Lure of Oblivion
Page 41
Due to her good mood, Gwen didn’t complain at the way Zander hovered around her as she and Marlon cleaned the kitchen after breakfast. He was still on edge, and she didn’t want that. She knew that touch soothed shifters, so she let him crowd her, play with her hair, nibble her earlobe, lick over the mark he’d left on her neck.
It wasn’t exactly a hardship to have six and a half feet of gorgeousness take up her space.
It was hard to clean with three dominant male shifters in the room—it was a whole lot of testosterone. Marlon seemed to bask in it. Ally seemed perfectly used to it.
“Andie’s been a while,” said Marlon. The cougar had gone to the cabin to grab her things. “Do you think she might have changed her mind?”
“I doubt it,” said Ally. “When she left this morning, I didn’t pick up any indecisiveness from her. Just determination and a little nervousness.”
A cell phone beeped. “That’s mine.” Marlon dug his smartphone out of his pocket. “Yvonne wants me to pick her up from Julie’s. Do I tell her about the goshawk attack?”
Gwen bit her lip. “It would be wrong to keep it from her. Just downplay it a little. Make it clear that I wasn’t on death’s door or anything.”
“She’s still going to freak out,” said Marlon.
Zander stilled. “Someone’s coming.” He stalked out of the kitchen and down the hallway. His pack mates stepped onto the porch behind him as a car pulled up outside. Zander didn’t recognize the black Audi, but he did recognize the male wolf who slid out of it. He was not a person who Zander would have expected to see at all.
Ally blinked at her foster brother—her somewhat sociopathic brother and, no, that wasn’t an exaggeration. He wasn’t a bad guy, but his moral compass was off course. “Cain? How did you know I was here? Is everything okay?”
Cain stopped in his tracks, looking surprised to see her. Recovering, he bounded up the steps and eyed them all curiously. “What are you guys doing here?”
Ally snorted softly. “Well, hello to you too. I know you’re not a hugger or one for gushing, but you could at least look happy to see me.”
Cain rolled his eyes. “I saw you a week ago. Don’t be dramatic.”
“If you’re not here looking for me, why are you here?”
“I need to speak with the woman who works here. Gwen Miller.”
Zander wasn’t comfortable with that. “Why, exactly?”
Cain blinked. “Why the suspicious tone? Is something going on?”
At that moment, a chuckling Marlon came jogging out the door, off the porch, and down the steps while Gwen came striding down the hallway, shouting, “You are not color-blind!”
Giving Zander and the others a quick wave, Marlon jumped into his car—no doubt intending to collect Yvonne—just as Gwen reached the door, huffing.
Zander threaded his fingers through hers. “Gwen, this is Ally’s foster brother.”
Gwen blinked and then gasped. “Shit, Cain, I forgot you were coming. Hey, I didn’t know you were related to one of Zander’s pack mates.”
Zander tensed. She knew Cain? And she knew him well enough to be on a first-name basis with him? It had taken constant pushing on Zander’s part to make Gwen use his first name. He noticed that the others looked just as surprised and intrigued.
Cain crossed to her, frowning as Zander moved protectively closer. “Jesus, Zander, I’m not going to hurt her. Gwen, what’s going on?”
Derren’s gaze slid from Gwen to Cain. “So, you two know each other? How?”
Cain shrugged. “I stay here sometimes.”
Ally snorted. “You really think I don’t know when you’re lying? Come on, Cain, tell us. You know you can trust us. You know you can trust me.” She sounded hurt that he’d hesitate to tell her.
Cain’s lips clamped together as he looked from Gwen to the wolves, seeming torn over whether to answer honestly. Gwen held up her hands, gesturing that she’d leave the decision up to him. She would rather keep the matter quiet, but she had the feeling that Ally would keep hounding her foster brother until he told her something.
Done with waiting for the wolf to make up his damn mind, Zander growled, “How do you know Gwen? And why are you here?”
Cain sighed. “We need to talk somewhere we won’t be overheard.”
“My room,” Zander proposed. If they were in the living area and Donnie entered the house, he’d likely hear them talking. But if they were upstairs, they were more likely to have complete privacy.
Zander kept possession of Gwen’s hand as they all headed up the stairs. He didn’t speak again until they were inside his room and he’d closed the door behind them. “Now, answer my questions, Cain.”
The male gave him a pointed look. “This can’t go any farther than this room.”
“You can’t expect us to keep secrets from our Alphas,” said Derren.
Cain raised a brow at him. “Oh, so you’ve told them absolutely everything about you?”
Derren shrugged one shoulder, mouth twitching. He and Cain had known each other a long time. If Cain hadn’t asked Derren to play Ally’s bodyguard for a short while, the mated couple might never have met. Even though Cain liked and respected Derren, he also had a big problem with any guy being with Ally, so he had little patience for Derren these days.
“If any of you don’t feel comfortable keeping quiet, leave the room,” said Cain. When no one made a move to leave, Cain rolled back his shoulders. “Gwen’s an informant for The Movement. Has been for the past six years.”
A shocked silence hit the room. Cain was part of The Movement, and he even pretended to be one of the key players so that the true masterminds could act without being closely monitored by human law enforcement and the extremists themselves.
“An informant?” Derren slowly echoed, and Cain gave a curt nod.
It quickly clicked into place for Zander. Gwen didn’t know anyone involved with the extremists . . . but her half sister did—the same half sister whom she was in regular contact with. Zander hadn’t understood why the hell Gwen would have any contact whatsoever with someone like Geena Cogman, but if Geena was feeding her information about the extremists . . . yeah, that made sense.
Zander swallowed, touched that Gwen would go to such measures to help his kind. On the other hand, he was pissed because it put her in a whole lot of danger. If they hadn’t been in a room full of people and Cain hadn’t had a lot more talking to do, Zander would have pulled her to him and kissed the breath out of her.
It wasn’t exactly a hardship to have six and a half feet of gorgeousness take up her space.
It was hard to clean with three dominant male shifters in the room—it was a whole lot of testosterone. Marlon seemed to bask in it. Ally seemed perfectly used to it.
“Andie’s been a while,” said Marlon. The cougar had gone to the cabin to grab her things. “Do you think she might have changed her mind?”
“I doubt it,” said Ally. “When she left this morning, I didn’t pick up any indecisiveness from her. Just determination and a little nervousness.”
A cell phone beeped. “That’s mine.” Marlon dug his smartphone out of his pocket. “Yvonne wants me to pick her up from Julie’s. Do I tell her about the goshawk attack?”
Gwen bit her lip. “It would be wrong to keep it from her. Just downplay it a little. Make it clear that I wasn’t on death’s door or anything.”
“She’s still going to freak out,” said Marlon.
Zander stilled. “Someone’s coming.” He stalked out of the kitchen and down the hallway. His pack mates stepped onto the porch behind him as a car pulled up outside. Zander didn’t recognize the black Audi, but he did recognize the male wolf who slid out of it. He was not a person who Zander would have expected to see at all.
Ally blinked at her foster brother—her somewhat sociopathic brother and, no, that wasn’t an exaggeration. He wasn’t a bad guy, but his moral compass was off course. “Cain? How did you know I was here? Is everything okay?”
Cain stopped in his tracks, looking surprised to see her. Recovering, he bounded up the steps and eyed them all curiously. “What are you guys doing here?”
Ally snorted softly. “Well, hello to you too. I know you’re not a hugger or one for gushing, but you could at least look happy to see me.”
Cain rolled his eyes. “I saw you a week ago. Don’t be dramatic.”
“If you’re not here looking for me, why are you here?”
“I need to speak with the woman who works here. Gwen Miller.”
Zander wasn’t comfortable with that. “Why, exactly?”
Cain blinked. “Why the suspicious tone? Is something going on?”
At that moment, a chuckling Marlon came jogging out the door, off the porch, and down the steps while Gwen came striding down the hallway, shouting, “You are not color-blind!”
Giving Zander and the others a quick wave, Marlon jumped into his car—no doubt intending to collect Yvonne—just as Gwen reached the door, huffing.
Zander threaded his fingers through hers. “Gwen, this is Ally’s foster brother.”
Gwen blinked and then gasped. “Shit, Cain, I forgot you were coming. Hey, I didn’t know you were related to one of Zander’s pack mates.”
Zander tensed. She knew Cain? And she knew him well enough to be on a first-name basis with him? It had taken constant pushing on Zander’s part to make Gwen use his first name. He noticed that the others looked just as surprised and intrigued.
Cain crossed to her, frowning as Zander moved protectively closer. “Jesus, Zander, I’m not going to hurt her. Gwen, what’s going on?”
Derren’s gaze slid from Gwen to Cain. “So, you two know each other? How?”
Cain shrugged. “I stay here sometimes.”
Ally snorted. “You really think I don’t know when you’re lying? Come on, Cain, tell us. You know you can trust us. You know you can trust me.” She sounded hurt that he’d hesitate to tell her.
Cain’s lips clamped together as he looked from Gwen to the wolves, seeming torn over whether to answer honestly. Gwen held up her hands, gesturing that she’d leave the decision up to him. She would rather keep the matter quiet, but she had the feeling that Ally would keep hounding her foster brother until he told her something.
Done with waiting for the wolf to make up his damn mind, Zander growled, “How do you know Gwen? And why are you here?”
Cain sighed. “We need to talk somewhere we won’t be overheard.”
“My room,” Zander proposed. If they were in the living area and Donnie entered the house, he’d likely hear them talking. But if they were upstairs, they were more likely to have complete privacy.
Zander kept possession of Gwen’s hand as they all headed up the stairs. He didn’t speak again until they were inside his room and he’d closed the door behind them. “Now, answer my questions, Cain.”
The male gave him a pointed look. “This can’t go any farther than this room.”
“You can’t expect us to keep secrets from our Alphas,” said Derren.
Cain raised a brow at him. “Oh, so you’ve told them absolutely everything about you?”
Derren shrugged one shoulder, mouth twitching. He and Cain had known each other a long time. If Cain hadn’t asked Derren to play Ally’s bodyguard for a short while, the mated couple might never have met. Even though Cain liked and respected Derren, he also had a big problem with any guy being with Ally, so he had little patience for Derren these days.
“If any of you don’t feel comfortable keeping quiet, leave the room,” said Cain. When no one made a move to leave, Cain rolled back his shoulders. “Gwen’s an informant for The Movement. Has been for the past six years.”
A shocked silence hit the room. Cain was part of The Movement, and he even pretended to be one of the key players so that the true masterminds could act without being closely monitored by human law enforcement and the extremists themselves.
“An informant?” Derren slowly echoed, and Cain gave a curt nod.
It quickly clicked into place for Zander. Gwen didn’t know anyone involved with the extremists . . . but her half sister did—the same half sister whom she was in regular contact with. Zander hadn’t understood why the hell Gwen would have any contact whatsoever with someone like Geena Cogman, but if Geena was feeding her information about the extremists . . . yeah, that made sense.
Zander swallowed, touched that Gwen would go to such measures to help his kind. On the other hand, he was pissed because it put her in a whole lot of danger. If they hadn’t been in a room full of people and Cain hadn’t had a lot more talking to do, Zander would have pulled her to him and kissed the breath out of her.
