dirty Alphas Novel (Heartland Forest Book 2) Page 4