Oath Sworn - K.N. Banet Page 0,44
of.” I heard him playing with something in the background. He was probably in bed with a drink on his nightstand or a book he’d been reading. “You’ll have to give her up, though. You can’t keep her.”
“I know.” That was the hard part. “In the end, it’s for the best right? I’m not doing anything wrong, am I?”
“Ah, my confident daughter. The world has finally found a chink in that armor you wear, has it?” He chuckled, but it lacked any humor. “No, you aren’t doing anything wrong. Just keep her safe and then give her to her rightful parent. You’ll know when the time is right. It will come as naturally as the rest of this has. Being so young and facing this must not be easy, but I believe in you.”
“Thanks. Well…I need to get back inside and check on her.” I didn’t, but Hasan wasn’t there. He wouldn’t be able to smell the lie. Then I remembered something else that had happened in the last few days. “Do you know a werecat named Lani?”
“Hm. Yes, and I know you talk to her, though she doesn’t know I’ve been snooping around. She’s not a bad werecat to call an ally. Next time when something is wrong, though, call me first. I am your father.” He was chiding me now, and I wanted to roll my eyes. Hasan and I were complicated. We would always be complicated. There were times when I despised him and wished him dead, and others, like this exact moment, where all I wanted was to curl up and cry on his shoulder. He was beginning to tip the balance out of his favor by that statement, however.
“Don’t get on to me for that. She’s a local, and knew more about the werewolves in the region.” I tried not to get snappy with him and failed, hearing the unintended bite to my words. “Look. I just wanted to talk to someone who’s…She said you were there when the Laws were written. I don’t know if I knew that, but…”
“You hate calling me for help. Admit it. You would never talk to me if I didn’t call you. Now you’re choking on the bone of calling me and being vulnerable.” He had a bitter note to his voice now, which I knew was my fault. “Stay safe, protect your charge, and get done with this. And Jacqueline? Don’t die on me.”
“Okay.” I hung up. I shouldn’t have, but I did. I turned my phone off before he could call me back to chastise me for not letting him say goodbye. When I walked back into the room, Carey was sitting up in the bed, staring at me.
“Who was that?” she asked.
“Another werecat,” I answered.
“Why do you get to call people, but not me?” That was a demand.
“Because they won’t know my number and be able to track my phone,” I retorted. “Finding my bar is one thing, since it’s in the middle of my territory, but my cell phone number is guarded and private. Only two werecats even have it and I’ve never given it out.” Crossing my arms, I waited for the eleven-year-old security expert to tell me I was wrong in making the call. When she had nothing to say, I continued. “It’s the third phone call I’ve made since we left…Damn it.”
“What?” She crawled across the bed towards me, but I refused to answer.
I had called wolves with it. There was nothing I could do about it now if the number had leaked to the wrong wolves. I had to hope that the Alpha Council kept my number under lock and key. Even then, like Carey, I probably didn’t have it on long enough to have anyone tracking it.
“Get back to sleep,” I asked gently. “I know there’s nightmares, but please. You’ll feel better if you sleep through the night.”
“I’ll try,” she promised softly. “Only if you promise that tomorrow you’ll go to the gas station and get some more snacks for us before I wake up.”
Bargaining. Good sign? I hope so. “Yeah, Carey, I can promise that.” I smiled gently, leaning down to kiss her forehead.
She crawled back to her half of the bed and was thankfully old enough to tuck herself back in. I turned on the TV, keeping the volume low, and let that background noise help lull her back to sleep. Considering it was four in the morning, the show that came on must have been too boring