Sage nodded and smiled.
He felt Lucas slip into his mind and Sage narrowed his eyes at him. “Nosy.”
“Sorry. I didn’t do that one on purpose.” Lucas blushed. Sage felt him slip out again.
“Some of the clan members have seen four different vampires. It seems they’re still here, gathering information. Probably waiting for an opportunity to take Lucas again,” Ramsey said, getting the discussion started.
“Bennett and I can eliminate them,” Garridan said.
Sage stiffened and started to get off the chair, but Garridan held up a hand and said,Nothrough their bond.
“Keep one of them alive. At least long enough to find out exactly what Stavros is planning,” Ramsey said.
“He’s planning on eliminating the entire shifter population. That’s why he had the wolves attack our village.” Garridan said so suddenly that it startled everyone in the room, including the Alpha. Garridanstarted pacing, his sudden agitation clear. Sage had never seen him like that before.
“What are you talking about, Uncle Garridan?” Bennett asked, his voice rising just a little bit.
Garridan ignored him. “I started to remember last week. Right after the attack, I wanted to know why. I had a friend help me dig around for information. Tony found someone. A used-up blood whore. I should have known it was a trap. Blood whores are faithful to their vampires. I walked into that bar anyway. Tony was dead before I got there. After they captured me, Stavros told me himself that the vampires wanted to kill all shifters. They’ve been pitting us against each other for years.”
“When the fuck were you going to share this information?” Bennett took a step toward Garridan.
Sage did come out of his seat, then, ignoring Lucas, who grabbed his arm in an attempt to hold him back. He pulled his arm free and ran the distance to Garridan.
“When I could piece together what I remembered.” Garridan wrapped an arm around Sage.
Sage turned to Bennett and hissed at him. His eyes changed. “Get away from my mate,” Sage said. He was about ready to shift and bite the fuck out of Bennett.
Bennett looked at Sage in surprise.
“Sorry, Uncle.”
“I understand how you feel. You have a right to know what happened all those years ago. I just wished I could have remembered before now,” Garridan said.
“It’s not your fault.”
Garridan gave Bennett a sad smile that said more than words could about the regret he felt.
You can’t go back and change things,Garridan.
I know. Bennett is my son and I let him down.
No, you did not! Stop telling yourself that.
Ramsey, who was oblivious to their internal conversation, said, “I have someone I trust coming to consult with us. We need allies. The Wingspan Clan will make a good one. A member of the Shifter Council is also a clan member. I’ll ask their alpha about bringing him here. If we get the Shifter Council’s backing, we could stand a chance against the vampires.”
“We need help training the clan,” Garridan said, in the no-nonsense way he had. It was as if Garridan had no feelings at all. Garridan could shut off his emotions with just one switch of the conversation. How he did it Sage didn’t know, but he’d talk to Dr. Tucker about it. He’d get his advice and see what he could do to help Garridan make sure he was dealing with his problems and not just brushing them aside.
Sage lay his head on Garridan’s shoulder.
“You’re right. I’ll ask the Wingspan Alpha if he can spare anyone,” Ramsey said.
“Stavros wants something more from Lucas than just his healing abilities. I would bet on that. I just don’t know what.” Garridan said.
“I doubt Stavros is working alone.” Bennett frowned and then turned, holding out his hand to Lucas, who went to him without hesitation. He took Bennett’s hand and held it tight.
“His coven is big, but not that big. If his goal is to wipe out the entire shifter population then he’s going to need backing.” Ramsey patted Bennett on the back. “Okay, I have phone calls to make. We’ll make an announcement at the challenge about self-defense training. It’ll be mandatory for all able-bodied adult members. Especially those that win the challenge. Garridan, take Bennett and one of my other brothers and catch those vampires. Owen is a good choice for that task.”
Garridan nodded.
