Azriel, the quiet intellectual one of the brothers, shook his head. "He's a stubborn S.O.B. He thinks we're all safer without him, he'll stay away, mate or no mate."
Rex stood. His hair had grown long in the year since Faith had come to Westervelt. All of the brothers were dark haired, but Rex's was like midnight. There was no other color to his hair and eyes. "I'll go get him. He'll come back whether he wants to or not."
"One of you will end up dead." Tristan shook his head. "I'm not even sure having Theo back is the safe and smart thing. His mind...I can only imagine how deranged he's gotten. He thought he'd been shot at but Faith didn't scent anyone anywhere."
Silence met Tristan's declaration. Faith's hands clenched and her jaw tightened. How dare they doubt him so profoundly? She'd only met him for moments and despite whatever doubts she'd initially had, she already knew whatever he might be, an absolute lunatic he was not.
"I'll go and ask him if he wants to go back." Seconds after she made that announcement she wasn't sure why she had. All eyes stared at her. Clearing her throat, she continued. "And if he doesn't want to or if I judge him insane, although I doubt that, then I will remain there with him." She had to hope that he was as lucid as she'd found him to be, considering the promise she'd just made. Faith spoke her words through gritted teeth. Wanting no argument, and suddenly not feeling quite as submissive to Tristan, Faith turned on her heel and walked with determination from the room.
Behind her she heard Ashlee sigh. "You just goaded her into doing that, didn't you?"
Tristan's baritone voice answered as she turned the corner. "Sometimes a person has to want to do what they should want to do."
So she'd just been manipulated by her Alpha. There was no time to dwell on it. She had to go find her mate, find out if he was insane, and if he was she had to find a way to live with it.
Chapter Three
Theo ran through the woods. He couldn't get caught unawares again. Whoever had pursued him had been crafty and disguised his scent, a trick Theo used to teach people to do. Hell, maybe he'd instructed the would-be assassin in the technique. He wouldn't be fooled by his own skill set.
He sniffed the ground, and the scents wafted through his bloodstream showing him pictures of what had been there before him. Three deer had crossed here not an hour earlier.
Let's go get the deer. It's time for a good chase.
Theo scoffed. We have no time for hunting prey. Someone is out here, they are our only objective.
But that's human concerns. I thought you were all wolf now.
He hated to be called out on his inconsistencies and nobody did it more often or in a more aggravating manner than his wolf. We'll get back to being a wolf. I still owe our Alpha allegiance and for him I will find whoever this person is.
His wolf snorted. I'm bored. I want to go find our mate. She smelled like home.
We can't go home. I'm not safe around anybody in the pack but especially not the children.
We saved the children.
His wolf sounded furious at the presumption of being unsafe to his niece and nephew. They had, indeed, saved Braden from the flying demons which was how his nephew was still alive and why he, Theo Kane, would-be second-in-command to their Alpha, was now living like an animal out in the woods.
Theo sighed. He'd grown up knowing nothing was fair. Out of all of the brothers, he'd been most likely to earn the back of Kendrick's hand to his face or the cold heel of his boot to his gut. He'd never complained about his treatment. His brothers had each been beat down in different ways and had he dared to tell their mother, it would have placed her in graver danger than he was in himself. While everyone else had thought Kendrick a god, he'd seen right through him, which was probably what earned him the whipping boy position in the first place.
Now the problem was that either the poison had distorted his brain or, as a much less palatable option, he had simply grown into his father's son. He couldn't escape genetics. Theo shook his head. He wasn't Alpha. His lunacy didn't have to infect the entire pack. That's why he'd taken himself out in the first place and that's why he'd stay out. A twig snapped and he whirled around.
"Let's get something straight. If we have any chance of making this work, you're going to have to spend more time in human form and less time in your wolf clothes, as impressive as they might be."
Theo jumped back on his rear paws and snarled. He prepared to attack when he recognized the voice. His mate. She stood five foot four inches tall, every curve on her female, and snarled right back at him. The wolf sound came out of her dainty mouth as she curled her upper lip in what could only be described as sheer disgust.
Damn, she was sexy.
He called the shift onto himself, the warm white light of transformation filling the air for a moment before he stood up on two feet.
Clearing his throat, he tried to smile. "What makes you think I want this to work? I distinctly remember instructing you to stay away from me."
She waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "Yes, I recall. You're a monster come to life or something like that. Trust me, I've seen monsters, and I've seen them come to life. You are not that. Whatever you are, it is entirely different."
"Seems a little presumptuous to me; you're making that assumption after so brief an association." Why the hell was he arguing with her?
"I am presumptuous. That is one of my many traits but I'm also almost always right so you'll get used to it." She moved forward, looking back at him over her right shoulder. "Come along then."
Theo shook his head. "I'm not following you, I'm dangerous."
"And possibly deluded, yes I know, but I still need you to come with me."
What the hell was wrong with this woman? Had she no sense of danger? Begrudgingly, he followed her if for no other reason than to make sure she made it where she was going safely since he couldn't trust her survival instincts to keep her out of trouble. Certainly, he could keep himself from killing her that long.
They walked a short distance in silence finally reaching a clearing where he saw a campsite. A modern, all-amenities-included looking tent sat in the center next to an unlit fire pit. Two large locked coolers and an animal-safe food storage box sat to the left of the tent. He'd seen this type of outdoor equipment before, the house disguising itself as a collapsible shelter probably had running water. An outdoorsman she obviously was not.
He raised an eyebrow. "Not real keen on roughing it are you?"
"I like to be prepared for all eventualities but I'm not spoiled if that's what you're worried about. I can make do in almost any circumstance."
She walked to the fire; pulling out a match, she lit a piece of newspaper inside of the pit until it caught. The bright orange of the flame grabbed his attention and for a moment he was content to watch it burn. Finally, when it had ignited the piece of wood next to it he turned his attention back to the brunette beauty in front of him.
By this time she'd put on clothes and he was more than a little disappointed about it. She wore plain khaki pants with a black turtleneck and hiking boots. Laid out on a large log next to the first he saw a fleece jacket. Obviously not stupid, she'd prepared for the weather. He smirked, not to mention the tent probably had heat.
She sat down on the log and patted the seat next to her. Did she expect him to sit there? He narrowed his eyes.
"I'm Faith and I don't bite, at least not when I'm in this form." She giggled at her own joke and he grinned for a moment before forcing the smile off his face.
"It's going to get really cold out here and I'm naked so I think I'll shift into my wolf before I come over there."
Safe and cozy in all of his fur, he'd better be able to put a distance between them both physically and mentally.
She shook her head and stood. "I anticipated this problem. No shifting needed." Walking into the tent, she emerged a moment later holding a duffel bag. "Rex got these from your room for me. Funny, I always considered myself an observant person but I must have pas
sed your residence ten times a day every day and never wondered whose quarters they were. I guess I always assumed they were empty." She shrugged and handed him the bag.
Holding the bag in his hand, he froze. Inside of the green case was the first step to reclaiming a life he'd sworn he would leave. Clothes. Wearing them signified civilization and civilization meant people. That's where the problem lay. He was not at all safe for the people part.
She narrowed her eyes as she watched him and he wondered just how much of his inner musings she'd been able to discern.
Probably more than you imagine. She is, after all, our mate.
"Look, don't make a bigger deal of the clothes than they are. When I leave here, you never need see them again if you don't want to. Okay?"
That was fair. He supposed it was no big deal to dress for one conversation for one evening. Quickly and silently, he pulled the clothes out of the bag and put the coverings on himself. The sweatpants and sweatshirt were cotton but they still itched his skin, which was not at all used to fabric touching it. He tried not to pull on his clothes like a child.
She patted the log again. "Come sit. It's warm here."
He obliged and had to admit she was correct. It was warm but he didn't think it had anything to do with the fire and everything to do with the woman, whose body heat could be called molten, next to him.
"So your name is Faith?"
"Yep." She smiled brightly. "I like to say you can have a little of it in me."
"You're going to have to go slowly on the puns. I haven't communicated with anyone in a month and even then it was just to give a woods report to Tristan."
She tapped her foot on the ground in what looked like an unconscious gesture. "Ooh, woods reports to Tristan, sounds stimulating."
Theo had looked forward to his woods reports. It had been nice to see his brother's face once a month if nothing else and his wolf had needed to see its Alpha.
"So here's what I know about you, Theo Kane, and it's not much because as of yesterday I didn't know you'd ever been born." She cleared her throat. "You are the younger brother of Tristan, the direct younger brother. Since Tristan is third born, that would make you fourth. In fact, you guys are less than a year apart, a very weird thing for wolf shifters of the royal line considering that your parents don't age. Your two oldest brothers are fifty years apart and that's normal." Her face brightened as she thought of something else. "But you're not to worry, it's becoming much more common. Ashlee and Tristan had the first two pups and now they're going to have a third all in four years so you'll be in good company."
Theo's head shot up. "She's pregnant again? God, Braden is what? Almost four, right? And that would make Virginia almost three. They certainly like to make babies."
"Um-hmm." She nodded. "And Summer too."
"Cullen has procreated?" Scary thought.
"Yes, the boogey man is mellowing a little bit everyday. Of course, I never knew him as the scary dude you all think he is. The first time I saw Cullen he was strapped to a table being tortured by your father so my opinion of him may be somewhat skewed."
The mention of his father dampened Theo's mood considerably. Would his family have to hunt him down to stop him from torturing people? Faith grabbed his arm.
"Everything about your body language and face just changed in front of my eyes. Which part upset you? The mention of Cullen or the mention of your father or something else?"
Why did she even care? He stood. Couldn't this woman see what damaged goods he was? Did she have some sort of death wish?
You're going to have to speak in some form if you want me to hear you. I prefer out loud but I've adjusted to this form of communication too if you'd prefer it.
Theo fell backwards, so startled by the sound of her voice in his head. It was like butterfly wings brushing over his brain, soothing and gentle. He hadn't been prepared for it. Hitting the ground hard, he immediately jumped to his feet refusing to look embarrassed or humiliated.
Faith leapt up. "Are you okay?"
"Yes. I'm not used to talking in either form."
"Evidently." Faith walked to him and immediately started brushing dirt off him. He had to grin; it was a completely female thing to do. Men just didn't go around brushing dirt off of one another. "So which was it? Your Dad or something else?"
"I'm not well, Faith." Saying her name out loud was like uttering a prayer. It felt spiritual and all consuming. "Either the acid from the demon attack damaged my brain or I'm built just like him."
"You're a power hungry megalomaniac? Come on, let's eat." She walked into the tent and once again emerged with a container.
He sniffed the air and picked up the scent of chicken and salad. His mouth watered. It had been a long time since he'd eaten something he hadn't had to kill and he never cooked so the venison or rabbit was always raw.
"I love chicken."
"I know, I asked around about you before I came. I figured I was basically going to have to bribe you to come here and talk to me so I might as well have your favorite things around. There's a music player in there with Frank Sinatra on it. I can put it on it you'd like."
He smiled and rubbed his face. His scar ached, not used to so much talking and smiling, the skin was tight. It throbbed heavily. Hoping she didn't notice, he continued with the conversation. "I'm a little older than you so it's actually very modern of me to like him. I was young when he was popular, even though now it makes me seem old."
"You are older than me but not as much as you think you are."
He stared at her. She didn't look a day over thirty but that was to be expected as neither did he. Unmated shifters stopped aging at thirty until they met their other halves. Cullen had looked thirty for three hundred years although now he'd start to age. Theo had always hated the idea of eternal youth. Maybe it made him strange but with the look of growing older, came the respect of being considered wise. No one gave a thirty-year-old guy much credit.
Another reason he was glad not to be Alpha. Tristan and Ashlee as the Alpha pair would look eternally the ages they were when they met. That meant Ashlee would look twenty-two until she and Tristan stepped down for one of their children to take over the position.
"Where did your mind go? You didn't even ask me how old I am." She seemed disappointed and he realized he failed at this getting to know you stuff.
"Shall I guess, then?"
"If you think you can." The light of the fire was enough he could see her eyes twinkled.
"So obviously you're not thirty. Unless your mother was pregnant with you when she left, unlikely because it was only the unmated females who left, I would have remembered a grown-up you leaving the island. Although, I guess that doesn't make sense both because if you'd been thirty or even twenty, we would have been mated, and I would have killed you."
"Kind of sick how we all chart time based on the massacre but you are correct. However, I can't say if I knew you or not as I blocked out everything to do with my life before I went to the foster home. It's only started to come back to me since I've been on the island."
"How is that even possible?"
"Long story that I might tell you when we know each other better." She shrugged. "Anyway, good logic so far." She seemed relieved when she said that as if she'd been waiting to see if his brain functioned.
He stood up, always feeling clearer when he moved around. "Three years have passed since the thirty year anniversary. So you were under twenty-three when you left."
"Way under." She laughed and he was shocked to see she enjoyed this.
"Don't help me." He gave her a look that was part-amusement, part mock annoyance.
"Okay." She pantomimed zipping her lips. "I won't give anymore clues."
"If you had been between the ages of say fifteen and twenty-three I would at least remember you. Maybe that makes me weird but I like to think as security I paid attention to the preteens slash teenage slash young adult people in the pack."
"Fair enough."
/> "Since you're too old to have been conceived off island after the fall that would make you between one year old and fifteen when you left which would make you somewhere between thirty-one and forty-five now."
"Ah, but I've told I'm older than I look."
"Okay between thirty-five and forty-five then."
She stood up and clapped. "Good work Theo. Care to place a guess on an exact age?"
He had no idea. "Forty?"
"On my next birthday."
"Which is when?" He was genuinely curious. Not that he could buy her a gift or anything in the state in which he currently lived.
"Three months from now."
The bullet flew by him and he barely heard it until it cracked into the log where they had been sitting. He threw Faith to the ground, blocking her from harm as he raised his head to see if he could sniff out the perpetrator.
"Theo, what the hell is wrong with you?" She shoved at his shoulders, asking for release.
He could see nothing in the dark and still there was no scent to guide him. He wanted to throw something. "Quiet woman, we are perhaps better camouflaged in the dark. When I say run, we are gong to move from the fireside. Can you shift while you run yet?"
"You saw me shift under water. Shifting on the go is nothing. But, hold on a second, run from what?"
Had she seriously missed the whole thing? "The man who is shooting at us."
"Theo, no one is doing that."
"Did you somehow miss the bullet that whizzed between us?" Really, it was too bizarre for words that she didn't know the danger they were in.
"No one shot at us. I promise you, I would hear and see a bullet."
He sat up. Was it possible? Had he imagined the whole thing? That was worse than there being actual danger out there. It meant he'd crossed over a line he couldn't go back over.
Faith sat up, her eyes bore into his. After a moment's pause, she spoke. "Show me."