“We both know you’re correct; they underestimate our powers.”She smiled at El.“We, of all the religions, are true to The Mother’s lore.When it comes to matters such as these, we can be of great comfort.”
“Comfort?”El questioned, narrowing her eyes at the other woman.“I’m not uncomfortable.They’re the ones saying that I’m in heat.I don’t feel any differently to the way I did yesterday, but they’re all the way over there because apparently I have a different scent.”
“Trip has told me of the recent trials you’ve endured, also of your unusual heritage…”
There was something about the way she said Trip’s name that had Shawn on red alert.El too, if her reaction was anything to go by.
El shot her mate a fulminating look, but he didn’t meet her eyes, stared straight ahead.Seemingly at nothing.
Shawn grimaced.He knew that look.Had been on the receiving end of it himself… He’d made the stupid mistake of sleeping with Annabel, El’s mother, back when he’d been newly hired by the Forsythe-Drews.
When El had discovered that uncomfortable truth, she hadn’t been happy.
In fact, not happy was an understatement.And considering Shawn was certain Claudia was an old flame of Trip’s… well, if he’d picked up on that, then she certainly would have, and that didn’t bode well for any of them.
Shawn shot Ryan a look, and the other man grimaced at him—they’d known this would be an issue, but had called Claudia anyway?
That was all Shawn took from that glance.
It pissed him off.too.
He’d only been thinking about how he respected the guys, and they went and pulled a dick move like this?
He just hoped there was a justifiable reason for their hurting El, unnecessarily to boot.
“What are you going to do?”El sneered.“Say a little prayer for us?”
Claudia’s smile turned brittle.“No.We will invoke a ritual to calm the urgency of the situation.”
“Oh, that’s what we’ll be doing, is it?”El turned to look at the Triad.“May I speak with you alone?”She cut the healer a look, one that had Claudia freezing in place.
Even Shawn felt the charge in the air, and it reminded him of those uncomfortable moments when they’d been at dinner with Leilani and the rest of Ryan’s family, and El had challenged the mother-in-law from hell.
Shawn cleared his throat, hoping to break the tension.“El.”Her gaze swept from Claudia’s to his.“Calm down.”
Her nose went sky high and she turned her back on Claudia, letting her know El wanted her to leave, Shawn figured.
Marc murmured, “Would you mind just waiting outside while we explain some things to our mate?About proper, polite protocol?”
Shawn’s eyes widened in response to that biting comment, and he winced when El didn’t respond with guilt or mortification, but rage.
Great, talk about prodding the Lion.Literally.
Claudia smiled warmly at him.It was the smile of an old friend.Nothing sexual or sensual about it.She nodded and murmured, “I’ll be outside.”
When she’d left, silence filled the room until El gritted out, “Is there a reason you’ve brought a fuck buddy to my suite, Trip?”
He blanched.“She wasn’t a fuck buddy.”
“Bullshit,” Shawn added, unable to help himself.He shouldn’t get involved and yet he was hard pressed not to.
There were no sides to this relationship.They all had to bring their own best to the table, and his lying to El wasn’t the way to do that.
Trip cut him a pissed-off glare.“She wasn’t a fuck buddy.I’ve known her a long time, and we’ve been friends for decades.There was a time, yes, when we were seeing each other in that way, but it was before El was born for God’s sake!”
El gritted her teeth.“Why have you brought her here?Is there no one else who could help?”
Ryan cleared his throat.“She’s the leader of the local house, El.She’s important.”
