Diskant Black had pulled out all the stops. She wasn’t able to see the shifters guarding the area but she sensed them. An enormous house appeared in the distance, large enough to be a freaking mansion. A building had been erected nearby, possibly for livestock, although she didn’t see Diskant Black as much of a cowboy. The man liked to ride motorcycles, not horses. Glistening water reflected rays of the sun, drawing her eyes to a swimming pool.
Damn. The sun.
Unlike stories depicted, she could venture out in the day. All vampires could. But the sun drained their strength quickly and their skin had a definite aversion. She’d been shielded inside the vehicle but that would all end once they climbed out of her Camaro. If necessary she could bear the rays for up to an hour, but no more than that.
Relief rushed through her.
Thank Goddess Leigh had driven Sadie’s vehicle when she’d gone to see Nathan and Trey. The windows were properly tinted, keeping her safe as she drove around New York and the surrounding areas. If it had been any other mode of transport she probably would have been forced to duck and hide in the back.
Where was the fun in that? She had the best seat in the house.
She flexed her ass. Trey rewarded the movement by squeezing her thigh. He’d been hard as a baseball bat when they’d first settled in the car. Slowly his erection had stopped poking her buttocks. Now, however, she felt the hard ridge resurface.
Her eyes drifted closed.
She’d waited so long to feel him lodged inside her. After seeing him fully nude and witnessing his impressive build, she knew he’d have to force his way into her body. Once there she’d feel every single inch, his thickness more than enough to tease her pussy. She’d come harder than she ever had in her life, she was certain.
Trey chuckled and she winced. Rookie mistake. He could smell her arousal.
Stop acting like a horny teenager!
Nathan pulled to a stop several yards from the domicile and cut off the engine. “We’re here. Get your shit together. It’s game on.”
Before they made it from the car, Diskant Black appeared. Huge, foreboding, angry. He stormed toward the vehicle with a tiny pixie behind him. He stopped moving and spun around to face his mate, his shoulder-length dark hair whipping around his face. Ava didn’t back down, her blue eyes blazing, short blonde hair with pink tufts scattered all over her head. She placed one hand on her hip and rested the other over her slightly bulging belly as she gave him hell.
Dread swamped Sadie, giving her an ample dose of fear.
She hadn’t known. She’d had no idea.
No wonder the Omega seemed so pissed.
The last time she’d seen Diskant’s mate she’d been slim and teeny. Not so much now. With her petite size, it was easy to see her condition. Ava—the tiny female who’d brought the most powerful shifter in New York to his knees—was pregnant.
“I told you!” Ava snapped, easy to hear as her voice rose. “She’s not a threat. I listened to her the moment they arrived at the gate.” Taking the hand from her hip, she tapped her temple. “I’m able to do that, remember?”
Considering her age and experience, Sadie didn’t usually get embarrassed about sex. But knowing Ava had heard her thoughts about Trey made her cheeks burn hot. She knew the tiny female was powerful telepathically but she’d never imagined she could listen in to others’ minds from such a long distance.
Then she remembered the locket she’d learned was in Ava’s possession.
How could she have possibly forgotten something so important?
With a zephyr Ava’s powers would magnify tenfold. No wonder she’d been able to hear Sadie’s thoughts so easily. Craig Newlander—the master of the Villati who researched and stored information about the paranormal world—had told her that Ava possessed the thing. Apparently Aldon had been too late to get his hands on the relic. Sadie decided it was for the best. Ava wasn’t power hungry enough to unlock the darkness of the magic and Diskant could keep his mate—and therefore the locket—safe. She’d thought it was the proper place for the mystical thing.
Before she could dwell on her monumental slip-up Trey opened the door and climbed out of the car. Guards appeared, all of them armed with weapons. They surrounded the three of them, eyes darting from the Omega and his mate to their unexpected guests. Sadie’s senses went on alert. The sun did drain her but with Trey’s blood she’d be able to protect herself. She gauged the threat, thinking of who she’d take down first. She wouldn’t kill them but she could cause enough damage to keep them down.
“She knows about me,” Ava continued, pointing a finger at Diskant’s chest. “She can answer so many questions I have. You will not send her away. She needs our help. Stop being a Neanderthal and pull your head out of your ass.”
“I guess Ava told you we were coming?” Trey asked, seeming totally at ease.
He cautiously lowered Sadie to the ground. She wondered if he’d put space between them. He’d indicated he wouldn’t unless they were pried apart by a tire iron. Their bodies brushed and she felt her feet settle against the hard earth. Ready to step back, she gasped when he took her hand and twined their fingers together.
Holy shit.
That was a public display of affection and he’d done it in front of everyone.
“What are you doing here?” Diskant snarled, whirling away from Ava to face the car. “Isn’t there a pack meeting you’re supposed to be in charge of?”
“Cade’s got it covered,” Nathan replied, maintaining his sense of calm. “We had to come here. You need a heads-up about some serious shit.”
“You know better, Trey.” Diskant’s fury didn’t ebb, his irises prismatic as they shifted into various colors. “You know not to bring danger to this place. I’ve killed men for less.”
“Diskant.” Nathan inserted himself into the conversation. “You should listen to him. Don’t let your temper override reason.”
“If I want your opinion,” Diskant rounded on the werewolf, “I’ll fucking ask for it!”
“Take a chill pill, D,” Trey said. “We’re not the enemy.”
“Like hell you’re not!” Diskant snarled.
Shit.
Tempers would only escalate. Sadie knew that. She’d been in the middle of enough conflicts with her coven to see where things were headed. Diskant would defend his interests. Trey and Nathan would do the same. There was one way to communicate everything that had happened and show Diskant everything he needed to know. But that would require taking an enormous chance with her coven, Nathan, Leigh’s life and Trey’s future. Even if she showed Diskant the past in images, would it be enough to persuade him to help?
She glanced at the enraged male.
He wasn’t functioning on a sensible level. He was in full protective mate mode.
How could she take such a plunge if the reward wasn’t worth the cost? What if her plan backfired and she didn’t avoid a fight but instigated one?
What other choice do you have?
A yank of her hand was all it took to get free. Her fingers slipped from Trey’s and she stepped away. She phased the moment she was no longer physically tied to him, reappearing behind Diskant. She grasped the ginormous man’s arm, collected her thoughts and sent them into his mind.
For the first time he’d see Ava’s attack through Sadie’s eyes. It wouldn’t be pretty. Ava had almost died thanks to Shepherds. When Sadie had given her blood to survive, her intentions had been pure. There had been no agenda. No hope for a debt owed. She’d done it simply to give Ava another lease on life.
Once those memories had passed, she allowed other memories to rush into Diskant’s head. She showed him why she’d had an interest in Ava in the first place, clarifying the reasons their paths had crossed.