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If push came to shove, I would sell the bar to pay for Marguerite’s loyalty to Long Claw.
For the time being the coven and the pack’s missions were aligned and we had an agreement that worked for both of us. Stop the demons, and stay alive.
But Talia and I had another mission. One that didn’t involve the coven. Or the Long Claw pack.
At least that’s what I hoped.
We needed to know more about who and what Talia was. The red eyes, the wolves from the demon clan that approached her at the summit. It had to mean something. We just needed to find out what that something was.
And I had an idea.
“I think we should go have a little chat with your aunt.” I started the truck and turned on the heat on low, enough to take the damp chill out of the air.
“I reached out to her after my and she agreed to let me stay with her after dad died, but she’s been estranged from the family for years.” Talia drummed her fingers against her thigh and tapped her foot against the floorboard of the truck. “I doubt she knows anything.”
“I’m willing to bet she does and that’s why she hasn’t spoken to your family in years.” I shifted the truck in reverse and backed out of the parking lot.
“It’s possible.” Talia stared out the window lost in her thoughts for a moment.
Not that I blamed her. She had a lot to process. We both did.
“I think it’s more than possible. It’s probable.” I pressed my foot on the gas, increasing my miles per hour to almost double the posted speed limit, and drove to my father’s house.
“It’s only a few more blocks.” Talia gripped the dash with one hand and the console with the other. “I think you can slow down now.”
“Sorry.” I eased off the accelerator and dropped my speed to a respectable nine miles over. “It’s just, we’re running out of time and after the last attack...I hate to leave the pack.”
“I get it. The sooner we leave, the sooner we get back.” Talia rested her hand on my forearm and squeezed. “But, we can’t figure anything out if we die in a car accident.”
“That would slow things down a bit.” I spared a glance in her direction and gave a playful wink.
“Just a bit.” She agreed, using her index finger and thumb to gesture a small unit of measurement.
“Pack whatever warm clothes you have.” I instructed as I pulled into the driveway and shifted into park.
Talia was out of the cab and in the house before the truck’s engine stopped running. I followed her inside and we made short work of packing a couple bags for the trip north to her aunt’s homestead.
We tossed the suitcases in the bed of the truck, agreed on what details were essential and which we were omitting, and met up with my betas at the bar to explain the situation.
“I hate to leave you guys again, so soon.” I offered an apology to all three of them.
They’d pulled more than their share of responsibilities in the weeks prior and even more so after my father’s death when I didn’t have the capacity to handle anything outside of mourning him.
Talia and I stuck to our story and left out the part about her eyes and a missing princess that may or may not have been her mother. Instead, we agreed that it was Talia’s aunt Victor and Victoria had mentioned, along with a demon wolf clan who lived in Alaska somewhere near the Arctic Circle.
“Demon clan?” Marcus narrowed his gaze, zeroing in on Talia. “Our town is a hot spot for attacks. Is there a connection to her family?”
“Maybe that’s why she was marked?” David lowered his gaze to the tip of the scar on Talia’s forearm where it peaked out from under her sleeve.
The mark was another item we agreed to fully disclose to my betas. I hated the thought of keeping them in the dark about anything, but I promised Talia not to share what happened when she shifted with anyone until after we met with her aunt.
Their reaction to the news of a demon clan confirmed Talia’s fears of causing a panic if they knew the whole truth.
I’d convinced myself the secrecy was for their own good and the good of the pack.
Only time would tell if I was right.
