Lelandi smiled a little, but the same soulful expression Larissa had filled Lelandi’s eyes, too. He wondered what had happened to the sisters to make them hurt so.
He helped her out of her leather jacket and stared at the shirt Silva had bought for her. Vixen. Matchmaker deluxe. In the soft glow of the overhead light, the scrap of lace pushing up Larissa’s breasts showed through the blouse.
When Tom came downstairs with the medicine. Silva, the blanket and pillow, he meant to tell Tom to bring him one of his flannel shirts for Lelandi.
The doorbell rang thwarting him, and Sam barged in, his arms loaded down with pizza boxes. “Cottons of pizzas and beer, if anyone wants to give me a hand.”
Darien covered Larissa with the blanket. “Sit with her. Silva.”
“Sure thing.”
But when he and Tom brought in an armload of drinks, he noticed Silva had helped Larissa remove her Jeans, now folded on the arm of the couch. He silently groaned, imagining seeing the rest of her nearly naked underneath the blanket.
When Darien disappeared into the kitchen with his brother and Sam. Silva pulled a chair closer to the couch and asked Lelandi, “How do you do it? Man, oh man, I thought Darien would take you right there on the couch. I sneaked back up the stairs before Darien noticed me. Tom’s gawking in surprise was audience enough.” Silva grinned. “Darien’s pants get so tight in the crotch when he’s around you, he’s probably strangled. But I can’t get Trevor to feel anything for me.”
Lelandi knew damn well Darien was projecting her sister on her, and she felt Silva’s pain. Yet, she couldn’t help wanting his heated touches. Nothing was worse than a lupus garou wanting another who didn’t share the same feelings. Yet, she knew from past experience and from her other wolf mates that Silva would have to learn this on her own. No one could tell her what Lelandi and most, she was sure, could already see. Trevor was a bastard, knowing that Silva wanted him and giving her the cold shoulder, taking pride in having her salivating over him when he had no intention of showing her any affection in return.
As far as Darien was concerned, Lelandi wasn’t Larissa and never could be. He’d have to find another mate. Not someone who looked like her.
Taking a deep breath, Lelandi advised, “Find someone else, Silva.” She truly meant it, although she had to be a little more devious in her plan.
Silva’s eyes widened.
“I don’t mean for real. Convince someone to help you make him jealous, but be sure you make it clear from the beginning that you’re only trying to get Trevor’s attention.”
Silva’s whole face lit up. “I know just the guy.”
“Make sure he knows why you’re doing it. You don’t want to give some poor guy hope when you don’t really mean it.”
Nodding vigorously, Silva loosened some of the curls piled on top of her head.
“So, who are you targeting?”
Silva grinned. “Sam. He’s perfect. Ten years older than me, but he can really put on the charm when he wants. And he’s used to my flirtations.”
“I can see you turn on a lot of wolves.”
“Yeah.” Silva fingered her loose curls. “I kind of have a teasing personality. Guess I should tone it down.”
“Not necessarily. Just channel it.” To the right guy.
The fact Silva wanted Sam’s help made Lelandi wonder if there wasn’t some underlying interest in him that Silva couldn’t recognize because she was so infatuated with Trevor. Plus if Sam was interested in her, the way she mooned over Trevor would be a dead turnoff. But if Silva gave Sam half a chance...
If Lelandi could, she would help show Trevor a thing or two before she had to leave. And maybe if she could win Silva over, she might be willing to share more pack secrets that could lead to Lelandi’s discovering who murdered Larissa.
“What did you want to do about the little lady?” Sam asked in the kitchen, as Darien welcomed his men to the leader’s pack meeting.
Sam was talking low, but Lelandi could still hear him, although the medicine was making her groggy again while she reclined on the couch.
“She needs to be taken up to the guest bedroom,” Darien said. “She needs to sleep and get her strength back.”
“Tom’s got a slew of problems to discuss. Is he feeling all right to present the issues?” Sam asked.
Ice clunked into a container.
“Yeah. He’ll be fine.”
“Heard Jake lost that guy in the copper coat near the bank.”
Lelandi breathed a sigh of relief. Her cousin was the runt of the litter—a beta. No true family loyalty. But if he took her home to Bruin, the leader would undoubtedly force her to mate his brother, Crassus, the bastard. One Wildhaven wouldn’t be enough.
“I was Larissa’s friend.” Silva said to Lelandi, her voice whisper soft. “The only female friend she had. Although Nurse Grey was always nice to her. But I don’t think Larissa trusted her or anyone else. Larissa wasn’t an alpha, but she was sweet, had an innocence about her. She didn’t lead Darien on, but I could tell she wanted to know what it would be like with someone who wanted her so badly and really cared for her. Darien seems hard, but he’s still grieving for her. But... she told me some things.”
Silva paused when the chatter in the kitchen died down. Her lips curved up slightly. “Let’s move to the guest bedroom, sugar. Darien won’t want us to hear boring pack business.”
Jake slammed the front door and stalked into the living room, casting a glance in Lelandi’s direction. He looked pissed. Guess because he hadn‘t caught Ural.
Lelandi’s lips rose slightly despite willing them to remain still. He shook his head at her. Hearing Darien’s voice in the kitchen, he headed that way.
“Well?” The sound of Darien’s voice indicated he already knew his brother’s answer.
“The guy got away. But Uncle Sheridan and a bunch of our men are searching for him. We’ll get him.” Jake sounded more like he was telling Lelandi the news—a warning.
“Trevor arrived. Take Lelandi up to the guest room, and he can guard her. Afterward, we’ll start the meeting,” Darien said.
“Will do.”
Jake stalked back into the living room. When he lifted Lelandi off the couch, she noticed no one spoke in the kitchen. She was dying to hear what Silva had to say about her sister and bet Darien was, too.
Jake carried her upstairs and she admired a score of photographs on the walls, featuring clusters of mountain wildflowers. Beautiful, colorful, vivid—lavender columbine peeking out from the base of an alpine grove, pink, showy milkweed like starbursts. purple thistle, and golden mountain dandelions. “Who’s the photographer?”
Jake’s dark face brightened some. “Me.”
“Oh.” She thought maybe Darien had taken them. Despite feeling she shouldn’t care, she wanted to know more about the gray, who had taken her sister for his mate.
“Darien doesn’t have any real hobbies.” Jake explained as if he read her thoughts. “Too busy keeping the town going, running two businesses, taking care of the pack. That’s a lot of responsibility for one lupus garou.”
“He has a whole pack to assist him.”
Jake gave her a smug smile and carried her into a room. Vases of roses and wildflowers cluttered an antique dresser and one of the bedside tables, scenting the air with the most delightful summertime floral fragrance despite being autumn. He glanced at the flowers and shook his head, then laid her in a king-sized, canopied bed of white eyelet. Fit for a princess.
Silva hurried into the room with Lelandi’s medicine, jeans, and the extra pillow. “Nurse Grey, Bertha Hastings, Tom, and a few others sent the flowers. Four secret admirers also.” She pulled a card off a vase of wildflowers and handed it to her. “From me.”