for both our sakes.”
“Then do it.”
Chapter 30
Jinx moved Gillian back into the apartment with Jez a couple of nights later, and he’d left her with Jez while he ran with Rogue and Vice to let off some steam. Since Gillian was finally awake, he didn’t want to keep what they’d discovered from her any longer. And so after he shifted, he took the stairs fast and slammed into the apartment, refreshed by the run. He found her in the living room, curled on the couch and it felt so right to see her here.
He’d missed it here. Missed Jez, although he’d never admit it. And while Rifter had told Jinx that he could stay as long as Gillian needed to recover, he didn’t want to put any more strain on his relationship with his king.
Gillian beamed at him. “Next time you run, I’m going.”
“I can’t say no to you,” he told her.
“Good.” She paused for a minute and then said, “I know about the mating thing.”
“Ah, okay.”
She put her hands on each side of his neck. “You have to know that I fell in love with you. I may have been off the market for a while, but I lived before that. I know what my heart tells me.”
“It’s too soon—because of your shifts.”
“Vice said after the third shift, I’d be pretty safe.”
He blinked and was staring at a gorgeous wolf.
“You’re killing me,” he told her.
She howled in response, then shifted back. Her clothes were in tatters around her and he said, “I’m going to kill Vice.”
“Vice is who you think about now?” she said, and then asked, “What is it you want to tell me? I don’t think it has anything to do with mating.”
“You’re right.”
She nodded, went to grab her clothes. He knew she suspected something. That was the problem with Dires—they were all suspicious, their hearing off the chart and they could smell deception on one another.
Gillian was developing these traits more rapidly than he’d thought possible. Taking to her new role easily. Reveling in it, actually. It reminded him how good it was to be a wolf. “We found something out about your background.”
“About my family in Greenland? Because I don’t think I want to know. I’ve had enough of parents and authority figures to last me a lifetime.” She was serious—he knew that—but he also figured she’d want to know about what he’d learned.
“It’s mostly about your sister,” he said quietly and her eyes lit up.
“I have a sister?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“A twin.”
She pressed her hands to her chest, crossed them and bent forward like she was in physical pain. He rubbed a hand on the back of her neck. “Breathe, Gillian. Please.”
“Where is she?” Her voice was tight, her face pale. “Don’t tell me she’s there with those wolves in Greenland. What if she went through the same abuse Stray did?”
God, he hoped not. “Even if that’s the case—and we don’t know that—she’s young. She’ll heal.”
“We have to go get her,” she said, standing suddenly and he knew that if she started running now, she’d never stop. And they’d all have a hell of a time keeping up, or catching her.
“I know. But we can’t let the Greenland pack near you. You are important to me—to us, Gillian. You have to know that. You have to let us help you.”
She seemed to focus at his words. Blinked a few times and then said, “Okay. I understand. But can you tell me everything you know?”
He told her, and it wasn’t much at all. Barely anything to go on beyond the word of a man with faded memories and a shifting sense of time.
She was skeptical, but knowing that Vice was convinced put it into perspective.
“He’s pretty sharp,” she admitted. “He wouldn’t let himself be lied to.”
“No, not about that. The guy was pretty specific . . . and your family’s hard to forget.”
“But the Blackwells have no knowledge of my twin?”
“None. And the lawyer confirms he never even told them.” He spread his hands and shrugged. “Cyd’s going to try to trace the scent on the storage locker for the guy’s files, but it’s a long shot.”
Gillian was up, pacing now, her wolf restless. He wouldn’t be surprised if she shifted right in the middle of the living room, but she held it together. Didn’t ask to go outside, although at points, she stopped in front of the large picture window, raised her palms to press against the pane, put her cheek there as if feeling the sun through the glass.
Maybe that’s what she did when she was at the psych hospital, he thought. She’d been held back for so long.
“Want to tell me what you’re thinking?” he asked.
“She’s out there, shifting for the first time. Alone. Scared . . .” Gillian put her hand to her throat and didn’t finish the thought.
Jinx didn’t know what to say, because she was right. Stray would probably have to check into unexplained animal maulings but that would be no comfort to know that, at this rate, they were more than likely to find her sister through a murder report.
“Shouldn’t I feel her, the way you do Rogue?” she asked, just as Cain let himself into the house, carrying bags of food and some beer and soda.
“Who’s the beer for?” Jinx asked Cain, who pointed to himself, and then Jinx answered her, “We grew up together. Slept in the same bed as infants.”
“But how does it happen? How do you call for him?” she persisted as Cain cracked the first can and chugged.
“It’s just . . . I’ve never had to think about it before,” he admitted, even as he cast a worried glance in Cain’s direction and wondered what the hell was going on. “Rogue can tell if I’m in pain. If I’m upset, nervous, unhappy. It’s not like a psychic prediction. I’ll just feel it and I’ll know it’s his feeling.”
“So say I’m happy and get an odd nervous feeling for no reason?” she asked the unfinished thought and he agreed. “Could be your twin. But it won’t help you to locate her.”
“Cyd and I can pass messages to each other in our minds,” Cain offered, after a loud burp. “Sorry.” But he continued chugging the beer, wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and, Christ, this was going to be another long night.
“Seriously? And you never thought to mention that you communicate telepathically?” Jinx asked.
“I thought you and Rogue could do it too,” Cain explained and Jinx wondered if it had something to do with the omega thing. He rubbed his head, then instructed Cain to call both their brothers.
He thought about excusing himself from Gillian for a second but hell, she’d hear it anyway and it’s not like they needed to hide things from another Dire.
“They’re on their way in,” Cain confirmed. “They were together anyway.”
“Before they get here, want to discuss what’s bothering the shit out of you?”
“No,” Cain said pointedly and opened another beer. “Maybe I should call them and tell them to bring more beer.”
“Or maybe you could answer my question.” Jinx eyed him steadily.
“Angus Young saved Gillian.”
“The guy from AC/DC was in the woods?” she asked, and Cain said, “I kind of love that you know who he is.”
