Lunacy (Blood Trails Book 13), page 14
Stephen didn’t have Emma’s poker face. I saw the pain in his eyes, in the way he dropped his head. He didn’t close the door until the faint ding of the elevator echoed down the hallway.
Liam stood from the couch, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. His aura undulated against me as he passed, feeling swollen and hot, like a feverish wound. I rubbed my skin, trying to rid myself of the sensation that made my chest tighten.
“Did you know what she was doing?” Liam asked, without looking up.
Stephen didn’t move. “No. I would have stopped her if I had.” He stared down at the floor. “She doesn’t confide in me much lately.”
“You had no idea she had a second phone? You don’t know where it is?”
Stephen sighed and walked over to the couch, taking the spot Emma had just vacated. “Liam, this is my fault. I’m the one that brought her into the pack without teaching her what that would mean. She wasn’t ready, and the circumstances around her joining… How she’s feeling right now is my fault. And I’m trying to make amends, I’m trying to show her what it should have been like for her. But there’s no quick fix for this. And right now, half the time she sees me as an enemy.”
He covered his face with his hands, drawing in a deep breath and holding it for a few moments before letting it out again. “I don’t know anything about a second phone. If I did, I would tell you.” He turned to look at Liam, his brown eyes soft, almost pleading. “I’m sorry.”
Liam studied Stephen. I glanced up toward the door, noticing Scath had never come farther into the room than the threshold. The sidhe woman watched the two werewolves on the couch with a concentration I’d only ever seen on cats. Usually when they were studying a windowsill or a ledge, gauging the distance. Wondering if they could make that jump.
Finally Liam stood. “Look around. See if you can find it. We need to figure out what’s really going on. And we need to figure it out now.”
Stephen nodded and got up, heading for the bedroom. Liam nodded toward the door and I followed him out. He didn’t speak on the way to the elevator, and neither did I. It was obvious he was thinking things through, and I didn’t want to interrupt that thought process. Though I did wonder if he’d caught the same thing I had.
Stephen had restarted his position in the pack, started from the bottom. Not just so he could understand it and be a better alpha.
But to show Emma how it was done. Lead by example.
Stephen was maturing. And I was impressed.
Liam led the way into his office, and when he shut the door behind him, closed all the blinds so the office offered some semblance of privacy, his shoulders sagged.
“Are you okay?” I asked, hating how powerless the phrase sounded.
“My father will see her being locked up, and will convince himself it’s because of what he said. He’ll use it to cement his own delusion that I’ll eventually come around to his way of thinking, that he’s right about how I should run my pack. And he’ll say the same to the Vanguard.”
A knock on the door saved me from offering a meaningless reassurance. Apparently our entry into the office had been noted. Liam pushed himself off the desk with noticeable effort. “Come in.”
Ruth opened the door and stepped inside, quickly shutting it behind her. The scent of dried tea leaves followed her, wafting off her clothes as the breeze from the closing door ruffled her skirts. She didn’t spare me the slightest bit of attention, instead striding to the center of the room to give Liam her full focus.
“I didn’t get a chance to speak with you yesterday. But your father’s pack have been stirring up some of our newer clients. Telling them New Moon isn’t safe, saying you aren’t strong enough to protect them because you’re more human than wolf, and you won’t do what needs to be done.”
Liam rubbed a hand over the back of his head. “Sounds about right. All right, I’ll call a meeting and—”
“You may not have to,” Ruth interrupted. “A lot of them ended up gathered in Stephen’s room last night after dinner. He talked to them.”
Liam dropped his hand as tension seized his shoulders, jerking them closer together as he took two large steps toward the door. Ruth stepped in front of him, blocking his path, and my eyebrows shot up. It took a brave woman to put herself in front of an angry Liam. Or a stupid woman. Which Ruth was not.
“I think it was a good thing.” Ruth pointed at the ceiling, the gold rings on her fingers catching the light. “I went up there last night when I heard what was going on, and I listened from the hall. I heard what he said. Liam, I know you’ve been worried that Stephen’s behavior these past couple months has all been an act, but from what I heard, I don’t think it is. I think it’s finally sinking in. He finally gets it.”
Liam stared at her as if she’d told him Cormac was crying in the men’s bathroom. “What did he say?”
Ruth smiled, a somewhat bewildered smile as if even she couldn’t quite believe it. “He talked to them about the difference between good alphas and bad alphas. He said an important difference between you and Cormac is that you would be willing to live the life you ask your pack members to live. You would have no problem being treated the way you treat them, doing what you ask them to do. Then he asked them if any of them thought Cormac would ever allow himself to be treated the way he treats his pack.”
Liam’s eyebrows twitched up.
Ruth nodded. “And it’s more than that. They’ve seen Stephen struggle against you, they’ve seen you win, and now they’ve seen that Stephen has truly come around. He’s living according to your rules, and I think we can all agree that his behavior, and his mood, have been vastly improved. It’s not just talk when he tells them you know what you’re doing.”
“If Stephen has really changed, then why is Emma still so angry?” Liam countered. “Why isn’t he getting through to her?”
Ruth glanced at me, flexing her hands at her sides in a way that made the bracelets on her wrists jangle. “Maybe Shade should leave. I don’t think she needs to hear—”
“She stays,” Liam said, a hint of hostility creeping into his voice.
Ruth pressed her lips together, and for a second, I thought she’d argue. But she’d obviously heard the edge in Liam’s voice, and it didn’t take long for her to come to the conclusion that now wasn’t the time to push. “I think the fact that Emma is acting out is actually a sign that Stephen’s change is real.” She gestured between her and Liam. “We both knew that Emma wasn’t ready for this life. She had a romanticized view of what her life would be—joining the pack to be with the man she loved, protected by him. Stephen should have prepared her, should have helped her understand that there’s a hierarchy—a hierarchy where he has to answer to you. And so would she.”
“He turned her even though he didn’t have permission,” Liam agreed. “And he did so on a whim to save her from a murder charge.”
“Which meant that Emma’s introduction to the pack was marked with seeing the man she loves, the man she’d been turned to be with, punished. Punished, and separated from her,” Ruth finished. “Joining a pack is supposed to feel like coming home. It’s meant to offer security and comfort, to make the transition less scary because you’re surrounded by people who are there to support you and help you, people who have been where you are and know what it’s like. But instead, when Emma joined, she saw us all as enemies. People who’d taken her mate away from her.”
“Which set the tone for how she sees the rules,” I said, speaking out loud without meaning to.
Ruth shot me a dirty look, but Liam gestured for me to continue. “Ruth is right. Emma should have had an easier time accepting the hierarchy—she’s a cop, she’s familiar with rank. But a change that severe would be scary for anyone, and losing Stephen at the same time… That’s a lot of fear and a lot of anger. It had to go somewhere.”
Peasblossom’s wings buzzed behind her as she flew from my shoulder to my head, inserting herself into the conversation with practiced ease. “And Stephen made sure it went to you.”
“You think I should have let them stay together?” Liam asked, addressing the room at large. “You think that would have made a difference?”
“No,” Ruth said firmly. “If you’d let them stay together, it would have cemented Stephen’s idea that he can break the rules when he sees fit, and Emma would have learned that too. At least this way she got to see that the rules will be enforced. They aren’t toothless.”
“Not according to my father,” Liam said, leaning back against his desk.
“Your father is another story completely,” Ruth said, her voice heating with a flash of temper. “He does more damage than good, and anyone who isn’t traumatized by his treatment can see that.”
“The problem is,” I said carefully, “Stephen had Emma convinced that they’d start their own pack—like a family. They’d be the head of the pack, taking care of others. And as a woman and a cop, that appealed to Emma. And now she’s found out that’s not as easy as it looks.”
“You think that’s why she’s talking to the loners?” Liam asked. “She wants to start her own pack?”
“What?” Ruth asked sharply. “What do you mean she’s talking to loners?”
Liam’s jaw tightened.
I answered for him. “Emma has a secret phone, and she’s been handing out her number to lone wolves. We’re not sure why yet, but Tom and Nate—two wolves from The Rusty Cuffs—both had her number.”
For a split second, Ruth glared at me. As if I were responsible in some way for Emma’s consorting with loners. “How long have you known about this?” she asked Liam.
“I just found out fifteen minutes ago.”
“Wait a minute,” Ruth said, holding up a hand. “If Emma was contacting Tom behind your back, then why wouldn’t Tom tell you? Seems like something he’d enjoy throwing in your face, that one of your pack members is going around chatting up lone wolves?”
“Edwin told me that lone wolves often seek out the company of other wolves,” I said. “Even though they don’t want to be part of a pack, the wolf in them seeks out the company of other wolves.”
“So?” Ruth asked, bracing one hand on her hip.
“So maybe he didn’t rat Emma out because he liked talking to her,” I said simply.
“He had Dustin,” Ruth pointed out. “And the other loners at the bar.”
“I didn’t see a lot of females there.” I looked at Liam. “I’m guessing there are fewer lone females than males?”
Liam nodded. “It’s more dangerous for a female to stay alone. It happens, but unless they take the time—in human form and wolf form—to get really good at fighting, their smaller size makes them easy targets for other shifters—alphas like Cormac who absorb any lone wolf who comes into the territory, or male lone wolves who want…”
He didn’t finish, because he didn’t have to.
I bit the inside of my lip. “It’s possible that he didn’t rat Emma out because on some level he felt protective of her.”
“It’s not going to do us any good standing around here trying to figure out what was going on between Emma and the lone wolves,” Liam said, frustration tightening his voice. “We need Sonar to find Tom. Or we need to get Emma to talk.”
A knock at the door made us all turn. Liam’s nostrils flared. “Come in, Sam.”
The door opened, revealing the head of security standing alone with a brown paper bag clutched in their left hand. The lines around their eyes deepened as they fixed their attention on Liam, and I thought I saw their chest rise and fall with a deep breath before they stepped over the threshold. Ruth stood straighter, her arms falling to her sides, her green eyes tracking Sam’s every movement. No one said anything as they closed the door behind them.
And locked it.
Liam’s attention was on the paper bag clutched in their hand, and he didn’t say anything as he waited for Sam to cross the room. I knew it was bad, when Sam took the time to nod to Ruth and me in turn. The head of security was a get-to-the-point sort of person, and for them to be taking this long, it had to be bad.
“Blake tells me Emma is in holding.” Sam shifted the brown paper package to their other hand.
“She is.” Liam paused. “What’s in the bag, Sam?”
The androgynous wolf looked down at the bag. Then they straightened, pushing their shoulders back. “I’ve had teams combing the forest since Dustin’s body was found. It took some time to map out a grid, and then I assigned—”
“Sam.” This time there was a warning in Liam’s tone.
Sam’s expression didn’t waver. “We found the gun.”
Scath crept forward, staring at the brown paper bag with an intensity that, had she been a normal house cat, would have made me think it contained an open can of tuna, and I found myself holding my breath.
Liam held out his hand, and Sam passed him the brown paper bag. I watched Liam open it up and remove some sort of revolver, slightly bigger than I’d have been comfortable holding, but not so big it couldn’t work for a woman.
“A .45.” Liam stared at the gun. “Did you run the serial number?”
“Yes.” Sam brushed their hair away from their face, resignation in the sudden fall of their shoulders. “It’s Emma’s.”
Chapter 13
“Check it for prints,” Liam said, almost too fast. “Make sure—”
“Already did,” Sam said softly. “No prints on the outside, but Emma’s prints are on the remaining bullets.” They brightened, just slightly. “But the gun has also been wiped down with alcohol. And it’s a little strange that someone would take the time to wipe the prints—and scent—off the outside of the gun, but not the bullets.”
“Not everyone would think to wipe down the bullets,” Liam said, half to himself.
“But Emma would,” Sam pressed. “She’s a cop.”
Liam fell silent, lost in thought as he stared down at the gun in his hand.
“Let me talk to Emma,” I said gently. “Let me—”
“No,” Ruth blurted out. “I’ll talk to her.” She stepped closer to Liam on his opposite side, forcing him to look away from me to look at her. “Emma is pack, and I’m her therapist. I should be the one to talk to her.”
Peasblossom sucked in a breath, but I held up a hand to stop her. Ruth wasn’t the alpha in the room, and I knew perfectly well she wasn’t the one I had to convince if I wanted to speak to Emma. And Liam had put me in charge of this case, not Ruth. However, I was a village witch, not a shifter or a cop. It didn’t take a witch to know Ruth was a strong female presence at New Moon, and in the Rocky River pack in general. If I wanted to stay with Liam, if I wanted to build a life with him, it would be better for things to be as harmonious between me and the head counselor as possible.
“Ruth,” I said quietly. “Emma hates all things shifter right now. And of all the people in this room, I’m the only one who can let her be dominant over me without losing status.”
Liam tensed when I mentioned letting her be dominant over me, but I stopped him from speaking with a look.
“She’s already feeling vulnerable enough. The last thing she needs is one of her many ‘superiors’ to come in and confront her with her bad choices. I can meet her on her level. Or under it, if I have to. Won’t cost me a thing. Can any of you say the same?”
Ruth looked like she wanted to argue. But it turns out, I wasn’t the only one in the room who could put aside my pride for the sake of someone in a dark place. I watched as she realized I was right. Realized that Emma had enough problems accepting the hierarchy without someone higher than her going in there and pretending they couldn’t pull rank at any second.
“I’ll take her down to see Emma,” Ruth told Liam. “I’ll stay outside the cell in case I’m needed.”
Liam nodded, as if he didn’t trust himself to speak. He was still staring at the gun.
Ruth moved toward the door, and I took a step to follow her. Suddenly Scath stopped and bowed her head. Both Ruth and I paused as Scath began the transformation from beast to human. I didn’t bother trying to hide my surprise as Scath once again chose to take the human form she hated so much without being asked.
She was breathing hard by the time she finished, and she swayed as she got to her feet, let herself adjust to being upright. Sweat covered her temples, making her short black hair stick to her skin, and her green eyes were clouded with pain. Silently, I retrieved an outfit for her from my waist pouch, and even Bizbee didn’t comment as he took in Scath’s haggard countenance.
A weight settled on my shoulder, and I turned to see Ruth looking at Scath, her brow furrowed.
“Is it always like that?” she asked me quietly.
My heart softened at the concern in her voice. “Yes.”
Ruth nodded, lost in thought for a moment. Then she headed for the door, leaving me and Scath to follow.
I looked at Scath, but the feline sidhe didn’t offer any explanation to why she’d decided to take human form all of a sudden. It took her a few steps to adjust to walking on two legs again, and several more to recover anything like the grace shifters usually moved with. She moved like someone who’d gone too hard at the gym the previous day, and was trying not to show it. It seemed there was a toll for her to pay, taking human form so often.
I would have loved to know why.
As soon as we reached the subbasement, my thoughts turned from Scath to the female werewolf waiting at the end of the corridor. The room was full of holding cells where they kept the wolves that had lost control, or otherwise needed to be restrained or quarantined for some reason. It wasn’t unusual for a new wolf to need a safe space to rage without hurting themselves or others, but at its core, it still felt like a prison.
