Page 81 of Mated to the Enemy
“Oh, they’re getting what they deserve,” another—she couldn’t see who—muttered under his breath.
“Careful,” Klaue warned, and she tensed.
Was it going to explode before the exchange had even been made? She couldn’t see her sister yet. It was possible the Canim were that arrogant, they thought they could just kill them all here and now. She wouldn’t put it past them. Still, they had to makesomeshow of being honest. They would probably claim that the shifters who attacked were rogues, disavowed by the House, just like the Ursa Queen would have done if any of Klaue’s raid team had been captured.
Taunting us. That’s what they would be doing.
Then Lorran appeared, bringing Zoe along with him. Jessica growled at the sight of his hand clamped firmly on Zoe’s shoulder, forcing the terrified woman along. All Jessica saw was her baby sister, desperately in need of saving. She knew the man was useless, but even Jessica hadn’t realized just how bad it was. He was pathetic. Using her sister all along?What for, she wondered, then remembered that at the time, he’d been up for election to his position.
“That bastard,” she spat. “He never loved her. He just needed her so he could gain power. How did I not notice that before?”
The answer, of course, was that her sister had seemed happy, and that was what Jessica wanted most. It blinded her to the reality of the situation. Her vision was clear now, however, and she saw Lorran for the monster he truly was.
Klaue squeezed her hand. “It’s okay. We’ll get her out of there. It’s almost over.”
“I just wish I could tell Zoe it’s going to be okay.”
“You can,” Klaue said as he stepped forward next to her, while opposite them, Lorran did the same and brought Zoe with him. “They would expect that.”
“It’ll be okay, Zoe,” she said, calling out across the distance.
The wolf shifters snickered to themselves, but they were quieted by a chorus of deep bass growls from the assembled bear shifters. Both sides took a deeper interest in the exchange now, forming lines behind their respective representatives, glaring at one another across the fifty-foot gap.
“Klaue,” she said suddenly, struck by an urge to speak, to say something that hadn’t been at the front of her mind for the past two days, but was right there now.
“Yes? What is it?”
“There’s something you should know.”
He looked down at her, eyes bright and as blue as the day she’d first met him. “This maybeisn’tthe time to be revealing more secrets,” he hissed.
“So, you came to your senses after all,” Lorran sneered, interrupting her. “I knew you would. You Ursidae are so predictable like that. Never willing to do what it takes. Oh well,” he said, coming to a halt on his side of the halfway point. His position meant Klaue would have to come a few steps closer to the other Canim to do the exchange properly. No doubt it was intentional.
“As opposed to lying to someone for seven years and pretending to care about them, all for a seat on the Canis Council? That’s just pathetic, Lorran. I knew there was a reason I didn’t like you, besides your smell.”
“So feisty!” Lorran said, clapping his hands together, letting go of Zoe’s shoulder. “I always did appreciate that about you, Klaue. You never backed down from a fight.”
“Hand the girl over,” Klaue said, as if tired of it. “Let’s get this done with, before I wipe that smile from your face. Permanently.”
“Ooooh, I’m shaking in my boots!” Lorran laughed, mocking the bear shifter.
Probably not a good idea,she thought.
“Send over the fugitive first,” he added, dropping the laughter and turning stone-faced.
“Do I look stupid? You and I, step that way,” Klaue said, jerking his head away from Jessica.
The two shifters shuffled off to her right one step at a time, until they were out of reach.
“Girls, switch sides,” Klaue said.
Jessica looked at him. She desperately wanted to finish telling him, but if she did, everyone would hear. They would all make fun of her. Did she really care though? It wasn’t about them, it was about her and Klaue.
“Jessica,” Zoe said, embracing her as they met in the middle. “What are you doing?”
“It’ll work out,” she said to her younger sibling. “Trust me, okay? It’ll be alright.”
“Oh, enough of this,” Lorran called, sounding exasperated. He put something to his mouth and blew on it.
Jessica didn’t hear a thing.
A second later, wolves came boiling out of all three temples as Lorran laughed and chucked the dog whistle away.
