Chapter 150 Chapter 150
Blair grabbed his pack and looked around. It was just dawn now, and the group was already up, and ready to go.
“I’m just going to check the area,” Kobie said, standing up and walking away from the group.
He watched her walk away. Scowling at the ground, he turned and went the other way. He’d go watch down the trail. Maybe Jesse would get here early and come up to meet them. Calum said it was about an hour’s walk to where they were meeting. At this point Blair could probably run it twice, he almost needed to. His mind had been swimming in so many thoughts since last night he didn’t know where to start.
“You need to stop this.”
Blair was startled and turned to see Calum leaning against a tree. He hadn’t been there three seconds ago when he’d looked that way. “Stop what?”
“This constant brain ramble you have going on.”
He looked at him, trying to figure out if it was that obvious that his head was a fucking mess.
Calum looked amused for a second. “My cat can feel it anytime we’re in scenting distance—you are doubting everything you do, think and say.”
Blair thought of denying it but knew better. “I’m just—” he looked in the direction Kobie had gone and then at the ground for a moment before he chanced a quick glance to the man in front of him. He wouldn’t understand, Calum always had it so together Blair thought for sure he was part machine or something. “Kelsey, my head was a fucking mess with all of that going into this,” he motioned to the group of women, the group he hoped was oblivious to the internal soup that was his very existence since their strong, beautiful, and independent leader had come across that ditch.
“And?”
He’d almost forgotten he’d been talking to Calum. “And it’s worse now than it was.” He paced away and put more distance between them and the group. He didn’t need anyone hearing the bull he was spouting off. He felt Calum come up behind him. “Kelsey’s been in my heart, in one way or another, since that scared, grieving girl was brought to the shop to live among us.”
“I know.”
He liked that about Calum. He didn’t use ten words when two would do. Blair blew out a breath, “I know I was head over heels...”
“But now it’s changed.”
Blair nodded. “Something has.” He glanced over his shoulder to see Kobie was back and smiling at Shaelan. He wondered what was being said for a second. It was like the sunlight had filtered all the way through every branch and leaf to shine just on her as it rose in the sky. He rubbed a hand over his chest and sighed again. “I feel,” he looked at the other man, almost scared to say it out loud, “I feel like I’m cheating on Kelsey because I-I’m...”
“She’s your mate.” Calum motioned with his chin back toward the women.
Blair jolted and looked from Calum to Kobie again. He’d been thinking that, but still hadn’t come to grips with that possibility. “My cat is some stranger to me whenever she’s close. It’s like-like…”
Calum laughed quietly. “You don’t have to explain. As far as unusual shit happening, I've recently been through the gauntlet—of—I can’t even explain. I’ve never been at odds with my cat like I was with the situation when I met Shae.” Calum looked at him for a moment, “the pheromones skyrocket when you two are near each other.”
Blair just nodded and kept bobbing his head like an idiot. He wasn’t sure why he was, but it was better than standing there scowling at the man. “Yeah, I guess you have been through a bit,” he was trying to ignore the pheromones comment, “but now,” he rolled his eyes and sighed once more trying to blow out the stupid thoughts in his head, “if I can get over this emotional block or whatever the hell it is with Kels—” he motioned toward the women with a wide sweep of his arm, “she’s an Alpha’s daughter, part of an Alpha family,” he didn’t want to say it but did anyway, “even if they don’t make it back to her, she’s still...”
“Out of your league?”
Blair nodded, lifted his hand, then let it drop again. “I’m just—fuck,” he chuckled at his own situation. Him bumbling around a woman was new. “I don’t even know my original clan or anything other than my mother sent me away before she died.” He looked at Calum, who stood there with his expression blank. He had no idea what he was thinking or if he was at all.
“All right.” Calum motioned to the path that led up the incline.
Frowning, Blair started walking in that direction, having no idea why he was taking them to where they couldn’t see the others.
“As you know, or maybe you don’t, I do a lot of different things for the Alliance...”
Blair nodded, “yeah you’re like superman or something.”
Calum smirked, “or something.” He shrugged, “I need to know about a lot of things that even most of the council aren’t aware of.”
That surprised Blair, but he didn’t acknowledge it. “Makes sense with some of the shit you have to do.” He shrugged, “Gage has told us about some of it, after.”
“I also like to know everything about anyone that has any sort of contact with Devin.”
Blair nodded again. “Logical,” like Calum always seemed to be.
“I know about your clan, Blair, your original one.”
Blair swallowed but couldn’t get a single syllable to come out of his mouth.
“Some of it you’re going to wish I didn’t tell you.” The look on Calum’s face was asking if he should continue or stop talking.
Shit. He paced away, then spun back around and looked at him. “Just tell me. I’ve spent the better part of the last fifteen years trying to think of reasons.”
“Okay.” Calum motioned to a log and then stood there until Blair sat down.
He didn’t want to sit, but if the shit was so bad Calum thought he needed to sit, then he needed to sit.
“Your mother sent you to Ed’s after your father was killed. She knew they would go after you and wanted you kept safe.”
Blair sat there, just listening, trying not to react. He knew Calum would tell him slowly and let him digest or hoped he would. Why would they go after me? I was two.
“She died shortly after that. I’m not sure if it was natural causes or not.” He didn’t look away from him the whole time he was talking. “Your clan was still in the same area, there were around two dozen when last I checked on them.”
Blair’s expression was hard to guard at this point. His clan still existed.
“You don’t want to go there. You do not want to meet them.” Calum said in a low tone.
“I don’t?” He rubbed a hand over his hair.
“No. Your clan was one of the first to work with Alberto Tomas—voluntarily...”
Blair jumped up. Holy shit. My clan is part of the horrible shit that had been happening to shifters all over.
“Your father and mother were against it. Tried to stop it and move the clan. That’s why he was killed. Your father was the Alpha. You’re from an Alpha family. Your brother is still part of that clan and is working with Aiden Tomas. If your mother hadn’t sent you away, you would be working for Aiden Tomas right now.”
Blair sat down; afraid his legs were going to give out. Brother?
Calum leaned against the tree and watched him. He was sure he must have had ten different emotions crossing his face all at once, but he just stood there and let him process without comment. When Blair took a deep breath, trying to find the words to speak. Calum straightened away from the tree. “An Alpha mate is fitting for you.”
He couldn’t think of a word to say. Before he could try, Torrey came running through the trees.
“Blair! Daisie is gone.”
Calum spun around.
“She was right there behind me, at the side of the path talking about a flower and when I turned, she was gone.”
Blair jumped up and started running back to the others. He stripped his shirt over his head and tossed it on the ground when he grabbed his pack.
“Hurry,” Cortney grabbed Kobie’s pack and tossed it to him. “Kobie just went after her. She told me to stay here…”
Calum was right behind him. “Everyone, get in the sheltered area.” He turned to Blair as he pulled off his boots. “Go after her. I’ll stay here and watch the rest.”
Blair just nodded and ran over to the other side of the path. He looped Kobie’s pack over his head as he undid his jeans. Stuffing them into his pack, he zipped it and shifted faster than his next breath.
Less than two seconds later, he was following Kobie, Daisie, and two other scents he didn’t know. Two other shifters. They’d been on two feet when they’d taken her and then shifted. He couldn’t be one hundred percent certain, but he was thinking wolf and some other canine breed. What he knew was when he caught up to them, he planned to take all his confusion and frustration out on them.
His paws slid along the incline as he went down it fast. How had they gotten this far so quickly? Bounding over a downed log and a few stumps, he caught something light-colored to his left. Landing, he turned to see it was Kobie squatting down behind a large vine-covered area. She was completely naked. Shaking his stunned brain into action, he leaped over to her, landed quietly, and then shifted back into his skin.
She held her finger over her mouth and then pointed at the vines.
Pulling her pack over his head, he set it beside her and ducked his head closer to look through the vines. Thirty feet on the other side of the thick foliage area stood Daisie. She had her arms crossed over her chest and stared at the wolf in front of her.
“I am not getting on your back again. I only did because he,” she pointed to the jackal, “was going to bite me.” Daisie finished. “So, bite me.”
Atta girl, stand your ground. Blair leaned over closer to Kobie and put his lips against her ear, “I’m going to distract them, you shift and get in there and get her.” He whispered in barely an audible tone. She smells fucking amazing. The oils are gone after she shifts…
She turned, her dark eyes holding his own. She looked like she was going to object.
“Kobie, just do it.” He whispered but knew she would hear. “Get her back to the others, Calum will stop anyone that tries for her again.”
The hard expression on her face softened. She nodded and placed her palm against his cheek. Leaning forward, her face almost touching his, “be careful,” she whispered.
Blair’s cat inside him froze when she brushed a kiss so lightly, he may have in fact imagined it against his mouth. He nodded. “Run fast.” He told her.
He watched her shift back into her sexy white striped cat and then took his pack off and shifted. He’d always been warned if you fight, don’t give them anything to get a hold of. Hopefully, he could find his pack after, the growth here was insanely thick. Before he could synch up with his cat completely, the traitorous creature rubbed his head along her shoulder. He needed to move before he did something really stupid. He bound out of the greenage into the open. The two other animals trying to corral Daisie spun to face him.
“Kick their butts, Blair,” Daisie said loudly.
He looked at her long enough to assess she was all right and then vocally let the two animals advancing on him know they had picked the wrong child to mess with. He needed to get them to turn their backs to the shrubs so Kobie could get out without being seen. Daisie was smart. She would know to run to her as soon as she spotted her.
Blair had a lot more power than these two, he used it to spring and leap over them and land behind them. Both made fast work of spinning to face him. He hissed and issued one final warning sound, buying just enough time for him to see Kobie creeping out of the foliage and Daisie moving in her direction.
The wolf, ears flat, bared his teeth and utter a low growl. If Blair had been able to scoff in cat form, he would have. He had a shit ton of aggravation to burn out of his system and these two suckers were going to be his sacrifice.
Pouncing, he squashed the jackal into the ground and then used one of his large paws to bat him out of the way. Without pause, he turned and leaped at the wolf.