Rosette and the boys talked for a while after they got off the phone. During the light conversation, she noticed Rick's stutter had returned with a vengeance; it had almost disappeared this morning. She wondered about it, but didn't ask for fear it would embarrass him. After the meeting, she took Rick and headed for the infirmary while Kyle dealt with things upstairs. Rosette wasn't wrong about Rick. He had a sixth sense about dealing with people. He was an excellent listener and knew how to speak to people that had been hurt. As the days passed, Rosette came to trust Rick completely with the injured women. He spent most days watching over them. It was a big relief for her not to worry over whether they were with someone that would scare them. Rick listened to the survivors; they told him all their stories. It was like they'd known him their entire lives. His capacity to really appreciate someone's position was awe-inspiring. Rosette knew he must be counselin
The boys explained Dee was a human. She had been burglarizing a fifth-story condo and fallen. She caught herself, but her grip was slipping. They had been in the alley below, and Juniper had begged them to help. Joseph climbed the building and lowered her to safety."You told her you were werewolves?!" Rosette accused, getting irritated along with her mate."No, ma'm," Rick said, "she knew what we were. Dee knows all about things she shouldn't know about: werewolves, magic, just about anything. She taught us a lot about how to survive. We helped her steal for about a couple of years, and then Joseph said we should stop. He thought it wasn't a good way to earn money."Kyle and Rosette both commended Joseph on his good judgment. Stealing was certainly a bad way to make a living. It was nice to see that when he was Alpha, he had his pack's best interest at heart."She's gone straight now, I've heard," Brett told them. "She came into some money and bought a semi-truc
Rosette followed Kyle toward the back of the rig. Dee undid the locks and levers and threw the doors open. None of the warriors or security people got in front of the doors when they were opened. They waited for instructions.Rosette pushed into her mate's mind and felt his discomfort with this situation. Some deep instinct told him to be cautious, that there was danger very near. Softly, she told him she felt the same way.Dee stood looking at them and pointed into the truck."Your shit's in there," she said. "Get it the fuck out. I'm not touching it anymore.""Hell of a mouth you've got, Dee," Will said, passing in front of the open doors and walking toward her.She backed away from him and the truck. "I got his word," she said, pointing at Kyle, "I get to leave. Don't touch me."A warm breeze came through the trees and pushed into the trailer. The wind billowed back out at them, and they gagged as a group. Rotten, putrid flesh assaulted their senses.
Rosette followed her mate through the woods to the circle. There wasn't any reason to tap into his mind right now. It was obvious just looking at him; he was seething mad. The source had been a member of his pack. All the destruction caused across the country had started on his home turf. Rage was radiating from him.When they reached it, Kyle stopped her from stepping in the circle. Looking in, she saw Ethan and the others had built a simple wooden funeral pyre in the center. They were laying the body on it when they got there. At Kyle's command, they lit the kindling underneath and bolted back so they were outside the circle of stones.Kyle reached for her hand as he watched the scene before them."The body will release its energy when it starts to burn. The circle is meant to contain magic. We will be safe out here," he said in that level voice she'd come to dread.The kindling burned slowly, catching the larger pieces on fire. Suddenly the light hit the body,
"She is cooperating, Alpha Luther, may she have some water?" Will asked.Kyle nodded, and a pitcher and glass appeared before them a moment later. Kyle poured a glass for Dee and gestured for her to take it. She hesitantly accepted the water and took a sip, seemingly reassured that it wasn't poisoned, she finished the entire glass."Thank you," she said, nodding to Kyle and then looking at Will.Will patted her back reassuringly and encouraged her to continue.Juniper had told Dee about a woman who had approached her with strange questions a year earlier. The woman knew Juniper lived with werewolves and was curious about their potential cooperation. Juniper had initially been intrigued, as the woman offered a substantial sum of money in exchange for a simple task from one of the boys.The woman had piqued Juniper's curiosity. Juniper had visited her home and confirmed she was a witch. Juniper, never one to resist a good heist, had later broken into the woman
Will grinned triumphantly and pulled Dee closer, kissing her forehead. She seemed a little taken aback by the gesture, but she didn't resist."I should go check on Juniper," Rosette told Kyle, "Sarah is good with human injuries, but only to a point.""Go," Kyle instructed, "come back to the security suite when you are done. I think this night is far from over.""I would like to come with you, ma'am," Dee said, rising from her chair. "I'd also like to see how Juniper is doing."Dee and Rosette headed quickly down the hall to where the infirmary was. It was an offshoot of the secure room, so it had much of the same protection. One of Sarah's assistants buzzed them in when they reached the door.They walked into the room Sarah directed them to. Juniper was laying in a bed surrounded by her brothers and Roel. They all looked concerned. Rosette took her time examining Juniper before talking to them.Juniper was resting, attached to a monitor on the wal
"You told me you would protect me," Dee said, pointing at Kyle, "you can't do that dead. You need to take a tactical approach to this. Force will only get you so far. They are prepared for force.""Odds are they know you are coming. They are probably waiting for you to bring your so-called army. They will cut you down in an instant," she ranted, her voice rising.The room had gone strangely quiet as the warriors tried to pretend they weren't watching and listening.Kyle growled and towered over Dee. "I will have you removed from my security center and placed downstairs if you can't control yourself. This is my territory you are in. I will protect it and I will protect you. The witches are not prepared for the full weight of my attack. We will destroy them before they are able to mount any resistance.""Kyle, just listen to her," Rosette argued softly. "What harm could more information do? Maybe there is a better way to do this. Perhaps charging in is a bad idea.
That was the most accurate way Rosette could have hoped for a human to describe it."Plan," Dee said, taking a curve much too fast, "we need a plan to make them stop. At least they need to pause before they hit the estate's security. Maybe if they see what's in front of them they'll stop."Dee laughed at her. She'd been on the fringes of society her entire life. She knew werewolves. According to her, they would only stop if the Alpha said stop."They'd run into my semi going full speed if the Alpha told them to," she said. "You're different. I don't know if it's because of your rank or what. You don't feel the pull to follow his lead like the others do. For them, the compulsion is non-negotiable.""Can you get us inside the house?" Rosette asked her. "Do you know enough about the security systems to shut some of them down before they get there?"Dee grinned at her and told her yes. She'd just avoided the security last night, but she was sure she could turn i