“Yes.Some of them know us.They will be less afraid.”He finally turned, staring at the floor as Bryn clung to his arm.“This is Faegan’s house?”
“Yes,” Peyton said.“He’s dead.Hamish is the owner now, and?—”
Bryn gasped, her eyes wide in shock.“Hamish isalive?”
“Yes.He faked his death.He played a crucial role in helping us figure out what happened before we located Donnel.With Hyacinth and Frannie, I mean.Hamish is, needless to say, happy that Faegan is dead, and he had no idea that Donnel betrayed you.Until we can evaluate everyone and get them settled and acclimated, and then figure out what’s next, they’ll stay here and be looked after.If anyone needs full-time ongoing care because of their injuries, we’ll arrange that, too.Our packs will take care of all the expenses for as long as needed.And we have to create identities and documents for everyone.The world has changed a lot.”
“What about Donnel?”Callum asked.
Aisling tensed, knowing this would be a tetchy topic.
“He’s alive, but he’s in the United States,” Peyton said.
“Do you know where?”he asked.
“We do.He’s under Prime orders not to move or run.And I realize there will be business with him that you’ll want to settle at some point.”
“Bet your fucking life we do,” Bryn growled.“Where’s our daughter?”
I donotenvy Peyton.
To his credit, he didn’t dodge the question.“Donnel left her at a parsonage that same night.She was adopted by clueless humans, not knowing her parentage.She was married and had a son, but her husband, a human, died when her son was very young.She then married a guy who turned out to be abusive and murdered her when her son graduated from high school, because she’d told the man she was leaving him.
“No!”Bryn sobbed, crying, and Callum pulled her into his arms, holding her, his face buried in her hair.
“And her son?”Callum asked.
“Is my brother-in-law,” Peyton gently said.“He’s almost twenty-nine.His name’s Ken.Amazing guy, and we all love him to death.Alive and well and in Florida.I know when we tell him about you he’ll be over the moon and eager to be with you.And he and my little sister have a beautiful infant daughter, plus she’s pregnant with another one.”
Bryn sobbed even harder as Callum nodded.
Then he held his hand out to Peyton.
Aisling was amazed at Peyton’s bravery as he walked over and let Callum take his hand.A moment later, Callum released him.
“Thank you,” Callum said, tears now rolling down his cheeks.
“You’re pack,” Peyton said.“I’m sorry we didn’t know sooner.If we had, we would’ve come for you all a long time ago.”
“This is a lot to take in,” Callum said.
“I know.I’m sorry to dump all this on you.”
Callum looked at Aisling and Trevor.Aisling offered him a smile and a cautious wave.“Hi.”
“This is Trevor Clarke and Aisling Walsh,” Peyton said.
Callum slowly nodded.“We owe you everything.”
“G’wan,” Aisling said, blinking back unexpected tears of her own.“Yer pack.Like he said, sorry we didn’t know sooner.”
“You risked your lives for us.”
“Bloody hell, we weren’t leavin’ ye there once we knew,” she said.“They can’t hurt anyone else, either.We killed them and destroyed the lab.Ain’t no one rebuildin’ it.Far’s we can tell that was the only one.We captured and are interrogatin’ the head cunt.Once we’re done with him, he’ll stop exchangin’ oxygen and carbon dioxide in as slow and painful a way as possible.And if ye like, we’ll let ye take charge with that.”
Callum snorted and Aisling felt a tingle of Prime power from him, tentatively seeking.She forced herself to remain still and not scramble backward.
No matter how many times she experienced the sensation, it never got easier to deal with.
