he was talking about, but her nonchalant attitude didn't help his control. He wanted to shake some sense into her. Wanted her to understand the terror that had gripped him when Mitchell had filled him in a couple hours ago. And he never would have known if he hadn't stopped by the lupine den to touch base with the alpha lupine.
"So you just weren't going to tell anyone?"
"I told Winter."
And neither one of them had seen fit to tell him. He couldn't believe how much that hurt.
"Do you remember what you said to me at the lupine lair?"
She tilted her head to the side and he imagined wheels in her mind turning as she tried to figure out what he was getting it. "I said a few things."
"You said I scared you, getting injured."
She gave him a half smile. "No, I said you scared the hell out of me."
"Right." He stepped close enough to set his hands on her wrists and stroke them up her arms. He couldn't help himself. He had to touch her. Had to prove to himself she was all right. "Don't do that to me again, darlin'."
"You know I can't promise that."
That was not the answer he wanted to hear. He leaned his forehead against hers and fought to control the fear. "At least don't make me hear about another incident from Mitchell."
She hesitated so long he expected she wouldn't agree to even that concession. "Okay. But you have to promise not to freak out."
He laughed and gave her a quick hard kiss. "I promise I'll eventually calm down."
Her eyes narrowed and Dupree forced himself to step into the hall. If he stayed he'd have to kiss the irritation out of her and neither of them was ready for that yet. He softly shut the door behind him before his baser instincts got the better of him.
His phone beeped again and he flipped it open to check his messages. The first was an update from Lance. Thankfully not more bitching about patrols with the nightwalkers, but an update on recruiting new members. Dupree grunted when he skimmed through it. Four wasn't nearly enough to replace what they'd lost but it was a start at least. The second was from Winter wondering if he was ever going to bother reporting in. Mating hadn't tamed her snarky attitude one bit. Grinning, he went down the stairs two at a time and found her lounging on the leather sofa in Marcus's study. She had a sheaf of papers in one hand and a water bottle in the other. She looked up when he entered but went right back to whatever she was reading.
He grabbed a soda from the mini-fridge and took the chair beside her. Sighing, she sat up, swinging her feet to the floor and putting the bottle on the small table next to the sofa. Then she handed him a sheet of paper. It had the Order's seal--two knights on one horse, emblazed in gold and blue--across the top so he knew it was an official notification of some kind from the council. He started to skim the document, jerked to a halt midway through and went back to the beginning to read it more carefully. He looked up with a scowl.
"They can't be serious."
She shrugged. "It would appear that they are. Needless to say, the job's yours."
"In the interest of fostering order and cohesion," he read, "the regional commanders will resume appointing both a master at arms and first chaplain." He paused. "Order and cohesion? Is that a dig at us?"
"Probably." Her irritation got the better of her and she stood to pace. "When was the last time a regional commander went rogue? We should have seen it sooner. I should have. And then so many mistakes were made. So many lost."
"That wasn't your fault," he pointed out.
"Wasn't it?"
He just shook his head. None of them had known when Ben went rogue. They'd believed he was killed during the attack on his compound. It was several days later when the forensics team finished their analysis that they'd discovered he wasn't among the dead. Unfortunately, there had been another compound attack and then another attack once everyone had been moved to the safe houses. It had all happened so fast they'd been
"So you just weren't going to tell anyone?"
"I told Winter."
And neither one of them had seen fit to tell him. He couldn't believe how much that hurt.
"Do you remember what you said to me at the lupine lair?"
She tilted her head to the side and he imagined wheels in her mind turning as she tried to figure out what he was getting it. "I said a few things."
"You said I scared you, getting injured."
She gave him a half smile. "No, I said you scared the hell out of me."
"Right." He stepped close enough to set his hands on her wrists and stroke them up her arms. He couldn't help himself. He had to touch her. Had to prove to himself she was all right. "Don't do that to me again, darlin'."
"You know I can't promise that."
That was not the answer he wanted to hear. He leaned his forehead against hers and fought to control the fear. "At least don't make me hear about another incident from Mitchell."
She hesitated so long he expected she wouldn't agree to even that concession. "Okay. But you have to promise not to freak out."
He laughed and gave her a quick hard kiss. "I promise I'll eventually calm down."
Her eyes narrowed and Dupree forced himself to step into the hall. If he stayed he'd have to kiss the irritation out of her and neither of them was ready for that yet. He softly shut the door behind him before his baser instincts got the better of him.
His phone beeped again and he flipped it open to check his messages. The first was an update from Lance. Thankfully not more bitching about patrols with the nightwalkers, but an update on recruiting new members. Dupree grunted when he skimmed through it. Four wasn't nearly enough to replace what they'd lost but it was a start at least. The second was from Winter wondering if he was ever going to bother reporting in. Mating hadn't tamed her snarky attitude one bit. Grinning, he went down the stairs two at a time and found her lounging on the leather sofa in Marcus's study. She had a sheaf of papers in one hand and a water bottle in the other. She looked up when he entered but went right back to whatever she was reading.
He grabbed a soda from the mini-fridge and took the chair beside her. Sighing, she sat up, swinging her feet to the floor and putting the bottle on the small table next to the sofa. Then she handed him a sheet of paper. It had the Order's seal--two knights on one horse, emblazed in gold and blue--across the top so he knew it was an official notification of some kind from the council. He started to skim the document, jerked to a halt midway through and went back to the beginning to read it more carefully. He looked up with a scowl.
"They can't be serious."
She shrugged. "It would appear that they are. Needless to say, the job's yours."
"In the interest of fostering order and cohesion," he read, "the regional commanders will resume appointing both a master at arms and first chaplain." He paused. "Order and cohesion? Is that a dig at us?"
"Probably." Her irritation got the better of her and she stood to pace. "When was the last time a regional commander went rogue? We should have seen it sooner. I should have. And then so many mistakes were made. So many lost."
"That wasn't your fault," he pointed out.
"Wasn't it?"
He just shook his head. None of them had known when Ben went rogue. They'd believed he was killed during the attack on his compound. It was several days later when the forensics team finished their analysis that they'd discovered he wasn't among the dead. Unfortunately, there had been another compound attack and then another attack once everyone had been moved to the safe houses. It had all happened so fast they'd been
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