Belong To The Night. Cynthia Eden

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СКАЧАТЬ her bird, though.

      Tully ambled on up the great porch stairs of the hotel and opened the screen door, stopping right in the doorway. He watched Emma and Seneca, their arms wrapped around Jamie’s waist, trying to pull her back. Across from them was poor Kenny, her arms around Mac’s waist, trying to hold Mac back. The cousins had a healthy hold on each other’s hair and didn’t seem in the mood to let the other go while they yelled obscenities he was glad his momma wasn’t around to hear because she’d have dealt with that right quick.

      Deciding Jamie seemed basically fine and figuring he could talk to her later while she was cleaning up those bruises her cousin would give her, Tully turned back around, headed down the stairs, and got back onto the road. He needed to make peace between one of the Prides and one of the Clans again anyway.

      He’d walked about a half-mile when he stopped and lifted his head, his nostrils flaring as he cast for a scent. When he finally latched on to it, when he finally remembered it, he spun around, and stared down at the wolf watching him.

      Bracing himself, Tully said the first thing that came to mind. “And all this time I was really hoping you were dead.”

      Jamie finally had Mac on her back and was about to start spitting in her face when a strong hand grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her off.

      She looked up expecting to see Kyle or Bear—they really hated when the witches fought—but instead she saw Tully.

      “I need to talk to you,” he growled out as he yanked her to her feet.

      “Hey,” Emma said, jumping forward and then scrambling right back again with the rest of the coven when Tully barked and snapped at them all. Besides being kind of disgusted at her easily startled coven, Jamie was also shocked at Tully. He never yelled at Emma. Or, as in this case, barked at her. He treated her like she was spun glass. “Sweet little Emma,” he always called her which, until this moment, never bothered Jamie before.

      Although why that was going through her mind now as he manhandled her right through the dining room, through the kitchen, and out the back porch, she had no idea.

      “Why is Buck Smith here?” he demanded once they were on the lawn behind the hotel.

      Jamie stared up at him. “Who?”

      It was fascinating to watch the way his expression completely changed. She’d never seen him look like that. So angry. She didn’t think she’d ever seen him miffed, much less homicidal. Even when she’d set the forest on fire and poisoned the lake, he’d never appeared this angry.

      And, boy, did he look angry.

      “You’re supposed to protect this town,” he bit out.

      “Right. And I do…when I’m aware of a problem.”

      “How could you not be aware? He’s staying at your goddamn hotel!”

      Whoa. He was yelling at her. Normally, she’d bind his lips together with a Hoodoo spell she kept for just this type of situation, but this was Tully and this was not normal behavior for him. Something more than simply being a twat was in play here and, after last night, she felt she kind of owed it to him to find out what…before she bound his lips together.

      “Tully, I don’t know who Buck Smith is. I mean, I’m assuming he’s family…”

      For a split second, he looked like he might hit her. Or, in more canine terms, maul her. But instead he released her and began to pace.

      “Momma’s gonna lose her mind when she finds out he’s actually here. We all thought he was just on his way, not here.”

      “I don’t—”

      “And Daddy…Lord.”

      “Tully?”

      “I need to let the Pack know. I need to let everybody know. He’s here.”

      Getting frustrated but not wanting to show it, Jamie gently placed her hand on Tully’s shoulder, but he turned to face her so fast, she stumbled away from him, her feet catching, and she fell right on her ass.

      Tully stared down at her with such horror that if she didn’t know better, she’d have thought he’d slammed her to the ground himself. In fact, she knew that he believed he had.

      “Oh, my God. Jamie.” He reached for her. “I’m so sorry.” She caught hold of his hand and instead of letting him pull her up, she tugged until he’d knelt in front of her. “Jamie, I’m so sorry.” She went up on her knees and placed her hand against his cheek. Tully’s eyes closed, his brows pulling down in a phenomenal frown of pain. Whoever Buck Smith was, he could get under Tully’s skin as no one else could.

      Jamie put her arms around Tully’s big shoulders and pulled him in close until his head rested against her neck. She looked up to see her cousin standing on the porch watching her, her face filled with concern. Jamie tilted her head and, after a brief nod, Mac went back inside.

      “Why don’t we go for a walk?” Jamie softly suggested. “We’ll figure it out from there.”

      Only his father could make him like this. Full of rage and uncontrollable fits of violence…like father, like son.

      No. No. He was not like Buck Smith. He would never be like Buck Smith. Not if he could help it. And he would help it even if it took every ounce of willpower he possessed. Yet there was no denying that the one thing that could set him off, that could and would bring out the worst in Tully Smith was his father. Not his daddy. Jack Treharne with all his snarling and snapping and feline ways had earned that particular title, but he’d earned it and kept it with pride. Buck Smith hadn’t earned anything from his son but Tully’s distrust and paranoia.

      “Buck Smith is my father,” he explained to the woman walking beside him.

      “I thought your real father was dead.”

      “No. I said I’d hoped he was dead.”

      “I see.”

      “He said he was staying at your hotel.”

      “I guess he is, but the reason it never occurred to me to say anything was that he didn’t check in himself. If I’m thinking of the right Pack, a woman checked them in. Wanda something.”

      “Pykes. I’d heard he’d hooked up with a full-human a few months back. Can’t believe he brought her here, though.”

      “Why?”

      “He hasn’t marked her as his own from what I’ve heard. We’re more likely to trust a full-human bonded to one of us than one who has no ties. One good argument and she’s running around, telling the world about shifters.”

      “I can handle that if she becomes a problem. Tell me about Buck.”

      Tully winced. He’d rather not, but after yelling at Jamie and knocking her on her ass for no other reason than him being a dang idiot, the least he could do was tell her everything.

      “My direct kin come from Alabama. The MacClancys are my momma’s people and they’re part of the Alabama Smiths. СКАЧАТЬ