Page 85 of Shifter Situations

Something had transpired on the hunt last night. Both of the Elliott brothers had been temperamental since they’d returned. Sloane had been a little too peppy to pass as normal behavior.

I leaned in close to her, whispering, “Did something happen last night?”

“Yes, but I’m not sure of the significance of it. I want to ask, though I’m not sure that I want to know the answer.”

“Who did you kill?” Novak asked.

“No one,” she murmured. “Yet.”

The vampire narrowed his eyes. “Then what happened?”

“The alpha from the Colorado pack tried to start some shit with them, but I didn’t really give them a chance to say anything back to him. Should I have kept my mouth shut?”

I shook my head. “No. I don’t think either of them would have had a problem with you killing him either.”

“Why?” Sloane inquired cautiously.

I glanced at Briggs and then back to Novak. Was it my place to tell her? No. Would Briggs talk about it? Also no.

Novak sighed. “That’s the man who killed their dad. From what we’ve been told, it was a dirty fight. I’ve glimpsed a few memories, and it definitely didn’t look like a clean challenge. But I don’t know enough about those laws or rules or whatever to really understand what went wrong.”

I nodded, agreeing completely. “Briggs doesn’t talk about it, but we do know that once his dad was dead, the new alpha in charge threatened them. I think he said he was like thirteen, so Bay would have been twelve. Their mom moved them here for protection. She committed suicide when Briggs was eighteen.”

Sloane closed her eyes, shaking her head. “Don’t tell me any more. It doesn’t feel right to talk about it without Briggs. Even if he doesn’t want to say the things, I’d still rather he be present or at least know that he doesn’t care about us talking about it.”

“You’re right. He’ll tell you when he’s ready to.”

“But now you know more about the alpha, and that was the point,” Novak expressed, laying his arms across mine and Sloane’s shoulders.

“Yeah. I told him last night that if the Elliotts wanted him dead, then he’d be dead. All they have to do is say the word.”

Novak grinned. “What’s the word?”

“Barbie,” Briggs called. “Come here.”

“It’s whatever you want it to be. I don’t need a reason; I just need to know the who of it. Anything you guys want…” She shrugged. “It’s yours.”

She wandered to the other side of the clearing in front of the cabin, listening intently as Briggs spoke to her. He had a gun lying across the palm of his left hand as he motioned to it with his right. Jack laughed silently, bumping Grim’s shoulder as he tilted his head in Sloane’s direction.

“She knows how to use that gun better than Briggs does. I’d bet just about anything on that,” Novak mused.

I pondered for a second before speaking my thoughts aloud.

“It would seem that the Kings taught her how to do a lot of things, but they left out some of the basics. She and Jack have extensive knowledge of weapons and fighting. Have you seen either of them doing anything mundane, though?”

“Not that I can think of.” His arm fell away as he watched her thoughtfully. “What’s she like at work?”

“Powerful.” I shrugged. “But I don’t really know. I got an email before we went to the Underworld from one Sloane King, CEO saying that my request for extended leave had been accepted.”

“Look at you taking time off work,” Novak teased.

I chuckled. “I didn’t do it.”

He nodded. “I figured you didn’t.”

A few gunshots popped off, and I winced as my ears rang. Novak closed his eyes, the heels of his palms pressed to the sides of his head.

He shouted, “Earplugs. Tell us when we need fucking earplugs.”