“I’ll need to make a few calls,” Diskant said, sliding his hand up and down Ava’s back. She was still shaken and it showed. “More than one person owes me a favor.”
“Then do it.” Kinsley rose in a swift, seamless motion. “I’ll get things started on my end.” He walked over to Ava and kneeled, looking her in the eye. “It’s going to be all right, lass,” he murmured, giving her a smile. “You just take care of that wee one. Let us worry about the rest.”
When Kinsley stood, Trey let Sadie go and walked to the cat shifter. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me.” Kinsley reached out to shake Trey’s hand. “If I need help in the future, you’ll pay me back. That’s not negotiable.”
“Whatever you say,” Trey replied and thought to himself, fucking cats.
Sadie wanted to chuckle but she forced her face to remain expressionless, witnessing the exchange as though she hadn’t heard a thing. The man who’d stood behind Kinsley had gone to leave, stopping just beside the entranceway to the large room. It was then that Sadie noticed Nathan. He’d been lingering just outside, listening to the conversation. He didn’t look happy. In fact, Sadie was certain he wanted to beat the hell out of something.
“Sadie,” the Beta said, studying Diskant, “Leigh is asking for you.”
Shit. “I’m on it.”
She didn’t want to leave but she knew she had to. She wasn’t sure why she looked at Trey for his approval but she did. She’d expected him to nod or tell her to go ahead. He stunned her silly by striding away from Kinsley, snaking an arm around her and giving her a hard, thrilling kiss. She nearly sagged, wanting to take things to another level. Somehow she managed not to open her mouth and tease his lips with her tongue.
“I’ll be right here, baby,” he whispered. She inhaled his scent, shivering at the heat of his body against hers. “When you’re finished come back to me.”
She felt like a shameless hussy who didn’t give a shit what anyone thought. “Okay.”
It felt as though she’d lost a part of herself as she walked away from him. Nathan gave her a sideways glance as she darted past him. She increased the pace, hurrying to Leigh’s room. She had to do damage control, get Leigh sorted out and take charge. That’s what the young vampire would need right now. Anything else would spook her more than she already had been.
With a deep breath for courage, she opened the door and stepped inside the bedroom.
* * * * *
Trey had wanted to bolt after Sadie. Each time she left him he wanted to bring her back to his side. To distract himself, he’d put his focus on Nathan. Leigh’s rejection had shattered the male. The Beta looked beaten and emotionally worn down. Even so, Leigh was the man’s mate. Nathan would do anything for her. She could hate him more than anything in the world and he’d still lay down his life for her. Diskant wouldn’t be making any calls without Nathan’s approval. That much was clear.
Poor son of a bitch.
“I have a serious matter that needs my attention,” Kinsley stated, pulling Trey’s gaze from Nathan. “You need to set things up within the next twenty-four hours. After that I’ll be on a leave of absence. I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone.”
“What?” Diskant snapped in disbelief. “You’ve got to be shitting me. Can’t it wait?”
“No.” Kinsley’s mood switched, going from calm to aggressive. “I’ve helped you as much as I can. Those are my terms. Take them or leave them.”
It was rude to interrupt but Trey didn’t give a shit.
Fuck manners.
“You told Diskant this has happened before.” Trey hurried to ask the questions he needed answers for. “How do you know that?”
“I just do. I know a lot of things.” Kinsley took a step back from Diskant, although he kept his attention on the Omega. “There are shifters on the West Coast with vampire mates. Most shifters prefer not to talk about it. You have to learn when and where to ask the right questions. Timing and location are everything.”
That made sense. Even if a pack accepted a vampire due to a mating, they weren’t likely to advertise it. And Kinsley had been around longer than any of them. If anyone knew what was what it was Mr. MacGregor.
“What was the fallout?” Trey asked. There had to have been some. He wanted to be prepared.
“I don’t know the story for every situation but I can tell you about one in particular. Some members of the pack left after their Alpha mated with a vampire, but most stayed.”
“An Alpha?” Trey couldn’t believe it. News like that would travel, even if a pack tried to keep it quiet. A normal pack member might have issues introducing a vampire mate to his group but an Alpha was—at least Trey thought—unheard of.
“You’re wondering how they’ve kept it a secret. It’s understandable.” Kinsley nodded at Diskant, gave Ava another smile and turned to Trey. “They struck a bargain. Everyone swore to stay silent on the matter. The Alpha’s scent covered the female so it threw most shifters off her scent. Even if they thought something was off, they didn’t know what it was for sure. And there’s something else.”
Kinsley strode from Diskant to Trey. The big male came close, standing mere inches away. He met Trey’s gaze, relating the importance of what he was about to share.
“The Alpha agreed that if his female ever used their mated connection against the pack, they had his blessing to kill them both. He gave them serious leverage in order to gain their trust. You’ll need to do the same. Face your kin. Tell them what you’re willing to sacrifice in order to keep what’s yours. Have Diskant give his word that he’ll hunt the two of you down if things go sour. They know he’ll do it if he has to.”
Fuck. It’d never happen.
“I can’t do that.” He wouldn’t let anyone harm Sadie, no matter what she did.
“You can and will.” Kinsley’s eyes shifted to the shifter who’d accompanied him. The man gave Kinsley a nod and walked from the room. “You can’t have your cake and eat it too,” Kinsley said softly. For a moment, Trey though he saw a glimmer of pain in the man’s eyes. “I understand there are things you want to do and then there are things you have to do. You’re going to have to make your priorities clear. The pack won’t respect you if you don’t.”
“They might not respect me anyway.”
Even if Trey came to them with sincerity, the shifters in his pack could turn their backs on him, shunning him completely. He’d always been part of a pack. The thought of being on the outside looking in devastated him. And even if they didn’t want his help, they needed it. Shepherds would return and unleash their own brand of hell. Shifters would suffer mercilessly before they were killed.
Kinsley stepped to the side, dismissing Trey as he started to walk away.
“Then give them a reason to. The ball’s in your court.”
Trey remained in the same spot, mulling over Kinsley’s advice. In the meantime Kinsley exited the room, his footsteps fading as he left the house.
Could he actually promise something like that to his pack? Effectively putting a target on Sadie’s back? He knew she couldn’t survive without him, so even if he offered his own life it would end hers as well. Which was better? A quick death? Or a slow, miserable one?
“Ava, baby,” Diskant whispered. “Would you get Cade?”
“Of course I will.” There was an enormous amount of love in the words, Ava’s adoration evident. She padded over to Diskant and kissed him on the cheek. “He’s in the kitchen. I’ll make everyone something to eat while I’m there.”