Free rogue shifter 07 - cut off by gayle parness Page B

worse, that he would consider sacrificing Charles to satisfy his sister's whims."
    "That never occurred to me. Will he speak to me? I want to straighten this out."
    "Yes, if you go to him. He will not come to you."
    I was not above mending fences when necessary. Caelen and I had had many disagreements in the past, so this was familiar ground. "Please ask your father if I could meet with him in Cascade this evening."
    "I will." His smile was warmer than it had been a few minutes ago. A moment later he added, "Father would be happy to speak with you tonight." Fae telepathy kinda rocked.
    "Do you think there will be more deaths?" I asked.
    "Our people in Cascade have long known that Fionna was a danger to our peace. All of the fae, except perhaps for Linn, are capable of protecting themselves. The first death was a surprise. We will not be surprised again."
    When Kellie, Liam and Aedus bid me good day, Farrell stuck around. "What can I do for you?" he asked.
    A familiar male voice answered from the front hallway. "You're off duty, kid. Go visit your girl." Sasha strode into the kitchen, his movements as catlike and silent as any feline shifter's.
    "Kid?" Farrell eyes widened.
    "You're younger than me." Sash shrugged. Farrell was one of the youngest of the fae, born only one hundred years ago. Sash, my troublemaking vampire friend, was over one hundred and forty.
    Farrell grinned. "True, but at our ages, it's the level of maturity that matters most. I feel centuries older." Sash shook his head at the jibe. "You won't leave her?" Farrell asked giving me a scrutinizing gaze. "Jackie tends to disappear."
    "Gorilla glue." Sash winked at me.
    "I will return in three hours." Farrell beamed out in the fae way, leaving behind just the two of us.
    Sash did his best to lighten the mood with a little gossip. "He's got it bad for a wolf in town. She's hot stuff."
    I smiled. "You're up early."
    "Didn't sleep."
    "Are you able to feed?"
    "Yes, in fact we're hungrier than normal. Could be 'cause he needs to..." He stopped himself. He was going to say it was a reaction to Garrett being starved. Garrett and his nest were connected on many levels.
    "Do you want some aloe?" I asked. Sash's face had turned red from exposure to the sun on the way over from the vamp villa.
    "Nah, but if you two are going to keep getting into trouble, you should consider digging a tunnel between the two houses," he teased.
    The reminder made me blink back tears. I turned away so he wouldn't see, although I couldn't imagine that I looked anything like myself. Cut off from my family, I was an empty shell, just going through the motions involved with daily life like some kind of zombie. The only thing I could put my energy into was planning Garrett's rescue, and even that was in the hands of others.
    I clenched my fist in frustration. "Did Aaron leave?" I asked.
    "No. He's on the phone with Cathy. He wants to stick around." Sasha put out his hand to stop my pacing. I hadn't even realized I was doing it.
    His voice turned soft. "There's a hole where he's supposed to be. Rick and I feel it. But he's not dead, Jackie. We'd know." He pointed at the lifemate symbol magically tattooed on my wrist and hand. "You'd know too."
    My lower lip trembled, so I bit down and tightened my jaw. I'd managed to keep my head on straight all day yesterday and also at today's meeting, but looking at my mating mark just now had hit me hard. I could lose Garrett for good.
    Seeing my distress, Sash pulled me onto the couch then wrapped his arms around me and stroked my hair. The scent of sweet cherries and vampire filled my nostrils, comforting me like an old friend. "Go ahead and cry. It's just me. I solemnly promise never to tease you about it."
    The dam burst and I sobbed, wailing with fury and frustration and fear. I cried so hard I got the hiccups, choking on grief as I buried my head against his shoulder. My hands clutched at his shirt as I visualized strangling that bitch, Fionna.
    All the