Angelic Avenger (18 page)

“This could go very bad for all of us, Gavin. You know that. I don’t play by anyone else’s rules but my own and I’d hate to have to start killing off my friends because some wacky zealot wants to be a revolutionary.”

Honesty was the best policy, right? His gaze hardened. Damn. He was on the other side of the fence. This was about to go very bad for me.

“Spoken like someone who lives in ideals instead of reality.”

“Are you a natural wolf?”

The question surprised him. He cocked his head, his face softening with intrigue and curiosity.

“Yes. I am. What does that have to do with anything, really?”

“Okay, think about this. You’ve always been what you are. Hiding the duality of your nature was taught to you from the cradle. That has to chafe. I wasn’t born like this. I had a life before this, but I died. Now, I have to hide twice as hard as the rest of you because I chose to come back to the city I lived because I love it here. I still run into people I knew in life at various places. I get what the problem is. You want to be
you
and think the mortal population should accept you for it.”

Something passed on his face. I had his attention. Now, if I could only stack the deck in my favor, I’d be set.

“You act as if there’s nothing wrong with the desire, but you’ll be the one they send to end the threat of exposure.”

“There isn’t anything wrong with it, Gavin. It’s a very pretty ideal, but it’s like communism or socialism. It looks perfectly logical on paper, but doesn’t work in practice. You’re forgetting one very important point.”

“And what is that, Ms. Morrison?”

Damn. Back to the last name and here I thought I had been gaining ground.

“People.” Confusion made him furrow his brow and I pressed my advantage. “They don’t handle things they can’t understand. More importantly, they tend to kill things that scare them. We can sit here all day and go over species that are now extinct because humans feared them. Hell, they slaughtered the marsupial wolf because they thought they were werewolves. What do you think they’ll do to the real deal?”

“They’ll adjust.” Doubt crept into his tone. He was listening.

“No, they won’t. You are leading your nation to slaughter. Kings don’t do that. They need to think beyond the pretty pictures and read the fine print. Holding a freakin’ press conference and announcing you’re here and been living under their noses all these years will create panic.”

“What makes you so sure that is how it will be?” Doubt was replaced by defiance. If I’d been looking for an ally, Gavin Danford would have been on the list on sheer strength of loyalty, if nothing else. Too bad the bad guys had gotten to him first.

“Simple. I have the one advantage over you on this. I’ve been human. I very nearly freaked when I found out about you after I died. I know I would have freaked if I’d found out about you when I’d been alive. This isn’t a battle you want to walk into.”

“If they don’t send you after us first, you mean?”

“Honestly? I’m hoping genocide isn’t in the equation. If you go forward with this, that’s what’s going to happen. You’ll be choosing your sentence. You’ll be dead, either way, if it’s by the mortals or the avengers. I like you. I’d really hate to have to kill you.”

Silence stretched between us and he lightly strummed his fingers over the table. I let him think. Craig was still as a statue beside me, his arm slung over my shoulders and his body pressed against my side. If he could have crawled
inside,
he probably would have. Reaching up, I twined my fingers into his, as much for my comfort as his. I had banked his life on the fact Gavin was smarter than the average wolf. I’m not usually wrong about these things, but now would be a bad time to be the exception.

“Very valid points, Bella,” Gavin said slowly. “Unfortunately, I fear it’s gone beyond logic. The movement is gathering steam all across the country. It may already be too late to stop the end result.”

“Just how deep are you in it? More importantly, how deep have you gotten our wolves?”

“
Our
wolves?” He raised a brow at my wording, but I met his look with one of my own. My look said that I was holding him accountable to every soul I had to take in this mess. I hope he understood it.

“This is my city, so yeah. Your wolves are under my direct influence. Kevin and I had an understanding. He understood the greater good and we worked well together. I should have come to you sooner, but was mistakenly under the impression that you needed the time to work out your own power base without interference from the old guard.”

“You were his justice?”

He was surprised, I think. I couldn’t tell what emotion ran through his voice because he chose that moment to let me know how strong he was magically. His power rolled over my senses and it was a conscious decision not to flinch away from it.

“No, not his justice as in he used me as the boogie-man. We both understand the laws. Situations that warranted justice were swiftly dealt with. If it broke one of the Council laws, that justice fell to me. He simply turned them over to the convening authority.”

Something
brushed against my mind. I fought to keep my face bland as I countered the mind probe. The evidence was there even though my mind refused to accept the impossible. Gavin Danford was psychic. Natural shifters didn’t carry extra psychic abilities. The magic of one canceled out the other. There was only one explanation. He wasn’t purebred.

“Which was it? Your mother or your father that was turned?”

“My mother.”

He didn’t even seem fazed that I picked up on it. The final piece of the puzzle snapped in place.

“I assume it wasn’t voluntary?”

“No.”

“Can I have the story?”

I was being nosy, but if I didn’t know, it would eat at me. I had to know the how and why of puzzles. It was going to get me killed for real one day.

“Why?”

His puzzlement was plain. I smiled sweetly and decided on the truth.

“Because I’ve been sitting here trying to understand how such a smart king was suckered into a plan that would lead his entire nation to slaughter. Humor me. I’d like to understand this.”

He narrowed his eyes, but leaned back and stared at the ceiling.

“She was a biologist doing her research in saving the wolves. Imagine that. She was trying to do the same thing you are.” His chuckle held no humor. “One of my father’s wolves wanted to turn her, but he rejected the petition. The petitioning wolf snuck into her camp one night and bit her, anyway. He left her and fled the territory. My father went and helped her through her first change. He took her to mate because he couldn’t bear to do what needed to be done.”

People who were involuntarily turned and couldn’t handle what they had become were generally granted a painless execution. Obviously, Gavin’s mother hadn’t appreciated her dark gift. His father had installed himself as her jailer because he couldn’t bear to be her executioner. Brave man. Stupid, but brave nonetheless.

“She settled out a bit after my brothers were born. By the time I came along, she’d come to terms with it. Every family holiday, she would lecture about how important it was for us to keep the beast inside so her dear parents wouldn’t find out our terrible secret. She was terrified of what they would think of their darling grandsons if they knew we howled at the moon.”

“Do you? Howl at the moon? None of my friends will tell me unless they’re teasing me about it.”

He let out a bark of laughter as if he’d not bared his soul. That he’d trusted me enough to tell me gave me hope. Of course, it would have been a simple thing for me to track down his family and ask myself. He’d saved me a little legwork.

“Only if I’m feeling frisky, Bella, love. Only if I’m feeling frisky.”

“Good to know. You can outrun me. Now, when’s our favorite madman coming to town?”

“What makes you think he will be visiting?”

“Simple. Things are heating up and he can’t possibly have that many kings on his picket line. He’ll be wanting to push as many points as he can so the fervor for war is there when he comes out of the closet.”

“Bella, my dear, I can’t decide if you’re that logical or just that scary. I think I like you, though. If we make it through this, we’ll have to become better acquainted.”

“Better acquainted as in friends, you’re on. I’ve got enough men in my life.”

I winked as I gave him a roguish grin. Somehow, the dangerous moment had passed and the night was looking up. We’d lived through it.

“I’m not at all surprised. Be at the Playground tomorrow night after six. I’ll arrange a meeting.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that. Is there a message you want me to relay?”

“Yeah, there is. Tell him that we need to talk before he gets everyone killed.”

He blinked in surprise. “Is that what you truly want me to tell him?”

My respect for him grew. We were on opposing sides of a crisis, but he was giving me a chance to not be rash. I didn’t take it, of course, but it was nice that he’d offered.

“No. Tell him I need to talk to him before he’s stupid enough to get everyone killed for his own high ideals.”

Craig snorted and Gavin laughed outright. Yeah, ending potentially life threatening encounters with laughter is exactly the right way to end the evening. He nodded his head in acknowledgement and even stood up when I slid out of the booth like a gentleman. Dragging Craig by the hand, I made for the door while the exit option was still on the table.

Chapter Sixteen

We let ourselves into my apartment quietly, knowing Gray and Lizzy would be fast asleep. Foras sat on the couch with the remote in his hand, watching a movie while Ben lounged in my reading chair with a paperback. Both men looked up with nearly identical scowls. Somehow, I wasn’t surprised to discover Ben liked spy novels or that both men weren’t happy about the cat coming home with me.

What a shock, one more battle with the male egos currently invading my life. To be fair, I had tried to drop Craig off at his apartment, but he’d had none of it.

“They know who I am, Bella. You have no idea what they’ll do to me when your back is turned. They’ll eat me. Can you live with that on your conscious?”

Truth? I wasn’t sure if he was being overly dramatic or not and wasn’t sure if I was ready to take the chance on it. So, instead of arguing, I brought him home. Hell, my apartment was already over-run, why not add one more? He was at least entertaining.

“Which way to the bed? I think I can sleep for a week. Hanging out with you is hazardous to my health by the stress level alone.” He smiled innocently enough as he sauntered through the living room, stopping to survey the apartment. “Very nice place. I like your taste.”

“Thank you,” Foras and I answered together. Surprise flashed through Craig’s face, but his cheeky grin never wavered.

“Foras did it all when I wasn’t looking, so the credit goes to him.”

“Nice to know he has a good eye for decorating.” Something about the way he said it made both men narrow their eyes at him. It took me a minute to get the reference and I couldn’t contain the laughter. Great, just great. I bring the cougar home to protect him from the wolves, so he goes angel baiting. I would have thought he was smarter than that.

“Bed?” Craig ignored them and looked at me with his face full of hope.

“The bed’s taken,” Gray growled as he leaned against the doorway to the bedroom. I blinked at the sight of his boxers slung low across his hips and his dark hair tousled from sleep. Making a note to get the man some pajamas, I stepped around Craig to walk over to slide my arms around that perfect body. After the night I had, I needed the hug as much as I wanted to reassure him that I knew exactly who I was sleeping with.

“Hey, I’m sure it’s big enough for one more.”

Did I mention there was something about the feline gene that didn’t know when to stop?

“Don’t even think about it.” I turned in his arms to stare at my very uninvited guest. “You invited yourself here. Make yourself comfortable. Cats can sleep anywhere, right? Find a spot on the rug and make yourself at home.”

“Don’t I even get a pillow and a blanket?”

He tried to look pathetic, but I’d been around him enough in the last two days to know the act.

“Hall closet and don’t wake up the little girl in the second bedroom. We’re going to bed.”

I pushed Gray into the bedroom and closed the door behind us. We left Craig to the mercy of the other invaders to sort out where everyone would end up.

“Why did you bring him here?”

Gray’s voice was tired, but not petulant or jealous. Maybe that was because he knew Craig well enough to know he was all talk and no action. Okay, maybe he would have been action if I had been willing, but I wasn’t. The line had very firmly been drawn. Teasing and flirting were fine and fun, but that was the end of the tolerance level.

“Tonight went badly and he was afraid the wolves were going to eat him, so I didn’t want to leave him without someone at his back until we know how bad the fallout is going to be.”

I sighed as I wrapped my arms back around him, finding equal comfort when he gave in to the hug. He smelled good, like warm flannel. Okay, maybe it was a bad analogy, but that’s what popped into my mind. He was still warm from sleep and relaxed. It was as if nothing mattered beyond the door. There were no rogue angels or revolutionary shifters. It was just us and the quiet comfort of our own little world. Impulsively kissing his chest, I smiled at his sharp intake of breath.

“I’m going to grab a quick shower and put on my pajamas. Think you can rustle up a shirt?”

“Do I have to?” His voice was rough from something other than sleep. The possibilities made my skin tingle, but I stood firm. Tightening his arms around me, he pulled me close enough so I understood exactly what he was thinking, too.

“Yeah,” I whispered, but allowed the regret to show in my voice. “Remember what I said about the noise? Well, it still applies. No offense, but I don’t think I want to give Craig any more fodder for his rather twisted sense of humor. With a little luck, we can have him farmed out to someone by tomorrow night. We can see if we can’t bribe the boys into taking Lizzy to a movie or something.”