Page 45 of Resurgence of the Pack

‘Wait,’ I intervened. ‘We all know that information obtained under torture is sketchy. I could … I could pipe him. Force him to tell us the truth.’ I tried to avoid doing that because it was a horrific, slippery slope; once I had forced someone to do my bidding, where would I stop? Where would I draw the line? I’d done it once before to force a guard to let us into the room where Ares had been locked away at the Black Tourney and it had been easy. Far too easy.

Greg studied me. ‘Let us rough him up a little first.’ He knew how I felt about my piping.

‘No torture,’ I said finally.

‘Just a bit of white noise,’ he offered.

‘Some light deprivation,’ Bastion added. ‘We’re military, both of us. We’ll crack him without using your powers. We can’t risk you using them willy-nilly or sooner or later the Connection will find out and come knocking at your door.’

And that was the other reason piping wasn’t my go-to solution. I had nightmares about the Connection arresting me and taking me to a black site where they poked and prodded me and worked out what made me tick. I could tell them that already: it was spreadsheets.

I licked my lips. ‘You have a couple of days to get answers from him. After that, I’m up.’ The men gave me grim nods and walked out. Yep, I definitely still felt like the bad guy.

I picked up my phoneand dialled Harden. ‘My Queen,’ the Staffordshire pack beta answered.

‘Harden. Has Elliott found his way home?’

There was a pause. ‘He has.’

‘Is he still steaming?’

‘Yes,’ Harden admitted. ‘But he’ll get over it. He’s one of those quick-to-anger, quick-to-forgive types.’

‘We’ll see. I have formally announced that Greg Manners and I are to be mated. Let it be known.’

‘It is the speaker’s role to disseminate information amongst the wolf packs, my Queen,’ he said tactfully.

‘It is,’ I agreed. ‘You’ve been promoted.’

‘What did Kearns do?’ he asked, surprised.

‘He plotted to kill me,’ I said drily, which was true. He’d planted the seed for Abberdon’s challenge.

‘Ah, that’ll do it. Is he dead?’

‘He’s in my dungeons.’

‘He should be dead,’ Harden said firmly. ‘If he’s alive, and imprisoned, there’s always a risk that the Connection will step in and interfere.’

‘This is pack business so they won’t wade in. He has information that I need.’

‘Still, I’d behappier if he were dead.’

‘I’m sure Manners agrees with you on that score, but for now Kearns breathes. And you’re promoted. Don’t fuck up.’

I hung up. I was so good at motivational speaking I should probably give classes. I could get one of those cute cat posters that showed a kitten up a tree with a slogan:Keep hanging in there!

No cat posters,Esme growled.What is it with you and cats? Are youtryingto offend me?

I snickered.Sorry. A dog poster then, with it swimming in a river with a slogan sayingEmbrace the journey.

Much better. Anyway who needs to hang inthere? Where are they talking about?

Still laughing, I looked around my office and envisaged pranking Esme with wall-to-wall cat posters. God help me if she discovered the existence of funny cat videos on the internet. I focused on my computer and toyed with Googling some of them but in the end I decided I wanted to live. I pulled up some spreadsheets instead, but for once they didn’t appeal to me. I must be ill.

Restlessly, I went to my private sitting room and through the bookcase to the hidden room beyond. I pulled out the Samuel family journal and started reading, looking for any mention of the orb. It was open at the last entry I’d read – and I immediately wanted to do a face palm.

Things worsen still. Without the artefact, the seat of power has gone quite mad. Any who stray into her domain are never seen again. The Staffordshire pack have been tasked with keeping her alive, but no longer can we entrust her with our dead. Who knows what she would do with them?

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