“The fucking irony of that,” she says while leaning back and putting her arm over her face as her dark hair splays across the pillow. “I guess he’s outside then, huh?”
How does she know that?
“Yeah,” Dad answers. “And I’m about to take him back to the others. Roslyn says they’re coming for her—and I’m not talking about Alyssa. I’m talking about the bastards we still don’t know.”
Mom peers out from under her arm, and she tugs my hand until I’m lying beside her. “I’ll keep our girl safe. Go. Get their help. If I can’t even take on three members of Alyssa’s group, we’re going to need as much help as we can get.”
Our world is so fucked up.
Chapter 35
THAD
“If she runs, I’ll fucking kill you for making me leave,” I growl just as I shift back to human, landing on my feet in the woods just behind Gage’s house.
Reese shifts just as we near, and we ignore the gasps as we leave the woods. The fucking lake is crowded today, and two, grown, naked men seems to be drawing a lot of unwanted attention.
“She won’t run. Sadie won’t let her. I can’t make her come here right now, but I want my daughter safe. For once, we have something in common, Thaddeus.”
The disdain in his tone doesn’t go unnoticed. Changers and werewolves have never gotten along. Figures I’d fall in love with one whose father I really hate.
“You’re back,” Gage says as we walk in. I don’t even slow down as I grab a bottle of whiskey and start drinking while Reese speaks.
“I couldn’t leave Thad there unprotected, and Roslyn needs a little space from him right now, so she wouldn’t allow him inside the protection spell,” Reese explains, pissing me off.
Gage disappears from sight, and when he returns, he’s carrying two stacks of clothes—clothes that are not made from magic, or there would be cowboy boots involved.
Reese and I both tug on the clothes, and I continue drinking the second I’m finished.
“Alyssa is furious,” Kimber groans, looking like she feels about as good as I do. “And I feel like the worst person ever. I’m supposed to be one of the good ones in this group.”
Her eyes are apologetic, but I can’t stand the pity right now. I just want to kill whoever is after Roslyn so I can have her back. All of her. They still own a piece of her right now, and I didn’t realize it until I saw how broken she is.
“Alyssa won’t be giving you the same ass-chewing we received,” Zee says as he hops up on the counter. “I’m fairly sure she called me a stupid jackass in every language. And I know we heard ‘I told you so’ more times than I can count. Kane’s eve
n more pissed because we upset her. Fucking. Hell.”
“But Thad gets off because he almost killed his girl’s mother?” Dice asks, ever the annoying interloper. “Makes sense. I’m sure losing the girl is punishment enough.”
When I grip the bottle in my hand tight enough for the glass to crack, Karma slaps Dice in the back of the head.
“The hell, woman?”
“Shh,” she hisses.
“It’s how I communicate!”
Chaz walks in, thankfully interrupting the weird argument, and he walks straight toward me.
“The glowing red blood. Did Roslyn say anything else about it?”
“Okay… Random. Right now we’re sort of trying to figure out a way to convince her to come here.”
Chaz shakes his head. “Believe me, this is much more important. Did she say anymore at all, Thad? Think.”
“No, dick. She didn’t. And it’s not more important than getting her back.”
“It is. If I’m right, this is all a lot worse than we could have even imagined. Did she mention any creatures that seemed different? Perhaps deformed or disfigured?”