Chapter Twenty Three
Putting on clothes was agonizing, and when he was done, Andre lay in the bed trying not to pass out.
The door slammed open. "We have to get out of here!"
Andre's head jerked up. Mary's face was flushed, eyes bright, and tear tracks ran down her face. Andre tensed, but when he asked what had happened, Mary only shook her head and repeated that they needed to leave. He glanced around the hotel room.
"We can't leave all this blood behind."
"Peter was there!" Mary kicked the bloody bandages under the bed and grabbed his arm. "They've found my father's body and the community thinks that you killed him. They're going to hunt us down!"
Andre's eyes widened. His heart began pounding, but he forced himself to remain calm. This was expected. He knew what to do.
"We need to get out as quickly as possible, yes. But look around, Mary. If we leave blood stains everywhere, then the police will be after us too. And we can't exactly tell them that we're Shifters running from a pack of werewolves. We just need to gather everything up and take it to the car. Okay?"
"By the time we're done, they're going to be here and we're going to be dead!" Mary shivered but started throwing the bandages and old clothes into the garbage can.
Andre slid himself off the bed, bracing himself against the wall so he could strip the sheets off the bed–his wounds had leaked during the night.
"They didn't find Zoe." Mary grabbed the sheets from him. "Peter didn't know our father had killed anybody. But he's not going to tell the community about that, is he? He just… he's such a coward!"
Mary collapsed onto the bed, passing a hand over her eyes. She sniffed, and Andre sat next to her. Perhaps it was the adrenaline, but the pain from his injuries wasn't as bad as it had been a few minutes ago. Even his knee only had a dull throbbing.
"Am I a coward too?" Mary turned her face from him, hiding behind a veil of beautiful black hair. "Am I selfish? Should I be trying to get my sisters away from the community as well?"
He sighed, putting an arm around her. We don't really have time for this, a voice whispered in the back of his head but he pushed it away. They couldn't drive when Mary was in this condition anyway. She would be blind with tears.
"You're not out yet. They still have a hold on you, Mary. You can't save your sisters unless you save yourself first."
Mary looked at him then, her long green eyes fiery with determination, even though tears still ran down her cheeks. She looked so beautiful like that, her delicate features set, her shoulders thrown back and her head held high. Andre almost forgot that they needed to leave.
"Someday my brothers and sisters are going to get away from that place. We'll start our own community and it will be a place where all Shifters can come and go freely. Someday." Her voice cracked and all her determination faded. She clung to his hand. "Right?"
"Someday," he agreed, though his heart was heavy at her words. Would such a dream ever be possible? "But right now we focus on saving you."
***
When Mary was so tired that she was afraid she might get them into an accident, she pulled into a rest stop. Andre had tried to drive earlier, but from the way his face whitened after only a few minutes, Mary had nixed that plan. He was still far paler than his normal tanned complexion. Putting him in more pain wasn't going to help anyone.
The rain she had been expecting never materialized and the temperature had risen enough that she and Andre rolled down the windows when they put their seats back as far as they would go. It wasn't comfortable, but it was all they had. In the night, she could barely see the outline of his face. His eyes, black during the day, almost seemed to glow in the darkness. She had never noticed that before.
"My brain won't turn off. I don't think I can sleep," she confessed. "I keep thinking… My father. Zoe. I'm sorry that she…"
"I didn't really know her," Andre replied gruffly. "Don't think about them. It's not your fault."
He reached out and caressed her face. She pressed her lips to his palm and wished they could make love. But she needed sleep. Exhaustion ached in her bones. They didn't have room, anyway.
When she closed her eyes, she saw Zoe's surprised expression as she slid down the truck. Had death been instant? Or was there a second, or half a second, when she knew that she was going to die? What could have happened to make Father such a heartless killer? Mary knew both his parents had been killed by Bears, but how could he think that justified killing someone he couldn't have known was a Bear?
"Zoe said my family has a reputation. What did she mean?"
She felt Andre flinch and he withdrew his hand. "I don't know."
"But you said that you were going to tell me."
"Mary, this won't help you sleep."
"I have to know!"
Andre sighed. His dark shape moved to a sitting position, and the interior light came on. Mary blinked in its brightness and adjusted her seat so she was upright as well. Andre's expression was dreading, and Mary's heart sank to her stomach. Her hands trembled. This wasn't something she wanted to hear. She could tell from the way Andre's eyes pinched together. But she had to hear it. She had to know what her family had done.
"I don't know everything. All I know is what they did to me." He closed his eyes. "I lied when I told you that I killed the hunters that killed Isadore and Eve."
Mary shook her head, blood pounding in her ears. No. It couldn't be true!
"I saw them," Andre continued, his voice low, reluctant. "It was already too late by the time I got there. But I watched Isadore and Eve die, and I saw the man who killed them. Paul Locke."
A tortured whimper escaped Mary's throat.
"He had two of your brothers with you. Peter and Philip."
Mary flung open the car door and stumbled out. She collapsed to her knees as vomit spewed out her mouth.
No.
No! Not Peter and Philip! She could believe her father did that–after what she had seen, how could she not? But her brothers? Peter, who was always so kind and gentle, and Philip, who was always laughing and joking. How could they be part of killing a child?
Please, Luna, no! She closed her eyes. "It can't be true! They couldn't have killed your wife and daughter. It can't be true."
"It is," said a voice. But it was not Andre's.
It was Peter's.
***
Andre's Bear growled deep in his chest at the sight of Peter Locke standing in the pale light of the moon. He had been so focused on Mary that he hadn't noticed the other Wolf. He froze, leaning on the hood of the car, leg shaking beneath him.
"Peter Locke," he snarled. "Come to finish your father's job?"
Mary was by his side in an instant, shielding him from her brother. "Peter, no."
Peter rose his hands, showing he was unarmed. "I didn't recognize you at first, but… How long have you known that it was me?"
Andre glared. "Three years."
Peter flinched.
"No," Mary whispered.
She leaned against Andre. He wished he could support her, but his knee felt like it was going to buckle at any moment and he shook violently. Gently he put a hand on her shoulder, but could do nothing else.
"Peter… you killed a little girl."
The Wolf flinched again. "No, that was Father. I didn't know they were Shifters, I thought they were just animals—"
A growl thundered in Andre's chest. He would have liked to rip Peter Locke in half, watch him cry and scream and bleed out.
No. For Mary's sake, he could not. Revenge was not worth losing her, and even if she knew the truth now, it was too soon for her to forgive him for such a thing. With everything that had happened the past few days, he couldn't add watching her brother die to her pain.
Peter's gaze went to Andre. With his green eyes and black hair, he looked so much like Mary. Andre could believe that they were twins, rather than her being a year older than him.
"So you knew it was me all the time when we talked, when you called to see how Mary was?"
"Every time I heard your voice I wanted to tear your throat out."
"But you kept calling. For her."
The Wolf looked away finally, shaking his head. Silence fell between the three of them, heavy. It took all of Andre's strength to remain where he was instead of embracing his Bear and tearing the Wolf apart. He clung to Mary, anchoring himself to her, reminding himself why he couldn't.
"I didn't think he was really your soulmate." Peter's eyes sought out Mary again. "I didn't understand. But I do now. I understand why you killed Father."
"And I do too." Mary choked and Andre became aware that she was sobbing softly. "Get out of here, Peter. Before I kill you too."