Secrets in the Fade (Secrets of the Sequoia Book 2) Page 2

  “All I can do is promise to take care of Jackson and, when he is ready, bring him home.”

  It was sweet of Holden to comfort her, especially considering his animosity toward the man who had sworn to protect Jackson. Impulsively, Rachael wrapped her arms around her friend in a fierce hug.

  Holden returned the gesture, pressing her to his chest so she could hear his powerful, steady heartbeat. When the embrace ended, he didn’t release her entirely, brushing stray strands of hair from her eyes. Wildly Rachael’s pulse quickened as he traced her tresses, inching downward until his fingers found the pendant. Not once did their gazes break. His eyes were open and tender, the blue around his pupils widening until the green fringes were nearly swallowed.

  That was when Rachael knew he was going to kiss her.

  “Ray,” he whispered. His breath was warm against her forehead. “I’ve been meaning to ask, do you—?”

  Loud pounding on the front door cut him off. The two jumped and separated, Holden’s expression twisting in anger while Rachael’s face flushed. Cursing inwardly, she mumbled an apology and went to confront whoever had the audacity to ruin their moment.

  She was embarrassed and ashamed of herself for being embarrassed. Two years, two freaking years, and some interloper had destroyed something she was too afraid to ask for herself. Somebody was about to pay for it, no matter what their intentions.

  But when Rachael answered the door, Holden immediately flew to the back of her mind.

  Chapter Three

  Utter disbelief wracked Holden to the point of shaking. Until today the timing had never been right. Since his return something had always held him back from making the move: his struggle to find an apartment and pay the bills, Rachael’s need for understanding and support, her schoolwork, her friends, her ever-looming father. But she was doing so well these days. Her smile had brightened so much that her birthday had seemed like the perfect opportunity.

  In his long life, nobody had ever known about his curse and equally treated him like any other human being. On top of that, she also knew the pain of losing a mother. Not that such a loss was a positive thing, but it had brought them closer. Holden had really hoped he could explore this relationship a bit further. He had never had the opportunity—or desire—to do so before. Not when he was so entangled in espionage for his alpha.

  Whoever was at Rachael’s door better be dying, he decided irritably. Sure, he could recover and try again, but it wouldn’t quite be the same.

  He was so busy stewing over the interruption that it didn’t immediately occur to him how odd it was for Rachael to receive a visitor this late. When she screamed, he briefly seized with horror. Holden bolted for the front door.

  The scene he found dropped his heart to the carpet.

  Rachael was wrapped tight in the arms of a broad, well-built man. His dark trench coat enveloped them both. It was too short in the sleeves, revealing the hair of his arms and gnarled twin silver rings glinting on his massive fingers. Black steel-toe boots boasted a dull sheen as he stumbled backward a step. His brown hair was almost shaved clean, much shorter than it had once been, and his matching eyes betrayed the glimmer of joy and the telltale gold speckles of a lycan.

  Jackson was back.

  Rachael’s shrieks devolved into giggling sobs. “You’re home! I can’t believe it. I missed you so much, Jackie!”

  Her brother carefully disengaged her, though his smile was wide enough to crack his skull. “I missed you, too, RayRay.”

  “I didn’t even know you were alive!” Gaping, Rachael grabbed at his biceps. “Oh, my God, you look amazing. If Vera could see you now, she’d lose her mind.”

  Jackson stepped further into the foyer, his eyes surveying the place he’d once called home. Holden detected touches of sadness in the pup’s face, but when he turned to speak to his sister the hints were gone. “Yeah, I thought about calling her, but Aaron said to let you tell her first.”

  Her next words bright Holden’s blood to a boil. “Oh—wow, I’m so sorry. Please, come in.”

  Aaron Moreno stepped inside with a blond nine year-old in tow. He looked exactly the same, with his dark hair and darker eyes and even darker clothes, all pressed, clean, sharp, and office professional. “Thank you, Ms. Adair.” Then he glanced at Holden and smirked. “Hello again, Ambassador.”

  His alpha still knew how to press his buttons. Holden clenched his jaw and nodded in response. “Ambassador Wolfenstein” was the name Aaron had tauntingly given him in the days Rachael was still terrified of lycans.

  The boy tagging along stepped forward, eagerly raising the container he grasped. “Miss Rachael, we brought you a cake, too!”

  Jackson grinned at his sister’s stupefied reaction. “Happy Birthday, RayRay.”

  Rachael looked ready to cry again. As she profusely expressed her gratitude, Holden fought to suppress his jealousy. Yes, he wanted to see her happy and she was clearly ecstatic to have her brother back, but why did Aaron and Nathan have to come with?

  Softly, Rachael said, “This is the most amazing gift. Really. Thank you, Jackie.”

  “Oh. It was Aaron’s idea,” Jackson informed her.

  This time Holden couldn’t help himself. “What?”

  The others shot him looks varying from amusement to irritation. Rachael blinked as though she’d forgotten him—and very likely she had. Lines of guilt and hurt warred on her brow.

  Aaron cracked the tension with a voice smooth as polished stone. “Not at all. He mentioned your birthday was coming up. I merely asked if he wanted to see you.”

  “And we got you cake,” Nathan insisted, apparently upset she had overlooked that fact.

  Holden couldn’t stand it anymore. He approached the boy, meeting his opaque eyes as he snatched the treat from him. “I’ll cut it,” he stated.

  “Oh!” Jackson turned to his sister. “Wait in the living room, wouldja?” Smilingly she complied, going so far as to take Nathan’s hand and cajole him into joining her. Last she had seen the kid Holden had watched her admit to hating him upon finding out his true nature. Her pleasantries made him want to break Nathan’s nose, and not for the first time.

  Once Rachael was out of earshot, Jackson fished into his several pockets before producing a small box of candles. Setting them atop the cake, he whispered, “Light those too. Thanks, man.”

  Holden stalked into the kitchen.

  He was still searching for something to light the candles with when his leader joined him. Aaron offered a brass lighter from his breast pocket. Holden grudgingly accepted, pausing to read the engraving. SOME MEN JUST WANT TO WATCH THE WORLD BURN.

  “Classy,” he muttered.

  The corner of Aaron’s mouth lifted. “It was a gift from the pup.”

  Part of Holden was surprised to note that his—their—alpha hadn’t given Jackson any special treatment.

  “It doesn’t seem your style.”

  “Perhaps not, but it is far cruder not to use such a heartfelt gift.”

  Holden shook his head. “Amazing.”

  “That he does not hate me?” asked Aaron sardonically.

  “Yes.”

  Aaron leaned against the counter, folding his arms over his chest. His eyes were unreadable, blacker than the loneliest void. Like Nathan, he lacked the trademark hints of gold most lycans inherited in their eyes. “Why is that such a shock?”

  Glowering, Holden resorted to using full sentences. “Because it’s your fault he’s a lycan and doubly your fault he had to leave.”

  Instead of anger, Aaron’s eyes glittered with excitement. It must have been months since anyone had dared to pick a fight with him. “I did not infect him,” he said calmly.

  “No, you just didn’t stop Roxi from running loose.”

  “And you were poor at espionage.” Aaron lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “Iacta alea est. Had you performed properly, your privileges would have remained and I would not have kept you from watching her.”

  Furious, Ho
lden slammed the lighter on the counter. The empty candle box clattered. “Why are you even here?” he demanded. “If he’s good enough to come back, why not just drop him off?”

  Aaron didn’t budge from his lax position. “The pup invited us to join him.”

  “Or he’s not actually well and you just wanted to see her again.”

  The smile his alpha flashed was dangerously charming. “As much as I missed that ray of sunshine, such is not the case. Jackson may not have chosen this life, but he was quite accepting. I would have brought him home earlier. Unfortunately, he experienced a minor setback.”

  The thick scars on Holden’s abdomen began to burn. Self-consciously, he pressed his hands against them. They were a mark from Aaron, a reminder of what happened to those who tried to desert the pack. Since their separation in Arkansas, Holden hadn’t felt them react like this. It was the old sign that he was treading dangerous territory, and should he break caution the consequences would hurt far more.

  Aaron glimpsed the movement. “The pup is vying for your position,” he said mildly. “I highly suggest you work on your behavior.”

  “Let him have it,” snarled Holden. “I never intended on coming back anyway.”

  His only warning was Aaron stepping away from the counter. In the next instant the man’s knuckles connected with his jawbone, the force strong enough to knock Holden to the linoleum. Holden managed to roll onto his back, but that only made him vulnerable. Aaron stole the opportunity to step on his throat.

  The pressure was enough to pin and strangle Holden; not enough to break anything. He grabbed his leader’s leg to throw him, but Aaron responded by increasing the weight.

  Holden knew when enough was enough. He went limp.

  Jackson then burst into the kitchen. “What the hell are you doing?”

  The demand was directed at Holden, not their alpha.

  “It is done,” Aaron told him, his foot still firmly planted. “I apologize for the disturbance. We shall join you shortly.”

  When Jackson glowered at Holden, the pinned lycan immediately understood that whatever good graces he might have miraculously obtained were gone.

  “After this, you better leave,” Jackson growled.

  Any response Holden might have given only came out as a gurgle.

  At long last, Aaron removed his foot, leaving Holden to choke and gasp for air. “I told you, I have this under control, pup. Go spend time with your sister.”

  The tension in Jackson’s broad shoulders dissipated when he looked to Aaron. Slowly, he nodded and obeyed.

  Still wheezing, Holden almost missed the low tone Aaron used to address him. “Know that I never intended on allowing you to leave this pack.” Then, as though Holden no longer existed, Aaron lit the candles while his charge picked himself off the floor. Holden rubbed his sore throat. Aaron gathered five forks and plates before disappearing into the living room.

  Holden took the respite to ease his nerves. By the time he was prepared, the candles had melted halfway, dripping onto the Happy Birthday, Sunshine spelled out in blue and yellow frosting. He managed to force a smile and carry the lit cake to Rachael while Jackson and Nathan burst out in off-key choruses of “Happy Birthday to You.”

  Aaron watched his every move with stern calm. Holden had to focus on cutting the cake to avoid tackling his leader then and there.

  Once he had stoically served everyone a generous slice, Rachael turned solemn for the first time since Jackson’s arrival. “He told me you’ve been a great help,” she said to Aaron.

  Holden felt stuck. Jackson and Nathan were on either side of her on the couch, and Aaron was already moving toward the last available seat. Resigned, he leaned against the fireplace and ate moodily.

  Aaron made himself comfortable in an overstuffed lounge chair, an ankle resting on his opposite knee. “I did no more for him than I have any other who joins my pack.” Watching him idly lick blue frosting off his fork would have been almost comical if Holden didn’t wasn’t busy trying to subtly murder him with his eyes.

  Rachael shook her head insistently and set aside her half-eaten cake. “No. I can already tell.” She frowned in contemplation at her brother. “He looks more... relaxed.” Jackson flashed her a tight smile around his food.

  “A lycan is required to possess an inordinate amount of discipline,” said Aaron. “All we did was provide exercises to help him focus.”

  Grimacing, Holden found it hard to keep the sugary confection down. He was all too familiar with Aaron’s “exercises,” and they were far from the benign tools he implied. But Holden didn’t dare say so in this company. Now was not the time for correcting his leader’s lies and omissions.

  In fact, that time was nowhere in the horizon. The conversation steered away from the supernatural, and was rapidly replaced with Jackson regaling a wide-eyed Rachael about his traipse around Europe. Apparently he had spent the last six months in Lithuania and Wales. His sister didn’t bother hiding her envy or happiness for him, and Nathan continuously interjected his stories as well. All the while Aaron didn’t speak unless spoken to.

  Holden was never addressed. He found himself staring bitterly at the bricks in the fireplace.

  At last Aaron stood. “We must leave shortly.”

  Rachael’s smile waned, making Holden feel guilty for his quiet joy. She looked at her brother. “You’re not staying?”

  “We have already worked out the details of your brother’s reappearance,” said Aaron quietly. “Chances are he will remain with us for the duration of his stay. At best, the missing person’s case will be dropped and he will find local work. At worst, your father may not want him home. We have prepared for all eventualities in that spectrum.”

  In a drastic change from what Holden had seen in the past, it was Jackson who calmed his sister. He wrapped an arm around her. “It’s okay, RayRay. I gotta take responsibility for running away.”

  “But you didn’t run away,” she argued.

  “It is the most believable story we could concoct,” said Aaron.

  More like the most convenient, thought Holden. What a shock. It was all about what served Aaron best, like the man had never really left.

  To his surprise, Aaron began to gather the plates. When Rachael moved to help he told her, “No, Ms. Adair. Tonight is for you to spend with your brother.”

  She shifted uncomfortably. When her face reddened Holden felt what even he knew was an unnatural, overreacting fury. “But... the dishwasher’s broke.”

  Wryly, Aaron replied, “I do remember how to perform basic household duties.”

  “I’ll help,” said Holden.

  His tone must have been notably angry; both Rachael and Aaron were giving him their own looks that showed they knew. She was troubled. His alpha was not. “No. You may feel free to socialize,” said Aaron dispassionately.

  If anything, his response made Holden’s scars burn so badly that he had to bite his tongue until he tasted blood. Just what was Aaron trying to prove? Was his intent to make his charge look as foolish and ungrateful as possible? Did he somehow sense that Holden and Rachael had been on the brink of a romantic embrace before the others’ intrusion?

  Once the conspiracy theories started, Holden couldn’t keep his mind from running wild. He was convinced Aaron wanted Rachael for himself. It wasn’t too far-fetched an idea. In the past, Aaron had taken a quick, keen interest in her. He had Holden follow her, had nameless others keep tabs on her, and had even added her number in his cell phone as Sunshine.

  Holden promised himself that once the time was right, he would rip out his alpha’s throat.

  Only when Aaron had exited for the kitchen did Holden move. He meandered over to the chair and sat innocuously on the armrest.

  Or, so he thought. Jackson’s head snapped up and he growled. “You can’t sit there!”

  Finally, Rachael came to her friend’s rescue. “Jackie, calm down. It’s okay.” Jackson ignored her.

  Holden folded his arm
s, meeting Jackson’s stare with far more calm than he felt. He knew he outranked the pup, and admittedly part of him was looking for a fight.

  Lightly, Rachael smacked her brother on the arm until she received his undivided attention. “Be nice. Holden’s been good to me this whole time.”

  “Yeah, because Aaron told him to!”

  That did it. Holden leapt to his feet and Jackson followed suit, brown eyes glittering dangerously. He was much bulkier than Holden nowadays, but that was the only edge he had. Holden was taller, quicker, and had over a century of experience on him.

  Through his teeth, Holden said, “I’m not a pup anymore. You really want to do this?”

  Jackson raised a clenched fist.

  “Stop it!”

  She hadn’t moved from her seat, but Rachael snared their attention all the same. When Holden glanced down his pent-up rage seemed to vanish in a puff of steam. Her gray eyes were roiling like dark, engorged clouds, her cheeks aflame with frustration.

  Evenly, she said, “It’s still my birthday and I want you both to stop.”

  In Holden’s periphery, Jackson’s expression mirrored what Holden felt inside. Both boys resumed their seated positions, though Rachael inched away from her brother. Her posture was rigid and her mouth unhappy.

  Nothing but water running from the kitchen sounded for a while. Holden uncomfortably checked his watch. It was half after eleven. He hadn’t intended on staying this late. And he certainly couldn’t leave before they did.

  Suddenly Nathan blurted, “I’m going back to school!”

  Startled, it took a moment for Rachael to produce a polite smile. “How will you take the same classes?”

  Proudly puffing his chest, Nathan replied, “I ain’t! I get to start sixth grade.” He beamed. “Actually, I started it last year. But I’m gonna take it again here!”

  That encouraged a small grin from Jackson. “His transcripts are going to say he was held back.”

  “What about you?” Rachael inquired. “What about college?”

  Aaron reentered the living room as though on cue, wiping his hands on an old checkered towel. “Self-sustainability on a budget is a vital lesson to learn,” he said, as though it were a satisfactory answer. “Your dishes are on the counter, Ms. Adair. I did not wish to presume where you would like them.”