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I cleaned up spilled coffee and the broken ceramic, then poured him a fresh mug. Breakfast next, I decided. I pulled the stove’s griddle attachment over the burners and whipped up some scrambled eggs, laying down pats of butter to cook them in and thick slabs of bacon.
With the scents of breakfast stirring them from bed, the others emerged from their rooms. Gena juiced oranges while Kingston and Dylan set the dining room table.
When the food was ready, we all gathered around to eat, and to determine what would happen next.
“Striga said Melony was trying to create a blood curse, not break one,” Xander said as he shoveled eggs into his mouth. “Quincy sent her there to see if it was possible. Striga says she refused to help, but—”
“We don’t trust her,” Denny cut in. “We can’t. Moving forward, we have to assume the worst: that Striga gave Melony the instructions she was looking for, and Melony passed them along to her father so he could see them through.”
“Why would they want tocreatea blood curse?” I asked. I was eating one-handed, with Rylan cradled in my other arm. He stared up at me with wide, dark eyes. We were still waiting to see if they’d turn to hazel like mine, or to Xander’s rare shade of green. “And why would they need help with one?”
“It’s not hard if you’re trying for it,” Kingston agreed. “All you’d need is to make a blood oath to an alpha, then break it. Doesn’t sound like the kind of thing you’d need a consult on.”
“Striga says they were looking for specific results,” Denny revealed. “Fast-working results.”
“We thought Melony and Quincy wanted to prevent themselves from going feral,” said Xander. “According to Striga, the opposite is true. They’re not looking to stop their curses from taking effect. They’re looking to recreate their curses—to make more ferals.”
“Enough to form an army,” Denny added, and a shiver rattled up my spine.
“That’s so dangerous, though,” I whispered, recalling how fiercely Quincy had ravaged Marianne. One minute, she was tearfully trying to assure him that she loved him. The next, he was tearing out her throat.
“Yeah,” Xander agreed. “I think that’s kind of the idea.”
“Sorry, I’m a little out of the loop here,” Gena said, looking around with wide eyes. “What’s a feral?”
“A shifter who’s stayed in their animal form for too long,” Kingston explained. “Long enough that they have a hard time shifting back out of it.”
“If they can shift back to their human form at all,” Dylan added. “In the end, they lose the ability to exist as a human. They’re stuck as an animal forever, and their mind becomes an animal’s, too.”
Denny nodded. “Their wolves take over completely. They eviscerate any scrap of humanity until there’s nothing left but primal instinct. They’re bloodthirsty, unpredictable—”
“And they can’t be controlled,” Kingston finished. “Even if Quincy can make enough of them to form an army, how’s he figure he’s gonna wrangle them all?”
“They’re as likely to tear him apart as they are to attack his enemies,” Dylan said, looking to Denny and Xander. “Seems crackpot to me.”
“You’re right,” Denny said. “I’ve never known a feral to have control of their own actions, let alone be able to command another feral’s as well.”
“But Quincy may have found a way. Or Samuel.” Xander turned to me. “Did Ma say anything about this? How much does she know of their plans?”
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. At the mention of Marianne, the crescent wounds her nails had left on my forearm prickled. “She’s been in and out. She was worried about you more than anything. Until we knew you were safe, it was hard to get much out of her or calm her down.”
“The doctors expect she’ll keep on improving from here on out,” said Dylan. “We can go visit her if you want. You can ask her yourself.”
Xander rubbed his eyes and shook his head. “Tomorrow. First thing. I’m pretty beat and not up for it today.” He set his fork down. “Melony says Ryder is with Samuel and Quincy at the Du Pont estate. We’ll worry about the feral wolves when we have to. Getting Ryder back is our main focus right now.”
“Even the FBI hasn’t been able to crack the Du Ponts or any of the other old packs here on the East Coast,” I said. “Cordova was told to leave them alone, which means they’ve got friends in high places. It won’t be easy.”
Something between a groan and a growl noise escaped Xander’s throat. “Nothing ever is. We need a plan. Some way to get in without tipping off their security or spooking them into spiriting Ryder away.”
“When they find out Melony’s been arrested, they’ll be on high alert,” Denny mused. “Depending how much they know, or how much she can tell them from jail, infiltration is exactly what they’ll be expecting.”
“So, maybe we don’t try to sneak up on them?” Dylan suggested. “Maybe we make the cost of keeping Ryder there so high, they’re better off just giving him back.”
“That would call for a proper attack.” Kingston’s brow furrowed deeply. “A show of force.”
“It’s not my first choice,” Xander admitted. “But Dylan might be right. Whatever they want our son for… if they’re hurting him—”
“Don’t think like that.” I put my fork down and reached out to stroke his arm. “Your mom said they wanted the stronger of the boys, and remember what Samuel said the day they were born? He and Quincy both still need male alpha heirs. If they’ve decided to combine their packs and followers… Maybe that’s their plan. Raise Ryder to succeed them someday. If that’s the case, they wouldn’t hurt him.”
