Heart of Vengeance (Alice Worth #6) - Lisa Edmonds Page 0,42
on Sean too, as best I can.”
“Thank you. I’m sure he’ll be fine, but…”
“But of course you worry. And he’ll be worried about you too.” She squeezed my hand. “I put instructions in the bag for how to invoke the various spells. Let me know if you have questions.”
“Thank you, Carly. You’re the best.”
She winked. “I know.”
Malcolm and I said our goodbyes and left the shop. My phone buzzed as I unlocked my car.
Wolf: Taking the rest of the day off to spend with you. Where are you?
Me: Just leaving Brew a Cup and heading home to pack.
“Alice, trouble,” Malcolm warned.
Three people emerged from an SUV parked two spots away from my borrowed Maclin Security SUV: two men and a woman, all shifters. I recognized brothers Matthew and Zachary Anderson, who were tall and muscular, with blond hair and blue eyes. The woman, whose name I didn’t recall, had long, dark blonde hair and green eyes. All wore business casual and identical hard expressions. Matthew Anderson and the woman were on the Were Ruling Council.
They must have followed me here from home, waiting for a chance to confront me when I was away from both Sean and the safety of my house. I put Carly’s bag of goodies and my shoulder bag in the SUV so my hands were free and turned to face them. Malcolm floated beside me.
The woman approached me first. “Alice Worth?”
“Who’s asking?”
“My name is Sarah Webber.” She didn’t offer to shake my hand. “We’re from the Were Ruling Council.”
My phone buzzed with an incoming text. “Excuse me,” I said, and read Sean’s message.
Wolf: Should I meet you at your house?
Me: Sarah Webber and the Andersons just showed up in the parking lot at Brew a Cup.
The reply was instantaneous. Wolf: I’m on my way. ETA 10 minutes.
I stuck my phone in my back pocket. “Sorry about that.”
Matthew Anderson, the older of the two, gave me a hard stare, his eyes glowing. Both he and his brother were alphas of their respective packs. Zachary’s daughter Lily had pursued Sean for months and had hexed me in an attempt to end our relationship.
When I didn’t look away or back down, Matthew snarled. “You’re disrespectful.”
Something told me this was not going to be a friendly chat. Still, I didn’t have any reason to be deliberately antagonistic—at least, not yet. “No disrespect was intended. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Of this ambush, my tone implied. “I’m guessing this isn’t an accidental meeting.”
“Not in the least,” Sarah said. “We’re here out of concern for Sean and his pack.”
“If you’re concerned about Sean, why aren’t you talking to him?”
“We’ve tried. He won’t listen to a word we say.” Matthew flexed his hands. “Despite everything you’ve put him through, he remains blindly devoted to you and determined to name Nan Lowell as his beta. It’s sickening to see such a good man brought down like this.”
“Oh, fuck off,” Malcolm muttered.
All three werewolves glanced in Malcolm’s direction. Though none of them could see or hear him, they could sense him, especially when he spoke.
“You’ve got your ghost servant with you today, I suppose,” Zachary said. “And you were seen at Northbourne last night, showing your allegiance to the vampires. I never thought I’d see Sean mixed up with someone like you.”
I wondered if that meant members of the Council or their packs had been among the protestors last night. I made a mental note to mention that troubling possibility to Sean.
A dozen insults burned on the tip of my tongue. For the good of everyone involved, I held them back.
I figured there was zero chance of changing their minds about Nan or me, but it was worth a shot. “Sean’s a good man and an ideal alpha. Everyone who knows him believes that. He loves me, and I love him. Our pack has seen some hard days and undergone some changes, but we’ll be stronger for it, and our people will be safe and happy. Sean, Nan, and I will make sure of that.”
“Stop saying our pack,” Matthew snapped. “You aren’t part of Sean’s pack—and won’t ever be.”
“I don’t know if you really love him, or if this is some kind of game you’re playing,” Sarah added. “And I don’t understand why Sean would jeopardize his pack this way. We’re all at a loss to explain any of it. But if you do love him, you’ll do what’s best for him and his pack.”