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“We just wait?” I said.
Dr. Olivet smiled. She put a comforting hand on me. “We wait. You’re here now. That’s a comfort to your family. Be grateful for that. And the fact they’re not dead yet. They’re strong. All of them. It’s good to see Jarred back where he belongs. You did that. I’m glad you had help.”
She looked at Anson. He straightened his back.
“And you,” she said. “I need a promise from you. If you feel like you’re getting sick, you let me know. I don’t know what is going on between the two of you, but you need to bottle it for now. The priority has to be tending to the sick.”
“I thought it might protect him,” I lied as Dr. Olivet noticed the Dragonsteel collar.
“Perhaps,” she said. “If neither of you has experienced any symptoms.” I wasn’t sure she bought my lie, but she didn’t challenge me on it either.
Anson slowly nodded. Dr. Olivet reached for the collar around his neck, but made no other move to take it off. She shot me a look that spoke volumes. She hoped I knew what I was doing. She frowned at Anson.
“The Wild Lake packs may be compromised,” she said. “But there are others loyal to them. If I tell them you’re a threat, they’ll deal with you. Do you understand?”
“I understand,” he said.
“This family has suffered greatly,” she said. “If it was at your hands, there will be a reckoning. For now, I’m counting on you to help Camilla and Pat. Whatever differences you may have.”
“You have my word,” he said. “I’m oath-bound to Tempest. I’ll do whatever I can.”
“Good,” Dr. Olivet said. She turned to me. “Hate him later. Accept his offer of help for now. Your Dragonsteel collar should keep him from causing you any trouble.”
“It keeps me weaker,” Anson protested. “If you truly want…”
“You’re strong enough,” I said.
“You’ll be fine,” Dr. Olivet agreed. “I’ll check on you in a few days when I have more answers. For now? Try not to kill each other.”
With that, she went to her car and drove north.
Chapter Five
“They’re worse,” Pat said. She sat at the kitchen table sipping her coffee.
“They’re not worse,” I said. “If anything, they’re more stable since Dr. Olivet left. My father slept through the night. So did Jarred. My mother, she’s the same. I don’t know if she can hear me. She looks at me, but past me.”
“I don’t mean the McGraws,” Pat said. “I’m talking about the other packs. I heard from Olivia Martel. Her mate Alec stopped breathing in the middle of the night. They got him back, but it’s happening more frequently. I don’t know how much more we can do, Tempest.”
She looked at me with her pointed stare.
“I know what you’re thinking,” I said. “But you have to trust me when I tell you we can’t trust him.”
“We don’t have to trust him,” she said. “We just have to use him. Whatever’s going on, you two seem to be the only ones immune to it. You can get to the other homesteads. Lightning quick. With your shifter strength. Hunt for all of them. He’s got the collar. He’s not going to be able to do anything to hurt you.”
“It’s not that simple,” I said. “He kidnapped me, Pat. Held me against my will. Lied to me for years.” I couldn’t tell her the rest. About the soulbinding. About how he’d made me bend to him. How he made me learn to love it. His betrayal.
“Well,” she said. “I’m not asking you to forgive him. Certainly not asking you to forget. Though, it seems to me you’re the one holding him against his will now.”
“It’s not for revenge,” I said.
“Isn’t it?”
I slammed my cup down. She let out a hard breath. “Just do what needs to be done. You always have. I could always count on you for that. So could your father. So do this for him.”
“Pat,” I said. “If my father were fully himself, if he knew what Anson was capable of, he’d be the first in line to rip his throat out.”
She put a hand on my arm. “Did he…honey…did he force you to do anything against your will?”
