Page 11 of Fae Devoted
“You good?” James asked with an irritating smirk.
Tucker nodded, grabbed Jo’s hand again, and trailed James to their table.
“Hey, I wasn’t finished dancing yet.” Jo dug in her heels but stopped struggling once they got close enough to see an anxious Sarah waiting for them.
“Is every okay, Johnnie?” she asked. “Tucker took off like a bat out of hell with James right behind him. Where’s Penny and Hop?”
“Oh. My. Lanta.” Jo gestured wildly with her hands. “Didn’t you see?”
“I couldn’t see a damn thing from here. I promisedsomeoneI’d stay put in case things got…um…dicey.” Sarah glared at her Ca’anam, though her tone sounded more frustrated that she’d missed all the action than angry.
Tucker wasn’t surprised when James didn’t flinch at the accusation; Sarah’s safety would always be his friend’s priority.
“Hop threw her over his shoulder in front ofeveryoneand left the club.” Jo’s fingers went to her full lips, stifling either a laugh or a horrified groan. “What if she’d been in a short skirt?”
“He did not…”
“He did. And you wouldn’t believe Penny’s language. Or maybe you would.” A giggle escaped. “I’d be surprised if his ears aren’t singed.”
“Lieutenant Tucker—”
“Shit.” Jo whirled, hand on her heart. She hadn’t sensed Samuel behind her.
“I’m sorry, Johnnie. I didn’t mean to startle you.” The Alpha’s lips were stretched thin, the fine lines around his eyes creased.
“Why did you come back? Is Abby okay?” Sarah stood, fist pressed to her flat stomach, her pregnancy in its early stage.
“She’s fine.” His expression relaxed a fraction as he addressed his sister. “I left her asleep in our apartment.”
With at least two members of the Guard stationed outside his door if Tucker were to guess.
Sarah sagged against James’ chest, and Jo frowned. Unlike those at the table, his she-wolf had no idea Abby was more thanthe human she pretended to be and the unwilling foundation of a Sídhe Lord’s plan to change Earth’s realm as they knew it.
“Something’s come up, and I need to speak with Tucker and James privately.” Samuel managed a smile for his confused clanmate, but it never reached his eyes. “I promise not to keep them away from the festivities for long.”
“Of course, Alpha.” Jo turned to Tucker and raised her auburn brows high.
He almost groaned. As much as he hated withholding the truth from Jo, Abby’s story wasn’t Tucker’s to tell. And it would be breaking his oath to disclose the emergence of Lord Daimhín to anyone outside the inner circle. He would have to invent a plausible explanation for Sarah’s strange behavior for his curious she-wolf.
Sarah patted James’ tuxedoed chest, then moved to stand beside Jo. “Let’s go check on Penny while they talk business.”
“You mean check onHop,” she replied, grin returning. “He’s the one who probably needs saving.”
“You’re right, we should definitely hurry before things get violent.” Sarah laughed, grabbed Jo’s hand, and led them through the packed tables toward the lobby.
Samuel watched them go before striding to the double doors at the rear of the club. Tucker and James followed behind him, ignoring the stares of the shifters they passed. The commander’s smell was masked by the sheer number of people inside Chess, but the force with which he entered the back hallway and the anger vibrating through the pack bond told them all they needed to know. Their Alpha was furious.
“I received a call from Kincaid,” Samuel said after Tucker shut the soundproof door to the Guard’s designated office. The last thump of muted bass vibrating through the thick cement walls in the corridor vanished with its closing.
“Another shifter is missing?” James removed his black jacket and tossed it onto a nearby chair. “Where?”
“Northern Michigan.”
“That would be the third Glaofin male who’s disappeared from that area in as many years.” Tucker knew the human-run facility that held Abby prisoner was located somewhere in the Upper Peninsula.
“The fourth.” Samuel’s voice a raw growl. “It was a set of retired twins this time.”
Ferwyn males who chose to end their lives as wolves because of the loss of a truemate or advanced age were ironically solitary creatures, the pack mentality left behind for a myriad of practical reasons. But under unique conditions, such as a sibling answering the call of the Glaofin during the same span as their brother, it wasn’t unusual for them to share a territory.
