Strange Days (His Mate Series Book One) Read online

  “Chemical,” Nathaniel said, and Joe nodded.

  It was the confirmation that they’d been looking for.

  Catherine looked out into the hallway to make sure she wasn’t about to be overhead, and then she leaned in like she was sharing the biggest secret of all. “I’ll tell you this much,” she said, almost on a whisper. “It was not a natural fire.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  ~

  Catherine leaned back again the pillows and smoother the sheet down. “I’m just glad it was me and not…” Catherine grinned again.

  Joe cleared his throat. “Kirsty?” he said, folding his arms.

  “Oh, look who’s defensive,” Catherine teased him, and he immediately dropped his arms to his sides.

  “I’m not defensive, I’m worried about the pack and eager to rip someone’s head off,” Joe informed her.

  “Have it your way,” Catherine said, smoothing the fold back of the sheet over the blanket. “But, if that had of been – Kirsty in that fire…” she said no more.

  The deep, low growl that rumbled through Joe’s chest was unavoidable. He’d been pacing all night, eager to kill someone, and yet he was no closer to figuring out who’d set that fire. Joe noted the smirks on their faces and grumbled a curse.

  “So,” Nathaniel said, breaking the silence, and turning his attention back to Catherine. “Any scents or suspects?”

  Catherine took a moment to think about it. “There’s been some talk between elders, and I know Conrad still has a bug up his butt about his boy not being the alpha…”

  “That’s where we’ll start,” Nathaniel said.

  “Hold on; we can’t just go accusing anyone, even Blake,” Joe said.

  “Why not?” Nathaniel scowled. “Shake the tree and see what falls out.”

  “You fell out, last night,” Courtney said, walking into the room carrying a large breakfast for Catherine.

  “I didn’t fall; I was pushed…”

  “Wasn’t it a punch?” Catherine asked, accepting the tray onto her lap and offering Nathaniel a mocking grin.

  “Blindsided,” Nathaniel said.

  “You stick to that story,” Courtney said, sitting in the chair beside Catherine with a big mocking grin.

  “Fine, you got me,” Nathaniel said. “It’s a shame you don’t do that to Tom.”

  “You heard?” Courtney looked at Joe.

  The alpha raised his hands to his chest. “Not me,” he assured her.

  “It was me,” Catherine said. “He’s sort of out of the loop, so I thought I’d keep him informed.”

  “Conspirators,” Courtney said. “You’re dead and still checking up on me.”

  “I’m un-dead and still checking up on you,” Nathaniel said, correcting her, and Catherine chuckled.

  “Well, now we’re living here, I don’t have to worry, do I?” Courtney said and tilted her chin up as she looked out of the window and not at either brother.

  “Looks like Conrad’s family are the biggest problem with the pack,” Nathaniel said to his brother.

  Joe nodded. “His grandson and Courtney…”

  “There is no me and Tom,” she rushed out, screwing up her face at the thought of it.

  “Not like that,” Joe said. “Or I’d kill him myself.”

  Nathaniel liked that idea. There had always been a rivalry between the two families, Conrad had fought to be alpha back in his day, but their father had won the challenge. “Perhaps we should reinstate that fighting for to be alpha should be to the death – it would have solved the problem we’re having now.”

  Joe wasn’t sure he liked that idea. It always felt barbaric to him. “I’m going to look into where Blake was last night,” he said. Blake was Conrad’s son and Tom’s father, and if anyone had form with causing unrest, it was him.

  Both Nathaniel and Joe had fought him when he’d tossed his hat into the ring to be alpha, and both had beaten him. It would make sense that one of the family might go a different route if they couldn’t beat Joe in battle.

  “Conrad is the biggest obstacle to Nathaniel coming onto pack land with the council,” Catherine said.

  “Always start at the top,” Joe said.

  “And wipe out the bloodline,” Nathaniel added. All eyes turned to him, and he raised his eyebrows. “Did I say that out loud?”

  “We need proof,” Joe reminded him.

  “I can speak to some of the other council members,” Catherine said.

  “Umm, guys, you might want to see this?” Kirsty called from the other room.

  Joe was the first to move, and Nathaniel was close behind her. Only Catherine remained behind, and she hated every second of being out of the loop. “What is it?” she called, eager to find out what was going on.

  “That’s not good,” Nathaniel said, standing back from the window in Kirsty’s room, but still he could see the large group heading towards the house. “Pitchfork time already?”

  “Wow,” Courtney said, looking down on the crowd.

  Joe counted every one of those people as his family; it broke his heart to think his pack had turned against him like this. “Stay here,” he growled, turning and walking to the door.

  “Ha-ha, I take it that was aimed at me,” Nathaniel bit out. He hated that he could only venture outside during the darker days, and he felt those storm clouds as if they were his mood sometimes, but right now it was too bright for him to leave the house.

  Joe was gone, and the females were staring out of the window. Catherine hobbled into the room, her face a mask of pain and worry.

  Nathaniel was the first to act. He was in front of her in a heartbeat and had swooped her up into his arms a moment later. “Sometimes curiosity is a bad thing; I thought you’d be old enough to know that,” he scolded her.

  “Pah!” she said, motioning to the window. “Get me closer, but not too close, you become a crispy critter.”

  “Yeah, there’s only room for one of those in this house, and that slot is taken,” he said. “Courtney, grab the chair.”

  Courtney placed a straight back chair to the side of the window in the shadow of the curtains, and Nathaniel put Catherine in it. “Holy cow, would you look at that,” Catherine said, eyeing the crowd as they stopped when Joe walked down to confront them.

  “I think my time with the pack is done,” Nathaniel said. “Spell or no spell – I’m not welcome.”

  Catherine grabbed a handful of his shirt and wrenched him down towards her. She stared into his eyes and wagged her finger right in front of his nose. “You are an alpha, and you never give up, hold your damn horses and see how this plays out before throwing in your hand,” she scolded him.

  “Mixed metaphors and granny knows best? How can I refuse?” Nathaniel said, and they shared a smile. Catherine let go of his shirt, and he straightened. They turned their attention back to the crowd downstairs.

  “I hate this!” Courtney said, starting for the door, and Nathaniel was in two minds to chase after her or let her go and sulk it out – he chose the second.

  “What have I done?” he muttered.

  “Things have a way of working out,” Catherine said. “And it wasn’t your fault.”

  Strange – it certainly felt like the weight of this whole sorry mess fell to him.

  “She’s your sister, she just needs time,” Kirsty said.

  “That I do have,” Nathaniel said. “Unless the pitchfork brigade decide to do something rash.”

  “Maybe I should go down there?” Kirsty said and turned for the door. This wasn’t her fight, and she knew she should stay out of it, but Joe versus a crowd that size? Even an alpha could use help with those odds.

  “Hold on,” Catherine said. “What’s this?”

  Kirsty turned back to the window to see Courtney on the march. Her hands were fisted and her arms were swinging at her sides like a soldier moving with a purpose.

  “That’s either not going to end well – or…” Nathaniel didn’t want to finish that sen
tence. The one thing he did know was that he hated the damn sunlight and the fact he couldn’t be by his sister’s side right now.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  ~

  Joe turned a look over his shoulder at the sound of footsteps coming up behind him, and the last person he expected to see was his sister. With a face like thunder, she eyed the crowd. “Courtney…”

  “No!” she bit out, holding up her hand to silence him. “We’re a pack, we’re supposed to be family, and that includes my vampire brother!” She directed her anger at the crowd.

  “Courtney!” Joe tried again.

  Courtney stopped by her brother’s side and slapped her hands on her hips. “If it were any of you then Joe wouldn’t turn his back on you, he wouldn’t try to force you out – and Nathaniel hasn’t even taken a life, so what the hell do you think you’re doing?” she snapped.

  “Umm,” Joe grimaced. “They’ve come here to support us,” he said and watched as the words sunk in.

  Courtney’s eyebrows slowly rose towards her hairline, and she felt like fifty shades of a fool. When she’d finally realised that Nathaniel was still her brother, still the person that she loved and looked up to and that she didn’t want him to leave – she’d gone and made an even bigger idiot of herself with her pack. “I’ll just shut up now,” she said.

  A ripple of laughter went through the crowd, and Joe couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m sure we could let you have another five minutes,” Tom said, and Courtney snapped a look in his direction.

  “Why are you here?” she demanded.

  Tom looked uncomfortable for a moment, and he folded his arms and eyed the alpha. “Because I think what my grandfather and father are doing, trying to push Nathaniel out, trying to push you all out, is wrong.”

  Joe wasn’t sure if he believed him or not, but the youngster certainly could win an Oscar if he was lying. “Someone want to tell me what’s been going on?” Joe asked. He was relieved that they were finally getting to the truth, but he was still unsure if he wanted to hear it or not.

  He’d taken his eye off the ball and allowed this to happen while he’d been preoccupied searching for a way to help his brother. Now he needed to make amends and put things right. Not just for his own family, but for the pack, for the people that had turned out to support them.

  It was time he became the alpha he’d promised to be when he’d stepped into his brother’s place and won the challenge.

  ~

  Erin drove up the winding road that led to the vampire’s mansion and eyed the large crowd outside. This wasn’t what she’d been expecting, but it looked like she might have gotten there just in time to help Kirsty.

  One witch against a pack of wolves, she didn’t like those odds, but two witches meant double power, and if they were going to go out like this, then they’d go out fighting.

  Erin didn’t even tell her foot to push the gas pedal, but she found the car speeding up anyway. By the time she reached the front of the property, she had a game plan ready – join her powers with Kirsty’s and kick as much butt as possible.

  It wasn’t much of a plan, but it was better than nothing.

  Erin hit the brakes, and by the time the car stopped, she was already out of her seatbelt and had the door half-open. She jumped out just as Kirsty ran out the front door and down the steps towards her.

  Erin was confused; she looked from Kirsty to the crowd and back again. “I’m ready!” she rushed out.

  “For what?” Kirsty asked, confused.

  “Butt kicking,” Erin said and pointed to the crowd.

  Kirsty couldn’t help but chuckle. “I don’t think that’s going to happen just yet,” Kirsty said.

  Erin felt her whole body deflate. “Oh, thank the Goddess,” she said, happy to know that she wasn’t going to die just yet. “Who are they?” she whispered, walking to meet Kirsty halfway.

  “Nathaniel said they are the members of the pack on our side,” she said. “And why are you whispering, if I can hear you they can.”

  Erin grimaced and rolled her eyes. “Big ears, big nose, big …” She stopped just as one of the male members of the pack walked by, and she tilted her head and took in his muscles.

  “Yeah, it’s all big,” Kirsty said, grabbing her arm and yanking her towards the steps.

  “I can see what you found so appealing,” Erin teased, and nudged her in the side with her elbow, offering her a smirk.

  “That would be the spells, but, you go right ahead and…”

  “Ladies,” Joe said, stepping in front of them just as they started up the stairs.

  “Oh, double whammy, looks and a body to die for,” Erin said, grinning.

  Kirsty felt the green-eyed monster tap her on the shoulder and wave hello, but she bit down on her need to say something. It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen him first, and her friend should have known to check with her first to see if she was interested.

  It wasn’t that she was interested in Joe at all; it was just that she’d like to be asked. If Erin and Joe wanted to do what all consenting adults do in the privacy of a bedroom, she was good with that – or maybe not.

  “Define the word lady,” Erin said with a wicked little chuckle, and Kirsty turned a look of disbelief on her friend.

  “Seriously?” Kirsty said. “And you might want to wipe the drool off your damn chin.”

  “I knew it!” Erin exclaimed with glee. “Just the magic my Aunt Fanny!” she said, eyeing her friend with amusement and a victory grin.

  “What?” Kirsty snapped.

  “You and the wolfman – nothing going on?” Erin said. “I take it this is Joe?”

  Joe stood there and watched the interaction between the friends. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he wasn’t about to put his head on the chopping block either.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Kirsty said. “He’s my – boss.”

  “Well, did you shag the boss yet?” Erin asked and screwed up her face. “Because I’m getting this no-fly-zone vibe of pent up…” Kirsty slapped her hand over Erin’s mouth and looked anywhere but at Joe.

  “Don’t mind her she escaped from the idiot asylum,” Kirsty said, grabbing Erin’s arm and marching her around Joe and up the stairs. “Nix with the words – silence is a good thing,” Kirsty hissed at her friend.

  Joe turned and watched them go. All in all the day had started out badly, but with the backing of a lot of his pack, Catherine on the mend, and Kirsty’s friend giving her a wakeup call to what he already knew – it was turning out just fine.

  ~

  “Well, we’re going to have to keep an eye on the boy,” Nathaniel said. He didn’t trust Tom to be on the up as far as he could throw him. The youth was like his grandfather, and he could have been sent to find out what was going on. He hoped he was wrong, but he’d be watching him closely.

  “Agreed, but give him the benefit of the doubt,” Joe said, eyeing Kirsty and her friend huddled together in the other room, whispering, and both were pretty animated. It was a shame he couldn’t hear what they were saying.

  “So, the new witch is…” Nathaniel left it there, but when Joe turned to look at him, there was a wide smirk on his face.

  “Don’t tell me – tasty?” Joe growled.

  Nathaniel couldn’t help but chuckle. “Now who is reading minds?” he said, and boy did it feel good to laugh – really laugh, not the fake thing he’d been doing for the last few weeks to keep up appearances.

  “If only,” Joe grumbled.

  “I’ll swap you that ability to be able to shift into my wolf,” Nathaniel said, eyeing Erin with curiosity. When the witch caught him staring, she scowled at him. “I don’t think she likes me.”

  “You should be used to that by now,” Joe tossed back and watched the witches as they left the room. “I wonder where they are going?”

  “Hopefully, to work on the books and see if they can find the spell – there’s been far too many distractions since the wicked witch of your heart t
urned up,” he said and got a long warning growl for his trouble. “Furball, is it?”

  “Tell me, brother, does the sarcasm come with the whole being un-dead thing?”

  “I think I caught it from your witch.”

  “Stop saying my witch; she’s not my witch…”

  “Not yet, she’s not, but that’s just a failure to woo on your part,” Nathaniel tossed back as he strolled away, leaving Joe muttering curses to himself.

  “Woo?” Courtney’s voice cut through his thoughts like a knife.

  Joe closed his eyes for a long moment and groaned inwardly. Walls had ears was supposed to be the saying, but by God, his family had the biggest damn ears of them all.

  Nathaniel stopped at the door and turned around. “Ah,” he said and grimaced. “Have fun getting that one to keep your secret until you grow a pair and stake your claim or the witch figures it out.”

  Then he was gone.

  “Brother,” Courtney said, placing her hands on her hips and giving him the same look that she’d given the pack when she’d thought they were up to no good. “I didn’t get to hit anyone yet today, but your face is looking mighty tempting to me.”

  “You’d take a swing at your alpha?”

  Courtney angled her chin down and glared at him from beneath her long lashes. “What do you think?”

  “I think I have something to tell you,” he said, not doubting for one minute that she’d take that swing. He had enough on his plate, and he didn’t need his sister going ballistic.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  ~

  “So, that’s the pile of books I’ve skimmed; this is the pile I’m working through, and that…”

  “Is for me,” Erin said, scooping them up and plopping down on the bed to spread them out before her. “And let’s let fate decide,” she said, slowly waving her hand over the top of them. “Ooo, itchy palm, good sign?” she asked and snapped on a bright smile.