Lawe's Justice - Lora Leigh [55]
As the door closed behind him, Jonas turned back to his mate and arched his brow at her in question as she leaned against the table and smiled complacently.
The anger was gone. She was still hurting, but Diane was her sister, a sister who constantly placed herself in danger for some reason, in battles that weren’t hers, for men, women, children and creatures that would never offer the first word of thanks.
He was aware of the alphas behind him muttering, whispering and preparing to leave.
“What have you done?” he finally asked his mate, his voice low as he stared down at her in contemplation.
Rachel smiled sweetly, innocently. “Let’s just say I’ve hedged my own bets where my sister is concerned. Let’s just hope Lawe is smart enough to cash in the marker I just gave him, and he learns how to be my sister’s partner rather than her jailer.”
Ah, his little mate was far wilier than he gave her credit for, it seemed. And God knew, he gave her plenty of credit for that wily side of her nature.
“Playing games, sweetheart?” he asked in amusement, amazed as always that this perfect woman was his. That she loved him. That she was the woman God had created just for him, when his creators had told him that such a superior being would never claim him and would definitely never send such a ray of sunshine into his existence.
“And here you thought you were the master manipulator.” She gave a low, light laugh as he lowered his head to rub his cheek against hers. “Darling, you may know your Breeds, but I know my sister,” she whispered at his ear. “She’ll have him bagged and tagged before they ever return to D.C. or Sanctuary. He’ll be mated more firmly than any Breed you’ll ever meet and loving every minute of it.”
With that, she turned her head and pressed her lips to his cheek, bestowing a kiss of such warmth that each Breed in the room was suddenly longing for his own mate.
It wasn’t a longing born of lust but a longing born of the gentleness and the sudden softening they glimpsed in the Breed they had once sworn had been created with a machine for a soul. A true, flesh-based robot.
As she stepped back moments later, her gaze was filled with warmth as she glanced out at the other men. A small grin tilted her lips.
“Where has she gone, sweetheart? Holding that information back isn’t something you can do. And it’s not debatable.”
They had an understanding and he gave her the phrase that indicated it wasn’t a situation where she could deny him the information he needed.
“And you’ll tell him, of course.” She grimaced as she sighed heavily. “She’s going to take him home, Jonas. Diane’s heading to Window Rock. Right in the heart of his family, I believe.”
Yes, it was.
The past, the present and the future were coming together and Jonas knew the pain of it would affect Lawe even more than Rachel could guess.
“Pride Leader Lyons?” Her tone was formally polite, causing Callan’s brows to arch before his gaze narrowed.
Lifting a hand, he rose to his feet and indicated that his second-in-command, Kane Tyler, should follow him, then he moved to Rachel. Not that it would keep the others from hearing them speak, but her tone had warned him that facing the room with what she had to say could be uncomfortable for her.
“Rachel?” He stopped in front of them as Jonas watched his mate warily, suddenly certain she was prepared now to take his advice and to speak with Callan concerning their daughter.
Rachel lifted her chin and stared directly back at him. “I would prefer you speak to your son before I do.” She kept her tone incredibly soft. So soft, that perhaps the others couldn’t hear her after all. “The next time he frightens my child and shows the others his refusal to accept her by growling and snapping at her, I will take the matter up with his mother. At his age, he