Winter’s Wolf (15 page)

Winter took a pull on his beer. “For one thing, I get that you’re kind of an outsider while you’re still a part of the pack.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You think? Why ever would a half-human, illegitimate, gay werewolf be an outsider?” A world of bitterness tinged that sarcastic remark.

“Yeah, well, I’m not half human.”

He glanced up, his eyes claiming Winter’s. “Yes, I understand you’re also illegitimate?”

“Yeah, more than you. My mother didn’t even want me.”

“But your father did.”

“Okay, we’re even.”

He cocked his head. “But you’re not saying you’re gay?”

“Yep.”

“Well, son of a living breathing bitch.”

Winter gave him half a smile. “You can’t judge a wolf by its cover. Look at your pal, Cole.”

Lindsey shook his head. “I must confess I wouldn’t have guessed. Cole has that sweetness. You’re more—”

“Mean?”

“Probably. But I was going to say edgy. You’re very alpha.”

“So I’ve been told.” He swigged the beer. “Anyway, one reason my father gave for bringing me to the pack was to meet females and turn me from my indecent, cock-loving ways.”

Lindsey popped a hand over his mouth. “Oh my heavens, that’s too ironic. Here he delivers you to a veritable hotbed of werewolf perversion. Three—count them, three—gay werewolves in one allied pack. He must have shit!” Lindsey laughed.

“Yeah. He did. But, of course, that’s when I found out he really came back for your mother.”

Talk about instant frown.
“Yes, and I’ve warned him that I may look like a queen, but I’m one mean-ass werewolf if you mess with my family. Keep him away from her.”

Funny how he wanted to leap to Damon’s defense. “I’ve got no control over my father. In most pack situations, he’d be an alpha. He’s a powerful wolf.”

“A. You’re as powerful as he or will be soon. B. I don’t want to have to hurt him.”

Coming from some other wolf, that might have been funny. Not in this case. “He’s always taught me the cardinal rule of the pack. No way he’s going to violate it.”

Lindsey looked at Winter levelly. “I did.”

“So I hear. Where is he?”

His whole face softened and lit up. “He’s at work. He’ll be home for dinner.”

Winter stared at the bit of amber liquid still in his glass. “I understand you know an FBI guy named Partridge.”

“Yes.” Hard to pack that much meaning into one word. Winter looked up and found about fifty questions all over Lindsey’s face. “How do you know agent Partridge?”

“Freedman, the marshal, sent me out to track for Partridge.”

Lindsey frowned. “You’re working for Freedman?”

“Yeah. That’s kind of another whole subject.”

“Share, darling.” He sounded light but looked anything but.

“Not sure what’s important, but Freedman asked me to do some jobs for him. I’ve done a couple errands, a bunch of accounting, and the tracking thing for Partridge. Then today, he and Betz had me using weapons and made me prove I could shift on command.”

“Can you?”

“Yes.”

Lindsey raised an eyebrow.

“Anyway, they don’t seem too happy about the whole alliance thing or about the”—he made quotes in the air—“fags who sealed the alliance. I think I should tell Marketo or Cole or someone. They could be working on a serious coup.”

A line popped between Lindsey’s perfect eyebrows. “The alphas know who the opposition is and take it pretty seriously. It might not hurt to tell Cole anyway.”

“Okay, I will when I see him.” He shrugged. “I’m not exactly a pack animal, so I’m not flying any flags here.”

“The pack’s been good to me. They could have killed Seth after I revealed myself to him. Instead they found a way to make it work. I’m grateful, even if an outsider.”

Winter nodded.

“So, Partridge?”

“Yeah.”

Lindsey swirled the wine in his glass with a little smirk on his face. “I’ve always had a theory that agent Partridge might play for our team. Seth and I have discussed it but reached no agreement.”

Winter sipped his beer to hide a smile. “I’ve reached a few conclusions on the subject.”

Lindsey’s smirk grew. “And how is agent Partridge’s conclusion, may I ask?”

“Delicious.”

“So, not only gay but a human-fucker, are we?”

“Now you’re getting the full picture on why I’m here.”

“Fascinating. But it sounds as if you’ve won the lady. How can I help?”

Winter got up and stalked to the window. “He’s weird. One minute he’s practically climbing all over me, and the next he gets cold and barely knows my name. I feel like some frigging romance novel.” He turned. Lindsey looked relaxed but somber.

“I’m familiar with the syndrome. Matt Partridge has worked very hard for his position. He’s not yet thirty and has responsibilities usually given to older agents. Being gay in law enforcement is tough. Even though the bureau advertises as gay-friendly, you can still get a lot of crap from other agents, and it’s harder to be taken seriously. He’s a serious man.”

Winter’s voice rose. “So why doesn’t he just leave me alone?”

Lindsey grinned. “I can imagine you’d be fairly hard to resist.”

Winter walked back to the couch and flopped. “Shit, he’s got me crazy.”

“Sounds like you care about Matt.”

Did he? “I don’t know. I’ve never had anything like a relationship, so I’ve got no experience. But I really like fucking him, and since he likes it too, I don’t understand the problem.”

Carefully, Lindsey set the wine glass down, though his knuckles looked strained. “What you do need to understand—and your father too, Winter—is that the pack worked very hard to allow me to keep Seth without killing either one of us. To my knowledge, it’s the only exception to the cardinal rule that’s ever been made, and they did it partly because Seth and I had become like adoptive parents to my stepbrother, Jasper, who’s a powerful werewolf who had been orphaned. It’s not likely they’ll ever make an exception again. Especially not with all the opposition and dissension in the pack that you just described. There are a lot of conservative wolves who cling to the old ways.”

“Yeah. I got that from Freedman and especially from Betz.”

“So maybe you can understand that I’m not just being an overprotective son to my mother. I won’t have her killed because your father couldn’t keep a secret. I’ve protected her and my grandfather my whole life, and I won’t let anyone change that. Quite frankly, I’d just as soon not see Matt Partridge disappear under mysterious circumstances either. You and Damon ought to focus your affections elsewhere, or you could risk both of their lives.”

“Shit, civilization’s a bitch.”

“Welcome to the jungle.”

Winter stared at the beautiful rug. Could he do it? Matt clearly wanted to forget Winter. Why the hell couldn’t he reciprocate? “Thanks. I’ll take your advice.” Hopefully Lindsey couldn’t smell a lie.

Lindsey walked Winter out of the study and down the wide staircase. “In spite of everything, I enjoyed getting to know you a little.” He extended a hand, but less like Scarlett O’Hara this time, and Winter shook it.

“Me too. Guess I’ll see you around.”

As they crossed the entry hall to the front door, a woman’s voice came from the reception area they’d just left. “Thank you, James. Have Harold bring the car around, please.”

The woman, who sailed into the entry like a ballet dancer in flight, stopped dead and stared at him. On the tall side, slender, blonde, and pretty, with the subtlety that only wealth and breeding bring. “Hello.”

Winter nodded. “Hello.”

Lindsey looked surprised, almost shocked. “My, dearest, don’t you look lovely. May I present Winter Thane, my new friend? You’ve heard me speak of the Marketos? He’s related to them and just moved into the area.”

Her blue eyes widened. “I’m so pleased to meet you, Winter.” She glanced at Lindsey, then back to Winter. She extended her hand, took his when he offered it, and covered it with her other hand, still looking into Winter’s eyes as if some secret lay there.

“Are you going out, Mother?”

She started and her cheeks colored. “Uh, yes, just meeting some friends for a film and maybe dinner.”

“How lovely. Who are the friends?”

She waved a hand. “No one you’d know, darling.”
Bad lie.
“So good to meet you, Winter.” With a smile, she passed them and escaped out the front door, then sailed down the stairs and into the town car, which pulled away before Lindsey even closed his mouth.

Winter glanced at Lindsey. “She’s very charming.”

“Yes. A lot more charming than she was yesterday.”

D
AMON
GAZED
at Elizabeth across the table. Her pale hair glistened in the candlelight, and one or two of the other diners glanced at her. She was lovely. “Did you like the movie?”

“Yes, it was funny. I haven’t been to a movie theater in a long time. I see most everything at home.” She sighed. “But then, I do most everything at home.”

“Don’t you watch Lindsey’s polo matches? I’m told he’s quite a player.”

She sipped her water. “I used to, but somehow I got out of the habit.”

“Surely you must be running all over town for your other son? Don’t teenagers require a lot of time?”

She smiled. “I’m not exactly a soccer mom, Damon. Jazz is playing polo these days too, but he has Lindsey and Seth to cheer for him. Plus there’s a car to take him wherever he needs to go. I don’t have to drive. Actually, I’ve almost forgotten how. I let my license lapse.”

He smiled softly. “I don’t mean to be pushy, but aren’t you too young to have given up on everything?”

She frowned. “Given up? No, I still give to my charities.”

The waitress arrived to take their orders. Elizabeth asked what he was having, and when he said prime rib, requested the same thing.

He looked up from the menu. “Would you like wine?”

“I’ll just have a glass of chardonnay. I don’t think I better drink much with you around.”

He spit out a laugh, ordered her wine and a beer for him, and the waitress left. He cocked his head. She had so much life she wasn’t using. “Is it hard sharing Lindsey?”

She stared at her hands with their short, unpolished nails. “Oh, maybe a little. But all I ever wanted was for him to be happy, and he is. I adore Seth. When Lindsey started seeing him, his grandfather and I were so delighted. Then they broke up for a time, and I actually worried for Lindsey’s future. I’d never seen him in despair before. But they realized what they meant to each other, married, and now are in the happily-ever-after part.”

Thanks to a whole lot of werewolf politics.

The waitress brought their drinks, and they clinked their glasses.

Damon sipped his beer. “I’m happy to hear about Lindsey. My son, Winter, is still young, but he’s having trouble finding himself. I hope being here and part of the, uh, family, will help him.”

“The Marketo family?”

“Yes, my brother and his relatives. Half brother.”

“Lindsey’s close to your relatives, but more to the Harker clan. Cole Harker is his best friend. They’re very close. Partly because they’re both gay. I think that’s one of the things that originally drew them together, and then they found more in common. Of course, Lindsey was always a very independent boy. Never clingy. Private, almost secretive. Isn’t it odd that my adopted son should be the same way? He’s gay as well.”

“You seem very easy about that fact.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

He shrugged. “I was brought up to abjure homosexuality. Now I’m starting to believe my son Winter is gay.”

She stared at him. “That means you have two gay sons, just like I do.”

“Yes, I’ve thought of that.”

“Time to grow up, Mr. Thane.” She cocked an eyebrow.

Dinner arrived. Damon hunted for the rare portions of the beef, sliced them, and chewed. Elizabeth pushed her food around a little and finally ate some.

He swallowed. “No one ever questioned Lindsey’s paternity?”

She shook her head. “No reason to. My husband had literally dropped dead the day before I, uh, met you. He was even blond. People used to say how much Lindsey looked like my husband—which made me cringe since the man was a fourteen-carat bastard.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“I would have left him if he hadn’t died, but then he did, and I was quickly embraced as the grieving widow. I love my father-in-law. When my mother-in-law was alive, she used to travel a lot and he’d get lonely, so when I discovered I was pregnant, I stayed with Pop-Pop. He’s been like a father to Lindsey. I know it was dishonest, but he didn’t like my husband much either.” She laughed. “And he adores Lindsey, so it’s a win/win.”

“Lindsey works for your family company?”

“Yes, though that’s an understatement. Vanessen Enterprises are a multi-billion-dollar conglomerate of corporations. Lindsey sits on the board with his grandfather. He’s entwined in many aspects of the business.”

Damon hid his sigh. “That’s a big life.”
All that and a werewolf too.

She sought his gaze. “It’s bigger than both of us, Damon. Nothing can or will interfere with Lindsey’s life.”

“What about your life?”

She shook her head and pushed away her plate. “I forfeited my life one night twenty-six years ago.”

“That’s nonsense. You’ve done an amazing job. Now it’s your turn.”

Her blue eyes flashed. “Damon, look in the mirror. The more people who see you with me, and see you next to Lindsey, the more questions will be asked. I saw your son. Few people can mistake the relationship. That can’t happen. This is Lindsey and Jazz’s life. What am I going to do? Throw it all away for a ride on the back of your motorcycle?”

Yes, for a ride with a creature you couldn’t even begin to recognize or name.
“Can I see you sometimes, if we’re discreet?”

“I’m not sure what the purpose is.” Mist softened her eyes.

“No purpose. Just for the joy of being together.”

The mist formed into a tear and slid down her cheek, and she slipped her hand over his on the tablecloth. “It would be so much easier if it wasn’t such a joy.”