see no reason for that.”
“Linden will pay,” I said firmly. I held up a hand. “And I’m even down for him suffering, but we have a lot more going on, and he may have a little value. He knows Damien. He’s our best bet if we need an inside angle.”
“I want him dead,” Nikolai snarled, the short leash on his temper snapping.
“And I’m saying I agree, but not now.” I stood up, facing him fully with a glare.
Mom slowly eased to her feet. “Skye’s right.”
Nikolai huffed, turning his piercing gaze to her. “Addie.”
Mom hesitated, but then crossed the room to him. She laid her hand on his forearm, and they both jerked at the sudden contact.
“Linden is going to pay for all he’s done,” Mom said softly, her hand drifting down his arm and tangling their fingers together. “But not now. Not yet. Linden deserves to know everything he did was for nothing. That we’ll all be happy long after he and Long Mesa are dead and gone. That’s how we win, Nik.”
Their gazes locked, the air practically crackling with electricity. I started to walk to the door, feeling suddenly like I was in the way of whatever this was.
Maybe this was the closure they both needed. Or maybe this was the start of something totally new.
39
Skye
I left my parents alone together and went looking for Remy. When I reached the dining room, I found two other people I was more than happy to run into.
Katy and Larkin were bent over a map of the Blackwater territory, clearly debating something.
I leaned against the doorframe for a second, watching them and feeling completely overwhelmed with happiness at seeing them. I had missed my best friends more than I had realized. It felt like a lifetime had passed since I’d seen them.
Larkin spotted me first. Her dark eyes went wide for a second before she dropped the pencil in her hand and all but body-checked Katy in an attempt to get to me first.
I wrapped my arms around her for a second before Katy was hugging us both. I managed to pull an arm free to wrap around Katy’s waist.
“Remy’s downstairs,” Katy said quickly when we all took a step back. “Rhodes grabbed him. Apparently another pack wants to join us and is on their way now, but they wanted to talk to the Alpha first.”
“I can go grab him,” Larkin offered.
I shook my head. “No. He’ll be here when he’s done.”
As much as I wanted to rely on Remy, I also knew he also had the responsibility of an entire pack leaning on him. And, judging by the growing number of people coming tonight, that was an ever-increasing burden.
“How did things go with your Mom and … Dad? Do we call him that?” Katy frowned.
I shrugged, ignoring the little spark of warmth that lit up my heart whenever I thought of Nikolai and the word ‘Dad’ together.
“It’s about what I expected,” I replied vaguely.
Lie.
It was worse than I expected. So much worse.
But I didn’t have the time to sift through all the new emotions and feelings that conversation had dragged to the surface.
Larkin’s eyes narrowed. “Skye, you can tell us anything.”
I tried to smooth out the frown I felt tugging at my mouth. “No, really. It’s whatever.”
“Whatever?” Katy repeated, arching a brow.
I sighed and shook my head. “You guys don’t have to worry about it.”
“You know who you’re talking to, right?” Katy folded her arms across her chest. “You’re our best friend. By definition, your business is our business.”
“Okay,” I said, taking a deep breath. “My grandmother arranged to have my mom raped by the guy who spawned one of the kids who made my life hell so that it would break her bond to Nikolai. And then my uncle thought she should live that whore lifestyle she clearly wanted and started passing her around like a party favor to the pack and people who visited.”
They both stared at me, stunned and horrified, for several moments.
“Yeah, that’s worse than what I thought,” Larkin murmured after a second, biting her lower lip.
Katy looked deeply disturbed, her jaw still hanging open. “Her mother did that?”
I nodded mutely.
“What a sweaty-ball licking cuntbag,” Katy hissed, looking as pissed off as I felt.
I cracked a smile. “Yeah.”
“You’re uncle is here, right?” Her brown eyes gleamed with sudden interest. “I say we tie him up and let your Mom and aunt go all apeshit on his ass. Literally.”
“You and Nikolai need to curb your homicidal tendencies,” I