Page 36 of Shifter Situations

“Two birds, one stone,” Palmer acknowledged as he summed up my thoughts.

“They want Briggs; we’re standing in the way. The fae-mage wants Sloane; we’re standing in the way. What I can’t understand is if the fae-mage wants ta take her ta Raguel or if he wants to use her against Raguel.

“We know that Anna and Katie have an unhealthy obsession with Briggs, and we cock-blocked ‘em at every turn we could. If Sloane and Briggs are the only two left ta fight, then they have better chances of bein’ caught.”

I blew out a heavy breath as more questions invaded my mind with no answers in sight. It was an endless circle of needing more information. We would have to sit down and talk all the problems out because one of us was bound to know something the others didn’t.

I pulled Trouble aside, waiting for everyone to leave the room so we could have a little privacy. She was the catalyst in all the events. We couldn’t figure anything out as a group if she wasn’t ready to open up.

“You were right. I should trust you more. We should trust you more,” I admitted as Vaughn closed the door behind him.

“But we need you to start doing the same. It’s not always easy for us to blindly follow your judgment calls when you’re not open about what’s going on or what you’re thinking.

“I adore you, and I know you can do incredible things… But you’re mysterious when you need to be more open. It’s hard to maneuver around the secrets you keep.”

“I’m not secretive. I just don’t volunteer information if it’s not the subject being discussed. There’s a difference between keeping secrets and not wanting to talk about things.”

She shrugged. “You guys have seen more of me than most people ever do. If you want me to catch you up on what the rest of the supernatural population knows about me, then okay.

“My mother has been missing since I was an infant. My parents have spent every waking moment searching for her or spending time with Jack and me. I’ve spent my whole life moving between the pack, the coven, the academy, and Hell.

“I’m known for killing people, Novak. Being reclusive and too dangerous to be around comes with the territory. What kind of rumors did you hear about me before you met me? How many of them did you believe?”

She raised a challenging brow before she continued.

“I am a killer, clearly. I’ve been paid to kill. I’ve done it for fun, out of boredom or anger, to protect my family, and more recently, my mates.

“We talked about morals. Even if we’re all murderers to some extent, I don’t have the high ground of saying that I only did it to protect. I'm not a good person. I’m a danger to not only the people I care about but also to the people I don’t.

“That’s why I’ve kept my head down, my mouth shut, done my jobs, and stayed locked away in my ebony tower. That’s why it’s easier to be closed off. But I have been opening up.”

A sad smile tugged at her lips. “Jack jokes about me being afraid of emotions, but that’s not totally true. I’m more terrified of myself. The emotions make me stronger, so I shut them down. I haven’t needed to be more than I am. I don’t want to be stronger, but I know I’ll have to be before all this is over.”

I shook my head, finding it hard to disagree with some of her statements. I had heard rumors about her before I met her, and I’d believed some of them. I understood being scared of how strong you could become or what you were capable of.

“None of us are good, Trouble, but we’re not bad either. There’s a big gray area between the two that we all float in. You can be a savior to some and a villain to others. It’s not impossible to be both, and you don’t need to be anyone’s hero except your own.

“What you need to do is stop trying to put a single label on yourself when you fit so many categories by just being you. You can be bad and still save the world. I haven’t seen you kill anyone for reasons other than justice or to protect people.”

She smiled at me. “Thanks, but if you wanted to know what Blaire and I figured out, then all you had to do was ask. You didn’t need to butter me up. We were going to tell you guys when we got back to the cabin. This isn’t the place to talk about it.”

“Actually, I was hoping for a blowjob,” I teased.

“Later, Vamp. I need to find Blaire and ask her about that young officer’s mind. Were you paying attention to their thoughts?”

“Nope. I wasn’t listening.”

She nodded, biting her bottom lip. “He wasn’t staticky like the rogues, but his thoughts were fuzzy, unclear. I can’t stop thinking about it.”

I pulled her in for a quick kiss and led her out the door. The guys and Blaire were walking down the steps of the wraparound porch as we caught up to them.

Briggs was telling Palmer and Stone about the gym nearby, and I groaned dramatically at their idea of stress relief. Running I could do, but lifting weights and pull-ups were boring tasks that didn’t wear me out.

Trouble linked her arm through my sister’s as we followed slowly behind the guys. Jack glanced back at the girls and stopped when he met Sloane’s eyes.

She looked at my sister and inquired, “Do you hear that static sound often when you listen to thoughts?”

Blaire contemplated for a moment and then shrugged. “Not often, but recently I have noticed it more. Why do you ask?”