Page 90 of Broken Bonds

Including covert research to find out if what I said to Todd really was bullshit or not—if his ability to communicate with Mal while they’re both shifted is a fluke.

Although my situation pales in comparison to what Marchman and his people are currently enduring. He strikes me as a man who cares deeply for his people and who is willing to die if it will put an end to this bullshit once and for all to keep them safe.

A man with nothing personally left to live for except ensuring the safety of his people, even at the expense of his own life.

Frankly, people with nothing left to live for are the most dangerous, regardless of their species.

I haven’t asked Marchman who he lost because if he wants to volunteer that information I’m sure he will.

I can only pray my pack and I never have to endure what he currently is.

Pray, and prepare.

By the time Shawn wakes a little after six I’ve already worked out, started the coffee, and made him breakfast.

“Thought I smelled bacon,” he mumbles as he kisses the back of my neck on his way to the coffee maker. I’d hoped to wake him up by taking that and his breakfast to him in bed, but that can wait for another morning.

“Yeah,” I say.

He stiffens and turns, cocking his head at me. “Ooookay. What’d I miss while I was asleep?”

I fill him in about my first call—he’d already been asleep when I talked to Marchman—and his face darkens in a scowl as I update him.

He pours his coffee and fixes it. “What else happened?”

I snort as I switch off the burner and pull the pan of bacon off it to pluck the strips out with tongs. “I talked to Todd. He’ll come over and help prep the rec hall. He’ll bring clothes and shower here first, and he still has his key.”

“Shower here? Oh. Because of Mal’s scent?”

“Yeah. Annnd…” I plate his French toast, which I kept warm in the oven. “I have an ask of you.”

“Here we go,” he mutters into his coffee cup.

“I need you to swap vehicles with him and take his truck and mine to Brooksville for full details, inside and out. The works. As in first thing today.”

“Huh?”

I quickly explain why, and he nods. “Yeah, that makes sense. I can do that. He can leave his truck and keys here, and I’ll do his first since Mal probably smells stronger there. Then he can drive it home tonight.”

“Makes sense.”

He settles on a bar stool at the breakfast counter and eyes me. “What else? Spill it.”

I take a deep breath. “I don’t want you saying anything to Mal or anyone else about this.” I tell him about Todd’s mental communication with Mal and Shawn’s jaw drops.

Then a broad, beaming grin splits his face. “That’s fantastic!”

“Not really, no. Not with the current timing.”

“Oh. Yeah, true. Plus, we don’t know if he’ll even make it through initiation if someone objects because he’s Sterling’s son.”

“Exactly,” I say, spearing a piece of French toast with my fork. “So if we can help the vampires and get them out of here faster, hopefully that will have cooled the bad feelings toward Sterling and his pack so no one blackballs the pup.”

He plays with his fork, pushing a piece of French toast around in the syrup. “Buuuut… If he is Todd’s mate, there’s probably not a single person who’d openly speak out against him.”

“We can’t risk that. And we can’t risk Mal making the rounds or his scent getting anywhere else in the compound. We also can’t risk any of our pack accidentally saying something about him to the vampires or others.”

“When do you think you’ll hear back about the phone?” he asks.