Liam chuckled in response to Glory’s comment. “You’re always welcome, Glory. The noise, it runs in the family, I think.”
“Tell me all about that,” Connor said from his perch on the porch railing. “I have to wear earplugs every night.”
“Your time will come, lad,” Dylan said.
“And then we’ll be making fun of you,” Liam put in.
Glory wished Dylan’s voice didn’t make her long for him so much. She missed him with every breath. Dylan was the best of lovers, alternately fierce and gentle, whatever his mood and the situation. And not only did she miss him in bed, she missed him. Dylan was the only one who truly listened to her. She wasn’t top of her pack, didn’t have the power someone like Dylan deserved, and Dylan didn’t seem to care.
She crossed her legs, noting that she’d chipped paint off one toenail. Damn the Fae who’d made her charge across the yard in open-toed shoes to Andrea’s rescue. Fionn, the bastard, had gone back to Faerie. Glory was sorry Andrea had let him out of the handcuffs.
“I was talking to Wade today,” Glory said. “He thinks Callum’s plan was idiotic but says he wouldn’t mind if all Felines take each other out. Then Lupines would have the edge.”
Liam listened with a calm expression. “Aye, he would say that.”
“Don’t underestimate Callum,” Dylan said, his voice quiet. “His clan’s protecting him, meaning we can’t touch him, but who knows when they’ll try to turn it into a clan war.”
“Aye, Dad, and if that happens, we’ll fight them.”
Dylan’s eyes glittered in the darkness, but he went silent. Glory thought she understood. Dylan wouldn’t lecture Liam in front of the others, even if he thought Liam wrong. The first few years a Shifter took over his pride or clan were the toughest; others would test his power again and again until the new leader either fell or proved he couldn’t be moved. Callum’s rebellion was one such probe. If Dylan protected Liam too much, guided him too closely, the other Shifters would never respect and obey Liam.
Of course, Glory wasn’t high enough in the hierarchy to tell Liam this. She could only listen, bring him intelligence, and let Liam make his decisions.
And I wanted Dylan to be impressed with me for finding out that Callum had put the humans up to the shootings, she thought in disgust. How pathetic am I?
“So tell me, Feline from Las Vegas,” she said, to stop herself from looking too much at Dylan. “What’s your interest in our problems?”
She made her voice go a little throaty, casting a suggestive look at him. Yes, she did it just to annoy Dylan, and she resisted glancing at Dylan to see how he took it.
“I don’t mind helping out,” Eric said.
Eric was here to learn about Collars, Glory knew. They’d trusted Glory with the information, and she’d kept her silence. Did Dylan remember that? Admire her for her discretion?
Goddess, I might gag.
Glory fidgeted and crossed her legs the other direction. “How do we know Eric won’t tell our fractious Felines all about what you’re doing?”
“I gave my word.” Eric sounded surprised. “Swore on the sun and moon.”
“He won’t tell,” Liam said.
“No,” Dylan added with finality.
Damn, but Glory missed his voice. She missed that deep baritone whispering sexy things to her deep in the night, missed his tender nips on her skin as they made love. If she sat in Dylan’s presence any longer, she’d burst into tears or something, making a complete idiot of herself.
Glory jumped up. “I’m off. For a walk. It will be a while before those two back off enough to let me sleep.”
No one rose with her except Kim. Shifters didn’t stand when a woman did; they stayed put and watched for danger. Kim, human, said she found this rude, but it seemed natural to Glory that males waited so they could spring on an enemy if necessary. How humans had survived this long with their strange customs, Glory had no idea.
Kim came to Glory and gave her a quick hug. “Thanks, Glory. Good night.”
Glory hugged her back. She’d grown to like Kim, especially now that Kim had erased the sorrow in Liam’s eyes. Andrea was busy erasing the same kind of sorrow in Sean. Now if only Dylan would let Glory try with him.
Time to leave.
“Good night.” Glory gave Kim a kiss on the cheek, squeezed the hand Eric held out to her, patted Connor on the shoulder, and descended the porch stairs. She put a little wiggle in her hips, hoping that Dylan noticed.
I so need a run.
West of town lay hills that folded along the river, wild spaces where Shifters could pretend they were free. Glory drove there, parked her car well off the road, stripped off her clothes, shifted to her wolf, and started to run.
It felt good to pound along the hills, under the wide sky and the bright moon. She smelled water and woods, damp earth and open spaces. The wind was cold but just right for a wolf with a thick coat of fur.
Glory wanted to throw her head back and howl for the joy of it, but she kept a grip on herself. The land wasn’t truly wild; it was owned by farmers and developers now, humans who didn’t want to hear wolves on it. The other wild animals out here—coyotes, rabbits, snakes—kept silent, sensing her.
Glory slowed, then sat on her haunches and sniffed the air, trying to calm herself. Dylan was finished with her. She needed to come to terms with that, even if it broke her heart.