Chapter Sixteen
Liam was barbecuing and Aaron was relaxing on a lounge chair with a beer in his hand, laughing about something, probably at Liam’s expense. Looking at Aaron and Garrett together, you’d know right away that they were related. Aaron inherited the same startling blue eyes and warm smile, but his mop of sandy hair, square jaw and broader build gave him a more rugged look. Plus, he tended to dress in more casual attire, tonight’s choice being a pair of cargo shorts and a Mumford and Sons tee shirt. With an infectious laugh and a quick wit, Aaron was easy to like, but I’d learned early on he should never be underestimated. The thick chords of power surrounding him were no joke.
He grinned warmly when he saw us. “Hey Cuz. Jackie. Hope you don’t mind I got here a little early. I want to check out your young alpha prisoner. I’ll be taking him home with me.”
“Really? Why?” I was more than a little puzzled.
“There are a couple of reasons. My territory is getting crowded and I have a shortage of leaders.”
“Leaders? But Gabe is a criminal.”
“That’s what I’m here to find out. If he is, the WPC will punish him. If not, he needs a pack.”
“Starting another franchise?” Garrett was laughing.
“Yeah. The other three packs worked out.”
“What are you two talking about?” I looked from one to the other.
“Aaron is always buying up property and establishing new packs.”
Aaron continued, “They’re mostly autonomous but I have the final word if there’s a serious dispute. I give them startup money for a pack-based construction company, lend them experts to teach them the business and find them customers. When they start making a profit, I get a cut, which gets dispersed to whichever pack members need the help.
“I don’t take much. It just becomes part of an emergency fund for all my packs to draw on when they need to. I try to stay out of their way, but I do insist they follow my basic set of rules for governing a pack.”
“Aaron, please don’t take this the wrong way, but if your packs are so large and getting overcrowded, why do you encourage them to create new wolves?” I was hoping I hadn’t just stuck my nose into something he didn’t want to share.
He grinned. “It’s natural to want kids and to want them to be like you. My mated weres are allowed to adopt two kids per couple, and when the kids turn eighteen, not sixteen like the Los Altos kids, they can choose to be bitten. I’ve never had one kid say no. But I also take in rogue wolves who’ve been bitten outside a pack and have no idea what’s happening to them. Only about half of them survive and adapt. If any of my wolves are responsible for the bite, they’re brought up in front of the council and punished.”
“You sound pretty tough. I always thought you were so easygoing.”
“I’m easygoing around you and Garrett because I’m usually off duty when I’m here. Weres need strict discipline or the pack falls apart. The shit that went down in Los Altos would never have happened in my pack.”
“Even if it was your own kid who was the sorcerer?” I asked, sitting on the fountain ledge.
He sat on the edge of his chair and leaned forward to meet my gaze. “If one of my children was a sorcerer, I’d make sure he was trained by the best witches and sorcerers around, the good kind. He’d learn very early on that blood magic was forbidden. No exceptions. I’d put him to work helping the pack with his magic, give him responsibilities and make him proud of his gifts, so he wouldn’t want to experiment. If he was caught dabbling in blood magic he’d be punished severely. If he did it again, I might have to kill him.”
“You couldn’t kill your own son,” I said, frowning.
Aaron walked to me, his body moving with the natural grace of the animal he transitioned into every month. There was nothing threatening in his manner, so I didn’t move away as he sat down beside me. He just needed me to understand, so I gave him my full attention.
“If he betrayed the trust of the pack, jeopardizing its safety and the safety of the surrounding communities, I’d have no choice. The fact that I’m his father would mean very little, although it would break my heart and in the end, probably mean my resigning as alpha. As alpha, I would have to execute him myself.” I shook my head in disbelief, but his expression was implacable.
“Wolves aren’t shifters. Stress sets us off in bad ways, so it takes enormous control to keep ourselves in check. Fights over women, disputes over money or property are common and often violent. We live by strict laws. We have codes and rules and they help us cope with the effects of a virus that forces us to change into animals once a month. I require my pack members to change more often. It tends to relieve pent up tension. I transition at least three or four times a month along with my top advisers and our mates.
“The pack laws keep the packs happy and the shifter and human community safe. I’ve been a wolf for over two hundred years and I’ve seen what happens when an alpha loses control. Now you have too.”
He glanced from Garrett to Liam to me. “I might as well tell you now.” Garrett raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “Because the Los Altos pack was bordering on going feral, the WPC issued an order of martial law. We went in and took every one of them into custody very late last night. Any members we feel can be saved will be assigned to other packs. Those that are beyond help will be tried and either executed or imprisoned. You and your team are no longer responsible for anything having to do with the Los Altos Pack.” He rubbed his face, obviously tired from last night’s activities. “I’ll probably have to deal out the executions myself. It’s not something I enjoy, but it comes with the job.” He grabbed another beer from the cooler and sat back down.
This was the first time I’d ever heard Aaron talk so seriously on any subject. “So you’ve already taken them all? In one night? Even Karl? Without a fight?”
“Oh, they fought, but we outnumbered them three to one and we had the advantage of surprise. Only a few were injured. I took care of Karl myself. He's locked up very securely. All the pack’s children have been fostered out with members of my pack. The teen boys were there, as Quentin had said they were. They’re in the hospital, dehydrated, anemic and hungry, but they should be fine. At least physically.”
Liam spoke up. “Lord Argon and his family will be angry. They’ll want revenge for Brina.”
Garrett shrugged. “We’ll deal with that at the meeting tonight. Kaera is coming.” He looked back at his cousin. “I can’t say I’m unhappy about your council’s move. It saves me from having to take action against them. I only have Gabriel to deal with now. If you want to take him, he’s yours.”
“Do you want to meet him?” I asked. Aaron nodded so I flashed upstairs. Farrell was there with Gabe and we acknowledged each other in the usual way.
“How are you, Jacqueline?”
“I’m fine. Could you bring Gabriel down? Aaron wants to meet him.” Farrell took his arm and we all flashed back to the patio.
Aaron sat quietly on the fountain ledge and looked at the confused young man wearing the rumpled sweats that Garrett had lent hm. “Did you have more questions? I really don't know anything else.” He hadn't noticed Aaron yet.
“Please take off the cuffs, Farrell.” Farrell nodded and unlocked the cuffs with a wave of his hand.
Gabe looked a little shocked, but said, “Thanks,” rubbing his wrists and looking at the rest of us. When his eyes met Aaron’s, they widened in surprise.
Aaron stood slowly and sniffed the air in a very canine way. “My name is Aaron, Gabriel. I represent the WPC and have some questions of my own.”
The younger wolf acknowledged the Alpha’s dominance by looking at the ground. As Aaron circled him slowly, a low growl coming from his throat, Gabriel spoke softly. “It’s an honor to meet you, alpha.”
“Did I give you permission to speak?” Gabriel shook his head, eyes still on the ground, smart enough not to answer the question. “Call me Aaron. Only members of my pack may call me alpha. Have you regained your energy?” Gabe nodded. “Good. Lift you head.” He did. “Don’t shift. Do you understand?”
“Yes…Aaron.”
Their gazes locked and Aaron’s eyes turned amber, looking much more wolf than human. Aaron pushed at him with an alpha’s unique power. I watched Gabriel work hard at not changing, fighting the urge with all of his strength until his entire body shuddered from the strain. Still, he held onto his human form. Aaron smiled and let go of his hold, his eyes turning sapphire blue once more. Gabe stumbled and almost fell, but regained control and lifted his chin to meet Aaron's gaze.
“Good.” Aaron turned to us grinning. “Can you feel it?”
Liam answered. “Yes, the wolf magic is thick around him.”
He focused again on Gabriel. “I know they’ve asked you these questions before, but I need to ask anyway. Just answer simply. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Have you participated in any spells or rites using blood magic?”
“No.”
“Did you have anything to do with planting or setting off the bomb that injured Sinc, Brina, Kaera or Jackie?”
“No.”
“Did you harm or kidnap those teenaged boys or any other children?”
“No.”
“Do you feel you deserve to be punished for the part you played?”
He hesitated. “Yes, but I will continue to protect my mother.”
“Sit down, Gabriel.” He sat on the iron bench that faced the fountain and Aaron sat on the fountain’s ledge. “You have a right to know what’s been going on. Your pack no longer exists. They’ve been taken into custody by the Western Pack Council. One council member was injured, as well as several members of your pack.
Your brother, Karl, your father, your mother and Jake are in custody. The children of your pack are being fostered until their parents are investigated and cleared. The pack members we feel have broken greater pack law will be brought before the WPC and judged. You’ll be called as a witness and expected to tell the truth.”
“I tried to tell them, al—Aaron. I tried to get my mother away. She wouldn’t leave Karl or my father. Is she injured?”
“They weren’t hurt and have been treated more kindly than those children were treated.”
“May I ask a question?” Aaron nodded. “How do you…” he pointed at me. “How do you know Jackie and Garrett?”
Aaron grinned. “I’m Garrett’s first cousin; our mothers were sisters. We grew up together. I’m the smarter one.” Garrett laughed and tossed him another beer.
Gabe was stunned. “My dad hired the cousin of the top alpha on the west coast, a member of the WPC, to investigate the kidnappings that he wanted kept secret.” He shook his head. Aaron laughed and opened the new bottle, taking a quick sip.
“A pack should never cut itself off from the rest of the supernatural community. Your father isolated his pack. It made him weak.”
“Will I be punished?” He tried to look confident but his nerves were showing.
“The council has given your fate over to me. Can you fight, Gabe?”
“Yes. I beat Jake once.”
“We’ll see if you can beat Franklin. He’s my Beta and he enjoys training young whelps. A few sessions with him and some training with me might be all the punishment you can handle. Eventually, you’ll be placed in another pack. None of you will be allowed to go rogue.”
Gabriel nodded. “I’ll swear my allegiance to you without hesitation. You’re a legend on the west coast and I’d be proud to become a member of your pack.”
“You know nothing about us. You and I will talk about your future after the trials and executions.”
Gabe had turned even paler. “Yes, of course. Could my mother come, wherever I’m sent?”
“If she’s found innocent or has served her sentence, I’ll make sure she’s welcomed into my pack or any pack you join. A hedge witch is an asset no alpha in their right mind would ignore.”
“And my father?” Aaron didn’t answer. Gabe’s shoulders slumped, his expression pained. “The council will kill him, won’t they? He changed when Karl...”
“He’ll have a fair trial. You’ll be required to testify.”
Gabe wrinkled his brow and looked at Aaron curiously. “You could have flattened me when you were pushing at me to shift. You held back.”
“Unnecessary force doesn’t earn you a man’s respect or loyalty. Ninety-five percent of my wolves would have changed with the amount of power I hit you with. I found out what I needed to know.”
“You're not threatened by another alpha in your pack?”
Aaron started to laugh, the sound getting louder and louder. When he'd finally composed himself once more, he took hold of the young wolf's shoulder. “Gabe, you're a pup with an alpha's potential. Nothing more. Right now you’re on the bottom rung of the ladder. If you put in the physical work, show me you have a level head and a shitload of determination plus earn the respect of Franklin and some of my lieutenants, you might have a chance to rise up the ranks, maybe even beta for another alpha. If you add in superior leadership skills, becoming a wolf your pack will lay down their lives for, not out of coercion but because you’re loved and respected, then there’s a tiny chance you might be an alpha I can trust with one of my packs.
Gabriel stood and faced Aaron. He bowed his head. “I want to be that kind of alpha. I want to join your pack, if you’ll have me.”
The guy had guts. I'd been so enthralled by this whole meeting of the alphas thing I realized too late Liam had already set out the food. “Come and eat, Aaron. You too, Farrell.” Gabe had backed away a few steps. “You too. I’d never starve a hostage,” I teased. It was a huge relief that Gabe would be gone in another hour or two, although I loved having Aaron around.
“I can’t eat at the same table as an alpha of Aaron's status.”
“Whose bullshit rule is that? We’re at Garrett and Jackie’s house so you can sit wherever they say you can sit and eat whatever they're dishing up. Just be glad Liam cooked.” Aaron had whispered the last, part. I threw a spoon at his head, but he ducked and Gabe managed to catch it.
Gabe was shocked I’d insulted his new alpha by tossing cutlery at him. “It was my dad’s rule.”
“Figures he had stupid rules about shit that didn’t matter. Sit next to me, young wolf, and we’ll talk about my rules.”
“Yes sir.” Placing the spoon on the table, he sat across from Aaron, who casually slid him a beer. Gabe smiled and they began to talk about the Greenway pack, where Aaron had his home base.
I sent to Garrett, “This is not the Aaron I know. Did aliens replace him with a pod person?”
“No, this is Pack Leader/Council Member Aaron. He’s usually Cousin Aaron when we’re together.”
“I’m impressed.”
“He’s been a wolf for two hundred and eleven years; head alpha for over a hundred. He’s a serious badass, but he knows how to instill loyalty better than any other pack leader I’ve come across. He’s got four working packs. Almost four hundred wolves look to him as their leader.”
“And I thought you and your little nest were something.” Liam almost choked on his steak trying to hold in the laughter. Farrell looked from me to Garrett and back to me, not knowing if I was being serious or not, but Liam said something in Fae and Farrell relaxed.
Garrett sent only to me, “I’m the first person he calls to bail him out of trouble.”
Well, that’s okay then. I just wanted to make sure I hooked up with the right cousin.
“Later.”
“Uh huh. Plus tard.”
After dinner, Farrell cuffed Gabriel in front of the upstairs TV to keep him occupied while we had our meeting, then returned to Faerie. Kaera arrived soon after. Since she’d been part of the original party, it was agreed that she should be in on the discussion.
She came early so we could warn her about recent events. She was angry. “You have taken the criminals into custody without consulting the Cascade Fae Elders? Liam, does your father know this, because my father, Lord Argon, does not. When he finds out, he will be paying your Oregon pack a visit, Aaron.” Her eyes flashed with gold as she clasped the handle of the blade at her belt. Aaron was smiling at her, but his eyes had started to go wolf.
Liam stood up before this went any further. “Kaera you are disgracing yourself in the home of our allies. We are here tonight to discuss this situation, to reach an accord between our races regarding these wolves who’ve injured Brina and yourself, but also Sinc and Jackie. Our fathers will be informed when decisions are made between us.” He said a few words to her in Fae and she continued to glare at him stubbornly. When his eyes flashed gold, I saw her flinch. Liam was fifteen hundred years old. Kaera only three hundred. She may be an amazing fae warrior, but there was no contest between them power-wise.
She turned toward Garrett and me. “I apologize for my—my outburst. I should have more control, but I am very concerned about my sister. Please forgive me.” She faced Aaron, whose eyes had returned to his normal blue. “I am willing to listen to what you have to say.” I guess that was the best Aaron was going to get from her.
I offered her food, but she refused. “Is Brina not recovering?”
“She was badly burned and is suffering greatly. Fae magic isn’t helping the way it should. I think there may have been lead particles in the fire.”
“I’ll go back with you tonight to see if I can help.” I said.
“Thank you.” She looked relieved as she sat down across from me. We’d added a leaf to the kitchen table to fit everyone. Kyle & Ethan arrived soon after, as well as the three nest mates who'd been out feeding. We had ten in all.
“And how is Sinc?” Kaera asked as everyone settled into their chairs..
“Sinc will be coming home tomorrow and she’ll be staying here with us. She’s healing well.”
We turned to look at Aaron as Garrett spoke up. “Aaron is on the Western Pack Council and has information regarding the current state of the Los Altos pack.”
Aaron told the team everything he’d already explained to us. “Basically what it comes down to is this: they’re wolves and they can only be judged and either acquitted or punished by their own kind. This is our law.”
Kaera spoke firmly. “This law has no bearing on our rights. You must at least turn Karl over to us.”
“I must protect my kind. Karl is a wolf. He will be tried and punished or executed by other wolves. I believe the Fae have a similar law. No one other than a fae can execute another fae for a crime, isn’t that correct, Kaera?”
“This is so, but we must have retribution.”
Aaron leaned closer and spoke softly. “It’s perfectly understandable that you want Karl to suffer as Brina is. Come to his trial and testify against him. Come to the execution. I have no doubt he’ll be put down.”
“And how will you execute him? Chop off his head? Rip out his throat? Too easy a death.”
“If he’s found guilty of murder through use of blood magic, the usual sentence is to be chained in silver and burned alive. A fitting death, considering what he did to Brina, Sinc and those children, don’t you think? There’s evidence that he’s been killing and torturing children for at least three years, as well as quite a few human women.”
Kaera glanced at Liam and something passed between them. “Yes. This would be acceptable. May my father come to the execution?”
“Of course.”
“And how will the WPC punish Gabriel?”
“Gabriel is coming with me. I’ll punish him as I see fit.”
“Gabriel would have killed Jacqueline by not warning her. He intended for all the vampires and fae to die. He only wished to save Sinclair.”
“How do you and Jackie feel regarding Gabriel?” Aaron looked at Garrett.
“Jackie and Liam questioned him last night. He didn’t set the bomb, and his father told him it would only be used to destroy evidence and not harm anyone. When it was decided that we should die, Karl told Gabe their mother would die if he warned us. He didn’t have anything to do with the blood magic rites. I’m personally willing to hand him over to Aaron. Jackie?”
“I feel the same.”
“Sasha, Heinrich, Will?”
Heinrich scowled. “I’d like to punch the crap out of him. What are you gonna do to him, Aaron?”
Aaron grinned. “Have my beta, Franklin, punch the crap out of him, but call it training. Over a period of months, I think. He’ll live under my thumb doing menial chores, but I'll also give him the practical instruction he should have received from his father. Eventually, I might set him up in his own pack, under my sponsorship and supervision. He’s powerful and intelligent. It would be a shame to lose a leader of that caliber. I think in the end, he’ll turn out okay, whether he leads a pack or not.”
Sasha and Will went along with the plan. Liam, Kyle and Ethan too.
Kaera twisted her mouth and huffed out an exasperated sigh. “I will agree, as long as you swear to take responsibility for his future actions.”
“I am responsible for every one of my wolves. Tonight Gabriel will be asked to swear loyalty to me in front of the entire pack, making him my official responsibility. He’ll also be required to testify against his packmates and family and witness any executions. The death of his brother and his father will mark him. He’ll fall in line or spend years in prison. You all have the right to be at the executions.”
I shuddered at the thought of watching someone else burned alive. “I’m going to pass, if that’s all right.” I took Garrett’s hand and said softly. “I’d like to check on Brina.”
“Yes, go ahead.” He looked back at Aaron. “I suppose we won’t ever see the rest of our fee?”
“Why, Cuz, the Los Altos pack’s finances are now under the control of the WPC. If you submit an invoice, you’ll be paid. We’ll try to split up the assets among the families so they’ll all have start-up money wherever they end up. Sinc will be included in the dispersal of funds.”
That news made me very happy, so I gave Aaron a hug, said goodbye to the others and headed to Faerie with Kaera.
The room was darkened, unusual for a room in Faerie where light was as important as oxygen. Brina’s arms, legs and cheeks were blistered and raw and she was moaning in her sleep. The smell of burned flesh and hair filled the room with its stringent scent and I had to fight back a wave of nausea. I lowered myself into a chair next to the bed and took her bandaged hand in mine while Kaera stood behind me. Lord Argon and his consort, Lady Tereza, were also there, standing a silent vigil, their eyes moving from Brina to me and back to their daughter. The fae weren’t prepared for long-term pain or illness. Their natural healing energy kicked in immediately when they were injured physically. After a night’s sleep, they were completely recovered, even when the injury was very serious.
I sent her a slow wave of my energy, keeping it gentle so as not to shock her, but I felt a block, similar to a psychic block only it seemed to be tainted with chemicals. I played with it for a few minutes, managing to untwist and unravel the thinnest part and poke some holes through the fabric of the magic. Finally, my healing energy flowed smoothly, having found the outlets I’d created, and this time she responded. Her moaning stopped, her shoulders relaxed and I witnessed her natural healing ability jumpstart. Lord Argon smiled at me, then at his daughter, covering Lady Tereza’s hand with his own. A tear made its way down the Lady’s cheek and I turned back to Brina.
Kaera crouched by my chair. “Thank you, Jacqueline. Liam wasn’t able to get past the block. Was it lead or some other metal?”
“I think so, probably a chemical compound that combined with the fire as it burned her. I’m no scientist. You should have come to me right away.”
She laughed. “You were injured yourself.”
“Thank you for saving me and Sinc. We'd both be dead if you hadn't acted so quickly. I brought some of this down on us. Karl knew I was on to him. I should have been more discreet, but I have trouble backing down and keeping my mouth shut.”
“Look who you are talking to.” We laughed together. Kaera and Brina were both the kind to speak their minds openly.
Brina spoke suddenly from her bed. “Sister, why are you laughing as I lay here on my deathbed?”
“So dramatic, sister. I am afraid you will live to torture me another day. I will send for some food and honey wine.”
Lady Tereza and Lord Argon were on the other side of the bed speaking to Brina in Fae, so I stayed by the window to give them privacy. A flock of tiny pixies flew by, giggling when they saw me at the open window. One of them stayed behind as the rest flew off. She was so small, with shiny teal wings that looked paper thin, and she spoke to me in a light voice in a language so lovely, it made my heart break.
Kaera explained. “She asks if you are humankind or shifterkin. I’ll reply for you if you like.” I nodded. Kaera spoke a few sentences in the Pixie’s sweet language and I watched the tiny creature’s eyes widen in surprise. I peered at her with my magic and saw a brilliant aura of fuchsia pink. Her bright red hair glistened in the sunshine as she asked another question.
“Now she wants to know if you will allow her to sit on your shoulder. She likes your scent. She says it is different from all others. I’d be careful if I were you. She might like you so much that she decides to take a bite out of your earlobe. They look very sweet, but the demi-fey like a certain amount of blood in their diet. They must eat often because their metabolism is so fast.”
“Please tell her I would be delighted if she would sit on my shoulder, but she may not bite me or take blood. And I would ask her name, if that isn’t rude.”
Kaera translated and the pixie flew in to sit on my shoulder. I hardly felt her there, but she had a sweet scent of her own. “Sinlae is my name. What is yours?” Her accent was thick but I was able to understand her if I listened carefully.
Kaera raised an eyebrow and laughed. “A pixie who speaks English is rare.”
“Kaera, child of Argon, I greet you.” Her wings fluttered and tickled my neck as she dove off my shoulder and hovered a foot from Kaera’s face with her hand over her heart.
“And I you, Sinlae, pixiekin.”
“I’m Jackie, Sinlae.”
“Jah-kee, shifterkin and demonspawn, I greet you.” Kaera must have told her everything.
“And I you, Sinlae, pixiekin.” This was beyond bizarre, but she was so lovely and sweet.
Brina saw us by the window. “Jackie, don’t let one of those devils attach themselves to you. You’ll never get rid of her.”
I walked over with Sinlae back on my shoulder and the little one tensed up. “I do not greet you Brina, child of Argon.”
Brina laughed. “I know this one. She causes all kinds of mischief.”
“How do you feel, Brina?” I asked. Her skin was still red, but the blisters had disappeared and she was smiling, a sure sign of her imminent recovery.
“Much improved. Thank you for working your magic. The pain was—unpleasant.”
“You were moaning like a girl.” Kaera teased her.
“I will show you on the training grounds how to moan like a girl, sister.”
I tried to look stern. “Eat and rest. Doctor’s orders.” Brina laughed.
“You are healer?” Sinlae asked. Her eyes narrowed as she concentrated on something. “So strong. Emerald aura like Lord Liam.”
“Lord Liam?”
Brina answered. “Technically after one hundred years a fae of noble birth is to be called lord or lady—but Liam does not insist on the title and neither does Aedus, and for that I am grateful. I think Aedus is already too full of himself.”
“You are just jealous of Philladre. Admit it, sister.”
“I feel sorry for her.” Brina grinned. “But I think this one has a little crush on Lord Liam.”
Sinlae's skin pinked up in a blush. She crossed her arms and glared at Brina. “You are no lady.”
Brina continued to tease her. “Do you know that Lord Liam spends half his day with Jackie in the human world?”
Her mouth dropped open in surprise. “Does he truly, Jah-kee?”
“Yes. He’s a close friend of my mate, Garrett.”
Her eyes widened to match her mouth. “Handsome Garrett vampirelord is your mate?”
I was laughing now. “Yes. But please don't ever call him that to his face. His head would swell and I'd have to kill him.” I grinned so the little one would know I was kidding.
“I must tell my sisters. Good day to you all. Except you, Brina big mouth.” She flew out the window so fast I could barely see the blur of her shimmering wings.
Lord Argon approached me with his lovely consort, Lady Tereza. He spoke with a thick fae accent, but his emotions were easy to read. “Thank you for healing our daughter, Jacqueline. We are in your debt.” He placed his hand on his heart and nodded, sending me a delicious wash of fae magic, an honor, coming from a High Seelie Elder.
“Brina and Kaera helped to find me when I was kidnapped, and Kaera saved my life after the explosion. You owe me nothing. I hope your daughters will help our team again in the future, because we always have need of strong warriors.” I surveyed the two sisters, one a rich dark beauty with a more serious nature and the other, light haired, light spirited and just as lovely. Both of them deadly: a perfect balance. They’d become my friends and I was fortunate to have them in my life.
I left soon after and slept like a log in my own bed with Samson curled up near my feet. Gabriel had left with Aaron, so Samson was mine once more, officially relieved of werewolf guard duty.