Stronger Than Blood by Genevieve J. Griffin

Author:Genevieve J. Griffin [Griffin, Genevieve J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-02-12T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty

Waking up in the wrong room after the full moon was disconcerting at first—and terrifying shortly thereafter.

I didn’t recognize it right away. It was a small room with two beds. I was in one, and the other stood empty. There was a basic sink, something you could generously call a kitchenette, a few cupboards, and a rudimentary light bulb above. From what I could see out the window, the electrical rigging looked odd. It was just a cable strung down the hill on unorthodox poles. I guessed the setup wasn’t the most legal thing on earth.

Once I blearily put all that together, I knew this had to be one of the cabins, out in the woods with the rest of the pack. And that realization made the whole night crash in on me at once. I practically fell onto the floor with my desperate flail of, Oh, God, I have to get home.

Ayu, though, was there to catch me.

“B. Hey. Calm down,” she said.

I clutched the blanket around me and stared. My first thought was that she looked…remarkably collected, and that was terrifying. What do you do with someone who could wound a man that deeply and consign him to die, then walk away like nothing had happened? I shrank back, then saw the deep bruises beneath her eyes, and sensed the weary murk of her thoughts. The pain there, I realized, was real.

She twisted her lips. “Yeah. Some night.”

That was one way to put it. I shook my head. My throat still felt like I’d been screaming the whole night through, so I really only managed two words: “Are you…”

Okay? Insane? What was the next word? I didn’t know, so I stopped.

Ayu shrugged in reply. “What do you think? No, I’m not going to miss Kane. I have my reasons.” She grimaced. “He had a way of getting what he wanted by telling you you did, too. He never did to me what he did to Pandora, but…he’s worse than you know.”

I didn’t want to think about how true that probably was. “Why did Pandora ever put up with being around him, then?”

“It’s not like she had anywhere else to go.”

The simplicity of that was piercing. “Is that why you joined, then?” I said softly. “For her?”

“Joining the pack was my choice,” she said shortly. “And anything beyond that is none of your fucking business.”

I went silent. Ayu picked up the pillow I’d knocked loose, shoved it behind me without much grace or ceremony, then said, “She’s still off healing, if you cared. Kane fucked with her pretty badly. Ilsa’s keeping an eye on her. At least she’s trying to help.”

I pictured Ilsa last night, standing over Kane in much less helpful fashion, and shuddered.

Ayu guessed where my thoughts were going. “Ilsa made the call. She’s pack leader—it’s her right. We did what she asked, and I’m not going to let myself be sorry.” Ayu’s voice cracked enough that I wasn’t sure I believed her. “Besides…your night wasn’t any better than mine.

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