Page 105 of Mortal Shift
Jax clamped his mouth shut, and I turned back to the vampire.
“But why would you help us?”
She sniffed again. “I do not explain myself to humans. Do you want my help, or not? I trust you have some kind of plan beyond harassing my unconscious brother?”
I wasn’t sure where this reputation I had for dreaming up plans had come from, but I was really going to need to deal with that soon.
“He’s our only witness,” I said, shaking my head.
“Not the only witness,” Ling said. “I mean, if he was found unconscious, then someone must have told the council Cole did it. Or at least told them there was bad blood between the two of them.” She glanced at my neck and her face wrinkled in apology. “Bad choice of words. Sorry.”
“The creature is not wrong,” Thessalia acknowledged, and then frowned. “Who are you?”
“Wouldn’t we all like to know,” I muttered under my breath. “But look, even if she is right, where do we begin?”
Jax shook his head. “It’s common knowledge that the le—ThatThadenwas draining you. That’s motive enough.”
“Sure,” I said, “but who would have told thecouncilthat?”
“Good question,” Jax admitted.
“Can you speak to the other shifters?” I asked. “See if any of them has heard anything?”
Jax nodded stiffly.
“Good. And Ling, we really need some leverage to get the council to let me see Cole.”
“I’ll head to the library,” she said. “And what about you?”
“She’s going to our pack,” Jax said, before I could answer. “Because someone has to tell them, and I can’t, because I’m the only one the other shifters here will talk to.”
“That’s a bad idea,” I said—and not because I didn’t want to run into Cole’s father again. Or at least, notjustbecause of that. “They’re going to think he did this, for the same reason everyone else does. He has motive.”
On paper, at least, and I couldn’t tell them the truth about the rest of it. Not without landing him in even bigger trouble.
“Pack is pack,” Jax said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Doesn’t matter if they think he did it or not, they won’t want him facing council justice. Go to them. Tell Alpha Cain what has happened.”
I fired off a mock salute.
“Sure thing, I’ll get right on that. Oh, wait, even if your alphahadn’trepeatedly threatened to kill me, there’s a whole moon hunt going on out there who’ll tear me apart if they catch me trying to leave the academy.”
“I will ensure you leave undetected,” Thessalia said, and then turned her attention to the others. “Leave, now. There is little time to waste, and you have already squandered enough of it.”
For a moment I thought Jax was going to take a swing at her, but he settled for leveling a glare in her direction and then marching off, calling out one final,
“Find Alpha Cain. Tonight.”
Ling gave me a small, encouraging half-smile before turning to retrace her steps to the library, leaving me alone with the vampire. Who’d have thought that wouldn’t be the worst thing going on in my life this evening?
“What are you waiting for?” she demanded.
“An explanation,” I said. “And I’m not moving until I get one. Tell me the truth. Why do you care what happens to Cole?”
She sneered. “I care that my brother’s true attacker is found. That cannot happen while Cole is being held falsely accountable.”
I shook my head and planted my feet. “Yeah, no. That’s not it. And if you want me to trust you to get me past the hunt, you’re going to have to do better than that.”
“What other choice do you have?”
