Page 68 of In Plain Sight

"I cannot give it to you," I told him, sadly. "His identity was sealed by an Alpha gag order. You will not break Conlin for that answer either, though I know he and I serve the same Alpha," I told him. "He warned me there were others. I do not know how many or who. I had only just put together the possibility of Conlin being one of his spies when I told you to look deeper into his past."

Ruby stepped up next to me and took my hand for support. I hated that she was there, but I took the love she offered freely anyway.

"I don't understand how you could do this to your mate," Kyle accused.

"You worry about your own mate, Kyle," Ruby warned him.

"Ruby, that's enough," Thomas scolded.

"I know Thomas already filled you in on everything, Kyle. Where's Kelsey? I'd like to just get this over with," I said.

It felt so wrong. Like I was saying, "Hey man, where's your mate so I can go ahead and kill her, then you can kill me and everything will be fine, except I guess you can't really kill me, cause you'll be dead, but no worries, ?cause I'm gonna let her kill me anyway." That was basically what this had come down to and we all knew it, except apparently for Liam, because he was looking more confused the longer this took.

"Where's Conlin?" Thomas asked, entirely changing the subject.

"He's being held in the kitchen, actually. Do you want to see him for yourself before they take him to lockdown?" Patrick asked.

"Bring him in," he said.

Two large men I didn't know dragged a beat-up looking Conlin into the room and set him down before Thomas.

"You are not my Alpha. I have nothing to answer to you for," he said. He turned to look at me in disgust. "Coward," he spat. "I practically handed her to you on a silver platter and you still didn't have the balls to finish the job. I doubt you ever will, but then again, I don't think you'll be around much longer from the looks of things, but our Alpha will certainly have a fine time with your pretty mate there after you're gone."

I shook in rage as fur sprouted across my hands and up my arms. Ruby held on tightly and begged me to calm down.

"Don't let him get the better of you. Not the likes of him," she said calmly until my breathing began to stabilize and the fur rescinded.

"I'm only the first of many coming to right the wrong you made in harboring the Alpha she-witch. Branimir is a testament to the truth I speak. He may not have the stomach to end her life, but can he resist the call of the oath that pumps through his blood? I'm afraid I'll never know, but rest assured if he doesn't, others will follow. It will never end until the witch is dead." He gave a half-crazed laugh that made Ruby shiver next to me.

The door at the end of the hallway opened and Kelsey came into view.

Conlin smiled at her with a far-off look in his eyes. "Oh look, speak of the devil. Your time has come, beloved one. Dagger at the ready."

I turned to look at Kelsey for the first time as Ruby screamed. I looked back to see Conlin foaming at the mouth and violently convulsing. I grabbed my mate and buried her face in my chest.

"What the feck?" Patrick said as he jumped up and ran to Conlin's dead body.

"Cyanide," I said calmly. "He broke his tooth. Like some old World War II practice, we're all outfitted with it. I've never actually known anyone to use it before, though."

"You have that inside you, too?" Kyle asked in shock.

I nodded.

"Why the hell didn't you just use that then?" he asked.

I laughed. "You serious? Did you see that? I'm not dying that way."

Ruby smacked me. "This isn't a time to be joking about things like that."

I looked up and my eyes met Kelsey's. "Hello, Elena," I said respectfully. To her left stood an old face I hadn't seen in several years. "Raina. You're alive."

"Hello, Branimir," she said.

Rumors had come back to us that Raina had disappeared, never to be heard from again. Yet here she stood, alive and well. I knew she was Kelsey's aunt, so I shouldn't have been too surprised.

"Hi, Bran," Kelsey said. "I truly wish we were meeting under better circumstances."

"As do I," I told her honestly.

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