"You said you were a friend," Blaire said on a horrified breath.
"You won't see it for a while yet," Odine said, leaning back into her rocking chair, "but I am."
She sure as heck didn't feel like any ally Blaire wanted. Furious, she stood and slammed her empty hot chocolate cup into the trash before she jogged down the stairs and past the werewolves glaring her down. The closest one was growling, and fear pushed her legs faster to the driver's side of her rental car.
Blaire had wanted a relaxing day in town, but that woman had just exposed her to a black, pulsing vein of supernatural shit in this town. Worse than that, Odine had exposed Gentry, and that made Blaire angrier than anything.
She backed out of the parking space in a rush and kept checking the rearview mirror on her way down Main Street. The three men with the glowing eyes were gathered in the middle of the road talking and watching her speed toward Hunter Cove.
Odine had told her she had answers, but all she'd done was confuse Blaire more with her riddles. She'd used her for something bad, but for the life of her, Blaire couldn't understand what.
Something told her she'd just been dumped into Rangeley's dark underbelly, and she'd dragged Gentry right down with her.
Chapter Fourteen
Blaire rolled down her window as she pulled up to where Roman was chopping wood outside the smallest cabin. "Where's Gentry?" she asked him.
"Fuck if I know, I'm not his keeper," Roman said as he put another log on the chopping block.
Irritated, she asked, "Is he still a wolf?"
Roman spun and strode to her window. When he gripped it with his massive hands, Blaire leaned away from him. "You need to stop using terms you don't know anything about, and quick. You two aren't careful-"
"Some woman named Odine just outed me and Gentry in town. Loudly."
"Fuck!" The car door groaned, and when Roman shoved away from it, there were two indented handprints.
Blaire gave an offended sound and tried to roll up the window, but it just made a bunch of clicking sounds. "Roman! This is a rental!"
"Well, I wouldn't worry about it too much now, Blaire! You won't be returning it in this lifetime. Rhett will have you put down by sunset!" Roman's eyes weren't blue anymore, but were the bright gold from last night. "Three hours. Asher!" he yelled at the cabin before he turned back to laying into her. "Three hours, and you exposed your relationship. That has to be some kind of friggin' record."
"I didn't do it. I was trying to read my book. That lady approached me! And she burned some of my hair and frankly, she was a little scary, so I don't need you yelling at me right now."
"What's happened?" Asher asked as he was jogged down the stairs.
Roman was typing something into his cell phone, but muttered, "Gentry and Princess Human have been outed to the pack. Is witchcraft one word or two? Princess Human got some of her hair burned by Psychodine. Oh, here it is." His lips moved as he read silently, then he nodded. "Good, it says it probably won't kill you. She just got a good look into your soul. So congratulations, you'll live a few more hours. With a tainted soul." Roman's sarcasm wasn't helping her panic right now.
Blaire threw the car into park and stumbled from behind the wheel, then skidded and slid her way over the icy parking lot toward the trail that led to Winter's Edge. Maybe he was there.
"I think you should leave," Asher said from behind her.
"I've got that hint every time you've talked to me Asher, thank you. Surprise me and be nice instead."
"I am! Fuck, kid, I'm trying to save your life."
"I'm not a kid. I'm older than you."
"How much older?" Roman asked, trailing his brother.
"I'm thirty! This is my birthday trip, but everyone is ruining this!"
"Whoa, you look hot for an old lady."
"Stop talking!" she yelled over her shoulder.
"I thought old ladies were supposed to be sweet," Roman muttered. Stupid Roman with the stupid smile in his voice.
She wanted to hurt him with words. "Odine said you two might be evil," she said with a prim little "hmm" at the end for good measure.
"Odine's full of shit," Asher said from right beside her. His legs were longer, and he passed her. For some reason that pissed Blaire off even more, so she swished her hips and pushed her legs to keep up.
"I'm a little bit evil," Roman admitted.
"Roman, shut up," Asher gritted out.
"So is Asher. He just likes to pretend he's not. We like to do bad things."
"Stop lumping me in with you," Asher spat out over his shoulder. "We're nothing alike." Asher walked faster, and Blaire gritted her teeth and speed-walked to keep up.
He cast her a frown and went even faster.
Blaire took off running, but Asher and Roman blurred past her and disappeared into the woods, and now Roman's laughter was echoing everywhere.
"I think I hate you," she called, slowing to a jog, and then to a pouty walk.
"Ugh, what an evil thing to say," Roman said from somewhere up ahead. "Don't get lost Princess Human. These woods are haunted."
Blaire grimaced and looked around the darkening woods, then picked up her speed walking again. At least the trail was easy to follow thanks to the fresh boot prints in the snow. A few minutes more, and she made it to the clearing right in front of Winter's Edge. There was a parking lot on one side, so there had to be another road leading into here. Next time she was driving, especially if the woods were haunted. Two days ago, she hadn't believed in that stuff, but werewolves and witches had skewed her view of the entire world now.
Asher and Roman were waiting outside the door, leaned up against the log building like they'd been there for hours. Annoying.
"I'm calling a pack meeting," she muttered as she shoved open the door.
"You can't call a pack meeting," Asher gritted out. "A, you aren't an alpha, and B, we aren't a fucking pack. We're three rogues and a human."
"Princess Human," Roman corrected, following Blaire inside. "I like her. She's feisty and yells at everyone. She's fun to piss off. I kind of want to keep her, like a human pet."
Asher huffed a pissed-off sound. "Keep her all you want. Die with her and Gentry for all I care. I'm out of here as soon as we dump the old man's ashes."
"I can hear everything you are saying," she muttered.
"You can?" Roman asked with his face all scrunched up. "I thought humans couldn't hear hardly anything."
"Seriously?" she asked, giving him the dirtiest face she could muster. "Are all werewolves this judgmental?"
"Yes," Asher and Roman both muttered in unison.
Fantastic. "Gentry?"
"Yeah, back here," Gentry called from the kitchen.
The Striker brothers hung back as she made her way around the bar top and through the kitchen door. She hadn't been in here before, but it looked nothing like the main room. This was all stainless-steel countertops and matching double ovens, stoves, and even dual microwaves. There was a walk-in fridge on the far wall. Gentry had just entered through the back door with a huge rolling trashcan he must have just emptied in the dumpster outside.
He looked exhausted, but his lips curved up into a smile immediately when he saw her. "Hey," he murmured, approaching her slow, like he didn't want to startle her.
"I did something bad," she murmured, bracing for his reaction.
Gentry just leaned into her though, hugging her tight. He didn't say anything, just swayed them side to side. Something was wrong. Blaire could feel it in her chest.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
Gentry lifted her up to sit on the counter then pulled her against him. He dipped his lips to her neck and pressed them there, let them linger until he finally sighed and said, "I'm better now. It was just a long day."
"Your dad?"
Gentry's attention flickered to an urn that sat on the counter against the wall. "I picked up his ashes today. Blaire, I think I let him down."
She eased back and cupped his cheeks. He'd shaved, so she could see every beautiful, sharp angle. "You didn't. You were out there living your life. If he wanted your help, he would've asked."
"He did ask, though. He asked me to stay and take on the pack."
"When?"
"On my eighteenth birthday. He was tired. He wanted to train me to take over, and I left instead."
Gentry glanced at the door, and when she followed his gaze, Roman and Asher were there, leaning their backs against the counter like they'd been there the whole time. Both had their eyes downcast, but she could see the gold and silver from here.