The Willing by Aila Cline Page B

she smiled
wide, her fang teeth showing. We all fed well that
night.

    Emily
    “That wasn’t what it looked like,” I
stammered. “We were just talking.”
    Ranier just smiled wanly. I suddenly
realized my mouth was excruciatingly dry. My lips felt cracked. My
hair hadn’t been brushed in days. I knew that Ranier, with his cold
eyes, took in every single detail and laid it against his previous
opinions of me. Or perhaps I was imagining the frigidity. He had
been quite open and warm during my first visit, lightly teasing me
and making me feel welcome while being surrounded by Lycanthrope at
Maria’s wedding two years ago. His accent, though thicker than his
son’s, held none of the exotic sexiness of Luka’s. They both had
the broad shoulders and the height of the healthy Lycanthrope male,
but Ranier carried it with the confidence born of his leadership.
His similarities to Luka, as well as their striking differences,
only served to remind me how far away from home I was at that
moment.
    “Emily,” he said earnestly, eyes aglow.
“This is of the greatest importance. You have come into my
household protected by my son, my heir. Yet I have other loyalties
to the Lycanthrope. The northern Clan already sent warning of your
treacherous attack on Maria.”
    I began to protest, but he waved it
away.
    “I have known Maria for longer than you
have been alive. I know how provocative she can be. I daresay that
your impertinence did not do much to improve her
temper.”
    He waited for me to respond, standing
there in a business suit which seemed conspicuous against my scenic
view of palm trees. His crossed arms and expectant expression did
nothing for my courage. I wanted to rage and cry against the
injustices Maria had done to me, but he had already clearly stated
his allegiances. Now he would attempt to see which side I was on
and how becoming a Lycanti had changed my personality.
    I smoothed down the blanket over my
lap, trying to look composed. “Luka is my protector while I am
here.”
    As patiently as ever, Ranier said,
“Leave my son out of your mechanisms for now. He has nothing to do
with what is happening between you and Maria.”
    “Well,” I said hesitantly, choosing my
words carefully. “Actually he does. Maria has his son locked away
somewhere with a Lycanthrope family.”
    The patriarch’s face registered
confusion for a brief instant. “Alexander? You must be mistaken,
child. His mother brought him safely to us weeks ago.”
    I took a deep breath. “Not Alexander.
Micah. My son. My son by Luka.”
    His face turned to stone. I could tell
that he was processing information very quickly, rejecting the idea
out of hand, but then reconsidering what he had walked in on
moments before. He seemed to carefully taste the words in his mouth
before he said them. “You want your child.”
    I fought to remain calm. The thought of
seeing Micah again had set my heart to battering its cage. “Yes. Of
course I do.”
    Still the words simmered before coming.
“You…are expecting me to get him for you.”
    He had not asked a question. No,
instead he had guessed my intentions, saving me the pain of begging
or colluding. I just nodded. I wanted to see what he offered before
I said anymore.
    Ranier had fought many battles, both as
a Lycanthrope in the modern world and as the leader of the southern
Clan. To have survived this long in such a brutal world, he was not
without a certain amount of cunning.
    Finally, he offered. “The Mexican Clan
will not take such an insult likely. It is possible that there will
be a great rift between our houses if we retrieve Luka’s child from
Maria’s protection. I am led to believe that she took the child to
protect him, as you are not in a state of being fit to be a
mother.
    “No, do not speak. I am merely relaying
her words sent to me. I cannot give you what you want, which is
blood and revenge. I can see the pain in your face that she has
caused you and the wounds on your body. No