Blade Song - By J.C. Daniels Page 0,98

protective entrance to the healing hall. Doyle crouched down, his eyes bouncing between Damon and me before landing on Damon. Muscles rippled, bulged and I could see stripes ghosting on his skin before disappearing. “No,” he spat again. “I won’t go back.”

Rathi—

My gut went cold as the sight of him and fear chittered like a caged beast in the back of my head but I slammed it down.

“Doyle,” I said softly. “Your aunt was worried for you. She just wants you home safe.”

He snarled and the sound of it echoed through the small room. “The fuck she does. Do you know why I ran? So I wouldn’t have to go back to her.” He slanted a look at me, and then his head cocked, lingering on the way Damon gripped my wrist. “I won’t go back—I won’t—”

He lunged at me.

Damon shoved me aside.

I had my blade in the next second, rolling across the floor and coming up in crouch.

The phone lay on the floor and I could hear Annette talking, her voice calm and cool, as though Damon still held the phone instead her nephew, caught in a half-shift, pinned to the wall.

“Shut it down, kid,” Damon panted. “Before I have to hurt you.”

Doyle just struggled harder. I stared at his blue eyes and felt his fear dancing over my skin.

“If the boy doesn’t return home, the investigator will not be paid and her life is still forfeit.”

Oh, screw this. Sneering at the phone, I snatching it up. “Listen, Alpha. I can’t make him come home if he doesn’t want to. And if I recall shifter law correctly, once he’s hit his first shift, the Assembly will see him as an independent in his own right, meaning he can make his own judgment. Now…by our contract, you hired me to find him. I have unbiased witnesses, a Green Road witch who can vouch that he has been found. Now whether you decide to pay or not, I did my job, but if you don’t pay me, I’ll make sure every fucking soul in the south knows you don’t honor your fucking word.”

Damon swore and I looked up. I saw the words in his eyes, but I was fed up with having that crazy woman try to terrify me into anything.

“Do you understand who you are talking to?” she whispered.

“Yes. A woman who is about to go back on a contract she made. The kid was found. Job completed. End of story.” I hurled the phone at Damon, but he had his hands full with Doyle’s struggling body and it bounced off his shoulder.

Es caught it.

I closed my eyes as she lifted it to her ear.

Shit.

I’d just drawn somebody else into the mess.

“Would this be Annette?”

“I’ve no business with you, witch. There is no trouble between us.”

“Of course not. We’ve always accommodated each other, the Cat Clan and the House of Witches…have we not?” Es smiled as she moved over to study Damon and the struggling boy. “Your nephew has successfully shifted. I witnessed it myself last night. As a speaker for the Assembly, I’ll be happy to register his status for you.”

Doyle stopped struggling.

Damon cut a look at Es.

She turned away and continued to pace. “He’s in an emotional state after his ordeal. Perhaps he just needs time to acclimate. However, I understand that you might be distraught at his behavior. That would certainly explain your behavior in recent moments…despite the fact that Colbana did in fact successfully complete a job. A job she’ll naturally be compensated for.”

Silence reigned.

It was finally broken by the sharp sound of the Alpha’s voice as she said, “Naturally. I’ll have the funds deposited once Damon returns. He’ll see to it.”

“Wonderful. I’ll see you in session.”

Es disconnected the call and laid the phone on the table by the contract. “Well. That was pleasant.” Then she frowned and looked at Doyle. “Really, boy. Control yourself. If you can’t discipline yourself better, you’ll end up as crazy as your aunt.”

Doyle flinched.

Es looked at me. Her eyes went cold and bright. “This isn’t over between you two. She fixates and hates blindly. You just became her enemy.”

“I think that happened the minute I was hired for this job. No matter what the outcome.”

“Entirely possible.”

“You…you’re leaving me?”

I stood in the hallway, very much out of Doyle’s line of sight, although I knew that wouldn’t make much difference.

He could scent me, hear me.

Although at the moment, he was focused on nothing but Damon.

Damon, I could see. He stood at edge