“Doesn’t seem enough,” Kevin said. “I could persuade your dad.”
“No,” Dasani said bullet-fast. “You are not going to tinker with his mind. Leave it be, Kevin. Promise me.”
“I promise not to tinker with Egbar’s mind.” Although Kevin didn’t sound too pleased. “But I don’t see why not. I could implant thoughts into his head, happy thoughts, Dasani. I could make him accept your mating.”
“No,” Dasani repeated. “You promised to leave him alone.”
Dasani did not want Kevin to get into trouble for using his gift. The Ultionem had warned the styre mente about messing with someone’s mind. There was a fine line between remaining good and turning evil. There was no way Dasani would risk Kevin turning to the dark side.
“I’ll handle this,” he said. “And I’ll keep you updated.” Dasani used Winter’s phone to call his own so that he would have Winter’s number. He entered a quick text and then set the phone aside.
“You better,” Kevin groused before he hung up.
* * * *
“I think we might have a problem,” Ahm said to Rakeym over the phone.
Rakeym sighed. “I hope it’s not a big one. My mate and son have kept me up all night, and I’m exhausted. I don’t think I can handle higher brain function at the moment.”
Ahm smiled. His best friend had been blessed with a healthy baby boy a few months ago. Although Ahm was happy for the guy, Rakeym was even more protective of his mate than ever. He wouldn’t let Kelson or his son out of his sight. “How is little Drake doing?”
“Fine, but no man alive was cut out for teething. I don’t think my pinky will ever be the same again.”
Ahm laughed. “But well worth it.”
“Okay, enough stalling. What problem do you have?”
“It’s about Dasani,” Ahm said. “The tiger shifter who works on the ranch asked me too many questions about the elf and our way of living. I’m almost positive that he’s Dasani’s mate.”
“That is a problem,” Rakeym said, and Ahm could hear the unhappy gruff in his friend’s tone. “I’ve had Myne and Yante keeping an eye on Egbar. There are rumors that Dasani’s father plans a rebellion.”
“And his son just might be mated to a shifter,” Ahm said. “Do you think he’ll cause Dasani trouble?”
“Yes, but it will be hard proving the man is interfering with Dasani’s mating. You know that.”
Ahm did. “I wanted to give you a heads-up,” he said. “And if you need my help, let me know. I never did like Egbar.”
“You and me both,” Rakeym said. “I think I’ll have Dasani brought to me so I can question him without Egbar around.”
“That might be a good idea.” Ahm smiled when Bryce pressed his chest into Ahm’s back, circling his arms around Ahm before the bear shifter kissed his neck. “I have to go. Keep me in the loop.”
“Elf business?” Bryce asked.
“Mating problems,” Ahm said and then explained what was going on with Bryce. He normally wouldn’t, but if things went south, he wanted the Lakelands to back Winter. There was no telling what Egbar would do once he found out that his only son belonged to a tiger.
* * * *
Winter heard Dasani in the bathroom and wondered who his mate was talking to. He got up and scratched his chest as he headed in that direction. But when he opened the bathroom door, his mate wasn’t in there.
Winter frowned when he saw his phone on the bathroom counter. He picked it up and saw a text message. It was from Dasani.
I’m sorry. I can’t stay. Will return to you soon, though.
That wasn’t good enough for Winter, but he thought of Ahm’s warning and growled. If he went after Dasani, he might make matters worse. The bruise he’d seen on Dasani’s cheek made Winter want to hunt his mate down, to protect him. On the other hand, going into Shadow elf territory was not only impossible unless a Shadow elf took him but also risky as hell.
He’d take that risk if he could find a way into the marshlands.
After showering and dressing, Winter drove to the Lakeland ranch. His parents had been taken from him in a senseless killing, and he wasn’t about to lose his mate. Although Winter lived with his friends, he was still lonely. Dasani filled the void, made Winter feel as though he had a light at the end of his dark tunnel.
He’d lived in a small shifter community with Kenway and the others when the town was attacked by grey wolves. Winter’s mother had been killed. When his father attacked the wolf who’d slain his mate, Winter’s father had been killed as well. That night had been a massacre. And it was all over one single wolf alpha who believed that the community was dangerous and had called a hunt on their heads.