Roni cocked her head at Nat. “Did you know that it doesn’t say in the Bible that the forbidden fruit was an apple? Some people think it might have been a fig or even a pomegranate.”
“Roni.” Marcus chuckled around a mouthful of food.
She blinked innocently. “What? What did I say?”
It wasn’t what Roni had said; it was the reason she’d said it. Roni used random facts to annoy or unsettle people—mostly so that she could escape the conversation. Jesse had seen it work thousands of times. The extremely intelligent tomboy had nonexistent social skills. Marcus, however, had a natural ease with people and, in that sense, balanced her out.
“Your mom will lose her shit, Jesse,” sniped Kim.
Before he could say a single word, Bracken leaned forward, pinning the female’s gaze. “If you’re thinking of calling Jesse’s family with news of what you’ve learned here, think again. What happens between Jesse and Harley is not your business to share or interfere with. Unless you want to be thrown off this territory, keep it to yourself. They’ll share their news in their own time. You got me?”
Kim swallowed. “Fine. But I’ll keep quiet about it because I know it’s what Jesse wants, not because you’re snapping at me.”
Bracken snorted. “I don’t give a shit why you keep quiet just as long as you do.”
“Same goes for you,” Shaya said to Nat, firmly. “I don’t think I need to point out that Harley’s location can’t be leaked. If the extremists find out where she is, their attention could turn our way and then your son will be in danger.” That right there was enough to make Nat keep quiet—she loved her only son and hadn’t given up hope of luring him back to his old pack.
“Can you keep your mouths shut about this?” Bracken asked his family. Both nodded, though they were also scowling. “Don’t fuck with my trust,” he warned them.
That made Nat’s spine snap straight. “Bracken, honey, you know better than to think I would.” Jesse believed her.
Kathy started collecting mugs. “Bracken, you can’t blame them for being concerned.” She sneered at Harley.
Anticipating another insult coming her way, Harley raised a hand and said, “Honestly, this is getting tedious. Jesse’s already claimed me, so—”
“That’s something I don’t understand.” Kathy shook her head. “Five minutes he’s had you here and he’s already claimed you. He never even mentioned you before that.”
Shaya frowned. “No, he did. He once said, ‘My Harley plays the electric violin.’ I thought he was talking about a relative.”
Kathy brushed her hands down her long skirt. “Well, I’m not convinced you’ll fit in here, Harley. We’re not like your haughty, high and mighty human relatives or your reckless, free-spirited, criminal pack. We’re good, steady, mature—”
The front door swung open. “Roni, where are you?” Eli bellowed.
Ally turned to Roni with a sigh. “What did you do now?”
A furious-looking Eli stormed into the room and stopped in front of his sister, hands on hips. “It’s not bad enough that you put bang snap firecrackers under my toilet seat? I shit myself—literally—when I sat on it this morning and the damn things went off!”
Kathy gasped. “Roni!”
“You had to also sign me up for gay porn?” continued Eli, his voice rising.
Hands fisted, Roni leaned forward. “You gave me an exploding sponge cake!”
Shaya bit her bottom lip to hide a smile. “Oh, Eli, you didn’t. You know how much she loves cake.”
Roni said to Shaya, “It was chocolate sponge with buttercream, and I was so happy and so looking forward to eating it.” She glowered at her brother. “And then it exploded.” She shook her index finger at him. “Too far, Eli. Too far.”
“So all the things you’ve done to me were tame, were they?”
“I never made it personal!”
Harley looked at Jesse and said quietly, “They do this a lot? Play pranks, I mean.”
“Yeah,” he replied. “Always have, apparently—even when they were kids.”
Harley turned to Kathy, brow raised. “You were saying something about you all being mature people?”
Kathy rounded on Harley with a growl, but she stilled as the pups walked in with Nick behind them, his expression grim.
Shaya frowned at her mate. “What’s wrong?”
“Hector called,” replied Nick. “He wants me to meet him at the closest part of the border that separates our territory from his.”
Jesse stiffened. “Why?”
“I don’t know,” said Nick, voice flat.
“Probably to repeat his offer,” hedged Derren. “Maybe even up his price. I’m coming with you, Nick.”
“Me too,” said Eli.
Nick nodded in agreement. “Ally, I want you to come too. I want to get a feel for his emotional state. Jesse, Marcus, Roni—I want you three to come along but linger out of sight. I want him to sense you’re there, but I don’t want him to know where you are.”
Jesse nodded, adrenaline coursing through him. His wolf stretched within him, ready.
“The rest of you stay here and be alert,” said Nick. “I don’t think Hector’s trying to divide the pack and leave us vulnerable to attack or he would have asked to meet me far from the main lodge. But we know from past experience that taking chances puts people in danger.”