Emmitt's Treasure: Judgement of the Six Companion Series, book 2 (23 page)

The lights were off, but I had no problem seeing my bag so I could change into shorts.  She didn’t move as I undressed except to close her eyes.  I grinned in the dark, folded my jeans, then moved around the bed to close the curtains.  She peeked.  I saw it and wanted to laugh at the relief on her face when she noted my loose shorts.

Moving to my side of the bed, I pulled back the covers and slid in.

“I’m sorry about what I said in the truck,” she said softly.  “You’re right.  I don’t need to be afraid right now.  I need to be strong and face whatever happens.  I just don’t want to drag anyone else down into my problems.  I wish there was a way I could face Blake and still keep my brothers safe.”

I rolled on my side to face her.

“We will find a way.”

Giving into the urge, I reached out and touched her, laying my hand on her side.  She didn’t seem to mind.  Her breathing slowed and, eventually, her pulse did the same.

When I knew she slept, I closed my eyes and allowed myself to relax.

Aden’s voice woke me.  Michelle was snuggled close to my side, still sound asleep, as I listened to Aden and Jim quietly converse in the living room.

“Where are we?”

“This is where I grew up,” Jim said.

“Here?”

“Not these rooms.  This is just one of the apartments here.”

“What’s an apartment?”

“It’s a house within a house, like the place you, Liam, and Michelle have back home with us.”

“Oh.”  There was a slight pause.  “Are we going back there?”

“Yes.  Eventually.  Maybe we can hang out here for a while, though, so you can play with Paul and Henry some more.”

“They live here?”

“Yep.”

“I’m hungry.”

Jim laughed softly. “Of course you are.”

I heard the rustle of sheets and knew both boys were now awake.

“I’m hungry too,” Liam said softly.

“How about you two wake up your sister?”

Damn.  I glanced at Michelle, then the door.  I couldn’t sneak out with Liam in the hall.  Without any other choice, I hid under the covers.

The bang of the door opening followed by the pattering of feet woke Michelle.  Then, everything went quiet.

Michelle lifted herself up on one elbow, moving the covers enough that I could see her face.  She looked like she was playing it cool, but I could hear her rapid pulse.

“Good morning, you two.  Is Jim awake?  Tell him we’ll be up in just a little bit.”

They didn’t move.

“Who is that?” Liam asked.

She glanced down at me then back at her brothers.

“It’s Emmitt.  Jim had the couch.  You two had the other bed.  So, I let him sleep here after he promised not to steal the covers.”

The boys were quiet for a minute before Liam spoke.

“If you married Emmitt, we could live with Nana and Jim forever.”

Panic washed over Michelle.  I couldn’t tell if it was because her brothers were willing to marry her off for a safe place to stay or because they were suggesting me.

“If you don’t want to marry Emmitt, we would be okay with Jim, too,” Liam said.

I laughed silently, and she nudged me.

“We’ll talk about who I’ll marry some other time, but I’ll keep what you said in mind.  Now, go get dressed and wait with Jim.”

They ran from the room, and Michelle threw back the covers to get out of bed.  She didn’t look amused.  In fact, she looked a little worried.  I tried not to speculate why.  There were plenty of reasons that didn’t have anything to do with marriage or me.

She grabbed clothes and left the room.  A moment later, I heard the bathroom door close.  The boys were already back in the living room, wrestling Jim in an effort to pry him off the couch.  I made the bed then grabbed a fresh set of clothes.  It would have made sense to change in the bedroom and go straight to breakfast.  The kids were hungry and more than ready to go.  But, I wanted to have a reason to wait for Michelle in the hallway.

She didn’t seem surprised to see me leaning against the wall when she opened the door.  Her skin was still damp and smelled like the honey and oatmeal soap Mom kept in all the bathrooms.  It was a good smell.  A wolf smell.

Michelle blushed as I continued to look her over, and her scent sweetened.  Her gaze dipped briefly to my bare chest then back up.  The skip in her pulse was hard to miss, and I winked at her.

“It’s all yours,” she said, indicating the bathroom as she fled.

I grinned and stepped inside.  The shower felt good.  In fact, everything felt good.  Sleeping next to Michelle did that to me.  Made everything seem right.

Showered and changed, I went to join everyone in the living room, catching Aden’s repeated comment about being hungry.  That kid was a wolf at heart.

“I’m starving, too,” I said.  “Let’s go eat.  If I get there first, I’m eating all the food.”

Aden made a dash for the door, and I used an unfair amount of speed to beat him to it.  He giggled as I pretended to get stuck in the door with him.  Once clear, we took off running at his pace.  Liam was only a few steps behind us.

I heard Jim say, “Come on, little sister, or you’ll be left crumbs.”

My family.  I breathed deeply, enjoying the moment.

The smell of bacon led us to the common area and the adjoining kitchen.  Aden, Liam, and I had our plates loaded by the time Jim and Michelle appeared.

“Tell me Mom made biscuits,” Jim said, going to the ovens.  I’d forgotten to check them.  Jim found a pan with a few biscuits left and split one between the boys.

“You’re going to like that,” I said, ruffling Aden’s hair.  “And if you’re smart, you’ll steal Jim’s from his plate before he can steal yours.”

Aden grinned and followed Jim to a table.

Meeting in the commons in ten minutes,
Winifred sent.

The feel of her message was different, a pack-wide communication.  I glanced at Michelle as she sat beside me and decided to wait until after we’d eaten.  It didn’t take us long to finish; and, when we did, Paul and Henry came and asked to take Liam and Aden on a tour.  Michelle hesitated, and Jim immediately offered to go, also.

Michelle and I took the plates to the kitchen and set them in the large tub of soapy water.

“Are you ready?” I asked, turning toward her.

She looked at me blankly.

“The pack meeting.”

Behind her people were already filing into the room.  She glanced over her shoulder, tension washing over her features.  But, she didn’t let it rule her.  She wrinkled her nose at me.  I smiled and took her hand.

Her steps were a little slow as we made our way into the crowded room.  People moved to let us through.  They already knew why she was here.  News of humans in the Compound had spread quickly.  Michelle’s hold on my hand tightened just before we got to my parents.  I gave a light squeeze back and turned us to face the crowd.  Michelle’s pulse was racing, and I smoothed my thumb over the skin of her hand in an attempt to calm her.  I would have been willing to hold her closer but didn’t think she’d appreciate the public display of affection.

Dad stepped forward.

“There was a challenge last night, which Elder Winifred declined. Michelle has acknowledged Emmitt in front of Elder Winifred.”

Public acknowledgement of my suit felt really good.  Next step, Claiming.

Michelle fidgeted next to me, less enthused about the announcement than I was.

“All challenges will end now,” Dad said, implanting the command in the members of our pack.  “Not only is this a command from me—”

“It’s from me as well,” Winifred said from the back of the room.

The compulsion filled me and settled over my mind.  It would have relieved me if I wasn’t aware there were wolves out there who could ignore her commands.  I looked around the room, wondering if there were any present.

“Just as we count Charlene as one of our own, we now count Michelle.”  Dad smiled at Michelle.  “Michelle has brought two cubs with her.  They are under pack protection, but I am looking for a Mated pair to protect them as their own, to put the safety of the cubs above the safety of the pack.”

There was a slight murmur at this.  It wasn’t done often, and I was glad Dad had thought of it.  Asking for another layer of protection for Liam and Aden would be like giving the boys a second set of parents.  People who would die to protect them.

“I’ll keep them as my own,” Mary said from beside us.

“We will,” Gregory agreed.

I should have known it would be Mary and Gregory.  They’d quietly done the same for Jim and me when we were younger.

Thomas nodded to Gregory.  As if it were a sign, people started to leave.  Many of them looked back to study Michelle before they quit the room.  They were probably asking themselves the same thing I had.  How many more gifted women like Michelle, Gabby, and Mom were out there?

After the room emptied, Mom turned to Michelle.

“I’m sorry about that.  We needed to lay down the law right away so you wouldn’t run into any trouble.”

“And my brothers?”

“That’s what Mary and Gregory are for.  While you’re here, they will be an extra layer of protection.  Mary and Gregory will always be close by; if you need to leave your brothers for any reason, they will step in while you are gone, protecting Liam and Aden even more ferociously than you could.  They were guardians for Jim and Emmitt while they were growing up.”

Michelle’s hesitancy to accept their help wasn’t just in her scent but in her expression, too, making it easy for Mom to read.

“Nana Wini also spoke a command to the room.  No one will harm them.”

Michelle gave a slight nod.

“Now that that’s settled, we are hoping you will discuss your past with us.  We want to help you,” Mom said, motioning for Dad to lead the way.

Just what are we going to discuss?
I sent to Winifred.

We need to know where Blake is.  His men found her.  There’s no hiding anymore.

Michelle wouldn’t like it.  I smoothed my thumb over the side of her hand as we followed everyone to the conference room.  It was the only place we could talk without fear of being overheard.  Well insulated, even werewolf ears wouldn’t pick up on normal conversation within the room once the door was shut.

Winifred and Sam were already inside waiting for us when Dad opened the door.

Michelle glanced at Sam as we entered.

“Michelle, this is Elder Sam,” I said as I held out a chair for her.

“Hello,” she said quietly, before glancing questioningly at me.

“This room has been soundproofed, so we won’t be overheard.”  I sat beside Michelle and Mom and Dad sat across from us.

“Nana Wini told us the Forlorn ignored her command to leave,” Mom said, cutting right to the point.  “That is cause for concern.  But, I’m more concerned about the things you said on the way here.”

Michelle gave me a sidelong glance.  In turn, I gave Winifred a meaningful look.

“You shouldn’t need to live in fear,” Mom said.  “I’ve seen these people do amazing things.  Let’s face this together.  But in order to do that, we need to know everything you know about those men.  Do you have any idea why they could ignore an Elder?”

“How could I possibly know anything like that?  I’ve known about werewolves less than a month.”

“Emmitt mentioned you thought Blake was one of us.  You were near him for more than four years.  Tell us about him,” Mom said gently.

Michelle looked down at the table.

“I don’t know what you’re looking for,” she said after a minute.  “I thought Blake was just like everyone else.  Human.  But, he was mean.  He’d come over and ask me about my premonitions.  He sometimes asked if I saw anything other than market tips.  I always wished I did see something more.  But it wasn’t until...”

She glanced at me then looked back down at the table.  Her scent changed subtly, and her pulse quickened.  She’d realized something.

When she looked up, her expression was fierce.

“No.  You’re wrong,” she said, looking at Winifred.

“About what, dear?”

“Pack leaders control the pack.  Elders keep the peace between the packs through the pack leaders,” Michelle said slowly.  “Yet, there are some of your kind you have trouble communicating with.  Before the night he shifted, I thought Blake’s control over the men he brought with him was just a businessman’s hold over his lackeys.  But that night, it was more.  I think he’s their leader.  A pack leader.  Those were his
men.  I think Blake is different.  You can’t communicate with him, and because of that, you can’t communicate with his men.  They are their own pack.  A large pack.

“Many of his men commented on my smell.  No, not smell.  Scent.  I never understood what they meant.”  She met my gaze.  “I believe Blake brought those men over because he knew my premonitions would change when I met the right werewolf.  They changed after I met you.”

The right wolf.  I almost smiled at what she was admitting.  She must have realized it, too, because she blushed and looked away.

“Now, I’ve seen actual people in my premonitions, not just stock tips.  I think Blake meant to unlock that new piece of my gift.  He knows more than we think, not only about my gift but about why Elders can’t communicate with everyone like they should.”

The room remained quiet.

“I think you’re right,” Dad said finally.  “He does sound like he knows more.”  He looked at Sam and Nana.  “But, is it worth the risk to find out what he knows when we have no way of controlling him?”

Sam and Winifred shared a glance.

“These gifted women are rare,” Sam said.  “And we have yet to determine why these human women are compatible with us.  Are they gifted because they are compatible or are they compatible because they are gifted?  Are there other human women out there who are compatible but not gifted?  There’s so much we don’t know.  Charlene, your gift has never been clear to you; with Gabby less than a month away from leaving for college, I think we need to find out what Blake knows.”