Force of the Dark Wolf (Force of Nature Series) (31 page)

She nodded.
“Yes.
I have Gordon.”
She looked over at Gordon and a thought occurred to her.
“But Gordon is a werewolf.
How am I supposed to bring them back if I’m the last? And what of this other man, the vampire?
What does he have to do with all of this?”

“I don’t know
,
love.
You’ll need to read this to know the answers to that.
But I would imagine that there is a plan.”
He looked down at the drawing that she still held.
“She had faith in you.”

She nodded.
It wasn’t something she was going to fix overnight
,
but she knew with all her heart that she could do it.
They could do it.
She looked over at Gordon and kissed him on the mouth.
He pulled her in for a much deeper one and then held her to him.
She’d not realized just how much she’d needed that until then.

“I can release you from our bond.
You’ve only to say that you accept.
I don’t know a lot of things yet
,
but I do know that I can release you from this bond.”
She held his face between her hands and looked him in the eyes.
“Is this something you want?”

“No.
I love you with all my heart and whatever we need to do, especially if it involves sex with you, I’m so there for you.” He grinned before he kissed her again.
“I do love you
,
Alexis
,
and whatever you need from me
,
I’m your mate for now and forever.
”

“He already knows.
The vampire that is looking for you, he’s been watching you for months.”
Alexis looked over at Stacy as she continued.
“He knows where you are when you’re in the house.
He can’t hear you
,
but he knows.”

“And you know this how
?
” Austin asked the girl.
“You’ve been helping him?
Is that why you came here today?
If it is
,
so help me I will make—
”

“That’s enough,” Alexis snapped.
“She hasn’t been helping him. Don’t you think one of you guys would have, I don’t know
,
smelled her or something
?
” She turned to the girl. “Tell me why you stopped me.
You ran in the road to stop me to talk
. W
hat is it?
What do you know?”

Stacy looked around the room.
Alexis wasn’t sure if she would bolt or not but she seemed to calm for a moment.
Alexis could see that she was terrified
,
but at what she still wasn’t sure.

“One of the women in your house, they are with him.” There was a sharp inhalation of breath
,
but Alexis didn’t look away from Stacy.
“I can’t tell which one
,
but I know that it is someone close to you and the kids.
She smells like you, not entirely
,
but like you.”
She looked over at Gordon and frowned.
“I can’t tell you what you want.
I don’t know.
She has been meeting with the man, the old blood man
,
for years
. H
is scent is strong on her. But it is on all of you.
You are too close a pack for me to tell.”

“I might be able to help.”
Alexis
looked back at Phil
as he spoke softly
.
“I might be able to tell who it is.
I’ve been around all of you for months and I know your scents as well as anyone’s.
But…”

When Phil didn’t finish she knew she wasn’t going to like it.
And when Gordon stiffened beside her she knew he was going to be pissed about whatever he suggested.
Then it occurred to her.

“Tell me
,
Phil. Tell me how we can tell who is selling me out to this man
.
And my family.”
She looked over at Gordon as she continued.
“Don’t you want to know who our enemy is?
I certainly do.”
She waited for him to explode, waited for Gordon to get all manly on her and tell
her
that she was stupid
,
but he nodded.
Then he turned to Phil.

“What happens?
How do you tell who is the bad guy in all this crap?”
Phil glanced at Stacy then back at her before Gordon had a chance to continue.
“Holy Christ
,
you have to bite her.”

“Yes. With her blood I’ll be able to sort through her mind and find everything she knows, all the things she has seen but never thought of as suspicious.
She knows as well
,
but the information hasn’t jelled into anything she can
—”

“No,” Jessie said quickly.
“No, he wants your blood because he is a bloodsucking bastard and he’ll kill you.
Just like all his kind has done.
You can’t seriously think he wants anything from you but to drain you.”

“I don’t lie.”
Phil growled at her.
“I have never seen the need to.
But you
,
however, what is it you have to hide?
Is there something you don’t want us to know?”
Phil stood up and moved toward her aunt.
Alexis wanted to tell him to stop
,
to not think those things of her aunt
,
but she couldn’t do it.
When Aunt Jessie suddenly turned and left the room the slamming of the front door made her realize that Jessie had left the house.
Alexis looked over at Gordon and the others.
They were staring at her.

“And now
?
” she asked Gordon.

“Now we go forward.
You knew that this might happen.
That Jessie might be a part of what was going on.”
He looked around the room.
“We all did.”

Alexis nodded and turned to Phil again.
She let him take her hand and pull it to his mouth.
A low growl from Stacy startled her
,
but she didn’t look at the girl.
She was focused on the very sharp teeth that were coming to her wrist.

“I will deaden the pain with my saliva.
Once that is done all you’ll feel is a small pinch.
Are you ready?”
She nodded.
“Then look at Gordon.
He’ll be happier that way.”

She didn’t just look at him
,
but kissed him.
When she felt Phil’s tongue slide against her wrist she was vaguely aware of a small pain
,
but nothing more.
When Gordon pulled back
,
she moaned.
There was something extremely needy in that kiss and she wanted to find a dark corner quickly and show him.

Phil had laid his head against the back of the couch.
He looked drained
,
which was silly as he was usually the drainer. She flushed at her stupid joke and asked if he was all right.

“You’re a shifter all right.
A very powerful and full-blooded one
,
as a matter of fact,” he said without moving.
“Your blood, it’s like a fine wine, an amazing drug
,
and a great night of sex all rolled into one.”
He grinned at her.

“I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Now tell me what this little experience told you about me other than I’m not anything different tha
n
you thought.”
She flushed when she noticed he had an erection.
She knew that Gordon had one as well
;
he’d put her into his lap when she’d spoken to Phil.
It took her several seconds to settle down and when Gordon nipped at her shoulder
,
she nearly came.

“You’re a full
-
blooded shifter
,
as I thought.
And
,
as we’ve already ascertained, Jessie is in with the vampire.
I don’t suppose any of you know who he might be.”
He pulled the pillow over his lap as he continued. His wink at her made her face heat. They all looked toward Darcy as she entered the room.

“I know who he is.
His name is Tom Garrison and he came to the house the day my mother was killed.
I heard Aunt Jessie telling him about the cameras.
The one that is over the picture in that corner
in the living room at home.” She kept looking at Gordon as she spoke, something she’d never done until recently
.” She didn’t point
,
but simply kept looking at Gordon.
“He has one in the kitchen too
,
but I’m not sure where.
But he watches us all the time.”

“Yes.
I remember him now.
But I don’t think I ever knew his name.
After you were hurt I could only focus on you and helping you.”
Alexis
looked over at Gordon when he cleared his throat.
“You know something?”

“Paddy was changed by a Garrison.
Probably the same guy.
He more than likely knows what you are and wants you for his…dinner.”
She’d never thought of that and was nodding before he finished.

Stacy moved toward the door and she started to stop her.
But the girl turned at the last minute and spoke to everyone in the room.
“I have to go.
But I’ll keep watch.” She glanced toward the door behind her before continuing.
“Trust no one at your home.
She might not be the only help he has.
”

She shifted so quickly and was out the door before anyone could ask her what she meant.
Alexis started to rise
,
but Gordon held her still.
She turned to snap at him
,
but before she could say anything
,
he spoke in her ear.