Amalgamate

Chapter 54

Kester reached for the phone just as Tearlach burst through door damn near ripping it from the hinges.

"Kester, I overheard Rowan talking to Declan. Vertigen's seen her somehow, somethin' about a security tape. Must have been at Dermid's. He's after her. Another little detail. I heard her mention a hunting party. You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

"Fuck" was the only word Kester could utter as he stood up from behind his desk. Rowan was making enemies faster than he could shore up alliances. "Call Fitz and get him workin' on the surveillance video. Let's just make sure Vertigen was actually there and this isn't Declan's attempt at scaring Rowan back to him."

"Rowan doesn't scare that easily...not enough to run back to that asshole anyway." Tearlach growled under his breath.

"Vampire hunting party." He sighed under his breath. "I didn't see that one comin'. Declan jumped right to his big guns. Somethin' scared him, and he doesn't scare easily. They're bad news Tearlach. We have to get her away from here because if they even think we're harboring her they'll kill everyone they can get they're cold dead hands on just to get to her. You know that."

Tearlach's gaze fell to the floor. As much as he wanted to help Rowan, he wouldn't sacrifice the pack for her. He nodded in agreement.

"Declan called just a few minutes ago, checking on that very situation." He squeezed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger as he closed his eyes.

"I'm gonna kill that fucker. We can't hide her anywhere. You know he's watching us, if we move her he'll see us, Shit! Wolves can't sift or move between realms.." That's when it hit him, Kester's wheels were already turning, Tearlach just didn't know if he would like the direction they were heading.

"Get the video first. Go talk to Fitz now. I've gotta call someone. We're gonna need her. We're out of options T."

"Be back as soon as we have it." Tearlach moved like a gale force wind.

Kester continued calling his allies through the day, setting up a meeting with them to discuss the situation that was quickly coming to a head. He told no one of Rowan's presence at the compound. They'd agreed to a neutral meeting place in New Orleans. He knew they would have protection there, between her powerful grandfather Olian, Aunts Etain and Deisha and her Uncle Boone, New Orleans was about as sured up as they could plan for, but there were spies everywhere. New Orleans was a city that had always belonged to the lore.

Turned out Rowan's Uncle Boone had already learned of her vengeance on Dermid and forwarded the information to her family. Her mother Lepleya and father Riat were beside themselves with grief. They never believed their daughter could be capable of such a heinous crime. Her parents struggled to understand the reasoning behind her decision to murder her brother. The rest of the family weren't so baffled.

Boone told Kester that he'd spoken directly to Riat telling him that Rowan had been well within her rights to reciprocate the lethal action and that the only differences between Dermid's actions and hers were that she had handled things personally, and her attempt had been successful.

After hangin' up with Boone, he pondered their conversation. Kester could understand a parent's grief over the loss of his child no matter what crimes he may have committed; however, they hadn't been so concerned when Rowan was attacked by Dermid. In fact, they'd done nothing, and that, Kester could not process. He understood Rowan's detachment from her family, but he couldn't understand their detachment from her. Since birth they hadn't been connected to her.

Kester couldn't put his pack out there on the front line though. He wouldn't allow his entire pack's safety to be compromised to protect Rowan. His people were strong and proud, but there were just too few of them since the split. Hopefully his allies could be trusted with her safety.