Giselle looked over her shoulder. Vivian stood like someone waiting for their turn at the gallows. No doubt she’d heard their suspicion. She’d been privy to their family talk. And still she said nothing. Guilty people often made excuses and were the first to offer explanations. As much as Giselle wanted to point a finger at her, the signs weren’t all there to back it up.
Orion cleared his throat, bringing her focus back to him. “Are you going to be okay with that?”
“I have no choice.” Giselle shrugged, acting as if it didn’t bother her, when deep down her heart was breaking. She’d sacrificed everything to have her father around. She’d endured so much pain for him. And duty was to call him away before she could enjoy the spoils of her efforts.
“I won’t endanger myself or you in my dealings. Richard has been my right hand since I was Alpha. He has served our family well as an enforcer, and he will be my right hand again.”
Giselle opened her mouth to protest, but Orion continued. “And Jay, as the second son, must take his rightful place now as the pack enforcer too. He’s quite capable, as you’ve seen. So please, do not worry for my safety. I’ll come back to you.”
His words had no effect on her mood, but she smiled anyway, as if he’d comforted her. “Okay, Father.”
Orion winked. “You can’t fool a Silverman, little wolf.”
“Then don’t ask me to,” she responded.
On that they could agree, and Orion turned away with a sigh and headed toward the Alphas. His path took him straight past Jay, who held a crying Briana in his arms.
“What will happen to her?” Giselle asked, already knowing the answer.
Vivian rather than Martina responded. “She’ll be questioned for information and then...”
“Tortured?” Giselle asked.
“No, dear. That is not our way. A wolf can smell a lie, remember?” Vivian’s voice had regained some of its strength.
“But she’ll die either way?” Giselle turned to face Vivian, still uncertain about what she should feel for the old wolf. She’d gotten her way – Ace was the Alpha – but at what cost? Had she been in on the conspiracy from the start, or merely a pawn? A wolf could smell a lie, but Vivian bathed in so much perfume it was hard to pick out a single scent among the others burning her nostrils.
“She conspired to assassinate a member of the Silverman family, and one in line for the Alphaship.” Vivian all but shrugged with the deadpan delivery of that sentence.
“But Misha already paid for that with her life, didn’t she?” Giselle asked.
“Misha paid for her own crimes. Brianna had a choice. She made the wrong one.”
The reality of wolf law had never been laid at her feet so bluntly before, but for the moment, Giselle understood the rigidity of it.
“And your crimes?” Giselle asked, spearing Vivian with a questioning gaze.
“Your life came at a price. There were many people involved in your birth, as well as your years of being hidden from our world. Magical contracts affect each person they are tied to. Some of the others involved in your birth broke the contract, and they paid the price. But those who were involved in protecting your true identity remained strong in their promise for as long as it was applicable. Your whereabouts were a closely guarded secret to protect you from enemies who might seek to use or abuse a child born of magic.”
Her revelation shocked Giselle. She understood the tale from her mother and father’s point of view, but that only went as far as the point she’d been lost to the system.
Vivian sighed, as if she worried about the effects of what she was revealing. “Did you know that before I married David Silverman, my maiden name was Richards?”
Giselle nearly choked on her breath.
“You couldn’t be raised by family, of course. It would be the first place anyone looked. But have you ever wondered why your true nature was swept under the carpet each time you were forced to move to a new home?”
Magic. Of course. She hadn’t considered that at all. Usually when she was dumped back into the system, she was in such a deep state of depression she hardly paid attention to what was happening.
“The truth about who you were was never supposed to be revealed. But when you were transferred to Las Vegas, everyone involved in keeping you safe lost the ability to cloak you. The truth of a child born of magic and wolf would have all manner of enemies lining up. That’s why I had to fight so hard to discredit you. You couldn’t come to power. You had to remain on the fringes, where anonymity could be re-established.”
There was no lie to smell. And the pain in her words confirmed it. This woman who’d worked so hard to make her life hell had been the one responsible for the hell that was her life. And Giselle wanted to be angry at her, for all the years of feeling unloved. All the years of feeling unwanted. All the years of being a freak.
But it had been done to protect her.
“And now my secret is out.” Giselle whispered the revelation, feeling the sudden need to look over her shoulder.
“Yes. But now you have a strong family backing you. Both here” – she nodded to Martina – “and in the north, with me and my boys.”
“Good to know, I guess.” Giselle struggled to find words. Her head was spinning from all the new information and new worries that came with it. She looked to Martina, as if her mother might have an answer or at least something to say to break up the silence now hanging between them.
Her mother squeezed her hand, a silent confirmation of strength; it was something, but not nearly as comforting as she’d hoped.
“I’m sorry if my words or deeds have added to your misery. Family comes first. That is the number one rule among our kind. We always protect our own. In the best way we can,” Vivian said. “I did what I could. I failed. I can only hope you’re in a position now to deflect any new dangers that might come from the knowledge of who you truly are.”
What could Giselle say to that? Part of her wanted to claw the woman’s eyes out for ruining her childhood, while the other part of her wondered how much worse it might have been had Vivian not done what she did to keep her secret.
“Is it safe for me to go find my sisters?” Giselle asked Martina. “I’m a little in over my head with all this.”
Martina looked as if she wanted to say no, but then sighed and nodded. “Go now. But when we get home, it will be a whole new world for you. Understand?”
“I know. I know. Grounded for life.”
“And for your own protection,” Martina added, as Giselle walked away.
Chapter 44
“You okay, girl?” Taylor found her before she had even taken three steps. Instantly putting an arm around Giselle’s shoulders, she walked in step with her toward the seats where the others were. “I don’t even know where to begin. What did you do to bring back your dad? Wait. Don’t answer that... magical contract, right? How’s your side? Are you still bleeding?”
Wolfy healing had scabbed her wound over already, and though it still ached, she knew she’d heal from it with no complications. “I’m fine. I just need some...” Words escaped her. So much drama had been set in her lap over the last few months, and now learning the truth of why she’d been raised a loner had her head spinning. “I need to be a teenager for a minute.”
Taylor laughed. “What?”
“I need some drama-free, act-my-age time.”
“I don’t get it.” Her sister shrugged.
“Take my mind off of things. Tell me about your outfit. Have you seen any cute boys? What’s the latest gossip?”
“That bad, huh?” Taylor faux-pouted. “You poor thing. Okay, so Di is mega-crushing on Jay right about now. She saw him...” Taylor trailed off seeing Giselle wince at the mention of Jay.
Who was about to have Brianna put to death.
“Okay, so, Asher was asking about you.” Taylor changed the subject as they came into view of the big bad wolf himself.
“You’re really not good at this, are you
?” Giselle tried to laugh through the tears brimming in her eyes.
“Hard to not talk about wolf stuff when we’re surrounded by them.”
She couldn’t argue with that logic, though she desperately needed to think of anything but wolves and politics.
Di jumped up the minute she saw Giselle, but as she opened her mouth to speak, Taylor silenced her with a look.
“I’m cool. I just wanted to hang with my sisters... oh, and Ash. Hey, buddy.” She nodded to him.
He popped up from his seat and offered it to Giselle. “Glad it’s over?”
It was anything but over for Giselle, but she smiled at his attempt to make small talk. “So I guess that means back to school tomorrow. Harper is going to seem like a pussycat after all this mess.” She attempted a laugh.
Asher joined her with a chuckle. “I don’t know. He’s one tough old guy. My advice? Lie low and get your work in on time.”
“At least now I should have time to do it. Silver linings and all.”
Di chewed her lips, looking as if she were bursting with questions, but either knew better than to ask or couldn’t decide which she should ask first.
Giselle met her eyes. “I’ll tell you everything. Just not today. Not here. Can we just enjoy the peace for the rest of tonight? Make stupid jokes. Small talk. Sneak a beer when no one is looking?”
That got a rise out of Di. “Don’t you dare! You’re already in deep shit with Martina.”
“Oh, I know.” Giselle genuinely laughed that time. “Martina owns me... like until I graduate college.”
“If she lets you out of her sight long enough to go to college. I’ll be surprised if she doesn’t homeschool your ass starting tomorrow.” Di’s words had a serious tone that made Giselle wonder if Martina might actually try.
“Speaking of being let out of someone’s sight...” Fallon stepped down from her seat and joined them. “If you ever do get let out on good behavior, you have to come and visit me back east.”
Giselle perked up, standing to greet her new Alpha friend. “Really?”
“Definitely.” Fallon winked at her. “When you get off the leash. And If Alyssa is back, you can meet her and the Peregrinus clan too.”
“For that, I’d do just about anything to earn my freedom.” Already imagining her first face to face with a vampire had her smiling like an idiot.
“Though I have to say I’m sorry you didn’t take your rightful place, I’m glad you made it through and brought your father with you. I’m sure there’s a story there.” Fallon looked as if she wanted details and Giselle would have loved nothing more than to recount her one success, bringing Dad back, but Jasmine’s warning weighed heavy on her mind, especially now that she’d learned why she had been kept secret all this time. Giselle had no doubt in her trust of Fallon, the one wolf who’d led the fight to help her when all other members of the Council wanted to push her aside. They were kindred spirits, both being half wolf in their own right and both needing the magic of another to exist. But there were too many ears here, and her story was too important to be told so openly.
“Story for another day,” Giselle said politely.
Fallon seemed to understand, though the disappointment showed clearly on her face. “When you come to Boston, then.”
“That sounds fair!” she agreed
“Until then, I want you to know you have allies with me and my mate in Boston. If ever you need anything, don’t hesitate to call on us.” Fallon handed Giselle a card with her phone number scrawled across it. “I mean it. Anything.”
Giselle took the card and threw her arms around Fallon in a great big hug. “Thank you,” she whispered. “You don’t even know how much this means to me.”
Fallon pulled back from the hug and met Giselle’s eyes. “Oh, I think I do.” Behind Fallon, Brady appeared like a guard watching over his charge. “It’s not easy being different. We girls have to stick together.”
“I’m glad I’ve got you and the brothers in my corner,” she said to Fallon, but nodded to Brady as well.
He cracked the smallest of smiles, but it was the wink that really confirmed it. If there had been any doubt at all in the true friendship of the Olde Town pack and its leaders, it melted away at that moment.
The road ahead should have been clear, after all the muck she’d trudged through in recent months, but life saw fit to place a few more potholes and puddles in her way the minute her boots hit dry land. Murphy’s Law was her life, but at least she knew whom she could rely on as she attempted to walk down the path of uncertainty.
Her family, her pack, and her allies would be at the ready the next time shit hit the fan.
Some Characters in this book belong to the Immortalis series
Fallon, Aiden, Brady, and Alyssa
To learn their stories, please read on.
Other Books By Katie Salidas
Be sure to stop by KatieSalidas.com and sign up to the Paranormal Posse Newsletter.
All new subscribers will be sent a FREE ebook.
Autographed Editions of all Katie Salidas books may be purchased at
www.KatieSalidas.com
The Immortalis Series
Becoming a vampire is easy. Living with the condition... that's the hard part. Join Alyssa as she stumbles through the world of the "Unnatural."
Carpe Noctem
Newbie vampire Alyssa never asked for this life, but now it's all she has. Rescued from death by Lysander, the aloof and sexy leader of the Peregrinus vampire clan, she's barely cut her teeth before she becomes a target. Kallisto, an ancient and vindictive vampire queen – and Lysander's old mate - wants nothing less than final death for her former lover and his new toy. She's not above letting the Acta Sanctorum, and its greatest vampire hunter, Santino, know exactly where the clan can be found.With no time to mourn her old life, Alyssa's survival depends on her new family. She will have to stand alongside Lysander and fight against two enemies who will stop at nothing to destroy them.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0198BRL5I
Hunters & Prey
Rule number one: humans and vampires don't co-exist. One is the hunter and one is the prey. Simple, right? Not for newly-turned vampire Alyssa. A surprise confrontation with Santino Vitale, the Acta Sanctorum's most fearsome hunter, sends her fleeing back to the world she once knew, and Fallon, the human friend she's missed more than anything. Now she has some explaining to do. However, that will have to wait. With the Acta Sanctorum hot on their heels, staying alive is more important than educating a human on the finer points of bloodlust.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0198BRL5I
Pandora's Box
After a few months as a vampire, Alyssa thought she'd learned all she needed to know about the supernatural world. But her confidence is shattered by the delivery of a mysterious package - a Pandora's Box. Seemingly innocuous, the box is in reality an ancient prison, generated by a magic more powerful than anyone in her clan has ever known. But what manner of evil could need such force to contain it? When the box is opened, the sinister creature within is released, and only supernatural blood will satiate its thirst. The clan soon learns how it feels when the hunter becomes the hunted.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0198BRL5I
Soulstone
It’s a desperate time for rookie vampire Alyssa, and her sanity is hanging by a slender thread. Her clan is still reeling from the monumental battle with Aniketos; a battle that claimed the body of Lysander, her sire and lover, and trapped his spirit in a mysterious crystal. A Soulstone. Unfortunately, no amount of magic has been able to release Lysander’s spirit, and the stone is starting to fade. Weeks of effort have proved futile. Her clan, the Peregrinus, have all but given up hope. Only Alyssa still believes her lover can be released. In despair, Alyssa begs the help of the local witch coven, and unwittingly exposes the supernaturals of Boston to unwanted attention from the Acta Sanctorum. The Saints converge on the city and begin their cleansing crusade to rid
the world of all things “Unnatural.” In the middle of an all-out war, but no closer to a solution to the dying stone, Alyssa is left with an unenviable choice: save her mate, or save her clan.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0198BRL5I
The Immortalis Companion Novellas
Moonlight
Good girls don’t wear fur, or fight over men, and they certainly don’t run around naked, howling at the moon. But then, no-one ever called Fallon a good girl. As a human unofficially mated to an Alpha werewolf, Fallon is being pressured to “become”...or be gone. Her mate Aiden, the interim leader of the Olde Town Pack, is in a position that demands he either choose a wolf mate...or leave the pack forever. No matter how hot the sex with Fallon is, he can’t ignore centuries of tradition. Become a wolf or not. If only the choice were that simple. Fallon’s options are further clouded by the overt presence of other females desperate to be the Alpha’s mate. And when these bitches get serious, it’s not just claws that come out. If Fallon wants to keep her man and take the title she’ll have to exert a little dominance of her own.
http://www.amazon.com/Moonlight-Katie-Salidas-ebook/dp/B0098KSARS
Dark Salvation
A gathering storm of violence is on the horizon. Whispered threats of the Acta Sanctorum’s return have the supernatural world abuzz. Only recently aware of the other world hidden behind our own, Kitara Vanders has barely scratched the surface of what being supernatural truly means. A special woman in her own right, she possesses unique telepathic abilities, gifts that have recently come under the scrutiny of the Acta Sanctorum, a fanatical organization whose mission is to cleanse the world of anything supernatural. Targeted, and marked for death, Kitara’s only hope lies with the lethally seductive yet emotionally scarred warrior, Nicholas.
Fearless Little Werewolf Page 27