“You okay?” Dominic asked. His face was etched with concern. “You were pretty out of it for a while. It’s like you weren’t here. I mean your body was, but your mind was somewhere else entirely. I tried to telepath to you, but there was nothing there. I have to be honest, that scared the shit out of me.”
“Sorry,” she said through a short laugh. Tatiana held her hand to her chest, reeling from the unusual experience. “That was nuts, but it worked.”
“Dominic’s right. You were in pretty deep, and I know those intense mental links can really take it out of a girl. Are you okay?” Kerry asked. She hung both arms over the stable door and tossed Obsidian another carrot. “What did she tell you?”
“Anything useful?” Dante asked. He stood next to Kerry and glanced from Tatiana to the horse. “Did she see who shot Spirit and wrote that message?”
Obsidian’s words floated into her mind, haunting her. Not who you think… bad man… pretender.
“Tatiana?” Dominic’s grip tightened as he sensed the shift in her energy signature. His fingers curled around her bicep, and he stroked the bare skin on her arm gently. “What is it?” he murmured.
Tatiana looked from him to Dante, and dread crept over her. One of the men on the ranch was a traitor. She shook her head as she stood up and extricated herself from his grasp.
“Nothing useful,” she said without making eye contact. She brushed stray pieces of hay off her butt. “Just cryptic messages. I guess I’m not as good at it as I thought I was.”
“Hold on.” Dominic grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. “I can tell there’s something else. What is it?”
“It doesn’t make any sense.” Tatiana held his stare and licked her lower lip, glancing from Dominic to Dante. “There’s no way what she said could be correct.”
“What did she say?” Dominic asked slowly.
“She said that one of the men is a pretender. Not who you think he is. That’s what she said, but it doesn’t make any sense. I can’t believe that anyone on the ranch would do that.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve been betrayed.” Dominic’s expression darkened. “I never would have suspected my own sister of being a Purist.”
“Or my father,” Dante added quietly. Kerry rubbed his back with one hand as she leaned into him with a supportive smile. “We’ve all been betrayed at one point or another.”
“I don’t understand why she couldn’t tell me his name.” Tatiana let out a sigh of frustration and ran both hands along Obsidian’s side. The horse made a snuffling sound and butted Tatiana with her nose. “You’re really making me work for it, aren’t you?”
“Maybe she doesn’t know names,” Kerry said as she handed a lead line to Tatiana. “She is a horse, after all.”
“I guess,” Tatiana murmured as she clicked the line to Obsidian’s harness. Dominic opened the stall door, and they all stepped aside as she led the graceful animal out of the stable. “I wish I could get her to tell me who it was, but the connection was broken too quickly.”
Tatiana patted Obsidian on the neck and unhooked her from the lead line, allowing her to roam freely in the field with the other horses. She smiled as four other mares trotted over to greet Obsidian, and a moment later, they galloped off together.
Dominic, Kerry, and Dante moved in on either side of Tatiana, and they all watched the animals in heavy silence. The one threat they’d truly feared had been confirmed. There was a traitor among them.
A cool breeze wafted over them, providing relief from the stuffy air of the barn, and Tatiana let out a sigh as she closed her eyes, reveling in the sensation.
“It may not be an Amoveo,” Dominic said quietly.
“Really?” Tatiana sliced a look in his direction and let out a short laugh. “Who else could it be? One of the other horses? Other than Amoveo, that’s all we’ve got on this ranch.”
Dominic’s brow furrowed, and he flicked a knowing glance to Kerry and Dante. The looks exchanged between them sent a chill up her spine because it gave her the distinct impression she was out of the loop. Tatiana stepped back with her hands on her hips and looked at each of them intently.
“What’s going on?” Her voice wavered. “Why do I feel like there’s inside info that I’m not privy to?”
Tatiana folded her arms over her breasts and arched an eyebrow at Dominic. He let out a slow breath, and his mouth set in a tight line. She could tell he was debating what to tell her, which pissed her off even more.
“You better start talking before I shift into my wolf and tear you a new asshole.”
“Matt could be involved.”
“What are you talking about?” Her voice rose with frustration. “Matt isn’t even here. He left. Remember? Besides, Kerry read him and said he was clear.”
“I’m not always right.”
“Can I get that in writing?” Dante teased.
“Just listen.” Dominic held up her hand to stop her from interrupting. “Last night they discovered another Purist energy signature on Matt’s note and in your cabin. The energy pattern belonged to Savannah, and it looks as though the Purists abducted Matt.”
“What?” she cried. “Why wouldn’t you tell me about this.”
“I didn’t want to upset you before you tried to make contact with the horse.”
“I’ll deal with you later.” She narrowed her eyes at him and turned to Kerry and Dante. “I don’t get it.” She shook her head as confusion washed through her. “Why would they want to abduct Matt? He’s human.”
“Our thinking was that they grabbed him as leverage to get to you and Dominic.” Dante’s mouth set in a tight line. “But there is another possibility.”
“Matt could be conspiring with them,” Dominic said.
“No way.” Tatiana’s hand went to her mouth, but she dropped it abruptly. “There’s no chance he’s involved. I refuse to believe that. If he’s with them, it sure as hell isn’t by choice. We have to get him back. I mean, we can’t just let them have him.”
“We already have a plan to do exactly that. Tonight I’m meeting with Moravian and performing a prisoner exchange—Daniella for Matt.”
“When were you planning on sharing that with me?” Tatiana seethed. “More secrets?”
“I was going to talk to you about it this afternoon.” Dominic kept his voice even. “However, given what Obsidian told you, we can’t rule out the possibility that Matt is working with the Purists.”
“Shit,” Dante said. “He could have helped stage the whole thing.”
“No way,” Tatiana said adamantly. “If Matt is with these Purists, then he was taken against his will.”
“Possibly.” Dominic folded his arms over his chest and stared. “But given what we know now, we can’t rule it out.”
“Fine.” Tatiana crossed her arms and stepped closer, so they were almost touching. She dropped her voice to a low, challenging tone. “Then you can’t rule out the possibility that one of your so-called friends is in bed with the Purists, pretending to be on your side.”
“She’s not wrong,” Kerry chimed in. “My money’s on Eric or that Zachary guy.”
“No way.” Dominic’s sharp gaze flew to Kerry’s face, and his jaw set. “No fucking way is Eric involved, or Zachary. They are both Guardians.”
“They’re both unmated, Dominic,” Kerry said gently. “You, Dante, Malcolm, and William are all mated to hybrid women, so it’s obviously none of you. Oh, and not to be a bitch by bringing up a sore subject, but your sister was a Guardian too. At least, before she declared herself a Purist.”
“I know,” Dominic growled, his eyes glowing brightly. He swore under his breath and faced the mountains, his energy waves flickering with agitation. “If either were Purists, why wouldn’t they have come out and sided with the rest of them publicly?”