Blood of the Pride (15 page)

“But there aren’t any children. None that we know of, to be fair.” Bran moved his hands off. “Pass the shampoo, please? I’m pretty rancid myself.”

“Right.” I handed the bottle back over my right shoulder.

Bran huffed and spat as the hot water splashed over my head. “Dang, you’re short.”

“Didn’t seem to matter to you before.” I tilted my head back to catch some of the water while he reached over and adjusted the showerhead.

“Horizontally is a whole different matter,” he murmured into my ear.

I sighed, pushing my mind back to work. “His wife is sworn to report any birth, even a miscarriage, to the Board. That way they can track the bloodlines and make sure that no one marries too close to each other.”

“Ah, the second cousin story.” He coughed. “Excuse me. So if you don’t report it, what happens?”

“You get found out eventually.” I pulled my hair around to my front and started squeezing some of the water out. “It’s something you can’t really keep secret. Imagine your family, a huge family of hundreds of people, and trying to keep your pregnancy a secret. Just doesn’t happen.”

“And what about half-breeds?” A stream of water shot over my left shoulder. “Sorry.”

“No prob.” I tilted my face upward, letting the hot water run over my face and neck. “It doesn’t happen.”

“How does it not happen?” Bran reached past me, turning the hot water dial. “From what I’ve seen you Felis enjoy sex. A lot.”

I chuckled as I rotated my shoulders, feeling the tension begin to lift. “It’s impossible. A Felis doesn’t have the ability to impregnate or be impregnated by a regular human.”

“Oh.” There was a slight trace of either disappointment or relief in his voice. I couldn’t tell which.

I chewed on my bottom lip, not wanting to open up that area of discussion right now. “It’s just that it’s never happened before, ever—no one knows if it’s a genetic thing or what. We haven’t been able to access the science to find out the exact reason behind it but there hasn’t ever been one to date. That’s why we allow family members to marry outside of the Pride. They can’t bring their mates to the farm, can’t ever have kits or really participate in the Pride’s daily life. It’s too tough for most of us.” I lifted up one foot then the other to flex my leg muscles. “That’s why most Felis stay in the circle, find our mates either within the Pride or visit other Prides to look for possibilities.”

“Talk about keeping it in the family.” He chuckled. “So how is Davis connected to Langley and through him to the killer?” Bran reached around me and started turning the large silver knobs. “You done?”

“Done and ready for a nap.” I yawned as the water disappeared, swirling down around our feet. “Let me sleep on it.”

“No problem.” He stepped out of the shower stall and grabbed a white fluffy towel. Gesturing me forward, he wrapped it around me and rubbed my arms. “Feeling better?”

“Totally.” I stood up on my tiptoes and kissed him. “It’s been a bad few days.”

“Well, I’d like to think not totally.” Bran grinned and picked up a second towel. “I won’t bother setting the alarm, it’d be too annoying.” His arms went around me again. “And, for the record I find your snoring very attractive.”

“I’ll remind you of that when you’re poking me in the ribs trying to make me stop.”

I woke up to see Jazz nose-to-nose with me, a line of drool running from her lower lip to the comforter tucked under my chin.

“Thanks.” I extracted a hand from under the blanket and poked the slim feline. “Now if you don’t mind…”

She stood, stretched her lanky frame in every direction possible and then strutted off over the bed—making sure to hit every sore spot on my body as well as tromping over Bran’s back and legs.

“Ugh,” he moaned into the pillow.

“Be thankful you weren’t sleeping on your back.” I rolled out of bed and checked the clock. “Almost four o’clock.”

“Morning or evening?” The mumbled response came.

“Evening. Afternoon. Whatever.” I opened one of the three old oaken wardrobes. “I might have to steal some of your clothing today.”

“Please do so.” He rolled onto his back and yawned, stretching his arms out to their full length. “We can go shopping later on or if you want, we can just buy online and have it delivered.”

I nodded, inspecting his clothing. Finally I settled on a pair of jeans. They rode low on my hips, and I rolled the legs up a few times. The white dress shirt was snug, but not too tight.

“I like you in my clothes—” Bran leered as he swung his feet around and sat up, “—even more when you go commando.”

My face scrunched up. “I’m not happy about it. Trust me, it’s more of an annoyance for us women than you guys.”

“I doubt that.” He stood up and arched back, letting out a loud yawn. “Especially those of us who have a lot to lose in that zipper, if you catch my drift.”

I turned, pursing my lips as I drew my eyes down his naked body. “Oh, I think you’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“Ooh…” Bran mimicked being stabbed in the chest. “You know how to hurt a guy.”

“You have no idea.” I rolled up the sleeves of the shirt and padded barefoot around the corner toward the kitchen. “Tea and toast sound good?”

“No Chinese left?”

“Not even a grain of rice.” I opened the refrigerator and glanced around the shelves. “Stocked nicely, I must admit.”

“Thanks. Have a full list delivered every two weeks.” Bran appeared at the marble island, tugging at a dark blue T-shirt with some obscure logo on it.

The phone rang. Bran scrambled for it, hopping over Jazz who instinctively lay down directly in his path.

“Hello?” His face went from playful to serious in a second. “Yes, she’s here.”

He passed me the phone and mouthed “Jess” with a scowl.

I put the phone to my ear. “Reb here.”

“Davis wants to talk to you,” Jess rumbled. “He’s down at St. Joseph’s Hospital.”

“He’s alive?” I couldn’t hide the surprise in my voice.

“You argued on his side, didn’t you? Now he wants to see you. Probably going to thank you.”

“You know it’s not that.” I returned the sarcasm, word for word. “It’s got something to do with Langley.”

“Langley?” Jess failed to hide the surprise in her voice. Or she didn’t care. “Is that who this is all about?”

“Yes and no.” I looked at my watch. “Where are you?”

“I’m at the hospital with Davis. We brought him here after the accident. You know how that farm machinery is.”

I rolled my eyes. “Good cover story. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Bran slid a plate of buttered toast across the island toward me, one eyebrow raised.

“And don’t bring the human,” Jess snarled. “You’re in enough trouble as it is.”

“What?” My blood pressure rose. “What the hell business is it of yours if I’m sleeping with a human? You practically disowned me years ago and only called me in to make sure no one else found out about your precious secret. Now you’re trying to run my life again? I don’t think so!” I slammed the phone down then picked it up again and tossed it across the room. It bounced three times, startling Jazz into turning around and finding a more comfortable spot on the leather couch.

“Why do I just feel like I’ve started dating the top cheerleader and I’m the geek working in the computer lab?” Bran placed a huge teapot on the table and slipped a tea towel under it. I stared at the monstrosity, the vibrant violets clashing with yellow pansies and something swirling off the handle that had to qualify it for Best of Show in some Antique Showcase somewhere. Bran laughed at my response. “My grandmother’s, before you say anything. Don’t bring it out too often. Don’t usually need more than a single cup.” He placed two mugs down beside it and nodded toward the phone, still lying on the other side of the room. “So…”

“Davis is alive and wanting to talk to me.” I picked up one of the pieces of toast and munched on it, my appetite returning with a rush. “Got any jam?”

“Grape. In a squeeze bottle.” Bran set the purple plastic container before me. He sat on a stool and faced me as he poured out the tea. “So…”

“And Jess doesn’t like me being with you. Go figure.” I spread the jam across the bread with a finger and then popped the jelly-covered digit into my mouth despite Bran’s raised eyebrow.

“I do have knives, you know. Butter knives. Made for spreading such things as jam. And peanut butter.” He didn’t move. “She can’t call you out or kill you or anything like that, right?”

I paused, seeing my confusion mirrored in his face. “Technically…I’m not sure.” I added a dash of milk to the tea from the small carton sitting on the table. “See, it’s not really
verboten
to be involved with a regular human. Like I said, you can marry them but it’s a strain on the Felis.”

“So…better to date them and keep a secret than go the whole way and let the secret out?”

“More or less.” There was a spot of jam on my knuckle, prompting me to lick it off. “Let’s just say that you’ve got to be darned serious before you get hauled to the farm and introduced to the family.”

“So how serious are we, then?” He stared at me, putting his mug to his mouth.

The blunt question caught me with my tongue half out of my mouth. Pulling it back into a suddenly dry crevasse I glanced down. “I’m not sure.”

It was the honest truth. I’d had my share of one-night stands but there had been only one man who had ever been worth telling my secret to and he was standing in front of me.

Bran held up his hands. “I’m sorry. This isn’t the right time to start this conversation.” He rolled the white ceramic mug around on its edge. “I tend to jump ahead of myself.”

“Yeah. Me too.” I scrambled for something to defuse the situation before I screwed it up even more. “We better get to the hospital.” I swallowed the rest of the toast, drinking my hot tea at breakneck speed with my eyes closed. I didn’t want to see Bran’s face.

“You feel up to driving?” I opened my eyes to see him smiling at me. “Or do you want me to take it?”

“I’ll be fine.” The relief in my voice was probably screaming out between the words. “Let’s just go and see what he wants.” I wagged a finger at Jazz. “You stay here and guard the place. You didn’t do such a good job on the last one, you know.”

She yawned, displaying her yellowed teeth. I took that as an affirmative.

There was an accident on Queen Street, forcing us down to King Street for the trip to St. Joseph’s. It actually wasn’t that far from my original house, no more than a half-hour or so, but considering my current address happened to be nowhere, it was far enough.

I smelled Jess before I saw her, the tall woman standing at the vending machines in the lobby. She turned toward me, her scarlet scar getting louder as she spotted Brandon beside me. Her jaw tensed when I approached. I might have saved Davis’s life but I had tweaked her honor.

“Where’s Davis?” I moved inside her personal space, letting her know I wasn’t going to be intimidated.

“He’s just recovering from some surgery.” The silver-haired woman reached down to pluck a paper cup of coffee from the small plastic holder. “Seems his face is pretty scratched up. Going to need a few more operations before he gets handsome again.” She sipped the hot coffee, her expression stoic.

“Strange how that happens, eh?” Brandon moved to stand beside me, a wry smile on his face. “Don’t think we’ve been properly introduced yet.” He offered his right hand. “Brandon Hanover.”

The challenge was evident. Alpha against alpha—the game never changed. Part of me wanted to relish Jess’s discomfort at being challenged by a stranger and part of me cringed at the thought of what Jess could do to Brandon. The hormones rolled out from both in impressive waves as Jess gripped the offered hand, her eyes locked with Bran’s.

I stood back and let them have at it. Better now in a public place than on the farm or worse, a back alley somewhere. If Bran could hold his own, it’d make things a whole lot easier. At least medical help was on hand.

A full two minutes later the lock was broken, both of them releasing their death hold at the same time. Jess nodded. “Good enough. Now let’s go see Davis.”

I glanced at Bran who beamed as if he’d won the lottery. I wasn’t sure if he’d learned this on the streets or in some book somewhere, but he had managed to maneuver that minefield better than some kits. He fell back exactly a full step behind Jess, acknowledging her authority as if the damned human had been fully briefed on how to deal with alphas.

There was another man outside the room, obviously one of the family. Whether he was there to make sure Davis stayed put or to make sure no one else attacked him, I wasn’t sure. The blond nodded at Jess as we walked by him, only raising an eyebrow at Bran and me. Good training.

The hospital room was the typical antiseptic haven with a single bed set by the window, the bars on the windows strategically placed to not make it look as if the staff was afraid of the patient jumping out. There were no flowers, nothing to show that anyone occupied this room other than the man lying in the bed.

Davis looked like the classic Claude Raines version of the Invisible Man, bandages wrapped around his head so tightly I wondered if he could even hear.

“Rebecca.” The muffled voice came out from between lips hidden under layers. “Thanks for coming.”

My first instinct was to put my hand out toward his. He raised his right hand and gripped mine, a weak, limp effort. I sat on the edge of the bed. “No problem.” My gaze stayed fixed on his, not willing to show my fear at his appearance. He could probably scent it on me but I wasn’t going to give it away.

“I’ll be outside.” Jess looked from me to Brandon to Davis. “We’ll talk later.” She strode outside without looking back.

Bran swallowed loudly, leaning against the wall with arms crossed. I tried to ignore him and focused on the man in front of me.

“I’m glad you’re alive.” It was true, even if I despised him for what he had done. I had never been so mad to want someone dead.

“Thanks to you.” His eyes were sad and dark. “I’m an idiot.”

“That’s for sure,” Bran mumbled. He put his hands up before I could respond. “Sorry, sorry. I’m just going to stand here and look pretty.”

Davis looked at Bran then back at me. “He’s right. I put my own wishes ahead of the good of the Pride and that was wrong.”

“You killed Ruth.” I tried to keep the hatred out of my voice. I probably failed. “You killed her when all she was trying to do is help me solve a case you asked me to work on.”

Davis reached up with one covered finger and scratched the tip of his nose or where it would be under the bandages. “You know how many surgeries I’m going to have to undergo before I can even show my face in public?”

“More than ten?” I couldn’t help sounding cheerful. “You know how long it’s going to take to put my place back together after you ripped it apart?” It was a shot in the dark.

His head dipped. “Don’t make this harder than it is, please. You may have saved my life, but it’s not really going to be worth living at this rate.”

I shifted my legs. “Why did you get so upset about Ruth sending me the files? What do you have to do with Langley?”

His eyes registered surprise, enough to bring Bran off the wall. “Frank? What do you know about Frank?” Davis grabbed my wrist. “What do you know?”

“I know that somehow he’s related to the Felis who killed Janey. And who trashed my house.” I didn’t pull away despite Bran’s nervous eyebrow twitches. “Tell me what you know.” I pulled my fingers into fists. “You owe me a life-debt.”

“That I do.” He released my wrist and sighed as he fell back onto the pile of hospital-issue pillows at his back. “First, I have to tell you that I never thought it would come to this. I thought you’d just check into things, give us a fat bill and be done with it.” His eyes flashed to Brandon. “I thought you were…less than capable in this area.”

“You thought I was more of a misfit.” I leaned forward. “That’s it, isn’t it? While Jess had confidence in me you figured that I was too degraded as a Felis and too crappy as an investigator to hunt this guy down.” My face grew hot. “Yet here I am, here you are and one of us isn’t going to be worried about dressing up for Halloween. Two kids are without their mother and a husband is mourning his wife and wondering what she did to deserve being attacked in a dark alley.” My tone went low and dark. “And don’t think that I’m that helpless.” I lifted my hands and shoved my knuckles toward him, displaying the new scars. “Think I could undo all that hard work?” I flexed my fingers. “Think anyone would mind?” My tongue flicked out to wet my lips, my heart pounding faster. “Think they’d be able to stop me? Think they’d try?”

Bran’s hand was on my shoulder. “Reb.” The single word brought me back from the edge of my rage. I slid off the bed, standing at the foot.

“Tell me what connection you have to Frank Langley and Frank Langley to the killer.” I jerked my thumb at the door. “Or I’ll let Jess get it out of you.”

A shudder ran through him at the mention of Jess’s name. Obviously the beating had been worse than I had thought. “Okay, okay.” He put up both hands. “Just put in a good word for me with Jess.”

“I’m not going to promise anything. I saved your life. Don’t make me regret it.” After a few minutes of silence, I rapped the footboard, rattling the bed. “The clock is ticking.”

He took a deep breath, glancing at the door. “Frank and I were crib brothers.” Davis looked at Bran. “You probably don’t understand that, but it’s like being raised with a lot of brothers and sisters. You feel a sort of bloodship with them, something you just don’t grow out of.” A sharp cough burst out of the bandages. “On our first hunt we tracked a buck. Damned thing turned out to be a twelve-pointer, charged at us. I froze, Frank pushed me to one side and saved my life.” His fingers rose and fell on the crisp white sheet. “We took it down but I owed him.” He shook his head. “You never forget friends and family.”