Blood Rule (Book 4, Dirty Blood series) (30 page)

“
So you really are working
for both sides?” George asked.

“
I protect humans from
monsters. Whatever side that puts me on.”

It made sense. Showing up in the limo
with Grandma. All the clandestine talk of spying and internal
takedowns and a war coming. Alex really was playing both sides. The
problem was, he’d played me too.

George scowled. “You can’t be on both
sides,” he said. “Sooner or later, you have to pick one. Oh, wait,
looks like you did.”

“
What is that supposed to
mean?” Alex asked.

“
It means you called Kane
and told him about a jackpot of hybrids, armed everyone to the
teeth, and stormed the castle,” I said.

“
Dammit, Tara, you make it
sound so cold. Like it’s all about killing things.”

“
Isn’t it?”

“
No.” His nostrils flared
as he exhaled. “It was about you. Getting you and Cord out. I
needed you to be safe.”

I could’ve argued all day about his
motivations—George looked like he was about to—but I needed to hear
the rest. I put a hand up to silence George. “Fine. Me safe. Got
it. Go on.”

“
I gave Kane the location,
explained the situation. He set up the team. It was only supposed
to be an extraction, Tara, I swear to you. That was the
agreement.”

“
An extraction,” I
repeated. He nodded. “Tell me again why you had to knock George
out.”

“
I knew he was tracking
you through the bond and I didn’t want him and the others walking
in on the strike team. I was trying to control all the
variables.”

“
Control all the
variables? I’m not the one making this sound cold.”

“
So, you snuck into camp,
clocked me, and left?” George asked before Alex could
respond.

“
Basically.”

“
What did you use?” George
asked.

“
Huh?”

“
The weapon that you hit
me with, what was it?”

“
The blunt side of a metal
stake. What does that have to do with anything?”

“
Where did you get the
stake, soldier?”

We all turned to look at Astor. He
hovered a few yards away, hands in his pockets. He leaned forward,
suddenly very interested in the conversation he’d been ignoring
until now.

“
Uh. It was in a bag they
had at their camp. Why?”

Astor shook his head and swatted a
hand through the air.

“
What’s wrong?” I
asked.

“
Unbinilium,” he
said.

“
Unbi—what?” Alex
said.

George and I shared a look. “Explain,”
I said to Astor. “This time for real.”

He took a step closer, then another,
shuffling awkwardly as he stared at Alex. “What are they feeding
you?”

“
Who?”

“
In there,” Astor said,
gesturing to the hospital. “What sort of concoction do they have
you on?”

“
No idea. Antibiotics and
fluid, I think.”

“
And before?” Astor
asked.

“
Before what?”

“
Before she bit
you.”

“
Nothing. I take a
vitamin. That’s all.”

“
Where does it come
from?”

“
Kane hands it out. All
the recruits take it.”

“
Of course they do.” Astor
looked at me. “Placebo,” he stage whispered. He turned back to
Alex. “And how do you feel right now?”

“
Um, good?”

“
Right, right. Tara, how
does he feel right now?”

“
How should I
know?”

“
Ugh.” Aston grunted and
walked away.

“
What the hell was that
about?” Alex asked.

“
I have no idea.” I
searched my mind for some voice that wasn’t George’s or Emma’s,
some feeling I couldn’t match with their mental signature, but
found none. It was only them inside my head.

“
Strange guy,” Alex
said.

“
You have no idea,” George
agreed.

“
Tara, we need to go,” Wes
called. He didn’t move from the bench, but his foot tapped
incessantly.

“
George, can I have a
minute?” I said.

“
Fine,” George said. “I
guess that’s as close to an explanation as we’ll get.”

“
What do you mean
‘close’?” Alex demanded. “That was the truth.”

“
You expect me to believe
that you, Wood Point’s most badass Werewolf slayer,” he drew out
the words dramatically, “called in the strike team and honestly
thought it would only be an extraction? Oh, and I forgot the part
where I get hit in the head for my own safety. Right. Absolute
honesty, man. Most of all with yourself. Come on, Emma, let’s go
wait with the others.”

Alex let them go without a
word.

“
Can we walk?” I
asked.

“
Sure.”

I fell into step beside him, keeping
my pace slow, partly for Alex’s benefit and partly my own. Unlike
Wes, I wasn’t in a hurry to end the visit.

“
You’re not going to set
him straight?” I asked.

“
No point. You all believe
what you want. My words don’t change a thing.”

“
They might. For
me.”

Alex snorted.

“
I’m serious,” I said, my
voice rising. “For weeks, I sat by your bed, holding your hand,
talking to you, practically begging you to wake up so I
could—”

“
Could what?” he
prompted.

A smile tugged at the corners of my
mouth as I finished, “So I could yell at you.”

“
Huh. And how’s that
working out for you?”

“
Fantastic.”

We both grinned.

“
Lucky for me, your temper
packs the punch of a newborn circus kitten,” he said. “And besides,
being angry now is like double jeopardy.”

“
How is that?”

“
You already tried to kill
me. I’d say that makes us even.”

“
Alex, about that.” I
couldn’t even laugh at his joke. The memory of it was still too
cutting.

“
Don’t worry. I’m
fine.”

“
I know that but … There’s
something else you should know.”

“
Why do I have a feeling
you’re about to make us not even again?”

I couldn’t look at him as I said the
words. If I did, they’d never come. “When I bit you … You were
dying, Alex. Like, truly dying. Shock. Seizures. The whole thing.
There was nothing to be done.”

I broke off, hating my next words. Not
for me. For him. He was going to be pissed.

“
So? What did you do?
Obviously something, because here I am.” He poked himself in the
ribs as proof. I didn’t smile and his expression clouded. “Tara,
say it already.”

“
I didn’t know if it would
even work,” I said. “But it worked on them and on George and—I gave
you my blood.”

His brow furrowed in momentary
confusion. Then, as understanding dawned, his eyes widened and he
stepped back. “You infused me with … Is that why everyone keeps
asking if you know what I’m thinking?”

I winced and nodded. His voice was
entirely too calm. Any second now he was going to lose
it.

There was a beat of silence before he
let loose a long string of curses that would’ve impressed a pirate.
Or even Cambria.

“
Can you?” he
demanded.

“
What?”

“
Hear what I’m
thinking.”

“
Um. I don’t think
so.”

“
You don’t think so?” he
repeated, clearly disbelieving.

“
There was a moment when
we were on the phone. I thought I could, but I think it was someone
else.”

“
Great, so you’re getting
me and George confused now?”

“
Not George. My
pack.”

“
Your … Um, obviously I’ve
been out for too long. You have a pack?”

I tried to keep my cool. This was all
new information for him. The reality of the bond with the hybrids
had taken me weeks to acclimate. I could give Alex five minutes.
“Do you remember what happened when I bit you?”

“
Um, it freaking
hurt?”

“
Not to you, to me. The
fight.”

“
I remember lots of
yelling. You said something about calling them off and for some
reason, Kane did. You said…” He tilted his head. “You said you
could feel what they feel.”

“
I do. Or I did. They’re
gone now.”

“
What do you mean
gone?”

“
Steppe took them. He
wants me to come in for questioning.”

“
About Olivia?”

“
And attacking
you.”

“
Shit.”

“
I’ve been expelled from
school. He’s framing Wes for killing that girl. I don’t know how he
got them to listen, but Steppe is using the hybrids to hunt
us.”

Alex shook his head, clearly at a
loss.

“
Angela didn’t tell you
any of this?” I asked.

“
Angela is very good at
being quiet,” he grumbled.

I snickered. Something in his tone
told me it hadn’t been for lack of trying.

“
Tell her I’m sorry I
missed her,” I said.

“
Tell her yourself when
she gets back.”

“
I don’t … If tonight goes
according to plan, I won’t be back for a while.”

“
Sounds very vague,” he
said.

“
I can’t … I can’t let
Steppe bring me in. I’m pretty sure I won’t come out.”

“
And what’s tonight’s big
plan?”

I kicked at a pine cone, not meeting
his eyes.

“
You still don’t trust me,
do you?”

“
It’s not that.” I sighed.
“It’s safer for you if you don’t know.”

“
Right. So, let me get
this straight. All those hybrids are your pack now?”

“
Yes.”

“
And you can hear all of
them in your head?”

“
Not right now. Steppe did
something to the bond when he took them. But normally,
yes.”

He frowned. “Is that why George was
asking how I did it?”

“
We were hoping for some
clue as to how Steppe did it. And how to reverse it.”

“
Why would you want it
back? Sounds like a pain in the ass.”

“
You sound like Wes right
now.”

“
Watch your
mouth.”

I stuck my tongue out at him. “If you
really want to know, I’m empty. Like some important piece of myself
is missing. And until I find it, I won’t be whole. I won’t be one
hundred percent me.”

“
I know that
feeling.”

I stopped walking, surprised. “How?” I
realized the answer as soon as the words were out. “Oh.”

I didn’t know what to say. We’d made
this subject off-limits long ago. And I’d made my choice. “Alex, I
…”

“
Don’t say it.”

“
Alex—”

“
Not saying it,
remember?”

“
But I need to tell you. I
made my choice.”

The teasing note vanished. “No, you
don’t.” His voice was sad but not surprised.

“
You know?”

“
I’ve known since the
minute I saw you with him. There was never a choice.”

His hand came up and hovered over my
cheek, so close the air shifted but not close enough for his skin
to brush against mine. I had the urge to lean in so he’d have to
touch me, but I didn’t. It wouldn’t be fair. Especially
now.

Our eyes met and what passed between
us felt full of “if only’s” and “what could’ve been’s” and made it
hard to swallow.

“
Out of all the crazy
that’s happened: you having a pack, Steppe going off the deep end,
almost dying, being injected with your blood, there is one thing
that comforts me,” he said.

“
What’s that?”

“
I can honestly tell St.
John you gave yourself to me.”

He jumped out of reach the second
before my fist would’ve made contact with his face.

On the ride back from the hospital,
George and I took turns telling the others Alex’s story. Logan and
Victoria were an easy sell. Not only did they believe him, they
also seemed to accept his calling Kane as perfectly normal. I
supposed for a Hunter it was. Wes and Emma were a different story.
Even in her quietness, I could tell Emma was not a fan of Alex or
his excuses. Then again, he’d tried to kill her pack, so I hadn’t
expected her to love him.

“
You really believe he
thought it was an extraction?” Wes asked when we’d finished. The
question was more like a challenge than him simply asking for my
opinion. Like if I said yes, I was an idiot.