I turned at the bitter voice, a little surprised he’d managed to get this close without my noticing. He caught my surprise and his mouth twisted. “You always underestimate us humans,” he spat and I closed my eyes for a second.
“What do you want, Payne?” I asked tiredly as Caleb’s brother watched me.
“I don’t want anything,” he answered, and shaking his head slightly, he amended, “At least nothing you can give me.”
“Then why are you here?” I asked, not bothering to hide my frustration with him. “Why are you standing at my door?”
“Because,” he paused, breathing heavily as emotion overcame him. “Because there isn’t a single day that goes by that I don’t regret losing Sam.”
He didn’t have time to blink before I had him pinned to the broken railing, a jagged piece of the wood scraping his throat as I snapped, “Don’t say her name.” I shook him and blood appeared as the wood pierced his neck. “You don’t ever speak her name.”
He didn’t struggle, knowing it was useless against my strength, and I could see the defeat in his eyes. “Don’t do what I did,” he advised. “Don’t let her go.”
I yanked him up and released him, then deliberately wiped my hand off. “We’re nothing alike,” I replied harshly and he lifted his hands.
“I was asked to step aside for my younger brother. When I resisted, he tried to send me, his favorite son, away. Maybe you can’t see it, but we’re exactly alike…brother.” Sarcasm weighed the air as I fought the urge to slam him back into the railing, unable to deny the truth in his words. “Hate me all you want, it’s no more or less than I deserve, but I am trying to help you.” A rough laugh escaped him. “I wish someone had done the same for me.”
I had no response to that, seeing the grief he normally kept buried, and he glanced away first, taking a few steps back. “What do you know about this pack to the north?” I asked him abruptly and he paused.
“Not much, I never visited, not after – not after…she left,” I heard the catch in his voice as he respected my wish not to speak her name, and regret hit me. He was the only one besides Dad who missed her, and even though I blamed him for her absence, I knew she’d made the choice to leave. “They’re isolated.” I paid attention as he continued, speaking slowly. “Very insular, not that different than the Hanleys to be honest.” My lip curled at that thought and he shrugged. “They’re different. I spoke to one of the females on the phone, but didn’t learn much. She didn’t sound happy.”
“You think they abuse their females?” I asked sharply, and he shook his head slowly.
“No, I think she was unhappy about having to speak to me. Resentful.”
“Strange,” I muttered, not liking the situation, but more concerned about Jess and the Hanley problem. “Thank you,” I tacked on and he nodded, his eyes widening slightly. “I’ll take your words under consideration.”
“If you need anything….” He trailed off at the sight of my stern expression and made a dismissive motion with one hand, as he walked away.
“I’ll let you know,” I replied quietly, keeping my voice neutral, and only the barest hesitation in his stride told me he’d heard.
I hurried inside before anyone else showed up and hopped in the shower. Hot water scalded over me as I lathered twice, doing my best to get rid of the scent of her on my skin.
I stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around my hips, when Gregory appeared in the doorway.
“JES–” I stopped as he raised an eyebrow. “Can I at least get dressed for this conversation?” I asked the universe as I stared at the foggy mirror.
“You don’t have anything I haven’t seen before, but go ahead,” Gregory replied, linking his hands as he rocked patiently. “I’ve got nothing but time.”
I shot him a disgruntled glance but he only gave me a serene smile in return.
I gave up with a sigh, crossing my arms over my chest. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Don’t go after them,” Gregory advised and my teeth snapped shut with an audible click. “You’ll start a war if you do.”
“They taunted Jess, came after her, would have raped her,” I gritted through clenched teeth, the memory of her fear making my muscles rigid.
“And if there’s war? What do you think will happen to her then? To Sam?” He questioned, intentionally invoking my sister to drive his point home. “She’s at their mercy. What do you think they would do to the daughter of the Navarre beta?”
“Nothing they haven’t already done,” I snarled, instantly regretting my words as he stared at me in disappointment. “Sam made her choice. There’s nothing I can do about that. But Jess –” I cleared my throat. “Jess is innocent.”