sliding door opened and Mateo Di Carlo got out to give me a hug, while two of his fellow enforcers nodded in greeting.
âHey, Faythe, how are you holding up?â
âIâm fine, Teo. Thanks.â People asked me that all the time now, and Jace got the same questions. My brother EthanâJaceâs lifelong best friendâwas only three weeks in the ground, and weâd seen so much tragedy and disaster since his death that weâd had to put true mourning on hold. But his absence still snuck up on me at night, when I was lonely and needed someone totalk to. In many ways, Ethan had been the soul of our family, much as my mother was the heart, and his death had seared a hole through my own chest. Sometimes I thought weâd never truly recover, as a family or as a Pride.
âDid Marc come through here?â I asked, as my father rounded the front of the van.
âI thought he was with you.â He took the key I offered while the guys helped Bert Di Carlo with the luggage.
âHe was. He justâ¦needed some time to himself. Heâll be back soon.â
He raised one graying eyebrow, then nodded and unlocked the front door. I followed him into the living room, glancing around at the familiar worn furniture and outdated kitchen appliances. It looked about the same as it had when weâd leftâwas it really just three months ago?âand without my werecatâs nose, I couldnât even smell the residual blood.
Ethanâs blood. My brother had been gored here, defending me and Kaci. And now he was gone. For a moment I got lost in the memory, and in the pain of my own loss. So much had changed in so short a time. Very little of it for the better.
âFaythe?â My father frowned at me as the guys trooped in with our luggage. âQuarters will be a little cramped, since weâre doubling up.â Last time, only four territories had been represented; this time, all ten Alphas were coming, with enforcer entourages. âIâm putting you, Marc, and Jace in the far bedroom, but Iâm guessing Jace wonât mind taking the couch, if you think that would beâ¦more prudent.â
âYeah, about thatâ¦â My hands twisted together, in spite of my own best efforts to keep them still. To remaincalm. Then I forged ahead before I could back out. âDad, I need to talk to you.â I half whispered, hoping the others wouldnât hear. Though theyâd find out soon enough, anyway. âIn private.â
Jace glanced at me on his way to the first bedroom, carrying four suitcases at once. My father took one look at my face and nodded. âOutside?â
âSure.â I hunched into my coat and followed him back into the February cold, so much sharper and bitterer than it had been in November.
My dad clomped down the steps in hiking boots and jeans. It was too cold for his traditional suit and dress shoes, though heâd probably change before heading to the main lodge. âWhatâs wrong, kitten?â He slid one strong arm around my shoulders, and I leaned into him as we walked, treasuring the voluntary physical contact after spending most of the past week virtually untouched.
But I waited until we were on the edge of the tree lineâout of casual earshotâto answer, trying to come up with an acceptable opening line while we walked. When my dad finally stopped and faced me, I made myself meet his gaze. Long gone were the days when I would stare at the ground and whisper confessions like a naughty little girl, even if thatâs exactly what I felt like. Iâd made a very adult mistakeâwhich necessitated a very adult decision I had yet to make.
âFaytheâ¦?â My father prodded, and I could read growing concern in his crinkled forehead and the tense line of his jaw. He even seemed to have more silver in the gray streaks at his temples. âIs this about Marc?â
âYeah. Um, things have gotten a
Alaska Angelini, A. A. Dark