Pride (35 page)

Heads nodded all around the table. The only Alpha who didn’t look pleased was Malone, who’d probably been planning to handle Kaci’s adjustment
personally
…

My father pushed his chair back and stood. “We can decide how to handle all this—and what to do with Kaci—later today. For now, I suggest everyone try to salvage what’s left of the night.” He turned to me. “That means go back to sleep.”

I nodded and was already headed for the door with Jace when Malone called me back.

“Faythe…” I turned to face him, and the look on his face sent alarm tingling through me. “The tribunal will meet one last time while the enforcers clean out Radley’s ‘Pride.’ We expect to have a verdict by the time they get back.” Having dropped that bomb on me, Malone stared at me expectantly, like I was supposed to say something.

What, I had no idea.

“Um…thanks?”

Michael groaned, and Malone scowled. Apparently that wasn’t the proper response. Maybe I should have licked his fucking boots. But we both knew
that
wasn’t going to happen.

“This isn’t a joke,” Malone snapped. “It’s your future.” Or lack thereof. He was saying that last part in his head. I just knew it. “Go to bed. The least you can do is show up rested.”

Yeah, like I was gonna get any sleep after
that
.

Ten minutes later I followed Jace into the cabin to find Marc sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee in one hand. He turned to look at me when I came in, but I got the distinct impression that he’d been staring at the wall before that.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” I returned. Jace went straight to his room as I sank
onto the couch facing Marc, crossing my legs beneath me. “Sorry to bail on you in the middle of the night. Dr. Carver called. Turns out Kaci’s neither Pride nor stray. She’s some kind of genetic-recessive something-or-other—”

“I know.”

I met his eyes in surprise. “You know?”

He handed me his half-f mug of coffee and I drank, pleased to discover that it was still warm. And perfectly sweetened, even though he took it black. “I heard you and Michael talking, so I called the doc myself after you left. He was already at the airport waiting for a flight back. He explained it to me.”

“You were awake? Why didn’t you say something?”

“I was afraid you wouldn’t go if you knew I was up, and I didn’t want you to miss the discussion.”

Sighing, I closed my eyes. Then I drained his mug. “Thank you.”

“You’d have done the same for me.” That wasn’t true, but it was a nice sentiment. If he’d been invited to an Alpha-only discussion without me, I’d have snuck along behind him to eavesdrop. “Did I miss anything?”

“Unfortunately, yeah. We think Kaci killed her mom and her sister. Not on purpose, of course. Probably out of fear and pain.”

Marc’s lips parted in surprise, then he closed his mouth and nodded. “That makes sense, in a morbid kind of way. Anything else?”

“They’re announcing my verdict tomorrow.”

“Of course they are. Just as soon as I’m gone.”

“I’m sorry.” I set the mug on the coffee table, then took his hand in both of mine. “You’re going to miss the big offensive tomorrow, too. Of course, so will I. They’ll never let me go.” The council wouldn’t risk a tabby’s life for something as ultimately insignificant as clearing out a den of strays. Even a tabby they’d claimed to be willing to execute only days earlier. Apparently consistency means nothing to some people…

“Well, at least it shouldn’t take too long. Ethan came in while you were gone. They finally got some answers out of the stray you guys brought in.”

“Just now?” I glanced through the kitchen doorway at the clock hanging over the fridge. It was nearly six o’clock in the morning.

“A couple of hours ago. He and Reid had a few drinks to celebrate.”

Or to help deal with the fact that they’d beat the shit out of a perfect stranger for information. I knew Ethan better than any of my other brothers. He was good at his job and would do what he was told to do in the line of duty without fail. But he didn’t enjoy that particular aspect of the job. For his sake, I hoped my father had someone else in mind to replace Marc. It wasn’t fair to ask Ethan to take on such responsibility fulltime. Vic, maybe? I could see Vic doing it. But not Ethan, and definitely not Owen.

Marc frowned at the thoughts no doubt flashing across my face. He seemed distinctly uncomfortable thinking about what would become of the Pride after he was gone. I wasn’t comfortable with it, either.

“Let’s go back to bed.” So we did. By the time we finally fell asleep after another round of goodbye sex, the sun was coming up. But by then we were too exhausted to care.

T
he next morning was hell.

Marc was gone when I woke up, and in his place was an envelope lying on his pillow. Inside was a folded sheet of lined yellow paper, probably torn from one of Michael’s legal pads.

I leaned over to flip on the lamp on the bedside table. My eyes watered as I unfolded the note.

Wear what? I set the paper down and peered into the envelope, where I found a familiar silver ring peeking out at me. A delicate carving of an ivy vine wound around the band. It was the one he’d tried to give me two and a half months earlier. The one we’d broken up over. And there it was again.

A tear fell onto the envelope, and suddenly every emotion raging inside me blazed into anger. Unspeakable, unthinkable, uncontrollable anger. Marc was gone, and there was nothing I could do about it. I had nothing left of him but that damn ring and his scent on the pillowcase. I hadn’t even remembered to steal one of his shirts.

I shrieked in pain and fury, and in the kitchen, everyday sounds I hadn’t even realized I’d heard suddenly went silent. Enraged, I threw the envelope containing the ring across the room, where it smacked into the wall with a soft clink, then slid to the floor. I wadded the letter in both hands, then threw it to join the envelope. Then I collapsed onto my own pillow, using it to muffle more sob-wracked shrieking that was no one’s business but my own.

When the tears finally stopped, though the anger had yet to recede, I sat up, suddenly horrified by what I’d done. I scrambled off the bed and across the floor, then snatched the envelope and dumped it into my palm.

Nothing fell out. The ring was gone.
Shit
.

I retrieved the letter and smoothed it out on the floor, then folded it and slid it into my back pocket. Then I knelt to search for the ring, the cheap carpet rough against my hands and bare knees. Not under the bedside table. Not in the corner. Not under the armchair in the opposite corner. But there it was, under the dresser, glinting at me in the light from the bedside lamp.

I had to lie flat on my stomach to reach the ring, and when I did, I slid it immediately onto the ring finger on my right hand. For a moment I stared at it in consideration. Then I took
it off, not because I didn’t want to wear it, but because I didn’t want anyone else to see it. Marc and his ring were my business. Private.

Standing, I pulled my jeans from the arm of the chair in the corner and shoved the ring deep into the front right pocket. Then I stepped into them. I was zipping the fly beneath the hem of my pajama top when someone knocked at my door.

“Faythe, you okay?” It was Ethan.

“Go away,” I snapped, digging through my suitcase for a fresh shirt.

Instead, he opened the door. “Take a shower and get dressed. They’re bringing Kaci over in a few minutes, then everyone else is heading out into the woods.”

“What the hell does it look like I’m doing?” I demanded, whirling to face him with clean clothes in one hand, my bathrobe in the other.

Ethan frowned, a slice of bacon halfway to his mouth. “Don’t take this out on me. I had nothing to do with him leaving, and you know it.”

He was right, but at the moment, that didn’t help. Marc was gone, and in a matter of hours the tribunal would hand down a verdict sparing my life in exchange for his absence. Well,
fuck
them. Fuck them
all.

“You want something to eat?” Ethan’s frown was gone and he now looked sympathetic, which pissed me off even more, though I knew logically that this had nothing to do with him.

“No. Just coffee.”

“It’s already made,” he said, as I brushed past him on my way to the bathroom.

Minutes later I emerged, clothes on, hair brushed, foul mood intact. I joined Ethan, Michael, Parker, and my father in the kitchen.

I walked straight past them to the coffeepot, where the mug I’d claimed as my own for the duration of my hearing was
sitting on the counter waiting for me. The handle smelled like my father. It was a sweet gesture, but not enough to make up for letting Marc go.

Still, as I poured my coffee, ignoring the silent tension at my back, I had to admit I wasn’t really mad at any of the men in my life. Not even my father. He’d acted in my best interest, as well as that of the Pride. But I wasn’t ready to talk about any of it. Not yet. So I stood at the counter as I stirred sugar and creamer into my mug, listening to the chewing sounds behind me.

A chair scraped the cheap linoleum and footsteps came my way. I expected to smell Ethan behind me, but it was my father’s arm that set a full plate of bacon, eggs, and toast on the counter in front of me. “I know you’re upset. And mad. And probably several other things I can’t possibly understand. But there will be time to indulge your emotions later. Today is a very important day. I want you to eat and get ahold of yourself. Then I want you to be there for Kaci, who’s going through something much worse than what you’re going through, whether you believe it or not.”

I glared at my father, sharp words ready to fall from my tongue. But he cut me off with a few of his own. “Marc isn’t dead, Faythe. No matter how bad things look right now, none of this is irreparable. But everyone Kaci loved
is
dead, or might as well be.” Because we all knew she could never see her father again. “We’re all she has left now, and
you’re
the one she trusts. You’re going to get yourself together and be there for her. Then, when the time comes, you’re going to go before the tribunal and say whatever you have to say to make a good showing and to accept their mercy. Gracefully. For once, you’re going to keep your mouth shut and your smile in place. If you need to throw a fit later, in private, that’s fine. We all expect it. But for today, you’re going to earn your place in this family and in this Pride. And you’re going to take back your paycheck. I need you at my back now more than ever, and you will
not
disappoint me.”

“Daddy…”

“No.” His expression went granite hard, frozen somewhere between a scowl and a firm request. “Now eat.
That is an order
.”

He didn’t retreat until I bit into my first slice of bacon, forcing myself to chew even though it tasted not like the hickory smoke advertised on the package but like my own bitter anguish.

I cleaned my plate, standing at the counter not out of rebellion now, but out of embarrassment. I’d known I wasn’t the only one having a hard morning, but until my father’s speech, I hadn’t realized just how much everyone else was suffering along with me.

Parker cleared the table while I ate the last of my eggs, and through the kitchen window I saw Jace and Reid heading our way across the front yard, Kaci walking between them. She had her eyes on the ground, as if watching her every step, which was a relief considering she’d been staring into space the last time I’d seen her.

Something brushed my arm as I set my fork on my empty plate, and I looked up to find my father standing next to me, watching Kaci approach. My heart flooded with guilt, my eyes with fresh tears. “I’m sorry, Daddy.”

He looked away from the window to meet my eyes. “Me, too.” His arms opened and I stepped into them, resting my head on his shoulder as I blinked back tears surrounded by the scent I’d long ago come to associate with absolute security—and authority. And for once, those were both okay.

The front door opened, and Kaci, Reid and Jace stepped into the cabin. I pulled away from my father and put my plate in the sink, then joined them in the living room, where Parker sat in an armchair, stuffing bottled water into a backpack.

“Hi, Kaci.” I paused in the threshold, leaning against the door frame. Kaci met my eyes and nodded in greeting, then lowered herself onto the couch next to Jace without saying a
word. Still, silence notwithstanding, she seemed much better. “Have you had breakfast?”

She shook her head.

“I think we still have some bacon and eggs in here, if you’re interested.”

She nodded again and I headed back into the kitchen to warm up a plate of leftovers for her. My father followed me. “Michael and I are going to the lodge to wait for the tribunal’s verdict and to sit with Brett. Jace and Parker are going out with the other enforcers. Since they were up too late to get much sleep, Reid and Ethan are staying with you and Kaci.”

“Sure.” I shrugged, spooning scrambled eggs onto a clean plate. What he really meant was that Reid and Ethan would be
watching
me and Kaci. And what
that
really meant was that we’d be missing out on all the action. As I’d expected.

“I’ll call you when the tribunal’s ready.” With that, Michael and my father left for the lodge, and Jace and Parker headed for my uncle’s cabin, where all the other enforcers were meeting to briefly discuss strategy before Shifting and setting off into the woods.

When they were gone, Kaci sat at the table slowly eating her breakfast, as if it was an effort to chew each bite. Though she seemed to be pushing the food around on the plate more than anything. Ethan, Reid, and I watched her from the living room, guzzling coffee. None of us had gotten much sleep.

I cradled my mug in both hands, enjoying the warmth. “So, did Hannibal Lecter say anything useful, other than where the strays are hiding out?”

Ethan looked confused until he realized I was asking about the cannibalistic stray. “His name is Jeff, and yeah, actually, he had lots of good information. But the real trick was interpreting it. He was
blazing
with scratch fever, and his brain was fried, so once he started talking, words just kind of leaked out, in no particular order.”

“Did he say where the hell they came from? Surely Zeke Radley didn’t make all those strays.” I knew that for a fact, because he hadn’t infected either Jeff/Hannibal or the stray I’d killed.

Reid ran one hand over his bald head and set his empty mug on the end table to his right. “According to Hannibal…” His brows rose in mild amusement over my pet name for the crazy stray. “He hooked up with Radley a few days ago, near the Canadian border. Radley was already traveling with several toms, and they were on their way to ‘claim their territory.’ Presumably this free zone.” He raised both arms to indicate everything around us. “We’re assuming that at some point Radley had a run-in with a Pride cat who taught him a little about Pride structure and told him this land was unclaimed. So Radley set out to claim it. And he was generous enough to let the other strays they ran into join their ranks. Including your Hannibal.”

Ethan cleared his throat and brushed black hair from his forehead. “If we’re understanding correctly, Radley infected a couple of the strays himself before he understood what he was doing. I guess he just kind of collected them, instead of abandoning them, because Jeff didn’t seem to know that most strays are loners. He—and presumably all the rest of them—got everything they know about being a werecat from Radley. And Zeke Radley seems to have told them only what he wanted them to believe.”

I nodded, catching on. “He told them that he was an Alpha, and that this is his territory.”

“Yeah.” Reid nodded grimly, and lowered his voice to a whisper. “And when they got here, they picked up that tabby’s scent.” He paused to make sure Kaci wasn’t listening—if she was, I couldn’t tell it—then continued. “Radley decided he needs her to complete his Pride, and offered rewards to the first tom who could bring her in alive. That’s why they’ve been
stirring up trouble all over the mountain for the past few days. Looking for
her
.”

I
knew
it. They were hunting Kaci. Thank goodness cats can’t track by smell. And that Kaci had gotten good at hiding over two and a half months on her own. “Damn, those are some ambitious strays.” But my heart broke for them, in spite of all the damage they’d done.

If they’d been found and taught by someone other than Zeke Radley—someone with just an
inkling
of moral fortitude—they might have become completely different people. They might have lived peacefully. And much longer. But today our enforcers were under orders to leave no survivors, because we couldn’t afford to play around with the what-ifs. The reality was that no matter what
might
have happened, the strays
had
committed multiple capital crimes, and had already been convicted and sentenced by our council.

At least I got a hearing.

While Kaci ate in silence and Ethan and Reid played cards, I stared out the kitchen window, my thoughts flitting from the Alphas deciding my fate, to Kaci and her unsure future, to Brett recovering from the injuries I
hadn’t
been able to save him from. Then my mind turned to the enforcers, even then on their way to Radley’s hideout in the mountains, and how badly I wanted to join them. I could really have used some therapeutic ass-kicking right about then.

But then my thoughts came back to Marc, as they always did eventually. Was he on the plane yet? Was he thinking about me? Had he meant it when he’d written not to come looking for him? Would it matter if he had?

A flicker of movement from the window snagged my eye, pulling me from my thoughts like a sailor from the sinking wreck of his own ship. I froze, staring at the tree line, and something moved again—a flash of black, then nothing but the stirring of evergreen shrubs and half-dead grass in the breeze.

I stood for a better look, setting my mug on the coffee table as my eyes narrowed. Someone was skulking around out back and he obviously didn’t want to be seen. Which meant he wasn’t one of ours.