And, of course, that whole gun pointed at my head thing was all sorts of not fun.
My sanity came in the form of the cheap paperback novels I read at least twice each and eavesdropping on my guards. At least one Shifter was stationed outside my door at all times. During mealtimes, there were two. Mandla, Hashim, and Travis were all on rotation, as were the three slightly less dominant Shifters.
Cory the Canadian was what you would expect out of a Canadian named Cory - outdoorsy and cute in that boy next door kind of way. Assuming the boy next door neighbor is an actual boy and sports a six pack. My next door neighbor is close to sixty and carries a beer gut.
Rocco was from Italy and spoke no English, which was perfectly okay with me. I got the basic gist of what he was saying as his eyes roamed my body, and I was pretty sure it had nothing to do with taking a ride on his Vespa to get a gellato.
The last of the lower stationed Shifters was named Bob, which wouldn’t have been quite so odd if he hadn’t obviously been born and raised somewhere in Asia. I overheard him explain, in broken English, that he was from China, and his birth name was a bit difficult to pronounce, so he renamed himself Bob, after Bob Dylan.
While Cory, Rocco, and Bob kept me mildly entertained, it was the person who got them talking who really pulled me through those long days. From the time he woke up every morning until he went to bed every night, Charlie hovered around the staircase leading into the basement. I don’t know exactly what he was doing up there, but I do know what he was doing every time he opened his mouth.
God bless him, Charlie was trying to give me intel.
It was subtle, a bit of friendly chatter mixed with some gently probing questions. The Alpha Pack was reluctant to talk to him at first, but eventually he charmed his way into their good graces. It was what made Charlie Charlie. I would have pissed them off by saying something flippant, and Jase would have tried bullying them into saying something. Neither of us would have gotten far, but Charlie handed me fighting style preferences and weaknesses on a silver platter by remarking on something he noticed during a training or sparing session, which apparently happened just outside the window he was parked beside eighteen hours of the day.
Not only that, he also kept me up-to-date on what was happening in the real world. Talley was being encouraged to spend time with the other Seers, who were being very friendly and outgoing. My parents were calling on a regular basis, but Jase was able to keep them from worrying too much. Angel tried to run away from home to find me, but only made it to the end of the driveway since she required two adult sized suitcases to travel.
And Charlie wasn’t the only one making sure I heard a familiar voice every now and then. At least once a day Talley would come to check on Charlie. She never stayed too long, and mostly just made sure he was eating something, but she always made sure to say something about what she and Jase were doing and mention they were okay.
I was grateful for everything my two best friends were doing, but as the days drug on I got more and more disgruntled because Jase never came. I would hear him moving around on the upper floors, but he never made the journey to the top of the stairs. I felt petty and stupid for getting upset about it, but his lack of consideration hurt.
Then, two days before the trial, yet another knife was stabbed into my chest.
I was laying on the bed, which was starting to feel like brick after excessive overuse, re-reading the steamy parts of what was quickly becoming one of my favorite romance novels. The drone of the TV upstairs had been so constant that at first my ears didn’t know how to register the lack of noise. Then, I heard the voice I’d been straining to hear for nearly two weeks.
“So, you wanted to see me?” Jase asked. By the way his voice dropped a few octaves below his normal speaking voice I knew he was talking to a girl.
“We’ve had so very little time alone these past few weeks,” the Alpha Female replied. “I wanted to see how you were enjoying your time with us.”
There was some shuffling, then a plop and the sound of a chair shifting under the sudden application of weight. “It’s been cool. You guys have a pretty sweet set-up here.”
“We’ve done the best we could with the rental.” She sounded as if she was talking about a two room apartment as opposed to the biggest house on Kentucky Lake. “After growing up at the Den, it’s hard to adjust to meager accommodations, but the Omegas work hard to ensure our comfort.”
“If this is meager accommodations, I’d love to see what you call fancy.”
There was a long pause. “Would you, Jase?”
“Yeah, totally. I mean, there is a 52 inch plasma TV with an XBOX360 and a PS3 in every bedroom. And have you seen the inside of my shower? There are like five different heads shooting water at you.”
A throaty laugh. “No, I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of being in your shower.”
I swallowed back the bile surging into my throat.
“You really should come take a look sometime.”
My hands itched with the desire to slap some sense into my brother. What the Hades was he thinking flirting with the Alpha Male’s mate? Although no one ever mentioned it, I’m pretty sure that was a guaranteed way to get his “meager” accommodations changed to where he was sharing a room with me.
“Tempting,” Sarvarna practically purred. “You know we have some very nice bathing facilities at the Den also. I would really like for you to see them.”
“Seriously?” There was the sound of something clunking against the floor, probably either the legs of the chair Jase was sitting in or his feet.
“Quite. I’ve seen you practicing with my Pack every morning. You’re quite the skilled fighter, and your Dominance is quite evident. Of course, it’s rare for a coyote to be accepted into the Alpha Pack, but not impossible.”
Someone stood, and by the sound of the footsteps as they paced about, it was Jase.
“This is about Talley, right? You want her, and so you’re asking me to join the Alpha Pack knowing we’re a package deal.”
“Of course we want Talley, but I also want you.”
There was no denying the double meaning there, which was just all kinds of wrong. I mean, she was holding his sister captive until the new moon, when she was going to kill her. Not only that, she was mated to an old, ugly guy who was, by definition, the most badass Shifter on the planet. Hitting on Jase wasn’t just creepy and wrong, it was supposed to be impossible. Was Charlie wrong about that whole no boinking anyone else while mated thing? Or was she just trying to play my brother?