White Knight (19 page)

“Fuck both of you.” Devlin turned neatly on his heel and stormed out of the house.

Knight stared at the door for a split second. “Hell no, my friend.”

He charged after Devlin, who was stalking his way across the lawn. Knight had a running start, and he put every bit of strength he had into the tackle. Devlin snarled as they hit the ground, using his slight height advantage to dislodge Knight and roll away. Knight came up on his knees, ready for a counterattack, already panting, buzzing with adrenaline.

Devlin glared at him from five feet away, crouched in the grass like an animal sizing up its prey. “Are you trying to get your ass kicked?”

“If that’s what it takes.”

“Takes for what?”

Playing dumb wasn’t going to work with Knight. “You don’t ever talk to your woman like that, dumbass. You owe her a groveling apology.”

Devlin snarled. “Fuck you, Knight. Go make googly eyes with your girlfriend and leave me alone.”

“No. I’ve left you alone for a month, but enough’s enough. If you don’t let yourself mourn Winston, that rage is going to eat you up from the inside. It will destroy you and it will destroy Rachel. Is hurting her what you want?”

Something in his expression briefly softened. “I love Rachel.”

“So much that you were screaming at her a minute ago?”

“You don’t understand.”

“I understand better than you think. I know what it’s like to lose something you can never get back.”

“Then stop haranguing me about it. You and Rook both. Let it be.”

Rook had gotten on his case, too. Whatever he’d said or done, it obviously hadn’t stuck. “We get on you because we care, Dev. You’re part of our family. So was Winston.”

Saying the name out loud flipped a switch in Devlin. His eyes narrowed the moment before he pounced. Knight caught the brunt of the hit with his left shoulder, while his right slammed into the grass. Then he was on his back with a great weight above him, restraining him, and he panicked.

Not again.

He kicked and thrashed, grateful for the lack of silver, confused by the scent of grass. Hands pressed against his shoulders. Knight wiggled his right arm free and slammed his palm into the face above him. A man yelled.

A man?

“No!” The shout made his captor release him. Knight crabbed across the grass until he hit something solid. Wood. A porch.

I’m home. I’m not there, I’m home.

“Shit, Knight, are you okay?” Devlin watched him from a distance, his mouth bleeding. The rage pouring off of him had dimmed, much of it replaced by concern. “What happened just now?”

Knight sagged against the side of Dr. Mike’s porch, glancing around to make sure they hadn’t gathered an audience. Mrs. Troost was watching from their front porch, and he waved her off. He imagined Rachel was at one of the windows. Exhaustion settled in Knight’s trembling limbs as he came down off his adrenaline spike.

“I’m sorry,” Knight said, unsure why he was even apologizing.

Devlin crept closer until he was sitting in front of Knight, legs crossed like they were at a campfire, sharing spooky stories like they used to as kids. He didn’t seem to notice the blood on his lips that was slowly dripping down his chin. “For a second there, I don’t think you were with me anymore.”

“I wasn’t.” Maybe honesty would work better than violence. If he couldn’t battle Devlin’s emotions out of him, talking could do the trick. “It happened once with Shay, too. I ended up on my back, and it shocked the hell out of me, and then I was back in that trailer with Victoria and Fiona.”

Understanding smoothed some of the lines from Dev’s forehead. “Oh. When they tried to get you to, you know, get it up?”

Devlin knew the story that Knight had fed to his father and brothers. He hadn’t been told what Bishop, Rook, Jillian, Brynn, and Shay knew about Victoria. That she had been carrying Knight’s child at the time of her death. Knight had never known how to tell him otherwise, and then Shay was captured and it didn’t seem important anymore.

Today it felt like the most important secret in the universe. Making love to Shay last night had taken the sting out of what Victoria did. Maybe saying it to his best friend would help the waking nightmares go away, too.

“Yeah, I go back there, when I was with them.” Knight’s stomach curled unhappily as the memories rose up. The darkness couldn’t keep them hidden anymore. He wanted them in the light of day. “Except I lied about what happened.”

Devlin’s eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean? What part did you lie about?”

He plucked at a piece of grass. “When Victoria wasn’t having any luck getting me up, Fiona gave her a hand by biting me. In the thigh. Somehow it . . . worked.” He lifted his head and squared his shoulders, meeting Devlin’s startled gaze. “I lied when I told my father that nothing happened. Victoria was pregnant when she died.”

Dev’s lips parted.

Say the word. You have to say it.

Knight swallowed hard, then admitted to his worst shame. “She raped me.”

Devlin blinked rapidly, grief and hate spilling out in a wave that took Knight’s breath away. He cut off his empathy before it overwhelmed him.

“I didn’t tell anyone,” Knight continued, because the words were easier to find now. Instead of the fear and pain he expected to resurface, he found a strange sense of relief in finally baring what he’d hidden for so long. “Rook suspected, but he never asked me directly. Not until we found a chess piece with a blue ribbon tied to it at the forest site where the hybrids left all those bodies. He made me promise to tell our father about it, and I promised him I would. And then Springwell happened, and I never got the chance to be honest with him.”

“If I could bring Victoria back to life just to kill her again, I would,” Devlin snarled, voice low and dangerous.

“Get in line.”

“That’s why you force-shifted?”

“That was a huge part of it. I was grieving for everyone from Stonehill, Potomac, and then Springwell. I was angry over the Joneses. I was furious when my father locked me in the quarterly cage. When I saw Bishop get out of that car and then smelled our father’s blood all over him . . .” Knight’s heart ached for that horrible moment that had crashed his world down over his head. “Later Rook told me about Victoria and the baby, and I lost it. I’m the one who’s supposed to keep everyone on an even keel around here, and I couldn’t contain my own emotions any longer.”

“I’m not surprised. That’s a shit-ton of stuff to carry around.”

“I know. I wouldn’t have come back from it without Shay.”

Devlin’s nose twitched. “That’s going well, I take it?”

Knight chuckled, the simple action displacing more of his anger and shame. “More than well. I love her. She’s everything.”

“I know what you mean.” His entire face crumpled in on itself. “Shit, I’m such an asshole.”

“To Rachel?”

“Yeah.”

“Dev, I know you loved Winston. I know his death is hurting you, but I also know how keeping that pain to yourself can take you places you don’t want to go. Rachel wants to help you grieve. Give her a chance.”

Devlin shook his head. “Rachel lost everything when Potomac was attacked. I have to be strong for her.”

Knight cuffed Devlin on the side of his head. “She’s your mate, dumbass. She’s allowed to be strong for you once in a while.”

“I can’t believe he’s gone.”

“I know.”

“I hate the hybrids so much. For killing Winston and for hurting you. For everything.”

“We all hate them. The trick is to channel that hate. Use it wisely before it consumes you.”

The front door creaked and gentle steps whispered across wood. Rachel walked slowly toward them, her pale cheeks streaked with tears. Devlin stood and walked to her, sweeping the shorter woman up in his arms.

“I’m so sorry, baby, so sorry,” he said. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Rachel whispered. “Let it go, Dev.”

Knight backed away, no longer needed there, while his best friend wept in the arms of the wonderful woman he’d chosen as his wife.

I said it and I’m still here. I’m still me.

The darkness lingered, but it was further down, quieter and less noticeable. He’d taken some of it away by facing his memories of that trailer. Shed light on a part of his soul that he thought he’d lost forever.

He’d called Rook’s cell before the action caught up with his brain.

Rook answered the call before the second ring. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Are you busy?”

“Nothing I can’t get out of. Why?”

Knight headed toward his home. “Can you meet me in the conservatory? I want to talk.”

Freshly showered and in her best combination of slacks and blouse, Shay knocked on the Alpha’s office door. She squared her shoulders at the shouted permission to enter. Bishop sat behind his desk, not at all surprised to see her.

“What can I do for you?” he asked pleasantly.

He knew exactly why she was there. Bishop was no one’s fool.

“This is about our discussion the other night.” Shay sat in one of the chairs opposite the desk. “I think Knight is going to be fine.”

“You had a breakthrough on your camping trip, I take it.” He couldn’t keep a straight face in asking, and his lips twitched with barely contained amusement. It wasn’t quite the reaction she’d expected.

“Yes, we did. I love your brother, Alpha. Our beasts have chosen each other, and we are in agreement on this. All I ask for is your blessing.”

Bishop rose and rounded the desk to sit in the chair next to her. He looked so much like his father in that moment—a strong, proud man who loved his family with every fiber of his being. He clasped her hand in his. “Shay, you saved my brother’s sanity and his life. You make him smile. You give him something no one else can. You’ve always had my blessing.”

Shay’s cheeks hurt with the strength of her smile. “Thank you. Truly.”

His expression went serious. “Has Knight told you about Skydale?”

“He told me about the attack, yes.”

“Did he tell you that their White Wolf was one of those killed?”

Her heart tripped. “No.”

“Nothing has happened officially, but we have two Whites living here, and it has been hinted at that Alpha Behr may request Knight be sent to him.”

She coiled tight, prepared to defend her mate against an enemy that wasn’t even in the room. “The other Alphas would force him to leave his family? After everything that’s been done to him?”

“The Alphas cannot force him to do anything. A request can be made, and he honors it or not. A lot of factors go into such things, including the age and mental state of the White Wolf. Our mother came here when she was fifteen. She was young enough to adapt to a new run and to connect to our people. Forcing a White to switch runs can be disastrous to everyone’s mental state.”

“But you think Alpha Behr will ask.”

“Yes, I do.”

“He won’t go.”

“He’s already said as much. I’m surprised he didn’t tell you about it.”

Shay wasn’t. “So much has happened since my return. He probably didn’t want to add anything else to my burdens.”

“Sounds like him.”

“Thank you for telling me.”

“I didn’t want you to be blindsided. On the very tiny chance he might agree to go, the decision would affect you, as well.”

“Our family is here.” She didn’t know Brynn very well yet, but she truly looked forward to spending time with her half-sister. And she had Leopold to think of. She wouldn’t leave him behind, and uprooting him again so soon would be cruel.

“Yes it is.” Bishop grinned. “Welcome to the family, Shay.”

“Thank you.”

“On a less happy note, Knight told me that you had a bad reaction to Atwood’s arrival last night.”

“I despise the man.” “Despise” wasn’t a big enough word for her depth of hatred for the Prime Magus. “He led experiments on my mother. He used her, and then he killed her. He poisoned an infant. I can’t stand the sight of him.”

“We all hate him. You have more reason than most, I understand that. But he is here as a means to an end.”

“Jillian and Rook told us you’re hoping to find out the truth about how he acquired my mother.”

“Yes. If Brynn can somehow get him to talk, and we can get proof that he kidnapped her, something tangible for the other Alphas, we can do something about it. The Congress can’t retaliate if we prove Atwood struck first.”

“He seems to be a careful man. He may not give you what you want.”

“Maybe, but it’s a calculated risk.”

“Bishop, have you considered involving the vampires in this?”

He tilted his head, listening. “How so?”

“They helped me for no reason. We owe them. What if we told them the truth about how the war between our peoples began? Combined with knowing the Magi experimented on vampires, it might help forge peace. Maybe even allies. With the vampires in our corner, the Congress is even less likely to turn down a request for Atwood’s head.”

He considered her words, then nodded. “It may be worth exploring. Thank you for the idea.”

“I know I wasn’t much use when I got here, but I do have some experience in strategy and planning.”

“Your father was lucky to have you.”

Pride burned in her chest. “Yes he was.”

Bishop chuckled. “Don’t ever hesitate to offer your input. I mean that.”

“An Alpha is only as strong as the people he chooses to trust. My father used to say that.”

“Good words to live by. Maybe I’ll write them on the office wall.”

“Just don’t forget to quote Andrew Butler.”

“That’s a promise.”

A knock on the door shifted their collective attention. “Enter,” Bishop said.

Mason stepped inside and gave Shay a polite smile. He’d recovered well from the wounds he received during their rescue of Chelsea and Leopold. “Jonas and I spoke with Porter Jones again,” he said to Bishop. “He said he’ll take his family and leave, if that’s what you want.”

“No, what I want is for Dell to turn himself in and face what he did. I don’t suppose Porter has any ideas on making that happen.”

“He didn’t offer any. However, he did let slip that Dell might head back to their old homestead.”

“There isn’t much there. We burned the place—” Bishop froze, something turning over in his mind.

It clicked for Shay, as well.
The scorched earth.

“Mason, I want you to take three enforcers and head out to the old homestead,” Bishop said. “Stake it out. Sleep in shifts. If nothing happens in a few days, I’ll swap teams out.”

“Is it possible Brynn saw them attacking the first time?” Mason asked.

“She doesn’t see the past, only the future.”

“I’m on it.”

He left as quickly as he came.

“What are the odds?” Shay asked.

Bishop shrugged one shoulder, frowning. “It would be a hell of a coup if Brynn’s vision was of that location.”

“Even better if the form lurking in the shadows is one of our men.”

“Exactly.”

“I’d volunteer myself for this mission, Alpha, but I still have a bit of trouble walking this far on my own.” Leaving town was a huge step—one she wasn’t quite ready to take.

“No one blames you for that, Shay. But you’ve come a long way, and you’ve got a ways to go yet. Someday I hope to have you as one of my enforcers.” He grinned. “As long as Knight doesn’t chew my ears off for it.”

“He may not like it but he’ll understand it. I’m a Black Wolf. I want to serve my Alpha.”

“And I’d like nothing more. How would you like to stick around for a while and brainstorm the vampire idea? I’ll call Jillian and Rook over.”

Shay smiled as she settled into her chair. “I think that sounds like a fantastic way to spend the morning.”

For the first time since her arrival in Cornerstone, Shay felt like a confident, contributing member of her new run—and there was no better feeling.

***

Rook ignored his buzzing phone, too wrapped up in his own thoughts to pay it any mind. Knight had left the conservatory a few minutes ago after metaphorically dumping his guts all over the floor. They’d always been able to talk about things, even intensely personal ones, but Knight’s forthright confession had startled Rook into utter silence.

“Victoria raped me.”

Something Rook knew, of course, but hearing Knight say it so bluntly had given Rook healthy doses of grief, anger, and relief all at once. Rolled up together in one big, ugly ball of emotion that was still stuck in his throat.

Knight wasn’t the same man who was shot at in the Chesterfield barn yesterday. He was lighter, standing taller, with a life in his eyes that Rook feared had gone out for good. Being with Shay had freed him of the chains of the memories Knight had tried to ignore. Freed him to live his life and be happy again.

He needed to find Shay and give her a big thank-you kiss.

Right after he got his own shit together. He sifted through the songs in his head, trying to find one to block out the haze of anger that had enveloped him. Anger at two dead women for hurting his brother, and at the two still alive.

Not for much longer.

Brynn seemed convinced that her vision would come true in the very near future. Rook hoped so. If the hybrids were readying to take action, the long siege could soon be over. He wanted this finished, their town safe again, and Atwood out of their home. His wife was happy to see her father again, but the man made everyone around him nervous, and for good reason. Atwood exuded danger and disdain. Rook hoped having the man around was worth it.

He wanted to find Brynn and talk to her. Hell, something as simple as a hug would calm his rattled nerves.

His phone buzzed again. He glanced at the text message from Bishop:
Office. Business to discuss. ASAP.

Not an emergency but Rook’s interest perked. He didn’t see Knight on his way through the house. The handful of folks he passed on the street gave friendly greetings. The overall mood in town seemed somewhat positive, despite the constant threat of danger. Atwood was sticking to the McQueen house, so his presence in town was still mostly a secret.

Loup loved good gossip, though, so the secret would be spread around sooner or later.

He knocked on the office door out of habit, then went inside. Shay and Jillian were there, and the trio seemed to be in mid-conversation. “What did I miss?” he asked.

“Shay had an interesting idea,” Bishop replied. “She suggested we make contact with the vampire nest who helped her.”

“And do what with them? Invite them for tea?”

Shay snickered. “No. They are potential allies, despite our history. They may not know that the Magi are responsible for the war between our peoples. They already expressed disgust at the existence of vampire-loup hybrids, and knowing that the Magi experimented on vampires may sway them to our side. If nothing else, they could help us pressure the Congress into making Atwood accountable for my mother’s kidnapping and torture.”

Rook snapped his mouth shut, a little embarrassed at having been gaping at Shay. She spoke with a confidence he’d seen once, and that was when she’d yelled at Bishop in the library. “That makes a lot of sense.”

“It’s dangerous,” Jillian said. “Yes, we owe the vampires for helping Shay but I don’t trust one with my back.”

“Neither do I.” Bishop tapped his fingers on his desk blotter. “But I’d trust them long enough for a conversation.”

“Do we go to them or invite them here?” Jillian’s sarcasm was pitch-perfect.

Leave it to Bishop to take her seriously. “We have no way of contacting them except directly, so we go to them. Back to the nest and hope they haven’t moved.”

“When you say ‘we’?”

“I mean ‘you.’ You’re familiar to them. And now that Luke is going to be fine, take Tanner with you. Pick someone else if you want a third, but I don’t want to seem like we’re trying to intimidate them.”

Jillian didn’t seem totally on board with the idea, but she wasn’t arguing with the Alpha. She’d probably save that for later tonight when she was alone with him. Rook was a bit surprised that Bishop hadn’t asked him to lead the mission. He probably guessed that Rook wanted to stay close to Brynn while her father was in town.

“So assuming the vampires allow me to speak,” Jillian said, “I’m to tell them what Brynn told us about the Magi initiating our war, and then see if they want to team up to take on the Congress of Magi?”

Bishop nodded. “Pretty much.”

“Piece of cake.”

“You might take them a peace offering of some kind,” Shay said. “Something to show goodwill.”

“Like what? Fresh roadkill?”

“They’re vampires, not turkey vultures. There are plenty of farms along the way. Buy them a goat.”

Jillian’s eyebrows disappeared beneath her bangs. “A goat?”

“Sure. Vampires prefer fresh, warm blood, no matter the source. Why do you think most nests are in rural places with lots of wildlife, rather than in the middle of a big city?”

Mad respect for Shay made Rook grin like a loon. She was going to fit into the family perfectly.

Jillian shrugged. “Fine, we’ll find a farm and buy a goat so the vampires believe we’re sincere.”

“Okay, we’ve got a plan,” Bishop said. “I want hourly updates on your location and status.”

“Of course. I’ll break the news to Tanner, collect Benson, and then we’re on our way.”

“Excellent.”

Bishop followed Jillian outside, probably to give themselves a private moment to say good-bye. Seeing a loved one again wasn’t something they took for granted anymore.

“Is Benson good?” Shay asked him.

Rook tried to recall what he knew about the man. “He came to us from Springwell, so I don’t know a lot of his history. Jillian does, so I trust her judgment.”

“Okay.”

“Good call on the vampires.”

“Thank you. It came to me while we were discussing something else.”

“Something like Knight?”

Shay ducked her head, a smile hiding behind a curtain of thick hair. “Yes.”

“Don’t be embarrassed. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to my brother, Shay, and I mean that.”

“He’s an amazing man.”

“I don’t know what you’ve said or done, but he’s getting better and I’m grateful for that. He actually came to me and told me about his captivity. He wanted to talk about it.”

Her smile widened, and she sat up straighter. “I’m glad. I’m glad you were the first to hear him say it.”

Rook thought back to the easy way Knight had said the word “rape.” Like he’d done it once before and this was a repeat performance, a way to reinforce what he knew and what he’d decided was the real truth. “I assumed he’d told you first.”

“No.” She frowned. “If not you, then I wonder who?”

“I don’t care, not as long as he’s talking. Knight bottles things up, so this is a huge step for him.”