have thought she would be grateful. None of her people could get Nathan to stop raging.
“You shouldn’t have said—” She stopped, annoyance coloring her expression. “You shouldn’t have said you would get him out in two days. We don’t know if he’ll be released. Sure, you could glamour the doctor again to sign the papers and get a judge to approve, but his mind might not be able to handle it.”
“The alternative is to leave him locked up during a full moon, Violet?”
“You could calm him so he doesn’t change.”
“I’m not a miracle worker! Why are you so dependent on me, Violet? You’re wolf. You know your people better than I do. Surely you could have done what I did.”
She flicked a fingernail against the ring of keys hanging from the ignition and used the movement as an excuse not to look at me.
“Speak what’s on your mind, wolf.”
She growled. “He’s alpha.”
“I know. You told me. Dalton was the alpha of the pack.”
Violet ground her teeth. “ Nathan is alpha, too.”
I gaped.
“An alpha wolf can control other wolves, especially the ones in his pack. Even if a wolf isn’t in his pack, he can influence them. I’m not alpha. If I go into that room while Nathan is the way he is, he will sense his power over me and use it against me. It had to be you.”
“Wow.”
I heard the resentment in her tone. She hated admitting all of this to me. I recalled an incident when Nathan snapped at her, and she did as he asked. At the time, I thought it interesting that the big bad cop would let a nobody like Nathan push her around, but I’d thought it had to do with him being her friend. My guess was Nathan didn’t force her to do anything, but maybe he forgot his power sometimes. Did he know he was alpha? Then again, how could he not know after all this time?
“An alpha living with another one?” I said. “Wouldn’t they clash?”
“They would if Dalton or Nathan liked to throw around their weight. They are, or rather were in Dalton’s case, very unique for our kind.”
I patted Violet’s shoulder and grinned at her. She flared her nostrils at me.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of him. If I have to take him away and keep him with me until he gets his head together, I will.”
“Because you love him.” She bit her tongue, amusing me all the more. The female werewolf didn’t like the thought of a vampire dating her kind. I had mercy on her.
“It’s not like that. When I left my hometown, I left behind my best friend. In her mind, she doesn’t know me that well after Ian glamoured her. I remember. She was my sister even if we didn’t share blood. Nathan has been a friend from the day I met him. We formed a bond because we were both cut off. However, it is just friendship and nothing more.”
My speech didn’t ring completely true to me, but I dared not examine the reason. Violet started the car. “Well keep it that way. Life will be much simpler for both of you.”
I straightened. “A simple life? I left that behind a long time ago.”
* * * *
“Are you ready for this?” Violet asked, her hand on the doorknob.
I frowned. “I don’t have a squeamish stomach if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“A lot of people freak out when they come in to identify a dead body, even if it was their loved one. I’m just warning you in case you make a fool of yourself.”
I brushed her hand aside and opened the door. “I get the feeling that was your experience the first time.”
Her face reddened. Oh how wonderful it was not to have that problem.
“Let’s go in.”
What Violet didn’t know was that I had seen dead bodies, too many times. The smallest inkling of nerves stirred in my belly, but I didn’t expect to be shocked. I had asked her to see Dalton’s body, to check his wounds and see if I could pick up any more clues as to who murdered him. During the time I had spent talking with Silvano, I had learned all vampires develop various
“You shouldn’t have said—” She stopped, annoyance coloring her expression. “You shouldn’t have said you would get him out in two days. We don’t know if he’ll be released. Sure, you could glamour the doctor again to sign the papers and get a judge to approve, but his mind might not be able to handle it.”
“The alternative is to leave him locked up during a full moon, Violet?”
“You could calm him so he doesn’t change.”
“I’m not a miracle worker! Why are you so dependent on me, Violet? You’re wolf. You know your people better than I do. Surely you could have done what I did.”
She flicked a fingernail against the ring of keys hanging from the ignition and used the movement as an excuse not to look at me.
“Speak what’s on your mind, wolf.”
She growled. “He’s alpha.”
“I know. You told me. Dalton was the alpha of the pack.”
Violet ground her teeth. “ Nathan is alpha, too.”
I gaped.
“An alpha wolf can control other wolves, especially the ones in his pack. Even if a wolf isn’t in his pack, he can influence them. I’m not alpha. If I go into that room while Nathan is the way he is, he will sense his power over me and use it against me. It had to be you.”
“Wow.”
I heard the resentment in her tone. She hated admitting all of this to me. I recalled an incident when Nathan snapped at her, and she did as he asked. At the time, I thought it interesting that the big bad cop would let a nobody like Nathan push her around, but I’d thought it had to do with him being her friend. My guess was Nathan didn’t force her to do anything, but maybe he forgot his power sometimes. Did he know he was alpha? Then again, how could he not know after all this time?
“An alpha living with another one?” I said. “Wouldn’t they clash?”
“They would if Dalton or Nathan liked to throw around their weight. They are, or rather were in Dalton’s case, very unique for our kind.”
I patted Violet’s shoulder and grinned at her. She flared her nostrils at me.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of him. If I have to take him away and keep him with me until he gets his head together, I will.”
“Because you love him.” She bit her tongue, amusing me all the more. The female werewolf didn’t like the thought of a vampire dating her kind. I had mercy on her.
“It’s not like that. When I left my hometown, I left behind my best friend. In her mind, she doesn’t know me that well after Ian glamoured her. I remember. She was my sister even if we didn’t share blood. Nathan has been a friend from the day I met him. We formed a bond because we were both cut off. However, it is just friendship and nothing more.”
My speech didn’t ring completely true to me, but I dared not examine the reason. Violet started the car. “Well keep it that way. Life will be much simpler for both of you.”
I straightened. “A simple life? I left that behind a long time ago.”
* * * *
“Are you ready for this?” Violet asked, her hand on the doorknob.
I frowned. “I don’t have a squeamish stomach if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“A lot of people freak out when they come in to identify a dead body, even if it was their loved one. I’m just warning you in case you make a fool of yourself.”
I brushed her hand aside and opened the door. “I get the feeling that was your experience the first time.”
Her face reddened. Oh how wonderful it was not to have that problem.
“Let’s go in.”
What Violet didn’t know was that I had seen dead bodies, too many times. The smallest inkling of nerves stirred in my belly, but I didn’t expect to be shocked. I had asked her to see Dalton’s body, to check his wounds and see if I could pick up any more clues as to who murdered him. During the time I had spent talking with Silvano, I had learned all vampires develop various
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