Page 77

Chapter 20

They came to a halt at the edge of the tree line, and it took Regan a few seconds to make sense of the scene. The place was teeming with people. Although “people” was probably the wrong word.

At this side of the clearing, the pack milled, still in wolf form, and every few seconds, one would throw back its head and howl. Regan could sense their nervousness, but beneath that, they were ready for a fight. They had tasted blood and were eager for more.

The Council faced them from the far side of the clearing. Kael stood at their center, Darius to one side, with at least twenty others ranged around them. She looked closer and realized that most of them were vampires. She shivered in the cool night air, pulling the shirt around her. They’d obviously come in force, and she appreciated that they had taken her request seriously, but she wished they were not quite so blatantly antagonistic.

Between the two groups, and apparently all that separated them, stood the slender figure of her sister, Catrin. A massive hellhound flanked her on either side, but it was Catrin that kept them apart. Even from this distance, Regan could see that her sister bristled with hostility.

Caleb strode forward, pulling her along with him. She wondered whether he realized that he was naked and she was near enough. If he did, it wasn’t slowing him down. She thought about magicing up some clothes, but then it was too late—all eyes in the clearing turned to them.

Caleb dragged her to a halt beside Catrin. Her sister turned from where she confronted Kael, her eyes widening as they looked from Caleb to Regan. Regan’s hand tightened on the shirt where she held it closed at her front, and Catrin’s eyes narrowed, a look of disgust flashing across her small, expressive face.

Regan opened her mouth to speak, but Catrin beat her to it. “I cannot believe you two disappeared off into the wood for a quick shag at a time like this.”

“I— ”

“Don’t try and deny it,” Catrin shouted. She took a deep breath, and her eyes flashed brighter. “I can smell it on you.”

Regan glanced around her. Everyone in the clearing had gone silent while they listened to the conversation. Kael looked amused, Darius was grinning, and Regan realized with a start of surprise that she felt embarrassed. It wasn’t something she could remember feeling before.

“Catrin, shut up,” she muttered.

“No, I won’t shut up! I came to rescue you, at great personal inconvenience, and you left me with a pack of hungry wolves.”

“They’re not hungry,” Regan replied, trying to calm her sister.

“That’s only because they just ate three people. Whole. In front of me. But I’m sure they could have found room for one more.”

Annoyance pricked at Regan. “What?” she snapped. “Now you’re helpless?”

Catrin took a deep breath. “I just think you could have waited.”

“You were the one that told me I needed to get a man.”

“So, you’ve got one. There’s no need to flaunt him quite so much.”

Catrin was jealous; it came to Regan in a flash of insight. Her little sister was mad with jealousy. Regan glanced at Caleb, who stood beside her, holding her hand, quite unconcerned by the fact that he was naked, and his sex life was being discussed. She let her eyes wander over him—he was definitely worth looking at, big and powerful. Her eyes dropped lower.

“Stop looking at him like that,” Catrin ground out. “And tell him to put some clothes on.”

“Tell him yourself,” Regan said.

Caleb pulled away from her and crossed the clearing to where his clothes lay in a pile. He pulled on his pants and came back to them but wisely remained quiet. Regan didn’t know what to make of her sister in this mood.

“Better?” Regan asked.

Catrin nodded sullenly.

“So, what’s going on here?” Regan asked.

“He,” Catrin said, pointing toward Kael, “wants to take them,” she turned and gestured to the wolves, “into custody for questioning.”

Caleb swung round to face Kael, his eyes narrowing. “Leave them alone,” he growled.

“I was trying to tell him that,” Catrin replied. “But I could have done with a bit more help.”

Behind them, the wolves settled. Regan turned to look at them. They were all focused on Caleb. Some even lay down on the ground and watched with their heads resting on their paws. They obviously trusted him to look after them, and she smiled. It looked as if—whether he liked it or not—Caleb was now pack leader.