ever contemplate that maybe Kiernan was involved and only used the situation to get in your good graces?”
She had thought of that for a split second before completely dismissing it. “He set two of the shifters on fire and blew up their van. Besides, I don’t think he’d ever work with shifters for
anything
.” If he wanted to do something, he was the kind of man who’d do it himself, not depend on others. “And what purpose would he have for fake-saving me?” He couldn’t have known she’d be leaving the restaurant early, and he’d been stopping by her veterinary clinic every Friday for the past few months. On many of those occasions she’d been alone. He could easily have hurt her if he’d wanted to. She’d seen the way he lit up those shifters. The sexy vamp was powerful.
Her father’s face hardened. “To get you into bed, to use you against our pack. The options are limitless. And if he thinks I’ll allow him to touch you—”
“Dad!” Right now she was talking to her father, not her Alpha. “I so don’t want to talk about that,
ever
. Whatever’s going on with Kiernan and me is our business.”
He thrust out a finger at her, driving his point home. “It’s not your business if it involves the pack.”
“Our pack attacked him, in his home. He did nothing to us or me in retaliation, though he had every right.”
“We didn’t know that and you weren’t answering your phone. Instead you were too busy healing thugs down at the homeless shelter.” His head tilted to the side a fraction, almost daring her to deny it.
She jerked back, surprised by his words.
His jaw clenched once. “Yes, I know about what you do down there.”
“H-how?” She’d been so careful to keep it a secret from him.
His green eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “I’m Alpha for a reason.”
She bit her bottom lip and frowned. “So if you knew I was moving around of my own free will, you had to know I wasn’t in any danger from Kiernan.”
“We knew no such thing.” But his words didn’t ring true.
Her father wasn’t a fool, not at almost three hundred years old. He’d wanted to make a statement to Kiernan by invading his condo, but he hadn’t been there himself. If he’d truly thought her in danger, he’d have led that raid, not sent her brothers. And if he’d been there it would have sent a clear message to Kiernan. By staying back, it had been obvious he hadn’t been declaring war.
Sighing, she decided to leave the topic alone for the moment. They would never see eye-to-eye on the subject of one very tall, very sexy vampire and she didn’t want to argue with her father. Not when they had more pressing matters at hand. But first . . . “Why did Miguel kill Kiernan’s brother? I’ve never heard that story.
Why
have I never heard that story?” She’d planned to ask Kiernan about it first, but her curiosity was killing her.
Her father was silent for a long moment, his face contemplative. Finally he spoke. “The war between our two factions was over a long time ago, but they were the ones who started it. It could have been completely avoided if they’d kept Corey—that was Kiernan’s brother—accountable for his actions. I’ll let your vampire friend tell you what his brother did. If he tries to tell you it was our fault or brush aside his brother’s actions, you’ll know what kind of man he is. And you know me, Melina. I wouldn’t lie to you.”
No, he wouldn’t. Knowing that was all she’d get out of her father, she switched topics. “Does anyone know I was in that car accident?”
Her father nodded. “Other than your brothers, Solon also knows but he won’t say anything. He and Miguel both scented your blood but didn’t want to alert their superiors until they spoke to me first.”
She understood why. Solon might not be part of their pack—as one of the last remaining dragon shifters he wasn’t part of
any
pack—but he still deferred to her father in many things even
She had thought of that for a split second before completely dismissing it. “He set two of the shifters on fire and blew up their van. Besides, I don’t think he’d ever work with shifters for
anything
.” If he wanted to do something, he was the kind of man who’d do it himself, not depend on others. “And what purpose would he have for fake-saving me?” He couldn’t have known she’d be leaving the restaurant early, and he’d been stopping by her veterinary clinic every Friday for the past few months. On many of those occasions she’d been alone. He could easily have hurt her if he’d wanted to. She’d seen the way he lit up those shifters. The sexy vamp was powerful.
Her father’s face hardened. “To get you into bed, to use you against our pack. The options are limitless. And if he thinks I’ll allow him to touch you—”
“Dad!” Right now she was talking to her father, not her Alpha. “I so don’t want to talk about that,
ever
. Whatever’s going on with Kiernan and me is our business.”
He thrust out a finger at her, driving his point home. “It’s not your business if it involves the pack.”
“Our pack attacked him, in his home. He did nothing to us or me in retaliation, though he had every right.”
“We didn’t know that and you weren’t answering your phone. Instead you were too busy healing thugs down at the homeless shelter.” His head tilted to the side a fraction, almost daring her to deny it.
She jerked back, surprised by his words.
His jaw clenched once. “Yes, I know about what you do down there.”
“H-how?” She’d been so careful to keep it a secret from him.
His green eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “I’m Alpha for a reason.”
She bit her bottom lip and frowned. “So if you knew I was moving around of my own free will, you had to know I wasn’t in any danger from Kiernan.”
“We knew no such thing.” But his words didn’t ring true.
Her father wasn’t a fool, not at almost three hundred years old. He’d wanted to make a statement to Kiernan by invading his condo, but he hadn’t been there himself. If he’d truly thought her in danger, he’d have led that raid, not sent her brothers. And if he’d been there it would have sent a clear message to Kiernan. By staying back, it had been obvious he hadn’t been declaring war.
Sighing, she decided to leave the topic alone for the moment. They would never see eye-to-eye on the subject of one very tall, very sexy vampire and she didn’t want to argue with her father. Not when they had more pressing matters at hand. But first . . . “Why did Miguel kill Kiernan’s brother? I’ve never heard that story.
Why
have I never heard that story?” She’d planned to ask Kiernan about it first, but her curiosity was killing her.
Her father was silent for a long moment, his face contemplative. Finally he spoke. “The war between our two factions was over a long time ago, but they were the ones who started it. It could have been completely avoided if they’d kept Corey—that was Kiernan’s brother—accountable for his actions. I’ll let your vampire friend tell you what his brother did. If he tries to tell you it was our fault or brush aside his brother’s actions, you’ll know what kind of man he is. And you know me, Melina. I wouldn’t lie to you.”
No, he wouldn’t. Knowing that was all she’d get out of her father, she switched topics. “Does anyone know I was in that car accident?”
Her father nodded. “Other than your brothers, Solon also knows but he won’t say anything. He and Miguel both scented your blood but didn’t want to alert their superiors until they spoke to me first.”
She understood why. Solon might not be part of their pack—as one of the last remaining dragon shifters he wasn’t part of
any
pack—but he still deferred to her father in many things even
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