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“Cabal’s watching,” he murmured in her ear. “You’ll meet a lot of the others the same way. ”
“Tamber’s much different from her files,” she said. “I wouldn’t have thought she would be so shy. ”
“Pissed is more like it,” Tanner sighed. “We had to order her out of the comm shed tonight. She’s been installing new equipment this month and didn’t want to leave her babies. ”
Shaking her head, Scheme drew in a deep breath as they neared Callan and stepped onto the podium erected for the band at the far end of the ballroom. Time to smile and play nice, she thought as her gaze swept the room, seeing the distrust, and in many cases the animosity, that filled the eyes of those watching. It was going to be a very interesting night indeed.
Moving through the ballroom after the announcement of their engagement, Scheme spotted Jolian slipping quietly through the French door into the gardens beyond. She knew Jolian had taken a hell of a mental beating from Jonas earlier yesterday, and if the girl’s pale face was any indication, she still hadn’t recovered.
Why she should care, Scheme wasn’t certain. But she did. As Tanner stood talking to Jonas, Dane Vanderale and several politicians, she slipped away, certain he would never allow her to go after the little Panther Breed otherwise.
And slipping away from Tanner wasn’t an easy thing to do. She stopped by several clusters of guests, chatted, smiled, made certain she wasn’t touched, because the first brush she’d had against someone other than Tanner had felt like knives tearing through her flesh.
Long minutes later she edged around the French doors though and stepped onto the patio where Jolian stood silently. And alone.
“Jolian. ” Scheme tilted her head, watching as the Breed female tensed at the sound of her voice.
“You should go back inside,” Jolian told her firmly, if a bit huskily. “Cabal would be upset to find us near each other. ”
Cabal would be. Strangely enough, Jolian wasn’t worried about Tanner.
“I don’t believe you mean me any harm. I warned them they were making a mistake. ”
Jolian’s head lowered, her hands gripping the stone rail that edged the marble patio.
“They think I’m a spy. ” Her mocking laughter was a thread of pain. “I could see it in Cabal’s eyes. They were filled with disgust. ”
And Jolian was filled with pain because of it.
“You’re in love with him,” Scheme guessed.
“And you’re mated to him and his brother. Damn, some people just have all the luck, don’t they?”
Jolian didn’t turn around. Her hands lifted from the balustrade though and wrapped around her breasts. The loose cream-colored gown she wore wasn’t particularly flattering on her frame, and it was evident no one had taken the time to try to advise her on her dress. Most likely, the other Breeds were steering a path far clear of her at the moment.
“I’m sorry,” Scheme said softly. “About Cabal and about what happened yesterday. If you would let me, I could make it up to you. ”
Give her some hair and clothes advice to start with.
“How could you help me?” Jolian turned to her, anger marking her face, her gaze. Then her eyes widened, rolled back in her head, and she slumped to the ground.
Scheme rushed toward her, without thinking, without considering the consequences. In the next second, blinding pain shot through her head, sending a blaze of white-hot light to explode in front of her eyes as she felt herself crumpling over the other woman. And wishing to hell she hadn’t come out here without Tanner.
Tamber Mason.
She was trained in communications, and she had been a part of the inner circle of the pride since Sanctuary was first inhabited by the Breeds. She was Merinus’s friend and sometimes bodyguard and Callan’s most trusted communications expert. She often went shopping with Sherra, sparred with Dawn and was rumored to have slept with Tanner and Cabal on several occasions.
She was also Cyrus Tallant’s spy.
This was why the spy was so confident. Why Cyrus had such a hard time controlling her. Her place within Sanctuary had been firmly established years ago. She was, in essence, a part of the family.
Scheme had seen all their files. The Breeds at Sanctuary as well as those now working in the law enforcement and military areas. She had gone over them, studied them, learned all she could about them before they were destroyed. And she had somehow managed to let this one blip past her radar.
Because Tamber was plain. Unassuming. There had been nothing in her files to indicate a connection to Cyrus Tallant or to anyone within her father’s organization. She was simply a well-loved member of the Lyons’ extended family.
But all Scheme had had was her picture to go by. Once she fully heard Tamber Mason’s voice rather than the mumble she had been given at the party, Scheme kn
ew exactly who she was. Her father’s second in command’s former lover.
