“You have one minute. I suggest you start talking.”
“Rumor has it that Shepherds have come to town and that they’re targeting a member of Trey Veznor’s pack—his brother, to be specific. I’m offering you a chance to listen in on the enemy from a distance they can’t possibly fathom. You wouldn’t even have to worry about initiating a meeting. You’d know where they’ve parked their vans, as well as where they’re currently bunking down. The warehouse was only meant as a message. There is so much information I can provide if you’re willing to negotiate.”
It was so damn hard not to reveal just how strong her telepathy was, but as if he were already aware he said, “Being around your new mate will increase your ability but not to the extent the locket will. There’s a reason your parents kept you—and the locket—under lock and key.”
Once again he flaunted knowledge he knew she wanted. Her parents’ car accident had been neat and tidy. A flat tire that resulted in loss of control that sent them over a metal barrier, down a ravine and directly into the unforgiving embrace of an ancient oak. The police said it was an accident but as soon as Craig started dropping hints she had started to wonder. They’d always been so secretive, telling her only so much about their private jaunts around the world.
Even her ability was something they’d worked diligently to keep hidden.
“Are you finally planning to tell me what you know?”
“I’m prepared to offer you an exchange. If you can sweeten the pot, I might be persuaded to toss a family heirloom into the bargain.”
Damn him.
The pendant didn’t matter to her but Craig knew just how much sway the information about her parents carried.
“What is it that you want?” She knew what he wanted but feigned ignorance. There was only one thing he could possibly have an interest in—direct information about the shifters and, since he was an Omega, Diskant.
“Don’t play coy.”
“Forget it.” The answer was easier to bestow than it had ever been in the past. “Goodbye.”
“The Shepherds won’t forget about Diskant Black when they go. They might leave the rest of the shifters in peace but if you did the research you’d learn that they have one weakness when it comes to hunting. They’ll single out the shifter who carries the most power. In this circumstance, that shifter is the man you’re sleeping with. If they get a yen to come back and finish what they’ve started you’ll be able to see them coming before anyone else can.”
Her stomach churned and a knot of tension built in the back of her neck. As huge an asshole as he was, there was one fact that was irrefutable—Craig never lied. He threatened and sometimes bullied but he never manipulated the truth.
She couldn’t believe she was considering it, but this wasn’t entirely about her. “What exactly,” she emphasized the word and paused for good measure, “do you want?”
“What I want, specifically, is a meeting with you and Diskant Black.”
“There’s no way. He’ll never agree to it.”
She could just imagine Craig shrugging in that arrogant manner of his as he replied, “Have you had any vampires sniffing around lately?”
She was shaking now, seething in outrage. The night of her attack, she’d wondered why Craig had specified a time so late in the evening, in a place that no one would be around.
She hadn’t thought he’d set her up but now…
“I hate it when you ask questions you have the answers to,” she snapped. “It insults my intelligence.”
“I’m not involved, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“What is it that you want?” she repeated, unable to think of anything snarky or intelligent to say.
“Call me at this number when you’ve discussed things with your better half. I want to stress just how important it is that our meeting should occur sooner rather than later.”
“Tell me what is going on.” Panic overcame her fury. “You can’t leave me entirely in the dark.”
“Let’s just say…” He didn’t speak for a moment but when he finally did, his voice—eerily serious and somber—gave her the chills. “It’s a good thing fate tossed a shifter mate in your path.”
Chapter Fourteen
Trey returned to Dougan’s and didn’t bother with the crowds. He knew Diskant and Kinsley would be in the far back room at the base of the stairs, where a table and chairs were placed in a quaint and private alcove. The location provided adequate protection for Diskant’s female as he could monitor who ventured up the stairs while allowing them privacy to talk, ensuring they wouldn’t be interrupted or disturbed.
When Trey made it around the corner they were just as he expected, seated across from each other with a couple of shot glasses and a bottle of Jack Daniels. Both stopped talking and looked up when he approached. Diskant kicked the chair closest to Trey from the table and sat back.
“It’s all taken care of.” Trey took a seat, snagged one of the glasses and poured a shot. “Aldon is ready to present a roadblock when we need it.”
“What about my mate?” The friendliness in Diskant’s face vanished. “Did he have an explanation for why his kind attacked her?”
Trey shook his head. “He had no idea what I was talking about. He said it had to have been rogues in the market for a blood slave.” At Diskant’s infuriated glare he added, “It would make sense. You can’t say you don’t understand the temptation.”
“How in the hell did you get involved with Aldon Frost?” Diskant said the vampire’s name as if it left a bad taste in his mouth.
“He needed a security system when he moved here. I helped him out in exchange for a favor owed.” Trey shrugged and downed his shot.
“Most people pay for that kind of thing with money,” Kinsley remarked. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be in business.”
“He needed a rush job. I don’t do anything that eats away my private time without expecting something extra in return.” He poured another shot with a steady hand, even though his insides felt as solid as Jell-O. “Where is Emory?”
“He went to an unoccupied room on the second floor. I told him to get a shower and a decent change of clothes. He might feel like shit but he’s not doing us any favors by looking like it.” Diskant took the lone shot glass from the center of the table and studied it as he rolled it between his fingers. “I sent Nathan to watch over him. He’s on a short fuse, Trey. He’s eventually going to become feral.”
Trey nodded, unable to argue the point.
A year before Emory had started having trouble controlling his bestial half. It had been obvious his younger brother was an Alpha; his disposition and temperament made that apparent shortly after his first shift. They were damn fortunate he’d managed to keep the wolf at heel for so long. Now he was too old to deny exactly what he needed. Alphas could survive as a member of a pack without being in charge but only if they were mated. The bond calmed the beast and allowed for a measure of peace—which was exactly what Trey was banking on.
“We have to reunite him with his mate.” Trey lifted the shot glass full of whiskey, studying the clear amber fluid. “After we take out the Shepherds we have to take him to Colorado to retrieve her.”
“Have you lost your bloody mind?” Kinsley snarled. “You cannot bring a Shepherd into the city to mate with your brother.”
Trey turned to the cat shifter, relieved that Diskant had imparted the ugly truth about Emory mating a Shepherd. If he was going to bring an unwilling female to his city he didn’t need prying Alphas making a fuss.
“What would you have me do? Watch him slowly go mad until we’re forced to put him out of his misery?”