“’Bout time you’re where you should be,” I grumbled struggling with the guilt that filled me. As I passed him, he reached out, his fingers tracing the shell of my ear and tucking back a loose strand of hair. I forced my feet to keep moving.
“Now,” Nana started, sitting on the couch and waiting for Luke to close the door and join us. “What is the problem here?”
Luke stood beside my chair, his hands tucked casually in his pockets. He glanced at me a clear question in his eyes. Oh, the games I played.
“Before we start is it possible for you not to share this with the rest of the Elders? I know you have a special connection with them and everything,” I glanced at Luke quickly, playing into my hesitation, “but I really don’t want anyone else knowing this. I mean you can tell if someone is close enough to hear, too, right?”
“Of course. For the moment, we have privacy. And I won’t share the details of private conversations unless I ask first.”
“Do you swear?”
“I do.”
“Fine. Nothing is shared from this point forward unless you ask me.” I sat across from her. “I lied,” I said flatly. “Oh, Luke really is annoying me with his whole Puritan attitude,” I assured her when she glanced at him. “I lied about something else. Rather, I didn’t tell you everything. But for a very good reason. Now, I need you to trust me.” I smiled. “Funny asking for trust after admitting to a lie,” I said with a shrug. I took a deep breath, reached for Nana’s hand and stared into her eyes so she would see and feel the truth of what I had to say. “Joshua is not one of you. He’s an Urbat.” Her eyebrows rose in question, but I hurried to explain. “I couldn’t say anything before because I hadn’t figured out what to do about it, but I have a plan now.”
“What’s an Urbat?”
“The Urbat are a cousin to the werewolf. Not quite the same, but very close. There’s more, but we don’t have time or the privacy to get into it.”
She sat quiet for a moment. I knew she had many questions for me, but hoped she wouldn’t push for more.
“What do you plan to do?” she asked finally.
I sat back with a slight smile. “That’s where I need your trust. I can’t tell you yet because it depends on Joshua believing me and you. I’m a great liar to your kind. I know the tricks. Scent. Heart rate. All that stuff. If you can’t lie, I need you to stay here. If you can lie, I need you to back me up.”
“I don’t understand,” Nana said slowly.
“We need to go back in that room, tell them Luke won’t let me Claim him, which is the truth by the way, and I’ll explain to the room why I need to Claim someone. If...when Joshua offers a solution, I want us to go along with it.”
“What do you think he’ll offer?” she asked.
“Something that will lead me away from here and to my other potential mate.”
Luke growled from behind me.
“No one asked you,” I said not looking at him. “I won’t go, of course,” I said to Nana.
“Will whatever you plan put you or the pack in danger?”
I gave a dry laugh. “I’ve been in danger since I started having those dreams. What I plan shouldn’t make it worse. As far the pack goes, that’s what I’m trying to protect.”
Another dream started tugging at me, and I rose to my feet, cringing at the pain in my stomach. “I swear I have the perfect plan, Nana. All I need is your support and trust.”
“I would feel more comfortable if you shared your plan first.”
“Me too,” Luke added. His voice was laced with concern and sprinkled with suspicion.
I was already shaking my head. “Sorry. If I do that, you’ll both try talking me out of it because you don’t understand everything.” She opened her mouth, “and I don’t have time to explain it all. We need to start this quickly. Joshua is a huge threat that can’t be dealt with through reasoning or a drawn-out fight.”
Nana nodded and stood. “I’ll give you my support.”
Luke made to follow Nana and me, but I stopped him with a raised hand. “No, Luke.”
He flicked a glance at Nana. “I will keep her safe,” she promised him.
My heart thumped heavily, and I fought to keep a perfectly straight face when his suspicious gaze fell on me again. “What are you planning?” he asked stepping close.
His fingers tangled in my hair, and he leaned in, nuzzling my hair aside so his lips rested near my ear. Shivers ran down my arms, and my eyes closed.
