“What kind of idiot would do something so stupid?” Jared asked.
Aiden snorted. “Aaron Brock. The idiot who believed his mother’s lies about being our half-brother.”
“The woman was a plant.”
All sets of eyes jerked toward Moe and his last statement.
Aiden stepped forward. “What did you say?”
“The woman who gate crashed your bonfire that night in New Orleans. She was an imposter.”
“So she wasn’t Aaron’s mother?”
The demon laughed, tiredly. “Not for one biological second.”
Aiden’s fists clenched. “Are saying you sent that woman and tampered with her mind? Do you know the damage she caused to my mate? How about I separate your limbs from your body? Maybe then you’ll feel a little of what Raven felt.”
Both Jared and Luke put staying hands on Aiden’s arms. “Let Raven finish, bro. Then you can do what you want with him.”
“If you want to save yourself, I think you better explain how you know this about Ilaria Brock, if that’s even her name.”
Moe nodded quickly, his gaze flitting from Raven to the wolves and then back. “The woman was sent, but I wasn’t the one responsible.”
“The how do you know about it?”
“The in spiritu and I shared the same summoner, so we’re connected. Not like your wolves. We can’t hear each other’s thoughts unless they’re projected. Like a boast. We know general vicinity and such. The in spiritu wasn’t happy you took his ring in the cathedral. He drained the woman’s soul enough to make her malleable, and then tampered with her memories, setting his trap. He knew you’d jump.”
Aiden growled low in his throat.
“Maybe you should take a walk, bro. You’re not helping matters.” Jared tried to steer him toward the basement stairs, but he jerked his arm back.
“As long as Raven’s fine, I’ll be fine. If it tries anything, though, it’s game over.”
“He’s too weak to try anything stupid,” Gabby reassured. “Besides, I can hit him with ten thousand volts before you can unbuckle your jeans.
“Moe,” Raven began. “If the information planted in her head was bogus, then how come the wolves were able to vet the location where Aaron did the summoning?”
“That’s the beauty of the ploy. Spinning just enough fact into the fiction to keep the wolves chasing their tails. Aaron Brock is the author of this scheme, or one of them, anyway…”
Gabrielle perked up at that. “See? My gut said there was more to it than meets the eye.” She looked at Moe. “It’s closer to home than we thought, right?”
Moe inhaled, letting out a ragged breath. “My summoner had a partner. One that fed Aaron to the in spiritu in order to save his own sorry hide.” He nodded. “Neither ever thought they’d succeed. It was a game to them, until they got caught in the crossfire.” Moe lifted a hand to weakly gesture to Aiden. “Calliel was first…your juvenile. It was mostly curiosity that brought me next, but the in spiritu was one no one expected. Of course, it was no threat to me or to Calliel, but to the two half-breed wolves?” He shrugged.
“Who is the other summoner? Do you have a name?” Luke asked. “If Gabrielle is right, and it’s someone close to home, then who is it?”
“You have a rat within your walls, but I don’t know his name.”
Raven put her hand up to the holding cell. “If you have the strength, lift your hand so our palms touch.”
“Raven, no!” Aiden pushed forward, pulling her to her feet. “I won’t allow it. Taking a walk through an unconscious demon’s head is one thing. Playing let me read your aura with one that’s upright and talking is quite another. No! As your mate, I forbid it!”
Tanya opened her mouth to offer, but Jared shook his head as well. “Forget it. Both of you.”
“What if we merge with her?” Gabby suggested. “Me, Tanya and one of you?”
Aiden opened his mouth to argue, but Gabrielle shut him down. “You are not an option. One, you’re her mate and way too volatile. Second, you used the F-word, and no mate should ever be able to forbid the other like that. We’re not little girls, we’re grown women and fully powered paranormals.”
“Who then?” Jared asked.
Gabby chewed her lip. “Not you, either. Moe attacked you and your mate, so no way.” She turned to Luke. “That leaves you, babe. Can you be an anchor without going feral?”
“You’re kidding, right?” Jared jumped in. “You’re pregnant, Gabby. Luke is not going to allow you to link in any way, shape or form with a demon who went after your unborn baby not twelve hours ago.”
Moe bristled. “I never went after the baby. That wave brought me to my knees. I lifted my hand to ask her to stop. Not to try anything else.”
Gabrielle shook her head. “You know, for a supposed bad ass Big Daddy demon, you’re really a puss.”
“That’s because I wasn’t created demon.” He laughed sadly to himself. “I made a wrong choice a very long time ago.”
“Yeah, right.” Aiden said. “No one feels sorry for you, so just can the sob story and let’s get on with this. If we have a rat, I want to know who so we can smoke him out and deal with him wolf-style.”
“Gabrielle—”
The demon said her name, and Luke growled. “Don’t you dare speak her name.”
Gabby put a hand on Luke’s leg as he stood behind where she sat beside Raven. “It’s okay, babe.” She nodded to Moe. “What is it.”
“I want you to try something for me.”
Luke’s growl was more snarl now “What are you talking about, demon?”
“I want to show you that your mate is completely protected.
