Jess nodded. “I’ll go grab some of the journals Dad’s collected. I think you’ll find them pretty interesting. He’s picked them up from all over the world. He’s known for his love of old journals and diaries. He’s the first person many old book stores and auction houses call when they come across them.”
“How many does he have?” Abby asked.
“Rooms full,” Jess said with a sigh.
Chapter Fifteen
From the journal of Uriah Blane
I know I have lost my mind. There are days I can barely function. My father is filled with hate, and I swear I can feel the same emotion growing inside me, for a man I’ve never met and probably never will. Dad says the day will come when this man’s family will rise again, and we must be there to make sure they don’t succeed. I think he is speaking of murder, and that scares me more than the demonic light in his eyes.
My mother is afraid. I can see it every time she looks at me. But is she scared of me or for me? I’m not sure, but then I’m not sure of anything anymore.
* * * *
“You’re not trying, Tah,” Adrian scoffed, as he shifted from man to beast again with an ease that made Tah pause and watch.
The man turned into the most beautiful black wolf Tah had ever seen. He’d seen Derrick shift into a grey wolf, Cody turn into a white one, while Michael’s was a light color of brown. It still baffled him. How had this become his life? Finding the things he once would have mocked as ludicrous were real and avidly watching and trying to mimic them. Shifters existed, and he was one of them. Or would be if he could ever figure out how.
“You’re still fighting your lion,” Cody told him patiently. No matter that they had been at this for two days now, Cody never lost his patience. Reno never lost his patience. The same couldn’t be said of the rest of them. Except for maybe Logan, who seemed to find the whole thing as exciting as the Professor did.
“I’m not fighting him,” Tah argued, beyond frustrated. “It’s that damn smell. It’s throwing me off.”
“Yeah, it’s singeing my nostril’s too,” Michael agreed. “Can’t smell anything else.”
“Walk with me.” Cody didn’t wait to see if Tah followed or not. He just started, expecting Tah to follow. “Why don’t the rest of you go for a run? See if you can find where the smell’s coming from. Even you, Logan. I think you’re getting fat.”
Reno and Tah both laughed as Logan jerked his shirt up, checking out his rock hard abs in search of a lump of fat.
“Come on, pup,” Reno said, using the name that seemed to stick to Logan since Reno had said he reminded him of a dog. Luckily, Logan didn’t seem to mind.
Tah watched the three wolves take off as Logan and Reno set out at a jog after them. They were all out today, and Tah could sense the restlessness in the wolves. There was something in the air, and it was putting them all on edge.
“Did you remember to give more samples this morning?” Cody asked, making Tah’s chest rumble.
He jerked his head in a nod of affirmation. He hated the damn samples the Professor demanded every morning. But he gave into them because he knew how much it meant to Abby. He’d do anything for his mate. He should really see about asking her to marry him sometime soon. He’d already claimed her, but he felt it was important they do things right, before the baby was born.
“So, all of you are with Jess?” he asked the question before he could think better of it.#p#分页标题#e#
Cody grinned. “She is the pack mate. We all love her.”
“Your pack shares a mate?”
Cody laughed. “Don’t worry. I believe it is unique to our alpha pack. I’ve never even heard of other wolves who share as we do.”
“I don’t share,” Tah asserted. “I’d kill anyone who tried to touch Abby that way.”
Cody nodded. “It takes a certain mindset to lead the lifestyle we choose.”
“Then why do you?”
Cody looked thoughtful. “Survival.”
“But you just said most wolves don’t do it.”
“But we are the alphas. Each of us represents a specific wolf pack or breed.”
“Shouldn’t you each take your own mate? Seems like survival needs breeding to ensure a future.”
“And we each will create a new line, with Jess. By uniting our packs, we strengthen our entire species. By the four of us sharing Jess, we assure she is always protected, always loved. It is an unselfish act.”
Tah swallowed. “I’m a selfish bastard then.”
Cody laughed. “As I said, it takes a unique mindset. But even you share Abby.”