Blood Bond (42 page)

When I’d finished, I clenched my teeth and
waited. Despite the fact we stood outside, the air felt sucked dry.
I couldn’t catch my breath, my skin wrapped tightly against my
organs.

Jack leaned over and whispered something in
Fee’s ear. She shook her head and he whispered again. Her mouth
tightened in response, but she didn’t argue.

“You raise a valid point. Our war spills
over to humans all too often,” Fee said slowly. “In the spirit of
democracy, I’ll allow it. This time.”

“And her memories, the decision to keep
them, should belong to her. Not us,” I added.

Fee stared at me with a fire in her gaze
hotter than anything Jack had ever directed at me. I’d been wrong
to think he was the only alpha here. So, so wrong.

“That will be discussed at a later time.”
Fee looked at Angela. “What is your vote?”

Angela cleared her throat. “I vote yes,” she
said quietly. My mom glared at her.

“Thank you. Tara?”

“Yes,” I said.

“Wes?”

Wes’s hand tightened in mine. I knew he was
hoping his vote wouldn’t matter. At this rate, maybe it wouldn’t.
“Yes.”

Someone gasped. I was pretty sure it was my
mother. Jack cleared his throat.

“Cambria?” Fee prompted.

“Yes.” She grinned at me.

“Derek?”

He looked at Cord like he wanted to hide.
“No,” he said quietly. Cord’s face turned red. “I think there’s
another way—” he began.

“No explanations,” Fee cut him off. He
mumbled something too low for me to hear.

“Cord?”

“Yes,” Cord said, drawing out the word like
it was an obvious response.

For a second, no one spoke. I knew we were
all counting—and re-counting—in our heads.

“It’s a tie?” Cord asked, disgusted.

“It’s not a tie.” Alex stepped clear of the
shadow provided by the back door and walked toward the group. “I
get a vote too, right?” he asked.

The question was unmistakably a challenge.
My heart sank. I had no doubt what his answer would be. No more
tie. It was over.

Fee nodded. “You get a vote too,” she
agreed. “What’s your answer?”

He walked straight up to me and stared into
my eyes. His lashes flickered, not quite a blink, and he sucked in
a deep breath as if bracing himself. “Yes.”

I practically heard jaws fall open. Mine
included.

“Seriously?” I whispered.

He shrugged. “No explanations, remember.”
Then he was strolling back to the cover of the shadows, and Fee was
talking again, and Wes was tugging on my hand.

Fee quieted the group and began dictating
instruction on how the plan would work. Across the circle, Cord
folded her arms and smiled smugly. Our eyes met, and I knew what
she was thinking. Once we got out there, no amount of instruction
from Fee would change her course. I knew, because I had the same
thought, the same mission. Find this Olivia bitch and kill her.

As soon as Fee’s final monologue—full of
words like “stay together” and “we’ll be close by” and “don’t take
risks”—ended, I went in search of Alex.

He’d slipped away halfway through the
strategic discussion, right after the part where I’d pointed out my
bond with George and how it could be a real advantage with what we
were doing. I was fairly certain he’d gone back inside, but when I
looked, he wasn’t there. I went room to room, quietly at first,
then calling his name. By the time I circled back to the kitchen,
Cambria and George became curious enough to get involved.

“Where could he have gone?” I asked.

“Probably getting some air,” Cambria said.
“It is a little thick with Werewolves around here.”

“We’re not exactly his favorite,” George
agreed. It wasn’t lost on me that he’d just officially put himself
into the Werewolf category for the first time, but I was too
distracted to give it attention.

“He wouldn’t just leave,” I argued.

“Is he patrolling?” Cambria asked. “Derek
and Jack are out now. Maybe they asked for his help.”

“Is who patrolling?” Wes asked, coming up
behind me and sliding an arm around my waist. He pressed a kiss to
my cheek. I barely felt it.

“Alex. I can’t find him. I need to talk to
him before …” I couldn’t decide how to finish it so I let it
hang.

Grandma appeared in the doorway. “Tara,
sweetie, a word, please.” Her tone was a direct contradiction to
her words—and warned me to tread carefully.

“What’s up?” I asked, breaking away from the
group and following her out the front door.

She waved an arm at the front yard. “You
tell me.”

“Um …” I tried to see what she saw. “Dead
grass?”

“My Hummer. It isn’t here. You want to
explain that to me?”

A sick feeling settled in my gut as I looked
at the empty spot where it had been parked since last night.
“Alex.”

“What about him?”

“He’s gone.”

“Uh-huh, and you expect me to believe you
have no idea where he’s gone.”

“Me?” I looked up at her. “What about you? I
thought the two of you were tight. A spy team.”

“Stealing a car is not the sort of thing a
teammate does.” She pressed her lips together, centering all of her
anger on me. It felt like a physical wall of pressure building
between us. I realized for the first time just exactly how scary
Edie Godfrey could be when she tried.

I took a step back. “I don’t know where he
is, Grandma, I swear.”

“Uh-huh. Doesn’t mean it’s not entirely
wrapped up in what you’re about to do.” She whirled so abruptly, I
scrambled back to keep clear. She stomped inside and slammed the
door behind her.

I stayed where I was, deciding it was safer
this way. The others filed out a minute later. Cambria looked
shaken. Even with the door closed, I could hear Grandma’s muffled
yelling.

“She’s pissed,” George said.

“I told you she’s scary when she’s mad,”
Cambria said.

“Alex stole her car?” Wes looked at the
empty space in the front yard. He shook his head, and I caught the
hint of a smile before he adjusted his expression and met my eyes.
“He’s in deep shit.”

“And then some,” George agreed.

“
Why’d he have to take the
Hummer?” Cambria asked. “Does he have a death wish?”

“Because he’s an ass,” I said. Anger
swirled, building into something more. I couldn’t believe he’d just
left like this, no explanation, nothing. My hands curled at my
sides and still the anger churned. Something else lay under it,
something I couldn’t pinpoint yet.

“I’m sure it was an emergency,” George said.
He was watching me warily. I knew he could feel my anger. I didn’t
care.

“This, right here, today, this is an
emergency,” I said. “What could possibly come before this?”

No one had an answer for that.

The front door opened. I braced myself for
Grandma, but Angela stepped out. “Tara, Sam’s awake,” she said.
“She’s pretty confused. What do I tell her?”

“I’ll go,” Wes said. “But someone should
take her home. You don’t want her remembering this place.”

“I’ll get my mom,” I said. “Sam knows her
well enough, it won’t bring up anything she should forget.”

“It’s almost four,” Cambria said. “Are you
sure you want to ask her to go now?”

“She’s gotta be good for something.” The
words came out clipped and harsh. No one answered. They parted to
let me pass.

I found my mom and she agreed to drive Sam
and Angela home. Fee offered to go with. I suspected she wanted to
be sure Sam’s memory loss was complete.

Wes instructed Angela on the story she would
feed Sam. A party had gone late. Sam had a few too many and we’d
all crashed at my house. My mom had offered to drive them home.

When they were ready, Angela hugged me.
“Thank you for fighting for me.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Call me as soon as you can.”

“I will.”

“In the meantime,” she said, looking at
George, “can you call with updates? So I know you’re all okay?”

“Definitely,” he agreed, pulling her in for
a hug and holding the passenger door open for her.

“Good luck with Sam,” I said.

My mom hugged me and patted my hair. “Be
careful,” she said in my ear. “Listen to Cord, she’s experienced
with this sort of thing.” I bit my tongue so hard it brought tears
to my eyes. There was no use in arguing. Not now.

I stood there waving to Angela until the car
disappeared. Wes came up behind me and slid his arms around me. The
movement seemed careful, measured.

“He’s coming back, Tara.” His words were
casual, almost off-hand. Anyone else listening would’ve missed the
fact that what he’d said mattered.

“I don’t care,” I said.

“Yes, you do, or you wouldn’t be angry.”

“I’m not angry.”

“Liar. You’re hurt. He’s coming back,
Tara.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I would.”

Chapter
Twenty-Six

My mom called at four on the dot to say Sam
and Angela were safe. Sam’s parents were informed she’d caught a
bug while staying the night at my house and should stay in bed.
They’d loved Fee—who wouldn’t, really?—and even taken some of her
tea to use on Sam through the night so she’d be better rested
tomorrow. Angela would stay with her to talk her through the blank
spots when she woke.

During the phone conversation, the tingling
on the back of my neck began. “Mom, I gotta go,” I said.

“They’re there, aren’t they?” she asked.

“I think so.”

“Oh, dear.” I visualized her wringing her
hands. “Have Cambria or someone call me as soon as it’s done, okay?
Do what Cord tells you. And Tara? I love you.”

I shoved from my mind the fact that she in
no way believed me capable of this on my own and focused solely on
her last three words. “I love you too, Mom,” I said and hung
up.

I rubbed my neck and stared into the woods.
Slowly, two forms appeared. Human, walking side by side.

“Right on time,” Wes said from beside
me.

“It’s the politician in him. He can’t help
himself,” Cord said in disgust.

The three of us stood shoulder to shoulder,
halfway between the house and the tree-line. Wes chose to remain
human—to appear less threatening, he’d said—and currently had my
hand in a death grip. Jack and the others were concealed in various
places around the perimeter.

“I see you’ve decided to come willingly,”
Mr. Lexington said, his eyes flickering to the small bag on the
ground at my feet.

“I’ve come to make a deal,” I said.

“I’m not sure you’re in a position—”

“Cord and I will come. No one will harm my
friends or family. Ever.”

“I can agree to those terms,” he said.

“Ever, do you understand? No matter what
happens at this little meeting of yours, you can’t go after my
friends.”

“Fair enough.” His mouth twitched and his
eyes took on a decidedly more yellow hue. He eyed Cord. “Olivia has
special plans for you, I hear.”

“Isn’t that funny because I’ve got special
plans for her too,” she said.

His eyes sharpened. Mrs. Lexington shifted
nervously.

“They aren’t alone,” I said under my
breath.

“I know,” Wes said.

“Whenever you’re ready,” Mr. Lexington
said.

I’d barely reached for my bag when Wes
grabbed me and yanked me against him. His arms wrapped around me,
squeezing fiercely. “Be careful. You promised.”

All I could do was nod. If I spoke even one
word the tears would fall. I’d been so wrapped up in the going that
I hadn’t even prepared for the goodbye.

“Come on,” Cord said, pulling my sleeve
until Wes and I untangled.

“I won’t be far,” he said, keeping his voice
low. I could see his body shimmering at the edges, on the brink of
shifting. For once, I understood the sense of safety it would
bring. I felt vulnerable, exposed, with all of my emotions on
display this way.

“Just don’t rush in too soon. We need to
find Olivia first,” I said.

“You’re first. Olivia’s second.”

I sighed and let him kiss me. Then Cord
pulled on me again, and shoved my bag at me. I didn’t glance back
as I followed her into the trees. It wouldn’t have done any good.
I’d already said goodbye to the others, and the only one I hadn’t
was long gone.

*

We walked for two hours before I relaxed
against the feeling of hybrids nearby. They must’ve increased their
following distance because the itching against the nape of my neck
faded, and I could finally think straight without worrying every
step would land in a paw instead of a foot.

“Are we really going to hike the entire way
there?” Cord asked.

She couldn’t care less whether we hiked or
swam, she just wanted action. And maybe a clue as to where we were
headed.

“We’re hiking until we’re not,” Mr.
Lexington said.

“Spoken like a true bureaucrat,” she
said.

We finally stopped as night fell, and Mr.
Lexington handed us each a bottle of water. I uncapped mine without
hesitation. It was beyond stupid that I hadn’t thought to pack
water among the few clothes and a hairbrush I’d thrown in my bag,
so now that it was in front of me, I didn’t hold back.

Cord sniffed hers, eying Mr. Lexington
warily.

“You’re not thirsty?” he asked. Beside him,
his wife gulped her bottle in loud swallows.

“I don’t trust you,” Cord said.

“You think I put something in it?” he asked.
“After you came willingly? We had a deal. I’ll honor it.”

“Even when you were human, you were rabid.
You didn’t give a shit about honor then, so why do you now?”

He blinked, obviously taken off guard by her
vehemence. Temper flashed and his eyes glowed. “You know nothing
about me.”

“I know your daughter. Which is more than I
can say for you,” Cord shot back. “She knows you’re alive.”