Read Online Shift by Rachel Vincent - Free Book Online Page B

me silently not to let Kaci upset Charlie any more than his numerous broken bones already had. But the tabby wouldn’t be quieted, and I recognized the determination in her expression—from my own mirror. “That was almost me, so I’m entitled to answers,” she insisted. “What do they want?”
    I sighed, well aware that nearly everyone was watching us now, including Charlie. “They want revenge.”
    My father’s eyebrows shot up, then his forehead wrinkled in a deep frown. He pushed Vic’s phone into my uncle’s hand without a word and stalked toward me. “I think it’s time I met this thunderbird.”
     

    My father stood just in front of the folding chairs, staring down at the prisoner, who’d made no move to stand, even after my dad introduced himself as an Alpha. “I understand your people—your Flight —” he glanced at me for confirmation, and I nodded “—thinks we’re responsible for the death of one of your own? A young man?”
    The thunderbird nodded but remained seated, his broken arm resting carefully in his lap, but not quite cradled, as if showing pain would be admitting weakness. Werecats had similar instincts. Weakness means vulnerability, and admitting such to an enemy could get your head ripped right off.
    But his refusal to stand was an outright insult, and his bold eye contact said he damn well knew it.
    “Your name is Kai?” my father continued; we’d filled him in upstairs. The thunderbird nodded again. “Do you have some kind of proof I can examine, Kai? Because to my knowledge, none of my men has ever even seen a thunderbird before today. And killing someone of another species is precisely the kind of thing I would hear about.”
    Though, there were always surprises. Toms like Kevin Mitchell, whose crimes went unnoticed until it was too late.
    Kai sat straighter, though it must have hurt the still-oozing gashes across his stomach. “We accepted evidence in the form of sworn testimony from a respected member of your own community.”
    “Wait…” I crossed both arms over my chest and ventured closer to the bars, confident that the bird was now too weak and in too much pain to lunge for me. And that if I was wrong, I could defend myself from one caged bird with a broken wing. “Someone told you we killed your…cock?” I resisted the urge to grin. What was a crude joke to us was serious business to him, and making fun of our prisoner would not convince him to cooperate.
    Still, that joke was begging to be told. Later, when we needed a tension breaker. Where Kai wouldn’t hear.
    “Who?” I demanded, frowning down at him.
    “Even if I wanted to tell you—” and it was clear that he did not “—it’s not my place to say.”
    “So you won’t even tell us who’s accusing us?”
    “No.” He turned slightly, probably looking for a more comfortable position on the floor, but flinched instead when the movement hurt.
    “How is that…just?” I almost said fair , but bit my tongue before someone could remind me that life wasn’t fair. Few enforcers knew that better than I did.
    The bird heaved a one-shouldered shrug with his back pressed against the cinder blocks. “We gave our word that we would guard his identity in exchange for the information he offered. We swore on our honor.” He looked so serious—so obviously committed to keeping his promise—that I couldn’t bring myself to argue. Instead, I turned to my father, shuffling one boot against the gritty concrete floor.
    “It’s Malone.” To me, it seemed obvious. Of course, in that moment I was just as likely to claim that Calvin Malone was the worldwide source of all evil. So maybe mine wasn’t the most objective of opinions….
    For a minute, I thought he’d argue. But then my Alpha nodded slowly, rubbing the stubble on his chin with one hand. “That’s certainly a possibility….”
    “It’s more than that.” I unfolded my arms to gesture with them, careful not to turn my back to the caged bird.