Page 5 of Let's Talk One True Mate

The video ended.

“They fought in the woods,” Timber said, “But it didn’t cool Mac off. They came back here, still fighting, this time in front of Wade, who bound Trevor. It did something to Trevor’s head, which revealed to Wade that Grey Deatherage abused Trevor in the war camps, binding him and telling him to kill himself, all because of Trevor’s prophecy stating that he would be the one to stop Khain.”

Burton growled, jumping to his feet, shooting his chair across the room where it crashed into a shelf. “Traitor Citlali wolf. I’ll kill him where he stands. I’ll tear his throat out and paint the dirt with his blood.”

“Whoa, Chief, take it easy,” Timber said, retrieving the chair, and wondering how much of Burton’s response had to do with the fact that Grey and Burton were both reported to have some sort of romantic relationship with Rhen—whatever sort of relationship physicalwolvencould have with a bodiless goddess.

Burton stared holes through him. “I’ve accepted I can’t end Khain, but I can end Grey Deatherage. I’m the only one strong enough to do it.”

Timber looked at Canyon. Canyon raised his eyebrows and shrugged a little, then spoke inruhi. Is Rhen okay with—

Burton looked sharply at Canyon, his expression fiery. Canyon slumped in his chair, glassy-eyed and slack.

“Chief! Chief! Are you binding him?” Timber shouted, moving toward his brother, then changing his mind and going for Burton, shaking him by the shoulder. Burton looked away quickly, staring at the opposite wall, then he sat back down and dropped his head into his hands.

“Deardeae,” he whispered. “I didn’t know I was doing it.”

Canyon shuddered hard like he was trying to shake the last of the bind off. He stood and walked around his desk, rolling his shoulders and rubbing his chest.

Burton raised his eyes to the ceiling and whined deep in his throat.

Yeah, yeah,Canyon said, smoothing his gray and black uniform.No problem, Chief, no problem.

Burton took a long shaky breath, then said, “Forgive me, boys, please.”

Timber watched Canyon, who popped two thumbs up, then sat back at his desk. Timber gave him a ‘don’t-fucking-mention-Rhen-again’ look and Canyon gave him a ‘lesson-fucking-learned’ look back.

“Forgiven,” Timber told Burton. “Where were we?”

Mac and Trevor fighting,Canyon said.

“Right,” Timber said. “While they were digging into each other, the call came in for explosions downtown. Khain was in the Ula—but he didn’t stay long.”

Ella blasted him.

Timber nodded. “Blasted him right through a brick building. Earlier that morning, Ella had been at home, finding her pendant for the first time in her mom’s old junk. She had an appointment with Abigail White at her secondhand store.”

“Thefoxenwitch,” Burton said.

“Yeah her, but we didn’t know she was afoxenor a witch back then. White became friends with Ella’s aunt to spy on Ella, and to get her hands on Ella’s pendant. After Ella’s mom and aunt died, White contacted Ella and said she would pay top dollar for the aunt’s stuff, especially any jewelry, so Ella went through everything in the house. She found her pendant, and when she touched it, it sent her back in time to when she was young, and she had a run-in with Khain. Khain came to the Ula disguised as a kid and stalked her, making her fear for her life. She blasted him with her repelling power—didn’t know what she was doing or how she did it, but she saved herself.”

Burton leaned forward. “Where and when was this?”

“Southern Illinois, 16 years ago.”

“With no record of Khain coming to the Ula?”

Timber and Canyon exchanged a look. Canyon explained:The felen in the area can’t keep records for shit. The pussycats say something happened around that time, but nobody can say when, where, or what exactly.

“Pussycats be slackin’.” Timber agreed. “The pendant sent her back in time, then zapped her back here. She thought she imagined it even though she had evidence she didn’t—sandon her shoes—but she’d been hearing voices and feeling crazy for weeks, so she didn’t trust herself. She put the pendant in a box, took it to White’s store, sold it to White, then Khain showed up in the street. She could hear his thoughts before she ever saw him.”

Blake,Canyon said.

Timber pointed and nodded. “Yeah, Blake could, too. Blake was downtown when it happened, and somehow, he could tell Khain was in the Ula. He heard the same thoughts Ella did.”

“Khain was speaking inruhi,” Burton said.

“Maybe the last thing he said wasruhi—Canyon?”

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