“You’re not allowed to do that anymore, sweetheart,” Marcus told her, chuckling. “Not if you want the perve to live, anyway.”
Smug, Dominic pointed at Roni. “Ha! You can’t do it anymore!”
Shoving the idiot aside, Trick grinned at Marcus. “I told you to ignore the Seer, didn’t I?”
“You did. And you were right. I’m not saying Kerrie lied, but—” Marcus paused when Roni snorted. “You think she lied?”
“Totally. When she saw us together at the diner, she was jealous, Marcus. I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to conclude that she’d wanted some commitment from you and was bitter that she didn’t get it. Maybe she wanted to get back at you.”
“You’re saying she fabricated that vision, knowing it would make me dread finding my mate, make me opposed to mating?”
“I’d say so. I do think she had a vision of you and me together, because she went pale when she saw me. But by giving you a false description of your mate, it made you expect someone very specific; that was guaranteed to make it harder for you to recognize me as your true mate when we met.”
“That makes sense,” said Trick. “Maybe the Seer had even hoped that if the future she described was really so repugnant to you, you’d give her commitment.”
“But I never made her any promises,” Marcus told him, “I never led her on. I don’t do that.”
“Some females get the idea that they can change ‘the player,’” explained Jaime, “and make them settle down. Maybe that’s what she did.”
“Maybe,” Marcus allowed. The more he thought about it, the more it did make sense that Kerrie had lied. And that made him want to slit her throat—he might have walked away from Roni, thanks to her “vision” of his supposed future.
Taryn spoke then. “Okay, so where is this bitch, and when can we smack her down? Roni, don’t forget to bring the shears.”
Trey shook his head. “No, no shears. You girls are lethal with those things.”
“I heard about your interrogation,” said Ryan. Although his usual scowl was firmly in place, humor was glinting from his eyes. “I’m disappointed I wasn’t there to see it.” Tao and Trick nodded their agreement.
Eli smiled. “It was honestly the best entertainment I’ve had in a while.”
“On to the subject of the interrogation,” began Marcus. “I might know who the tech guy is.” The Phoenix wolves tensed. “I got a brief look at a photo of one of Eliza’s clients. He fits the description, and he sure looks like the guy I’ve occasionally glimpsed on the vids.”
“Did you manage to get any personal details?” asked Rhett. “I can look him up.”
“His name is Noah Brunt. I have his address here.” Marcus held up the slip of paper on which he’d written it. Having read it aloud, he then continued. “According to Eliza’s paperwork, he’s been accused of trying to kidnap a fourteen-year-old human girl.”
Jaime chewed on her bottom lip. “The jackal did say that the wolf hacker liked to kidnap females and then take them to her pack’s kill site. It could be him.”
“I’ve never heard of him before,” said Trey. He ran a questioning gaze along the others, but they all shook their heads. He turned back to Marcus. “Rhett will see what he can dig up about him. I’ll get back to you later.”
“So,” drawled Taryn. “You’re moving to our pack, Roni, right?” Shaya gasped in outrage, and the two best friends began squabbling. Nick was no happier with Taryn’s question, so he then proceeded to argue with Trey about it. Dante and Jaime both joined in, claiming it was only practical that Roni join their pack. Then Eli jumped in . . . but his words were totally unexpected.
“I don’t like to get involved in other people’s business, but I think Roni should move to the Phoenix Pack.” Everyone gaped at Eli.
Shaya put her hand to her mouth, horrified. “Why would you even say such an evil thing?”
“Because even though she’s mated, Nick and Mom will still do their best to interfere in Roni’s life. That means Marcus will clash with Nick all the time, and Mom and Roni will argue even more than they already do.” He looked at Roni. “I don’t want you to go, sis. Everyone else here is unbelievably boring. But I want you to be happy. And I don’t want you to rip Nick’s throat out or poison Mom.”
The mention of Kathy had Marcus wondering where she was. It had pissed him off that she hadn’t congratulated Roni—he’d sensed her hurt and disappointment. Really, he didn’t understand Kathy’s problem, didn’t understand why she wouldn’t be pleased that her daughter had found her mate.
While Roni was busy trying to placate a crying Shaya, Marcus discreetly left the lodge in search of her mother. He found her on the porch swing, staring off into the distance. She didn’t appear to have sensed him, but her words proved him wrong.
“You think I’m harsh on Roni.”
Coming to stand next to the swing, he looked down at Kathy. “I think you do your best to undermine her just to make yourself look better. I think you’re hard on her and try to keep her constantly off-balance, and it pisses me the hell off.”
“I used to feel the same way about my mother; she did the same things to me.”
Baffled, he shook his head. “So, why do you do it to Roni?”
Kathy inhaled deeply. “When I lost my mate . . . I’ve never felt that kind of pain before or after. It was like someone had ripped me open and the bleeding wouldn’t stop. I suppose that’s sort of what it’s like, only it’s your soul that bleeds, not your body.”
Now that he was mated to Roni, now that his soul was knitted with hers, he could imagine exactly what it would be like if she were taken from him—a never-ending agony, a wound that would never, ever close.