Deceived By the Others (25 page)

Unable to speak around the lump lodged in my throat, I nodded.

“Good. There’s no reason to be alarmed. We’ll be here to help you. It’s better this way, I think. You’ll see what it’s like to be in a normal pack. The Sunstrikers are an unstable bunch, so I can’t say I’m terribly surprised at what’s happened. You do have my sympathies. If there was a way for me to keep you on as one of us, I’d do it. Perhaps once you are strong enough, you can even start your own pack. We’ll support you if that’s what you choose to do.”

Calling the Sunstrikers unstable was like calling Chernobyl an unexpected and unfortunate occurrence. Words were insufficient for expressing how screwed up it all was. I could appreciate Rohrik’s attempt at politeness, but it wasn’t enough to calm the sudden rage I felt at his carefully worded consolations. The Sunstrikers would pay for this. Every last one of them.

“Thank you, Rohrik,” I said, extending a hand across the table. “I appreciate the offer, and I’ll think about what you’ve said. I’ll call you once I know for sure.”

He clasped my hand in both of his own, warm, calloused fingers engulfing mine in a reassuring grip. “Don’t be afraid to call on me if you need someone to talk to. I know this must be stressful for you. If the wait becomes too much, let me know, and I’ll see if I can arrange for some tests to be done by someone who won’t betray you to the authorities.”

“Thank you,” I whispered, slowly drawing away. He let me go, pushing back from the table and rising with a deep sigh.

“I’m sorry there isn’t more I can do. Get some rest. Contact me when you’ve had a chance to think things over, and I’ll brief you on some of your legal options for how to deal with the Sunstrikers. I’ve met a few decent attorneys who would likely love to take on your case.”

My lips peeled back in something that might have been a smile. The lack of expression on Rohrik’s face led me to believe it wasn’t as cordial as I’d meant it to be. “Thank you again. I’ll be in touch.”

He nodded, giving me one last look that spoke of calculation as much as concern, before seeing himself out. I remained at the table for a few minutes after he was gone, mulling over what he had told me and the offers he had made.

Waiting three weeks to find out if I was infected was going to drive me around the bend. Until then, I’d somehow have to keep it a secret from my family, Sara, and the media. I’d have to consult Arnold while making it crystal clear that he was not allowed to tell anyone. I’d have to contact Royce, too. Not only to find out how the hell he’d known that I would face trouble while on vacation, but to find out if and how my new “condition” might change things between us.

Whether this altered or voided my contract with Royce was a question I wasn’t terribly eager to have answered, but was something I needed to know. Certain aspects of those papers gave him rights to all of my stuff, including my interest in H&W. I needed to make sure I wasn’t putting Sara at risk. If she needed to buy me out to escape him, I’d need to let her do it before any of this went public. Before Royce could do anything to stop me.

The thought put my stomach in knots. Vampires and werewolves did not get along. Would Royce consider me his enemy now?

That thought once would have frightened me. Now, it filled me with an empty sort of sadness, not what I expected to feel upon realizing that we might be playing on opposite sides of the supernatural sandbox. I’d used his name to hurt Chaz, but in truth the vampire had been a better friend to me than the Sunstrikers ever had. Considering his needs, Royce might even have a doctor in his pocket who wouldn’t mind doing some off-the-books testing.

That was probably nothing more than wishful thinking on my part. The bond we shared had faded but never completely broken. My ability to view him as nothing more than a callous beast had been skewed after drinking his blood. I still felt he was a prick at times, but he no longer frightened or repulsed me—which was exactly why I made such a strenuous effort to avoid him. Thanks to the bond, it was too easy to see him as a man, not a monster. If I allowed it, I’d be no more than another puppet dancing to the tune he played.

I’d put off calling him until later. Much as I dreaded it, I needed to tell Arnold first. He needed to hear it from me instead of through his connections in the supernatural community.

The big question was whether he would do as I asked and keep my new condition a secret from Sara.

With no small measure of trepidation, I got the mage’s number from an old e-mail stored in my computer, picked up my cordless, and dialed him.

Chapter 25

Arnold picked up after a couple rings.

“Arnold, it’s Shia.”

“Hey, how was the trip? Are you home?”

His cheerful greeting made me feel even worse for what I was about to say. Gripping the phone tightly, I wandered over to the window and peered between some cracks in the perpetually drawn blinds. Ever since the paparazzi had decided my personal life was of interest, I’d needed to be extra vigilant about keeping the interior of my apartment closed off from prying eyes and long-range cameras.

Which was a sudden, frightening reminder that Jim Pradiz had been intent on a story at the beginning of my trip. Had he caught wind of anything at the lodge? Followed us back to the city?

“Shia?”

“Sorry,” I said, shaking my head and gripping my free hand into a tight fist. “I’ve got a situation—”

“Oh, hell. You didn’t break my computer, did you?”

I paused. Tragic as the loss was, his busted computer wasn’t what I was worried about at the moment. Time to use some evasive tactics.

“That’s not what I’m calling about. Are you alone? Sara’s not with you, right?”

“No, she’s on a job. I’m at home. What is it?” The alarm in his voice was palpable. Little I could do about it at this juncture. “I can keep a secret, Shia, but I can’t promise she won’t find out some other way. She’s a good P.I.”

“I’m not just talking about Sara here.
No one
can know this. Not your coven, not Sara, not my family—
no one.
”

“Yeesh, what’d you do? Blow up a building?”

“I’m not kidding around. They absolutely cannot find out from you under any circumstances. Understand? I need your word.”

“All right, I get it. I’ll keep it secret, whatever it is.”

I examined the bloody crescents my nails left in my palm before speaking, the words coming in a rush. “Last night, one of the Sunstrikers scratched me while turned. I may be one of them next month—I might be infected. There’s no way to know yet. Not for sure. I can’t let my family find out, not until I know.”

It felt a bit like running a marathon to get all that out. Aside from my somewhat heavy breathing, the silence dragged between us.

I couldn’t stand it. “Jesus, Arnold, say something.”

“Christ,” he breathed, and I gathered from the shuffling and scraping coming through the line that he’d settled—perhaps
collapsed
is a better word—into a chair. “Are you sure? You—I—have you gone to the hospital or made an appointment to get tested yet?”

“No. I spoke with Rohrik Donovan, and he didn’t recommend it.”

“Rohrik Donovan? No shit.” He paused. Exploded. “Jesus Christ, Shia, how did it happen? Are you okay?”

“No,” I said, fighting the tears that suddenly threatened. His concern was shattering my careful control. “I mean, I’m not hurt too badly, but I might be a fucking
werewolf
next month. I’m not okay. There’s nothing that could ever possibly be okay about this. Fuck, Arnold, you don’t even know the half of it.”

“What else could there be? I mean, this isn’t the end of the world—you’re not dead—but this isn’t the greatest way to end a vacation. Does Chaz know?”

“Fuck Chaz!” I cried, slamming my palm down on my computer desk, sending papers spilling to the floor. “The fucking bastard was cheating on me, okay? The whole freaking pack knew he was doing it. Why didn’t I know, Arnold? How did he get away with it this long? He’s been screwing that … that
whore
for who knows how long, and—”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down. Chaz was
cheating
on you? With who?”

I snarled something unintelligible before slumping into my office chair, rolling across the plastic floor mat until one of the wheels stuck on the carpet. Now that the shock of being potentially infected had worn off, my anger was coming back in force. I spat out the words, rubbing hot tears off my cheeks with my knuckles as I vented.

“That bastard has been sleeping with some other Were named Kimberly. They met at his gym. I can’t
believe
he would do this to me—”

“Shit, Shia, I’m sorry. Do you want me to check the archives and see if there’s anything The Circle might be able to do for you?”

“You have a spell to make Chaz’s dick fall off?”

“No.” He barked unsteady laughter, though it tapered off soon enough into a more serious, professional attitude I’d only encountered in him once or twice before. “No, but we might have one to cure lycanthropy. I know of ways to suppress the change after the fact, so we might have an antidote on file, too.”

That sobered me. I rubbed the palm of my free hand against my jeans, then noticed I was leaving bloodstains behind from where my nails had dug in and stopped, clenching my fist on my knee instead. The cuts didn’t hurt, not yet, but I didn’t want to ruin any more of my clothing after all I had already lost this weekend.

“Yes, please. If there’s anything that can be done to stop it, I’ll do it. God, Arnold, I don’t want to be one of them. I don’t want to be an Other. Not this way.”

“Hey, I don’t blame you or anything, but speaking from experience here, it isn’t the end of the world. Whatever happens, I’ll help you get through it. Let’s focus on the positive for the moment. You said you won’t know for sure if you’re infected right away, right? Well, you might not be. Don’t write yourself off yet.”

I closed my eyes and tilted my head back, placing my hand on my forehead. Arnold was right. That didn’t make it any easier to swallow or set aside, but he was right, nonetheless. “Okay. I’ll try not to freak out any more than I already have.”

“Good. This probably isn’t the right time to ask this, but what are you going to do about Chaz?”

Good question. My eyes popped open, my gaze shifting toward my bedroom as though called. An idea was forming, one I wasn’t about to share with the mage.

“I’m not sure yet. Keep that under your hat, too; let me tell Sara. I need some time to get myself together before I discuss it with anybody.”

“Okay.” He didn’t sound convinced. “This might sound stupid, but don’t do anything to provoke him. He may be in the wrong here, but you could get hurt if you go after him for revenge.”

“I know. I’ll be careful.”

“No,” he said, tone sharp. “Don’t be a cowboy, Shia. He’s got no reason to play nice anymore if he thinks you’re out to get him. The Sunstrikers don’t have a great reputation for playing by the rules. If he gets the idea that you’re going to report him or a pack member to the authorities for assault, he might do something to ensure the sentence never gets carried out.”

My blood chilled, fingers tightening on the phone. “What do you mean? What are you talking about?”

He sighed, the sound crackling through the receiver. It did nothing to reassure me. “Maybe it’s nothing. I never said anything before now because he was your boyfriend, and it wasn’t my place, but the Sunstrikers have a reputation for playing dirty. Nothing lasting, nothing that would stick in court, but that might be because no witnesses ever stuck to their guns or survived long enough to see the witness stand.”

“Are you telling me I was dating the werewolf equivalent of a mob boss?” I squeaked.

“Maybe,” he replied, all seriousness. “I can’t say for sure. There’s a supernatural grapevine, and nothing I’ve heard on it about them has been any good. Whenever I saw Chaz with you, he displayed perfectly good behavior, but it may have been a front. I hate to say this, but he was probably using you for something. You know I never trusted him during the time you were looking for the Focus. I wasn’t lying then; he probably sees you as a stepladder to something he wants. Maybe it’s a tie to Royce, or maybe it’s nothing at all. He might still try to play you somehow when he thinks you’ve cooled off.”

“Oh, that’s freaking fantastic. Just peachy keen,” I snarked, thinking once again about how Chaz had talked of his “needs.” Now that I had some perspective, there wasn’t much doubt in my mind that he’d been intending to talk me into being his next alpha bitch. That, or a broodmare for his kids. Either one would most likely have suited his purposes. “I’m going to kill the son of a bitch. One way or another.”

“Don’t do anything stupid,” came the pointed reply. “Think long and hard about the consequences before you rush headlong into a fight. He’s got, what, fifty or sixty other werewolves at his back?”

“He couldn’t stop the cops. Not if he didn’t want a war on his hands. He’d be screwing things over for all the Weres, not just himself or his pack.”

“You don’t seem to get it. They might not care. If they have nothing to lose, why not fight it? And take you down with them.”