Bracken and Derren followed closely behind Kim, probably distrusting that she wouldn’t idiotically turn right around and make things worse.
Gently turning Harley to face him, Jesse massaged her stiff shoulders. “You okay?”
In spite of her mood, Harley’s mouth curled into a small smile. “You’d be a lot better at soothing my anger if you weren’t growling.”
Jesse softly brushed his thumb over her split lip; it was healing well. “If she was a male, she’d be dead right now.” He would have snapped the bastard’s neck like a twig. “You should be yelling at me.”
“Why?”
“When I went to the club to find you, I told you that you’d be safe here.”
She smoothed her hands up and down his chest. “I’m safer with you than I am anywhere else.”
He kissed her. “Damn right.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I kinda enjoyed making her bleed.” The fact that the she-wolf was bleeding was really the only thing stopping her cat from going apeshit.
“I can’t say that surprises me.”
“Not that I’m not pleased to see you, but what brought you home? Did you hear us fighting?”
“No.” He took both her hands, tangling their fingers. “I’m really sorry to tell you this, because it’s not going to improve your mood a tiny bit.”
Crap. “What?”
“Lily and Shawn are here.”
Oh, freaking wonderful. Just the people Harley did not want to see. Ever. And if it made her cruel that she wasn’t pleased to see her own mother, well . . . then she was cruel.
“Do you want to speak with them?”
Not even a little. “Sure.” Her cat snarled her displeasure, but Harley believed it was best just to get the whole thing over with.
“I can make them leave.”
“They’d just come back.” She kissed him. “But thanks. I’m going to wash, change, and drag a brush through my hair. By then, these injuries will have healed. Then we’ll let Lily whine about how I didn’t tell her I was mated.”
A short while later, they were walking down the dirt road to where a large number of the pack was gathered up ahead. Even from there, Harley could hear her mother whining, “You can’t stop us from seeing her!” The woman did love to make a scene. She was truly gifted at it.
“Let us pass!” demanded Shawn, curt.
“No. You have permission to step onto our territory but not to pass any farther.” Eli’s voice was deceptively cool. “Harley will come when she’s ready.”
Derren briefly glanced over his shoulder. “She’s almost here. I suggest you calm yourselves unless you want her to refuse to speak with you.”
But, of course, they didn’t follow his advice.
The crowd parted as she and Jesse arrived; everyone gave Harley either a supportive smile or a respectful nod. Unlike the others, Eli didn’t move. He stood between Harley and their visitors like a sentry. Still, she was able to see Lily and Shawn just fine. They both looked gaunt, pale, and disheveled. Her mother was dressed in a tight vest and short skirt, both of which badly needed ironing and were two sizes too small. Shawn, as per usual, was dressed like a biker, though he was a very sad imitation of one.
Red faced, Shawn ordered, “Tell him to move!”
She smiled. “Nobody can make Eli do anything he doesn’t want to do. I guess you’ll have to ask him nicely.” And, yes, she was tormenting them a little. Hey, if they were going to embarrass her, then there was no reason for her to be hospitable.
Eli said, “He’s not getting near you until he’s calm.” Odd that a person who had once despised her was now one of her staunchest supporters.
Shawn took a deep breath. “Can you please move aside so we can see Harley?” His false politeness made her smile widen.
Eli kept his gaze on Shawn as he asked, “Harley, you want to talk to them?”
“Sure,” she replied, so Eli stepped aside.
“Sure?” echoed Lily. “Well, I feel loved.”
Harley folded her arms, staying close to Jesse. “I take it you heard about our mating.”
Lily’s mouth went tight. “Yes, and imagine how hurt I was to find out secondhand that you’re mated. Your father called me earlier, and let me tell you he is not happy. He wants to see you.” Lily flicked her hair back as she flashed Jesse a smile. “I remember you. I wanted to come here and personally thank you for making her see where her place in the world lies.”
No, she’d come to embarrass her because Lily got some perverse joy out of it . . . as if it made her feel better about herself.
“Jesse, I’m sure you remember Lily and Shawn,” said Harley.
“Her mother and uncle,” Lily stressed, casting Harley a look of reprimand.
Given what Jesse knew of Lily, she was no mother to Harley. Maybe things would have been different if she hadn’t drowned in her own misery rather than care for Harley. Then again, maybe they wouldn’t have been. His wolf regarded the shifters with a snarl of distaste. “They look different when they’re sober,” Jesse told Harley. “Not a lot different, but still.”
Lily’s face hardened. Her eyes cut to Harley. “I wouldn’t have guessed you would ever have anything to do with a Sequoia wolf after what happened with his sister.”
“You guessed wrong,” said Jesse.
Shawn put a staying hand on Lily’s arm. “We’re happy for you, Harley. We just can’t believe you didn’t tell us that you’re mated. It was hard to hear from someone else.”
Petulant as ever, Lily sniped, “I’ll bet Tess knows. You tell her everything. You visit her all the time. But not me.”
Aware that her mother was just looking to start an argument, Harley said, “I’m not playing this game with you. You’ve had your moment of drama; you can leave now.”
“Wait,” said Shawn, “we’re on our way to visit your father. You should come. He wants to see you. Now, I know you prefer speaking with Clive alone and I know you don’t like the idea of being summoned to see him, but this is no small matter. If you won’t do it for him, do it for me.”
Jesse looked him up and down. “Why would she do it for you?”
Shawn lifted his chin. “I was more of a father to her than Clive.”
Um, no he wasn’t. But Harley knew that Shawn genuinely believed that, for the simple reason that he liked to think he had taken Clive’s place in Lily’s and Harley’s affections.
“It’s been hard for me to be without my mate,” Lily said to Jesse. “I’m only permitted to see him once a month—the physical distance is difficult to cope with. Shawn has been there for me every step of the way.” She turned back to Harley, teetering on heels way too high for anyone. “We’re leaving for the prison now. Are you coming?”
“Jesse and I will come, but we want to speak with Clive privately.”
Lily bristled. “What’s wrong with having a family visit? It’s hard enough that I see so little of my mate. I see even less of my daughter.” Tears welled in Lily’s eyes, but Harley steeled herself against the emotional manipulation. Her mother was a travel agent for guilt trips and had yet to figure out that they didn’t work on Harley.
“Jesse and I will see him after you and Shawn have talked with him,” Harley told her.
Displeased, Lily pressed her lips together. “You’re as stubborn as your father.”
Anger coursed through Harley and her cat. She was nothing like Clive Vincent. If Lily wanted to be blind to the reality of who and what he was, fine. But Harley had no intention of joining her in the city of denial.
Did Harley condemn him for killing the humans who’d attacked her brother? Not at all. But he didn’t do it out of soul-wrenching grief; he did it because he liked to dole out pain. Hell, he’d hurt Michael himself on a few occasions, even broke his arm once. Michael had hated him, and Clive had done nothing but ridicule him. The truth was that Clive got a kick out of hurting people, physically and emotionally . . . like they were toys put on the earth for his
amusement.
He had never hurt Harley and, for some reason, seemed to find some strange sort of pride in her rejection of him. She’d never quite understood that. Maybe he just liked that she saw him as he was. In any case, Lily only saw in Clive what she wanted to see. Lily refused to remember the times when he had hit her, mocked her, and exerted control over her.
Sensing Harley’s mood darken, Jesse slid his hand around her nape. His wolf pushed against his skin, wanting to rub up against her. “Feel free to leave without us,” he told their visitors. “Harley and I will catch up.” The words were pleasant but the “fuck off” was clear in his tone.
Shawn looked about to argue, but then he took in the sight of all the Mercury wolves closing in and seemed to think better of it. He inclined his head. “Fine.” He urged a sullen Lily to a small and particularly shabby motor home. Within moments, they were gone.
No one spoke, as if at a loss for what to say. Then Roni whistled. “Wow. And I thought my mom was embarrassing.”
“We can go see Clive another day if you want,” Jesse told Harley.
She inhaled deeply. “I’d rather just get it over with.”
“All right.”
“Zander and Bracken will follow you there,” said Nick. “It’ll be better to have two vehicles in case someone tries to strike at you.”
Zander rubbed at his jaw. “Lily is more exhausting than I remember.”
Harley gave a wan smile. “Yeah, she’s actually more pleasant when she’s drunk. Go figure.”
“I don’t get the feeling that you’re as close to Shawn as he seems to think,” said Shaya.
“I’m not.” Never had been.
“Should we expect your family to show up soon?” Marcus asked Jesse.
“No.”
Ally’s brow furrowed. “You don’t think they’ll find out?”
“They’ll find out. But they won’t call me or visit me—they’ll give me the silent treatment as a passive-aggressive way of communicating their displeasure.”
Shaya rolled her eyes. “Families can be so dumb.”
As if to back her up on that, Bracken’s family drove past them. Nat gave a regal wave, and Kim pointedly ignored them all.
As everyone walked back to the main lodge, Harley dragged her heels a little so that she could speak to Jesse without being overheard. “You really think your parents will give you the silent treatment?”
“Yes, even though they know I don’t give a fuck if they approve or not,” he replied. “I never sought their approval for anything.”
Confused, she said, “They always seemed good to you.”
“They’re not bad parents or bad people. But my mother is every inch the demanding ‘I want things my way’ person that I am now. She considers herself the family matriarch and thinks all decisions should be run by her. Part of her respects me for not bowing down to her, but the other part of her is angry that I ‘defy’ her.”
“But you’re not defying her. You’re just being you.”
He smiled, liking just how well she got him. “You’re right. But in her mind, if I do something she doesn’t approve of I’ve done it to spite her or to punish her or to annoy her.” He was used to it at this point. “A side effect of being so dominant is that you can start to believe you know what’s best for everyone.” He was guilty of that sometimes.
“What about your father? Is he submissive?”
“No, but he might as well be.” Jesse sighed. “My mother is more much dominant than him, and that’s changed him. It’s not that she bullies him or uses it against him. In fact, she treated him as an equal right up until he stopped acting like one. He simply folded under the weight of all that dominance. When they argue, he backs down. When she wants something, he gives it to her. If she asks him to do something, he does it without question. Not because he wants to behave that way, but because he doesn’t have any fight in him.”
“That’s not a healthy relationship.”
“No, it’s not. She doesn’t like it. She doesn’t want a meek servant; she wants a strong male who is her equal. But he just folded under the weight of her personality until he was a shadow of his former self.” He squeezed Harley’s hand. “That’s not something I’ll ever have to worry about with you.” Which was essential to him, because if his mate couldn’t push back, he’d destroy something inside her . . . and that wasn’t something he’d be able to live with.
Clive Vincent didn’t look like a killer, Jesse thought. In fact, he was the epitome of average. Average height, average weight, average looks. The kind of person who could easily blend in and not stick out in a person’s memory . . . if it weren’t for those brutally cold gray eyes. They remained locked on his daughter as she and Jesse entered the small box room and took seats opposite him.
There were four guards, which was a little excessive in Jesse’s opinion. All of them watched Clive carefully. It wasn’t just that they appeared to fear him. It was that they also didn’t seem to quite trust how the visitation would go.
It occurred to Jesse that they could be worried how Clive would react to the presence of his only daughter’s mate. Well, up to this point, he still had yet to acknowledge him. Jesse didn’t get the feeling that the wolf was being rude. It was more that he simply didn’t find him significant . . . as if Jesse was interchangeable to him. For the moment, Harley held all his attention.
“Harley, sweetheart, I’ve missed you.”
And Harley knew he genuinely had, because Clive didn’t do too well with being alone. “Hello, Dad.”
“You look pretty today. I like your hair loose.” His smile turned nostalgic. “Do you remember when I used to brush it into little pigtails? You were the cutest thing ever.”
“I remember.”
He glanced at the guards. “Leave us. I want some quality time with my daughter.”
The humans exchanged looks with each other, unsure.
Clive sighed. “I won’t hurt him. It would upset Harley and then she would leave. Now go.”
And, to Jesse’s shock, they actually left. What the fuck? Harley didn’t seem surprised, so he guessed this wasn’t an uncommon thing. Well, he damn well didn’t like it. Cuffed or not, Clive was still dangerous. He also apparently had some power in here.
“That’s better.” Finally, Clive looked at him. Not many things had ever truly unnerved Jesse, but being the focus of those cold eyes was a little unsettling. “Harley, I see that you’ve brought your mate.”
“Yes, this is Jesse Dalton. Jesse, this is Clive Vincent.”
Clive gave her an indulgent look of reproach. “I would have appreciated finding out about your mating from you. It hurt that I learned it from the guards.”
She could almost believe that he truly was hurt . . . only she knew better. Instead of making excuses, Harley just held his stare. She was good at outstaring people; she’d learned it from him.
A slow smile spread across Clive’s face. “I like that you don’t apologize for your choices.” He leaned back in his seat. “Tell me, Dalton, is it correct that Harley isn’t really your mate? It said so in the article that the guards showed me. But reporters lie, after all.”
His wolf growled. “Harley is my mate.”
“Of course. I meant, is it correct that she’s not your true mate?” It was said as if that would mean he didn’t really have any rights to Harley, and that was utter bullshit.
Refusing to give Clive any emotion to feed on, Jesse called on all his experience at keeping his expression blank. “That’s not important.”
“Oh? Then what is?”
“Harley.”
“And yet, by claiming her you have deprived her of the chance to be with her true mate. That strikes me as a selfish act.”
“It is.” But Jesse didn’t have to justify himself to this weird fucker, and he wouldn’t apologize for claiming Harley.
Clive looked at him expectantly, but he sighed when Jesse said no more. Moving his attention back to his daughter, he
smiled. “It’s good that you have made your way back to our world. I would have preferred it if you rejoined your pride.”
“It’s not a pride.”
“It’s not a conventional pride. It needs tidying. Better order. Someone strong enough to lead the strong personalities within it.” His gray eyes slid back to Jesse. “How would you feel about being an Alpha, Dalton?”
Jesse met his probing gaze without flinching. “My current position suits me.”
“Ah yes, you’re an enforcer. That level of power satisfies you? I find that hard to believe. I can sense how dominant you are.”
“I have no wish to be an Alpha or to leave my pack.” It was true.
“Not even if it was what your mate wanted?”
“It’s not what she wants.”
“You presume to know what she wants?”
“I know she left that sorry excuse for a pride for a damn good reason and that nothing could make her want to go back. So, with all due respect, fuck your offer.” His response was rude, sure, but shifters only respected strength. Of course, given that this male wasn’t entirely sane, there was no telling how he would feel about Jesse’s attitude.
For a moment, Clive said nothing. Then he smiled at Harley. “He’s not so bad.”
It was then that Jesse realized he’d passed some kind of test.
“Lily will never stop trying to lure Harley back there,” Clive told Jesse, “but it’s not a good place for her. Tess saw that too. Have you met Tess?”
“I have.”
“A delight, isn’t she?”
Harley almost snorted. The only thing Clive found “delightful” about Tess was that he could manipulate her. “The extremists who targeted me . . . did my cousins find them?”
The humor left Clive’s face. “They found their hiding place, but the humans had already left. They’re on the run now. No need to worry, sweetheart. They’ll be found. And they will pay. Clearly they believe it will not come to that or they would never have targeted you in the first place. But then, crazy people do crazy things.”
Well, he’d know. “You have contacts on the outside.” People who admired him so much they would happily do his bidding, like watch over Harley. “So why did you send my cousins after the extremists?”