Margaux seemingly had no answer as her mouth opened, then closed.
“She died.” Bitterness and rage coated those two words. “Cancer. I was fifteen.”
“She wrote to me. Once, after she left. She said she was safe. She said her mate loved her and the baby.” Her brow furrowed. “She said Garret would protect them.”
Eli let out a sound that wasn’t quite a laugh. “Garret only showed up after she died and then dragged me to Boston. He beat me for fifteen years and forced me to join his Alpha’s criminal empire. That’s what Garret’s protection looks like.”
Margaux closed her eyes. When she opened them, they were wet. “I didn’t know.”
“Now you do.”
“Eli, please, let me?—”
“This is not the time for this.” Eli took in a breath. “Garret McCall was at that bar tonight. He may have been one of the people who attacked me. That’s what matters right now.”
Margaux’s head snapped up. “Garret is here? In Kentucky?”
“He’s the reason why we need protection. He’s been after me since he got out of a Lycan prison.”
“Why?” Margaux’s expression turned to that of pure confusion. “He’s your father. He loves?—”
“He was sent to prison for his crimes, and the first thing he did was try to find me,” he interrupted. “And his scent was in the hallways where I was attacked.”
She inhaled a breath before straightening her shoulders. “Then we have work to do. The wards I’m preparing for the property can be accelerated. And I can add a layer specifically keyed to Garret’s bloodline.”
“You can do that?” Ransom asked.
“If I have a biological connection to the target, yes.” She glanced at Eli. “And I now have one.”
Eli didn’t argue. She was right.
“We’ll help however we can,” Margaux said, addressing Ransom but keeping her eyes on Eli. “My coven will assist with the protections first thing in the morning. Now, if you’ll excuse us, I need to take Tabitha home so our healers can see to her.”
She turned to leave, and at the door, she stopped. Her hand rested on the frame. “She was the best of us. Marlene was the best of all of us, and losing her was the worst thing that ever happened to this family.” Her voice cracked on the last word. “I should have found her. I’ll carry that for the rest of my life.” She walked to the door, Astoria and Tabitha trailing behind her.
“For what it’s worth,” Astoria said to Eli as she passed, “I’m glad she didn’t lose all of her.”
Tabitha, even half-conscious and hoarse, managed to call out, “Family dinner soon, cousin? I have so many questions.”
Then they were gone. A few heartbeats of silence passed before anyone spoke.
“We should all get some sleep,” Ransom said. “Hawke and I will take first watch, then Snake and Hardy. Bo, let Logan and the others know to stay alert. Meanwhile, the rest of you get some rest.” His gaze flicked over Eli and if he had anything to say about what just happened, he kept it to himself.
Eli turned to face Olivia, wanting to say something, but the expression on her face said,not now.
Bo drove them in the pickup, and no one said a word the entire ride. When they got out, she walked ahead of him up the porch steps and through the front door without so much as a glance back. He followed her inside and closed the door behind him. The cabin was dark except for the lamp by the bed. She stood in the middle of the room with her arms crossed, facing him.
“We need to talk,” she said.
“Yeah.” He leaned against the door. “We do.”
She waited, her jaw tight, her violet eyes bright and piercing. When she finally spoke, her voice was controlled.
“You knew. Didn’t you.”
He didn’t pretend to misunderstand. “Yes.”
“How long?”
