Page 100 of Mortal Shift
“Ms. Cole Bryant’s mate,” I snapped. “So cut the crap and tell me what I want to know.”
“As you wish. Your mate stands accused of the attempted murder of the vampire prince, Thaden Moritego.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
“It’s ridiculous,” I seethed, pacing up and down the library. “They’re friends. What possible reason could he have for attacking him? And how could anyone eventhinkhe’d attack him? And why the hell didn’t I think to askhowhe’d been attacked? I mean, there might not even be any proof a shifter did it, and—”
“—and we’re going to find a way to prove he’s innocent.”
“Damn right we are. Wait, we?”
“Yes, we. I’m not letting you deal with this alone.” Ling planted her hands on my shoulders and steered me to a seat, then pressed down insistently until I sat in it. “Good. All that pacing was making me dizzy.”
“But—” I made to get up, and she pushed me down again.
“No. Sit.”
“I can’t sit around while they try to pin the blame on him!”
“Yes, and pacing up and down the library will absolutely convince them of his innocence,” Ling said drily.
I opened my mouth and then snapped it shut again, then scowled. “You know I don’t like it when you fight with logic.”
“Trust me,” she said, abruptly sounding several decades older and more tired. “I think we’re both going to be grateful for a little logic by the time this is through.”
I scrubbed at my temples.
“What are we going to do?” I asked, slumping forward onto the table. “Assuming you’re still vetoing busting him out?”
I glanced up at her hopefully on the off chance and she pressed her lips together with a firm shake of her head.
“That’s going to be a little tricky given that we have no idea where they’re holding him.”
“Yeah, there’s that,” I agreed, and then lurched to my feet. “I know someone who’ll know, though.”
Ling caught my shirt and yanked me back before I made it more than one step to the door.
“Please tell me you’re not suggesting we burst in on the domina in the middle of the night?”
“What does she care? She’s a vampire. This is like mid-afternoon to her.”
“Are you forgetting that she doesn’t seem to like you much at the best of times…and this is most definitely not the best of times.”
“You noticed that, huh?” I slumped back against the wall, then immediately pushed off and started pacing again. “There has to be something we can do. We can’t just let the council fit him up like this. I mean, someone out theresomewherehas to have some way of helping him. Like—”
I stopped dead and spun to face Ling. “Like his pack. We have to get a message to them. No-one else from his pack was even at the hunt this evening, and everyone else who was there is still out hunting. I’m the only one who knows. I have to get over the wall and tell them.”
Ling grabbed me as I made for the door.
“Are you forgetting something?”
I glanced down to check I was fully clothed, then back to her with a shrug. “Help me out. I’ve got nothing.”
“You just said yourself that Ryker and the rest of the hunt are out there. If you try to get over the wall, someone’s going to notice.”
“I saw the look on Ryker’s face when they took Cole away. He’s as pissed off as I am.”
And would have been a great ally if he didn’t hate me more than he liked Cole, and if he wasn’t off leading the moon hunt right now.
