Twiceborn (30 page)

A guy with more hair than Hugh Jackman in a bad X-Men wig opened the door and scowled when he saw who waited on his doorstep.

“What are you doing here?”

He had the familiar orange glow that said werewolf, but my nose could have told me so even with my eyes shut. He smelled of wet dog, though it was mid-afternoon and he must have been human for hours.

“Nice to see you, too, Jed. Aren’t you going to invite us in?”

“You do know what exile means, don’t you? Get your arse back in your car and get out of here.”

Jed started to close the door, but Garth was too quick. One hard shove and Jed was flattened against the wall inside with Garth’s muscled forearm crushing his windpipe.

“Do you think I’d come back here if it wasn’t important? Stupid kid. Tell Trevor we need to speak to him.”

He shoved the other wolf again, and Jed lurched away down the hall, still scowling. He headed for the back of the house, muttering and rubbing his throat. I caught Garth’s arm.

“Maybe slightly less violence? We
are
trying to ask a favour here.”

Garth bared his teeth. Perhaps he meant it as a grin, but it looked more like a snarl. Werewolves did surly much better than cheerful—at least in my limited experience.

He shut the door behind us. The hallway was dim and relatively cool given the heat of the day outside. “Wolves understand dominance.”

“Okaay.”

I followed him down the hallway, past closed doors on either side, to a big sunlit room at the back of the house. Three men leapt up as we entered, their scowls matching that of the injured Jed.

“Where’s Trevor?”

“No business of yours, Oathbreaker.”

All three were bigger than Garth, and I had to fight the urge to step back as they stalked forward. Jed smirked in the background, obviously relishing the thought of seeing us get thrown out. Or worse.

I heard the click of a door shutting in the hallway behind us, and whirled to face the new threat. A slight man with receding hair entered the room behind us.

“Stand down, boys.”

Garth’s shoulders went rigid at the sound of his voice, but the man ignored him.

“I’m Trevor.” He offered his hand and I shook it. His grip was warm and stronger than I’d expected. “And you are—?”

“Kate. Kate O’Connor. I’m a friend of Garth’s.”

And that was a sentence I couldn’t have imagined saying a few days ago. Strange as it seemed, it felt true.

“I gathered that.” He looked at Garth for the first time, and his eyes were cold. “I assume you have some compelling reason for showing your face here again. You’d better come into my office.”

We followed him into the room he’d just left. From the corner of my eye I caught Jed’s crestfallen expression. Guess he’d been hoping for the throwing out to start straight away.

Judging by the look on Trevor’s face, it was still an option.

I took the visitor’s chair he offered in front of a big workmanlike desk. He went round to the other side of the desk but lounged against the bookshelves there instead of sitting. Since Garth had refused a seat that would have put him in the inferior position, looking up at his visitor. Stupid wolf games.

I checked his bookshelves while they sized each other up. Mainly ring binders, each labelled in neat handwriting, with a few reference books, including a complete set of Australian Accounting Standards. That’s right. Trevor was an accountant. I guess even werewolves had to earn a living somehow.

At some signal known only to them, the staring contest came to an end. Garth ducked his head in submission and Trevor folded his arms, his body language more relaxed.

“What are you doing here, Garth?” The pack leader sounded tired. “You never take the easy option, do you? You’ve always got to stir things up some more. The pack’s already on edge, and now you show up like the Ghost of frigging Christmas Past, clanking your goddamn chains in their faces.”

Garth’s face was stony. I could have told Trevor he was wasting his time with Dickens allusions. If he wanted to catch Garth’s attention he’d need a quote from Star Wars.

Garth folded his arms, mirroring the pack leader’s body language.

“Let me guess what’s got their tails in a twist. The rumours of Leandra’s death, right?”

“Rumours? It’s a little more than rumours, mate. Looks like you’re out of a job again.”

“Not quite.”

“Not
quite
? I heard she had her heart ripped out.”

“You shouldn’t believe everything you hear.”

“Oh, for God’s sake.” Trevor flopped into the leather chair behind the desk. “Sit down, you stubborn shit, and tell me what’s going on.”

Garth flicked a glance at me. I nodded, and he took the chair next to mine. Trevor said nothing, but he looked at me with a new interest.

“You never explained who your friend is.”

“She’s a herald. I met her two nights ago at Alicia’s place.”

If he’d been in wolf form I swear his ears would have pricked up at that. “You were there when Valeria attacked?”

Garth launched into the mostly true version of events we’d agreed on before we came: how Leandra had given me a geas to deliver to Luce and Garth, which Valeria had stolen; how we’d gone to beg Alicia’s help in getting it back and been caught up in the attack; and how Valeria had kidnapped my son to try to force me to stop seeking the stone.

“Stone? I thought you said it was a geas?”

He looked sceptical, and no wonder: a geas, a kind of magically binding task, was normally inscribed on a dragon scale.

“It is,” I said. “It’s an unusual kind.”

“We have reason to believe Leandra’s still alive,” said Garth. “We think this is all part of some bigger plan of hers to win the proving.”

“You think? She didn’t tell you anything about this plan?”

Scepticism was rapidly morphing into outright disbelief.

“We’ve received messages that can only be from her.”

The creak of leather as he shifted in his chair was the only sound. The venetian blinds at the window behind him were angled to block the sun, casting the room into shadow. In the dimness his aura flared a bright orange as he regarded Garth thoughtfully. The silence lengthened as he tapped his fingers on the metal arm of his chair.

“Where’s Luce? I would have expected her to be all over this.”

“She’s still at Alicia’s.”

Briefly Garth explained how Luce had come to be bonded to Alicia, while Trevor’s eyebrows climbed higher and higher. The pack leader rose and started pacing back and forth in the space between the window and the bookshelves. Scuff marks on the carpet suggested it was a regular habit. Must be a wolf thing. They couldn’t bear to sit still.

“And what do you expect me to do? God, what a mess.”

“We want you to help us get the stone back from Valeria.”

“And free my son.”

Trevor laughed; a short, unhappy sound. “That’s all, is it? You wouldn’t like me to get you the winning lottery ticket at the same time?”

“Trev—”

“Don’t start, Garth. You’re out of your mind if you think I’m getting mixed up in this. What do you take me for? Is
any
of what you just told me true?”

Garth leapt to his feet. Looked like it was time for the staring to recommence. Between the two of them they packed a lot of testosterone.

“All of it.”

A small, reluctant smile tugged at one corner of the pack leader’s mouth. “You’re just not telling me the other half, right?”

An answering smile flickered on Garth’s face. “I wouldn’t call it half.”

Seeing them like that, shoulders squared in identical postures, the same lazy half-smile on their faces, I suddenly realised.

“You’re brothers, aren’t you?”

His own brother had exiled him from the pack? Pity I couldn’t remember what he’d done. Must have been something impressive.

Trevor frowned at me, distracted, then turned back to Garth with a sigh.

“Well, I guess I’m flattered you think I could take on Valeria. Or maybe that’s the family insanity talking. But even if you told me all the juicy bits you’re so obviously hiding, I couldn’t help you.”

“But you helped Leandra before,” I said.

“Yes, I did. And some of those boys back there”—he jerked his head toward the room where Jed and his friends waited—“think that was a mistake. They reckon I’ve made the pack a target by supporting Leandra. That Valeria will come howling for our blood now that she’s on top. They’re thinking maybe a leader who makes bad decisions like that shouldn’t be the leader any more.”

Garth growled. “I’d like to see any of those arselickers try to oust you.”

Trevor’s grin showed a hint of steel. “I doubt I’m in any immediate danger. But the point is, this is not a good time to be drawing attention to ourselves. If Leandra was standing right here, my answer might be different, but I’m not risking the pack for half-truths and maybes.”

I could feel Garth’s eyes burning into me but I refused to look at him. We’d already agreed it was too dangerous to tell Trevor the truth about Leandra. Brother or no brother, that would be handing the man a bargaining chip that could prove too tempting.

Besides, what difference did it make? I wasn’t planning on keeping her around long. Once I had Lachie back I was done with all this supernatural crap.

“I’m sorry about your son,” said Trevor, “but I have to think of my family.”

I glanced at Garth.

“Not him. The pack. Officially, Garth’s not family any more.” He strode to the door and held it open for us. Clearly the interview was over.

I stopped in the doorway and looked up at him. “And unofficially?”

“Unofficially, keeping his sorry arse alive was the best I could do. Try and keep it that way, would you?”

***

We sat in the car, weighed down by a heavy silence. I balled my hands into fists until the nails dug into my palms. There had to be something we could do.

“We could go to the police—report the kidnapping.”

He shook his head. “First thing they’d do would be check with King’s.”

Who’d say Lachie was spending time with his father, no doubt. Nada would have thought of that.

The urge to scream coiled like a tightness in my chest. I had to get Lachie back.
Had
to. But how?

Garth started the engine and pulled away from the kerb. I didn’t ask where we were going. If I couldn’t come up with a plan one direction was as good as another.

A dark mood descended on me. Lachie might be alive, but I was no closer to recovering him. And meanwhile I was depending on Jason to keep him safe. “Depending” and “Jason” were two words that didn’t belong in the same sentence.

Plus I had no idea how to find Ben.

Garth’s phone rang, making me jump. He fished it out of his back pocket and tossed it to me. Such a law-abiding werewolf. No talking on mobiles while driving.

I checked the caller ID and my heart leapt.

“Tanya!”

“Hi, darl!” Her familiar voice lifted my spirits immediately. “How are you? How’s your poor Mum?”

Mum? It took me a minute. So much had happened in the last few days, I’d forgotten I was supposed to be visiting my sick mother in Brisbane.

“Yeah, she’s much better now.” My God, wait till I told Mum Lachie was alive! “She’ll probably be going home in a couple of days.”

“That’s great! Does that mean you’ll be back soon? I cleaned up your kitchen for you. You lost quite a few dishes but the place is looking much better.”

“Thanks. You didn’t need to do that.” I shot a look at Garth out of the corner of my eye. Probably should have made
him
clean it up, seeing he caused the mess in the first place.

“Oh, it was no trouble, hon. You don’t want to be coming home to something like that. It didn’t take long anyway. Ben gave me a hand.”

“Ben?” Thank God! I let out a shaky breath.

“Yeah, you know. Six foot two, dark and gorgeous? He came round looking for you. Said he couldn’t get you on the phone and thought you might be home. Did something happen to your mobile? Whose number is this?”

“Oh. It’s, ah, Mum’s. Left home in such a rush I forgot to pack my charger, and now the battery’s dead. Did he leave a message for me?”

“No, not really.”

“Not
really
? What did he say?”

“Something about Elizabethan England. You guys got some kinky sex game going on?”

“What? No!”

She laughed. “A girl can hope, can’t she?”

“Tanya.”

“Okay, okay. All he said was he wanted to take you for a moonlit stroll through Elizabethan England when you came home. God knows what he’s on, but he seemed kind of eager. I’d say you’re in with a chance there, sweetie. Don’t stay away too long!”

“Thanks.” I could feel the heat in my cheeks. Knowing Garth could hear every word didn’t help. “Well, I’d better go, Mum wants me.”

“Wait! Your message said you needed me to do something.”

“It doesn’t matter now. I’ll be home soon.”

“Okay, if you’re sure. See you then.”

“See you, Tanya.”

“Well?” Garth said when I’d hung up.

“Ben’s safe. We’re meeting him tonight at The Dress-up Box.”

“Too dangerous. Valeria will have it watched.”

“Do you think she cares so much about one lowly herald?”

We stopped for a red light. He turned and gave me an incredulous look.

“No. I think she cares about finding Leandra. Micah will have told her by now what you did, even if Jason didn’t, and she’ll put two and two together. She’s not the type to leave loose ends.”

Great. Now I was a loose end to be snipped. I folded my arms and glared at the car in front of us.

“We have to hook up with Ben. Do you have any better ideas?”

He said nothing, his mouth a mulish line while he waited for the lights to change.

“No? Then we’ll have to take our chances. If we find any watchers maybe you can eat their hearts.”

His lips twitched. “You’re never going to forgive me for that, are you?”

“Never.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

We waited till full dark. Garth wanted to leave it longer, but impatience had its claws in me and I couldn’t sit still. Dark was dark. Garth could turn wolf if we needed him to—it wasn’t as if waiting longer made him any meaner.