Second Nature (46 page)

Griffin didn't move. The echo of Brian's words kept her rooted to the spot.
He's not sorry. Well, he certainly isn't proud of it either.
Still, it was a nice feeling after assuming her whole life that her fathers regretted everything that had to do with her. Now, what could she do with this new insight? She needed time to digest everything, but time was the one thing she didn't have. "I don't have time for that," she said. "I'll just shift later; that'll take care of it. I need to use the phone in your study to call Ky."

Instead of giving her access to the study, Brian was still blocking the way. "Is there no way to leave Ky out of this? She doesn't have an easy standing in the council, and she has a lot to lose."

Another surprise. Even Griffin didn't know the details of Ky's job. It seemed Brian was more involved as a father than Griffin had given him credit for. Griffin wasn't sure whether she should be pleased or annoyed with Brian's sudden fatherly concern for Ky. "I'll let Ky make the decision whether she wants to help me and how far she's willing to go," she said. "Now, can I use your study? I need to reach Ky before she leaves her office."

The clock was ticking. She had told Leigh she would be back within half an hour, and the thirty minutes were almost up. She didn't want to leave Jorie alone with the impatient Leigh one second more than necessary.

"All right." Brian led her over to his study.

*  *  *

Brian's study — as nearly every natak's office — was soundproof, so Griffin knew that not even someone with Wrasa hearing could eavesdrop on her phone call.

"Kylin is number four on the speed dial," Brian said before he closed the door behind him.

Griffin's ears burned. Her father had Kylin on speed dial while she had called her sister only once or twice during the last two years that Ky had lived in Boise.

The phone was picked up after the second ring.

"Rufus Tolliver, office of Manark Westmore," a male voice said.

For a moment, Griffin was thrown off balance. She considered just hanging up and trying again later, hoping Kylin would answer the phone, but then decided against it. There was no time to play phone tag with Kylin. If anyone working near the council was trustworthy, it was Rufus Tolliver. Ky's assistant was a hybrid too, with a Syak father and an Ashawe mother. No other manark would have hired him, but as far as Griffin knew, Kylin had never regretted it. She trusted him and had probably told him things that not even her twin sister knew. Sometimes Griffin wondered whether they had a more than just professional relationship, but she respected Ky's privacy, so she hadn't asked.

"Hello?" Rufus asked when there was only silence at the other end of the line.

"Hello, Rufus," Griffin said. "It's Griffin Westmore. I need to talk to my sister."

Rufus's surprised gasp told her that the council had heard what had happened — or at least the Saru's version of the events. She was probably known as a rogue saru, a traitor, by now.

"One moment, please," Rufus answered in a carefully neutral voice, intentionally not saying her name should others overhear their conversation. "I'll put you through."

Just a few seconds later, Kylin's voice came through the receiver. "Yes?"

"Ky, it's Griffin. I need your help," Griffin said without wasting any time on pleasantries.

"Griff?" Kylin was almost shouting, and Griffin hoped that she was in a soundproof room too. "What's going on? You have the whole council buzzing like crazy. They say you threw your mission and helped J.W. Price escape. That's not true, is it? I could barely convince them not to kill you on sight once they find you. Where are you?"

Like most cats, Kylin rarely resorted to shouting. She was clearly upset. Her fellow council members had probably put her through the wringer because they thought she knew what Griffin was planning — or even that she was in league with Griffin.

"Listen, Ky, I don't have a lot of time. I need to get back to Jorie," Griffin said.

"Jorie? So you really are with Jorie Price? You helped her escape?" Disbelief colored Kylin's voice. "I thought you agreed that it was the best course of action to kill her?"

"What?" All her reports said otherwise. "Who said that?"

"You! Every single one of your reports said that Jorie Price is a threat that needs to be eliminated."

Never, not even once, had Griffin indicated that.
What in the Great Hunter's name is going on?
"Jennings!" she growled when realization hit her. He had forwarded all her reports to the council — but not before altering them. "Ky, I never said that killing Jorie would be the best option. I was never convinced that Jorie is a threat. Jennings was the only one who was hell-bent on seeing Jorie dead, and he's manipulating the council to get what he wants."

"Can you prove that?" Kylin asked, her voice low and worried.

"No." Jennings wasn't stupid. If he held back or forged information to manipulate the council, he wouldn't leave any evidence behind. It was his word against Griffin's, and with the way things were going, the council would see Griffin as a traitor and wouldn't believe anything she said. "I'm not even sure why he would go to all this trouble to make sure Jorie dies. As far as I know, he has never heard of her before this investigation started." Was he really convinced  Jorie was a threat, or did he have a more personal agenda? Was he only after Jorie, or had he done that kind of manipulation during other assignments too?

"You really helped Ms. Price escape?" Kylin asked.

It wasn't quite that black-and-white. "Not initially, but she got away because I hesitated to kill her," Griffin said. "Now the Saru are hot on her trail, and I can't just let them kill her. It wouldn't be right."

Stunned silence filled the line; then Kylin repeated, "You hesitated? You never hesitated before."

"Maybe I should have." Doubts and regret had plagued her for some time. She had seen the growing paranoia and had been afraid that they'd end up as a race of assassins who didn't value human life. Their lives would consist only of fear and hatred. "I think the Saru have become too paranoid, too lax when it comes to killing humans, and I can't share their philosophy any longer," Griffin said. It was hard to voice her doubts after years of being a loyal saru, but she had reached a point where she wanted to be honest with Kylin — and with herself.

"What is it about that writer that made you suddenly change your mind?" Kylin asked, sounding baffled.

Griffin slowly shook her head. "It's not sudden, and it's not just Jorie. In my own way, I've been trying to fit in and find a place among the Wrasa, but I realized that blindly following orders, no matter how wrong they are, is not what I want to do for the rest of my life. I left our fathers' home because I didn't want to live a life where the community dictates the behavior of the individual and tells them what is to be considered right and wrong. I thought the Saru helped free me of that, but now I realize it's just another community with even harsher rules." As she said it, Griffin realized that there was no way back for her. Even if the Saru were willing to take her back, she couldn't return to her job. That part of her life was over.

"It's not that I don't agree, but please don't risk your life by doing something stupid." The sounds of footsteps indicated that Kylin was pacing.

"I'm not convinced that what I'm doing is stupid," Griffin said. "I'm trying to save a life that's worth saving. There's something going on in our society and in Saru command, but they won't give me the time to find out what it is. They're hunting me to hide the truth. That's where you come in. I have a big favor to ask, Ky."

Silence.

The lack of noise in the background told Griffin that Kylin had even stopped pacing. "Are you sure you are all right?" Kylin sounded only half joking. "You never asked me for a favor before."

"I'm fine," Griffin answered. "I have a busted lip, but that's all."

"Why do people always hit you in the mouth?" Kylin asked.

"People? Always? It's just the one dumb Kasari who can't resist temptation," Griffin grumbled.

A clattering sound told her that Kylin had just dropped her pen or another small object. "Tarquin? You got into a fight with Tarquin again?"

The memory of how angry Kylin had been with her after her first confrontation with Tarquin was still fresh in Griffin's mind. When Brian had failed to intervene and teach the boy that he couldn't insult his nataks' daughter, Kylin had been devastated. But, as she had done all her life, she had swallowed the insults and the humiliation. She tried to fit in and lie low, never allowing herself to get angry or demand that people stop treating her like a second-class citizen.

Griffin's reaction had been very different. She had stepped in to rescue her sister's honor and teach Tarquin some manners. Instead of being grateful, her sister had told her that reacting with violence made things worse and made people resent her even more. In a pride, you had to fit in and compromise, even if it meant being treated unfairly. After that, Griffin wanted no part of pride life while Kylin continued to fight for being accepted.

Discussing ancient history was not on her agenda tonight, though. She knew they would always see some things differently. "I didn't call to talk about Tarquin, Ky. I need you to convince the other manarks to give me more time," she said. "Get them to pull all the other saru from the area. I need time and space to win Jorie's trust again and find out more. I have a feeling there's more going on than just a traitor revealing information to Jorie, but I'll never know for sure unless Jorie trusts me enough to tell me."

"What if that never happens? What if she refuses to ever trust you again?" Kylin asked. "Some of my colleagues are very impatient people. They won't give you an infinite amount of time."

"Then bargain," Griffin said. She had known that even if Kylin came through for her, time would still be limited. "That's what you do for a living, right? All the compromising you learned in the pride will finally pay off. Get me as much time as possible."

"I might be able to convince them to give you twenty-four hours, maybe even forty-eight if I call in a few favors," Kylin said. She was flipping pages, probably already searching for the phone numbers of councilors who owed her a favor. "I need something that I can offer them in return, though. That's how compromising works. I need to tell them that you'll kill the writer and surrender yourself if your plan fails."

This was one answer that needed no long consideration. "No," Griffin said firmly.

"Griffin —"

"No, Ky. This is one line that I refuse to cross. The First Law was created to protect not only us but humans too. We're slowly losing sight of that, and it has to stop." She had made her decision when she had dropped the knife. "Tell them whatever you want, but I won't kill Jorie and I won't return to the Saru."

Silence spread from one end of the line to the other.

"So will you still help me?" Griffin finally asked.

"Of course," Kylin said without hesitation.

Griffin blinked. If anyone found out about it, Kylin's career and the position for which she had worked so hard were at stake, but Kylin was still willing to help without any ifs, ands, or buts. "Thank you," she said quietly.

"You're welcome," Kylin answered. "I never thought I would see the day when you asked me or anyone else in the family for help. I'll let you know as soon as a decision has been made. Do me a favor and keep your muzzle clean until then, okay?"

"I'm trying. You do the same. Don't take unnecessary risks for me," Griffin warned her.

"I never said thank you for you trying to help me back then... even if it was in your own stupid way. You took a lot of risks, standing up to the dads and the rest of the pride, and now it's my turn." Kylin's voice was low and husky with emotion. "Take care."

Griffin took a deep breath. "You too." She put the phone down and exhaled. A whirlwind of emotion coursed through her, but she forced herself not to linger. "Come on. Move before Leigh has another fit and decides to use Jorie for hunting practice again."

CHAPTER 20

L
EIGH HAD STORMED out of the kitchen right after Griffin, leaving Jorie alone with Rhonda. "I'm sorry about your father too," Jorie said after a few seconds of silence.

A sad smile darted across Rhonda's face. "I appreciate you saying that, Ms. Price, but you didn't even know him."

"Jorie, please," she said. Rhonda was right. She hadn't known Rhonda's father, but the pain in Rhonda's hazel eyes was familiar. They had something in common, and she could use it to get closer to Rhonda and learn more about the Wrasa and what they wanted from her. "I lost my father two years ago. I still expect him to pick up the phone when I call home."

Now Rhonda nodded, silently accepting the condolences.

"So Griffin didn't come to the funeral?" Jorie asked.

Rhonda shook her head but didn't offer more information.

"Why didn't Leigh call her? What happened to make them treat each other like strangers or even enemies?" Growing up, Jorie had always wished for a sister. She couldn't imagine ever treating a sister the way Griffin and Leigh acted around each other.

"It's a long story," Rhonda said.

"We have time. It's not like I'm going anywhere," Jorie answered with just a hint of bitterness. Even though Rhonda did her best to make her feel like an honored guest, Jorie never forgot that she was a prisoner.

Rhonda still hesitated.

"I don't understand why everyone is so paranoid about telling me anything. If you end up killing me anyway, it doesn't matter what I know," Jorie said. It wasn't only an encouragement for Rhonda to tell her what she wanted to know. It was also a test to see if Rhonda cared about whether Jorie ended up dead.

"I'm still hoping it won't come to that, so it does matter what you know," Rhonda said.

So her opinion of Rhonda was correct. Rhonda didn't want her dead. Maybe she was just acting, but that made no sense. If the Wrasa in this little town wanted to trick her into believing they didn't want her dead, they would have Leigh hide her obvious dislike for humans better.