Blood Bond (15 page)

“A favor,” he repeated. He didn’t exactly
sound thrilled.

“Yes.” I held my breath, sure he’d say no,
sure I was the last person he wanted to hear from right now.

The background noise died off abruptly as if
he’d closed a door on it.

“What is it?” he asked warily.

“I need to get away for a while, and I can’t
let the others know where I am. I’m going to leave word that I went
to see you. I have no doubt they’re going to call you to verify,
and I was hoping you could sort of mislead them for a bit.”

“You want me to lie so you can run
away?”

“It sounds really bad when you say it like
that.”

“If there’s a better way to say it, I’m all
ears.”

“I’m not running away, I’m
running
to
someone.” I winced as I realized how that sounded and hurried
to explain. “It’s for George. He was injected with the hybrid serum
by Miles before he … you know, and now he’s turning. I know of
someone who might be able to help him, but everyone else thinks
it’s a lost cause.”

“You mean, they think it’s too
dangerous.”

“I wouldn’t be going if I had another
choice. I know I’m the last person you want to hear from right now,
especially after the way we left things—”

“Why can’t you tell Wes?” he demanded. “He’s
your boyfriend. He’s supposed to be there for you, helping you,
standing by you.”

“Wes knows. It was his idea.”

He didn’t respond right away. Maybe he’d
been hoping for a different answer.

“Look, if you can’t—”

“I’ll do it,” he said, interrupting me.

“You will?”

“On one condition.”

“What?”

“Tell me everything.”

“Alex, I have—”

“Don’t lie to me, it’s insulting. I want to
help you, but I can’t do that if I don’t know the whole story. And
don’t try to tell me you had no idea about George’s predicament
until you got home. This has obviously been going on since before
you left school. Start from the beginning and tell me
everything.”

“The beginning of what?”

“Of you.”

“Um, that’s kind of a long story.”

“I have time.” He sounded smug. I could
easily picture the smile he’d be wearing: self-assured, more than a
little condescending, and reveling in the win. I wished I were
there to see it—and knock it off his face. “I’m waiting.”

Somewhere in the house a door slammed.

“I don’t have time,” I said, dropping my
voice to a whisper. “Please, Alex. I will, but not now.”

“Fine, tell me this. Where are you
going?”

“To see a relative. Astor DeLuca. He lives
in Nevada.” I could hear Wes calling my name. “I gotta go.”

“Tara!”

I snapped the phone closed and returned it
to my pocket just as the storage room door opened and Wes stuck his
head in. His hair was flattened and a sheen of perspiration coated
his face and neck.

“There you are. What’re you doing in here?”
he asked.

“I had to make a call,” I said. “What
happened to you?”

“Cord decided she wanted to build her own
casket, which translates to me chopping wood.” He held out his
calloused hands.

Grief pricked at me like a thousand tiny
needles. “Wow. She’s going to build it herself?”

He shrugged. “She needs to channel her
energy somehow.”

I thought about that. “Yeah, better
woodworking than harassing.”

His brow lifted. “Anyone in particular
you’re thinking of?”

“Nope, just concerned for the general
welfare.”

He shook his head and started to leave. “I’m
gonna hit the shower.”

“No, wait!” I yanked him back inside and
closed the door as quietly as I could.

“What is it?” Alarm colored his features and
he looked me over more closely, as if searching for damage.

“I’m fine,” I said, waving away his concern.
“I need to talk to you. I had an interesting conversation with Vera
earlier.”

“About?”

“Astor DeLuca.”

That got his attention. “What did she say?”
he asked, lowering his voice.

I repeated the conversation, making sure to
tell him the about the girl, Mary Beth, and the serum. “He found a
way to turn her into a Werewolf without making her a monster. He’s
got to be able to help us,” I finished.

“She told you to just go there and see him?”
he asked.

“Basically.” I shrugged. “She even told me
where he lives.”

“Wow.” He blew out a breath and leaned
against the wall. Outwardly, he looked calm, but I could see the
racing thoughts beneath the surface. His eyes scanned the shelves
of equipment, not seeing any of it, I was sure.

“I want to do it,” I said softly, “but only
if you’re okay with it.”

He met my eyes and nodded very deliberately.
“I’m glad you talked to me about it first,” he said. “I’m in, but
there’s something else.”

“What?”

“Cord was telling me about a friend of hers
who works at CHAS headquarters.”

“Cord is friends with someone working for
CHAS?”

“They were in a foster home together at some
point and the girl owes Cord a favor. Apparently, she works in the
research office and told Cord she could get her hands on some sort
of hard drive that holds information about DNA samples they’ve
gotten from some of the hybrids.”

“DNA samples?”

“CHAS took them from the group recovered at
the school. I guess they’re studying them, trying to figure it all
out.”

I frowned. “Even if the hard drive could
help us, I wouldn’t know a thing about it. I don’t speak ‘science
geek’ and neither do you.”

“But this Astor guy does, right?”

“Right.” Adrenaline coursed through me. I
had to fight the urge to pace. There wasn’t room for that in here.
“We need to get that hard drive, and we need to get George out.
Vera says the best time will be during the pack run. Everyone will
be gone.”

He nodded. “She’s right. They’ll be out for
at least a couple of hours, which will give you a head start.”

“Me? Aren’t you coming?”

He hesitated, as if it pained him to say the
next part. “I don’t know if George has that kind of time. It would
probably work best if I drive north for the hard drive and you head
west, to Astor. I’ll be right behind you.”

I bit my lip, knowing how hard it was for
him to let me go on my own, even for a day or two. “Are you
sure?”

“No,” he said on a sigh, “but it’s the best
thing for George.”

“What about the run? You’ll miss it.”

“Bailey would understand, especially since
your plan holds the possibility of a good fight.” He smiled,
sadness tugging at the edges. “He hated missing the action, you
know.” He shrugged. “I can run for him when I get back—if Cord
doesn’t kill me first for bailing.”

I stared at him, not wanting to break the
silence when he seemed so far away. I waited until he blinked,
clearing the shadows in his expression, and looked at me. “We’re
really doing this?” I asked. “You’re not going to tell me it’s
dangerous or a bad idea?”

“It’s incredibly dangerous and a horrible
idea.”

I smiled and threw my arms around him, not
caring about the sweat and dirt that coated his skin and clothes.
“I love you, Wesley St. John.”

“I love you too, Tara Godfrey. Now, how
exactly are we going to do this?”

Wes and I spent the next twenty minutes
whispering a plan. There were still a lot of angles to work, and he
didn’t love the idea of my involving Alex, but I’d already made the
call. “Besides,” I told him, “it’s the one excuse my mother will
buy. I can tell her I’ve gone for some summer training thing for a
few days and she’ll be mad, but she won’t keep me home.”

His jaw hardened. “Because he’s a Hunter,”
he said. “She approves.”

I didn’t answer.

“How are we going to convince the others?”
he asked.

“Cambria,” I said. “I’m going to ask her to
charm them.”

“They’re going to be pissed when they find
out, but I guess it’s our best option.” He frowned. “Speaking of,
you should probably check on her.”

“Cambria? Why?”

“Cord and I found her at the edge of the
woods. I think she was crying.”

“Cambria was crying?” My eyes widened. I’d
never seen that one. I couldn’t even picture it. I skirted around
him, heading for the front door. He caught my wrist as I passed and
leaned in, an evil grin on his dirt-streaked face.

“A kiss before you go?”

I made a face. “You’re filthy … but sexy.” I
planted one on him.

“Filthy? Is that what you really think of
me?” I opened the door but he blocked my path. He leaned down so
his lips hovered just above mine, tempting me. “I’d kiss you if you
were sweaty.” His words came out rough, a threat that sent chills
of anticipation up my spine. For a moment, I forgot about Cambria.
And George. And the plan.

“You would?” I whispered. He nodded, still
staring at me. Heat speared through me. Like the other day in the
woods, my hormones went wild and my body temperature spiked at the
thought of what I wanted to do.

I wasn’t sure who closed the distance, but
by the time our lips met, I no longer cared. Nor could I remember
why I hadn’t wanted to. Something animal inside me was awake—and
hungry. I wound my arms tight around Wes’s neck, pulling him
closer. He spun us around so I was trapped against the wall of the
storage room. I heard the distinct click of the latch as he pushed
the door closed with his free hand and then his palm pressed
against the side of my body.

The kiss was hard and frantic. Where I
pushed against him, he pushed back. The pressure of his body
against mine left my skin tingly beneath my clothing. I needed
more. As if Wes could sense my thoughts, his lips left mine and
trailed down my throat and across my collarbone. My skin lit at
each new contact. My breathing became shallow. I slid my hands
underneath his shirt, dug my fingers into his back.

“Why can this never happen to us in a
bedroom?”

His voice was muffled against my shoulder,
but it was enough to bring me to my senses. I felt submerged, like
I was slowly breaking the surface of an ocean. Vaguely, I became
aware of the presence of others somewhere else in the house. I
sucked in air, blinking away the euphoria.

“Um, I was going …” I managed in a shaky
voice. “I can’t remember where.”

Wes grinned down at me. “You, kitchen. Me,
shower.”

He pulled the door open and eased out. The
tension in the air dissolved. It left behind a bite in the absence
of passion.

“Wes?” I called as he started down the hall.
He turned. “We make a good team.”

He winked and bounded up the stairs.

*

Cambria came in the front door just as I
reached it. Derek hovered beside her, looking helpless but
concerned.

“Cam?” Even before I reached her, I could
see her cheeks were streaked with black tracks where her makeup had
mixed with tears. “What happened?”

“Hey, Tara.” She was dry-eyed now, but I
could see it was an effort to remain that way.

“I’m going to see if Cord needs any help.
Why don’t you guys hang in the kitchen, eat a brownie or
something,” Derek said. He was already steering her that way with a
gentle hand on her shoulder. He and I exchanged a nod, and I fell
into step beside her, taking his place as he disappeared
outside.

I heated brownies for us both and set the
plates on the bar. Cambria waited, making invisible patterns on the
wooden countertop with her fingers. I joined her and we sat in
silence, the food untouched.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked
finally.

After a moment, the finger-tracing stopped.
“It’s my mom.” Her voice sounded dull, like she’d already emptied
herself of emotion.

“What about her?”

“She’s been arrested.”

“For what? I thought she was in rehab.”

“She started ranting to her therapist about
Werewolves and secret political groups. He made some calls, started
asking around. CHAS got wind of it.”

“How?”

“Who knows. They have ears everywhere.”

I sat back. I wasn’t sure what I’d been
expecting, but it wasn’t this. “How’d you even find out?”

“I called Logan to see how his summer was
going with the ice queen and he said he’d just heard it from his
dad. I guess he’s on some board or council or something and was
there when they brought her in.”

“Cam, I’m so sorry. How long will they keep
her?”

Tears rose in her eyes. “They’re holding her
indefinitely.”

I frowned. “Can they do that? Without
charging her, I mean. It seems a little--”

“A violation of the Sixth Amendment?” George
stood in the doorway, rubbing his wet hair with a towel. The
shadows underneath his eyes had faded to almost nothing and he
moved with the surety of someone who hadn’t lain in bed for the
past month. He crossed to the bar and broke off a piece of my
brownie, barely chewing before swallowing. I stared at him.

“What?” he said finally, looking back and
forth between us. His expression fell when he saw Cambria’s
tear-streaked face. “Sorry. Did I interrupt? I can leave.”

I hesitated. “Cam?”

Cambria sighed. “Whatever, it’s fine. You
can tell him.”

“Cambria’s mom got arrested by CHAS.”

His brows crinkled. “What’s CHAS again?”

“Council for Hunter Affairs and Security.
They keep the peace,” I explained. Cambria snorted. “And they
enforce the law.”

“What law did she break?”

“She said some things, publicly, about the
existence of Werewolves. CHAS found out.”

“Huh.” He swallowed another bite of brownie.
“So they’re like the police of mythological creatures?”

“Sort of.”

“They were the ones here for the hybrids,
right?”

“Yes.”

“Then scratch that. They’re like Men in
Black, except the aliens are Werewolves.”