Chapter 21 – Nature

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            The hand resting carelessly on the cover moved so fast Fei didn’t even see it until it was firmly attached to her wrist.  She froze in place, too shocked to even scream.

            “Anyone ever tell you it’s not smart to sneak up on a shifter?” Wes asked darkly as he snapped awake from a dreamless sleep so deep he wasn’t even aware she was in the room until she was literally upon him.  He had reacted on instinct and was only slightly glad that his wolf had been lashed – god knows what might have happened.  “What the hell are you doing in here?”

            Big doe eyes looked lost as her full lips worked soundlessly for a moment.  “I… I brought you lunch,” lifting the bountiful tray still in her hands.  It was a miracle she hadn’t dropped it.  “I thought you might be hungry.”

            Wes blinked and looked around the brightly lit room.  “Lunch?” then glanced at the blinking clock by the bed flashing a constant 12:00 AM.  “What time is it?”

            “One-thirty.”

            “One-thirty?” he sat up quickly,  “In the afternoon?”

            Fei took a quick step back, startled to discover that he was … or at least shirtless – not that it bothered her much.  “Ella… Ella said… said that we are not to wake you and your friend.  Said that you needed to rest.”  In fact, Ella had informed everyone in the household that no one was to be disturbed in their chambers, including herself.  But Ella had also taken Fei aside and quietly asked her to bring up lunch to her mysterious rescuer when Fei had anxiously awaited his reappearance downstairs all morning driving everyone to distraction. 

            “I see…” Wes replied bunching the sheets around his hips.  He was underneath and had no interest in revealing that.  “Are the others up?”

            She nodded, taking another step back.  “Except for your friend and Ella said no one is allowed to disturb him.”

            “That’s good,” he nodded to himself, glad that Sean was finally getting the rest he so richly deserved.  Perhaps a little rest can help set Sean’s damaged soul at rest and they can go back to the way things were before all this ugliness started. 

            “Are you hungry?” Fei asked, taking yet another step back, looking for a surface to put the tray down on.  “I didn’t know what you like so I just brought a little of everything,” raiding the three frigs that Ella kept for everyone.  Emma had mocked her culinary attempts but helped her nevertheless – the seer definitely saw more than she was saying and confirmed everything Fei needed to know. 

           “Anything is fine,” Wes replied negligently – he couldn’t afford to be picky about food.  Watching her warily, he frowned and wondered if her being in his room alone was the wisest thing for either of them.  Sanctuary or not, this was unfamiliar territory and he had best be on his guard.  But she looked more afraid than she ought to – given this was her pack.  “You can relax, you know.  I don’t bite.”  She looked  like a nervous kitten meeting the big bad wolf in a dark alley.  “At least not with human teeth.”

            She gave him a weak smile and set the tray down on an leather ottoman.  “Um… I… I wanted to talk to you about… about yesterday and… and properly thank you for...”

            “Don’t,” Wes shook his head at her.  “Please.  I don’t…. I didn’t…”  He didn’t even know what he was trying to say.  Taking another breath, deeply to clear his head and wake up his brain, “Please don’t thank me.  I didn’t do anything that anyone else wouldn’t have done.  You were in trouble and I couldn’t just walk away.  You don’t owe me anything.”  And he didn’t want to go into why he went with his instinct and let nature reign. 

            “You don’t understand,” Fei whispered, her eyes revealing too much of her inner turmoil.  She didn’t know what to say, how to be; this was so confusing on so many levels.  And yet… she didn’t know how it could be any other way.  “Instinct; that’s the way they say it should go.”  And how do you even bring it up to your possible, most-certain chances of being someone’s True Mate?  And does she even want to?  It’s not like he knew or could know.  But to deny it went against everything in her right now. 

            Wes closed his eyes and sighed, his tired body still not recovered despite the much needed rest.  With nothing more to say, he looked at her then the tray, “Thanks for breakfast.  I appreciate it.”

            She nodded and made no move to leave, only shifting from foot to foot as she stood there awkwardly trying to sort out the internal conflicts in her own mind.  He eyed her warily, not sure he liked that nervous energy she was giving off and can’t do anything about without showing her his birthday suit. 

            “Not to be rude or anything,” Wes finally spoke after another minute of watching her fidget, “But shouldn’t you be leaving now?”

            Fei’s big round eyes blinked.  “Why?”  She didn’t question why she didn’t want to leave, she just didn’t.

            Startled by her response, it took him a minute to answer. “So I can get up.”

            “Why can’t you get up now?” she wanted to know. 

            His mouth worked a moment without sound as he stared at her incredulously.  “Because I’m not exactly dressed for company,” swinging his leg over the bed so that it was pretty obvious that he wasn’t dressed underneath the thin sheet still thrown over his hips.

            Eyes following his movement, Fei’s head tilted to the side in inquiry, “What does that matter?”

            Wes’ hands clinched the sheets a second as he held onto his disbelief before he let out a slow breath telling himself that patience in foreign territory was the key to survival.  “Are all the girls around here like you?”

            “Like what?” somewhat affronted by the question. 

            “So immodest,” he grounded out between his teeth.

            Her jaw hit the ground.  “Immodest?” outraged by the accusation.  “How dare you call me immodest?  You don’t even know me.”

            He rolled his eyes.  “You came into my room alone while I’m asleep and vulnerable.  You’re standing there over like me something out of a bad ; it’s bold, stupid, reckless, and not just a little bit creepy.  I tell you I’m not wearing anything and you just stand there waiting me to get up.  Drawn from that, my conclusion is that you are here to seduce me and ergo immodest.”

            “I didn’t come here to seduce you, I came here to thank you.”

            “By offering to sleep with me?” he suggested not so nicely.

            “By bringing you breakfast,” she snapped, gesturing to the food tray.  “And because I was worried about the fact that you’ve been asleep for over twelve hours.  It’s not natural of anyone, much less a shifter to be asleep that long unless they’ve been wounded.  So naturally, I came up to check on you.”  She paced the limited space beside his bed, her movement shape with agitation.  “And why the hell would it bother me to see you .  It’s not like it’d be the first time.  I saw you yesterday when you rescued me.  I’m used to seeing people .  People are around me all the time.  We are shifter, that’s what happens.  Why are you so hung up about being ?!”

            “Why are you shouting?” he asked rather calmly as footsteps were heard in the hall a second before the door was thrown open.

            “Are you okay?” Mickey asked as his eyes went from one to the other.  “What’s going on in here?”

            “Get out,” Fei said sharply, eliciting a startled look from Mickey who’s known her since forever.  When he didn’t move, she pointed to the door away.  “I said get out.”

            “Take her with you please?” Wes asked, not moving a muscle.  Any movement now can be construed as an act of aggression by the new guy in the room.  Best to error on the side of caution.  Plus he needed the bathroom.

            Fei’s head whipped around.  “We’re not done yet,” she informed him in no uncertain terms.

            Deciding he had enough, “Well I am,” Wes tossed back the sheet and stood. Fei gasped, stared a heartbeat too long, then turned beat red before giving him her back.  He rolled his eyes again and shook his head.  “So much for not being bothered,” he muttered as he walked to the bathroom.  “You can show yourselves out,” he said to the room in general and slammed the bathroom door behind him. 

            Mickey eyed Fei curiously.  “What the hell are you even doing in here?  Ella said no one is to…”

            “I know,” she replied and brushed passed him out her way out.

            “Then what were you doing…”

            “I was trying to figure something out,” she snapped and made her way downstairs.

            Following her, “Figure what out?”

            “Whether or not I’m crazy,” she muttered and continued on into the kitchen which was now her sanctuary since none of the guys were allowed in here by Ella’s orders.

            “And?” Mickey shouted as her back as he came to a screeching halt by the double swinging doors. 

            “Apparently I am,” Fei muttered under her breath then stopped short before running to bodily into Ella.  Startled, she jumped back a step, stumbling over her own long legs before catching herself on the counter.  She stared wide eyed at the seer. 

            Ella was standing by the roaring ovens with her arms crossed and wearing the most unholy smirk on her face.  “Got your answer yet?” she asked with a knowing look before leaving Fei to the afternoon breads. 

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            Emma pouted and crossed her arm in a rare show of childish temper.

            “The answer is still no,” Kai replied sternly and exited the room without another word.

            Scrunching her face up, Emma gritted her teeth a moment before letting out a frustrated breath and stuck her tongue out at her elder brother’s back then stomped her foot for good measure.

            “Because that’s going to do any good,” Xiu muttered carelessly where he leaned against the bookshelf by the door. 

            “Why can’t he just see that….”

            “Because he has no interest in seeing you get hurt,” Xiu replied unsympathetically.  “And no, I’m not going to give you permission to go back to working at the Café either.”  He let Kai be the bad guy but didn’t mean he was going to let their sister sway him.  “It’s too dangerous and I don’t want the Betas spread that thin.”

            “But you let Emily and Nicie work there,” Emma argued in a whine.  She knew she wasn’t going to win the fight but she didn’t want to give up yet.  “And they’re just as vulnerable as I am.”

            “And that’s why Kai and I have agreed to allow Sam and Mickey stay there on a permanent basis to watch over them.  Emily and Bernice are not allowed to stay in Sanctuary when not conducting business.”

            “So if Sam and Mickey can watch them they can watch me too.”

            Xiu frowned at her.  “You know that’s not how this works.”

            Resentful and disappointed, Emma pouted and slumped into a chair.  “It’s not fair.”

            “Life’s not fair,” Xiu replied and sat down next to her, taking her hand gently into his roughened ones.  “Doesn’t mean we give up living it.”

            Emma shook her head.  “I just want thing to be normal again.  Well, as normal as it gets for me anyways.”

            “I know,” Xiu sighed and squeeze her hand tightly, “And I’m sorry things are chaotic right now.  But until we know that there is no longer a danger to you or Ella, we have to take certain precaution to ensure that…”

            “Intellectually I get it,” she said, sorry she was making her brother worry, “and I can even appreciate it in the odd moment between bouts of blood curling vision and nightmare filled sleep.  But sometimes I just…” she looked up suddenly, straightening her spine.  Nick and Bass came through the door, twin frowns of concern on their faces.

            “Xiu,” Nick said solemnly.  “Can we have a moment to speak with you?” Bass nodded his agreement with a sober look.

            Frowning, Xiu paused a moment.  “If this is official, you should be speaking with Kai.”  Nick and Bass were his brother’s people, his betas for all intent and purpose; he didn’t want cause a conflict by stepping on Kai’s toes.

            “This isn’t about the pack.  This is personal,” Bass explained with some discomfort.  He traded looks with Nick that was bordered guilty but determined. 

            “Whatever it is will have to…” 

            “Jing shouldn’t be here,” Nick said straight forwardly.  He didn’t beat around the bush with things this important.  “She should be sent home.”

            Raising a brow at that, Xiu wondered how they decided to come to him with this.  “She’s not Beta.  I’ve got no say over where and what she can or cannot do.  You should be talking to her.”  And he didn’t want to be on the wrong side of Jing’s displeasures; it was bad for his health.

            Bass’ eyes darkened with concern.  “We’ve talked to her already.  She won’t listen to us; said she needs to be here for the girls,” looking at Emma for understanding.  “But things are getting to be too dangerous here.  We need to clear out the nonessentials so they can’t be used against us.”

            Xiu winced, “Please don’t tell me you called her ‘nonessential’… to her face.” 

            Emma was fighting hard to keep the laughter out of her voice.  “And she didn’t punch you in the face?” 

            Looking slightly embarrassed and a little rueful, Bass absentmindedly rubbing his left shoulder, just below the collar bone.  Proud of her prowess but regretting those boxing lessons when they are him. 

            Nick didn’t look remotely contrite.  “She’s our only sister,” he stated very simply, “You can understand our need to protect her.”  It was the one thing they can all agree on, sisters were to be protected at all cost – it was in their nature.  “You’re her friend.  She listens to you,” above anyone else, even her own brothers.  And for her, Nick wasn’t above begging.  “Please.” 

            Xiu sighed, knowing perfectly well as he glanced at a pained Emma that he couldn’t say no to that.  “I’ll talk to her,” he promised, “See if I can get her to at least post from headquarters so she’s not in immediate…”

            “No,” Emma shook her head quickly, “Jing can’t leave yet.”  Tense silence suddenly filled the room as three pair of predatory eyes suddenly swung toward her. 

            Nick and Bass’ faces looked set in stone as they forced themselves not to react.  “Why not?”

            Emma chewed on her bottom lip a moment, her eyes darting in all directions.  “She’s… she’s been a really big help here and we need her.  She keeps the peace with the cougars and…”

            “Emma,” Bass’ voice dropped and he stared at her emotionlessly.  “If there is a danger to my sister, I want to know about it.”  The Beta had replaced the mild manner middle brother that usually accompanied Jing. 

            She blinked and turned to face him, her eyes seeing through him a moment before she came back.  “She can’t leave yet.”

            “Why?” Bass demanded, “What’s going to happen to her if she does?”

            “That’s not how this works,” Emma replied steadily, holding her ground. 

            “If something is threatening my sister, you need to tell me.”

            “That’s not how this works,” Emma repeated with a quick frown.

            “Emma…” Bass moved toward her but found Xiu in this way, a rough hand shoved against his chest. 

            “Step back,” Xiu ordered sharply, “Now.”  He understood better than most the need to protect a sister; but this was his sister – and no one was going to be pushing her around with him standing right there, especially not one of his Betas.   

            “Bass,” Nick warned and grabbed his brother by the arm and pulled him back. He had no desire to see his brother’s face bashed in and he has seen what Xiu can do in human form – it wasn’t pretty.  “Emma,” he pleaded calmly, “I just want to know that her life isn’t endangered.”

            “It’s not,” Emma replied firmly, one hand on Xiu’s arm to ease his anger. 

            Nick nodded, acceptance difficult but necessary.  With the seers, it was always a careful tread of needing the essentials and wringing ones’ hands over the details.  But he’ll take what he could get. 

            Unfortunately, his brother wasn’t so obliging and still hadn’t learned the delicate balance of what the seers can do and will do.  “Then why does she…”

            “Enough!” Jing snapped from the doorway as she stomped in, fury in her eyes.  “What the hell is wrong with you both?!?” shoving both her brothers in the shoulders.        

            “Jing…” Bass said quietly, concern darkened his already dark eyes behind the lenses of his fashionable glasses.  Of her three brothers, Bass was the most vocal Nick was the most straightforward  and youngest Mickey was the most volatile while it was a tossup as to who might be the most protective of their only sister.     

            Eyes narrowing, Jing shook her head at him.  “Emma and I have an understanding of what I want and don’t want to hear from her as far as her ‘sights’ goes; so stop trying to intimidate her before you get your handed to you on a silver platter,” tilting her head toward Xiu. 

            But no one ever said that Bass wasn’t tenacious, “I just want to know that you are safe.”

            “No one is safe until this invasion is under control,” Jing replied rather logically.  “And we all have to play our parts, no matter the setting.”

            Brows knitting with concern, Nick grabbed his brother’s arm before Bass could set off another argument.  Pushing the issue would push their sister too far and he’s long learned to read her moods.  “We needed at patrol now,” looking at his watch.  He offered Emma a quick look of question but said nothing more, much wiser than his younger brother, and pulled Bass toward the door. 

            “But…” Bass was no match for Nick when it comes to sheer brute strength despite the very little height and muscle difference and could only flail about as his brother forcibility removed him from the room. 

            Pressing the heels of her palms into her eyes, Jing took a breath and wished for her bed again.  The night had been a difficult one, woken up more than once to fighting amongst the pack patrols that guarded the inn.  The last thing they needed now was the kind of pissing contest the boys are into when in close quarters for too long.  And that was on top of the unsettling dreams that plagued her. 

            “You alright?” Xiu asked quietly with concern.

            Shaking off her thoughts, Jing nodded and forced a smile on her face.  “The cougars are getting restless.  We might have to think about making a move for sending them home.  They can’t stay much longer without causing an incident.”

          “I’ll speak with the Alpha,” Xiu replied as he got up to do just that but paused to look at his sister.  “Emma…” then stopped himself.  There were certainly lines that even a brother shouldn’t cross when it came to pack business.

            “It’s okay,” Emma replied, “Jing will be fine,” correctly reading his unease. 

            Xiu nodded, glancing briefly an at annoyed Jing and shrugged before leaving. 

            Jing made a face at Emma.  “I can’t decide if I want to smack one of them upside the head or run my head into the nearest wall.”

            “Both would be unproductive,” Emma replied unnecessarily and sat down to pour the cold tea out for a fresh brew.  “Have a seat.  I take it you want to talk to me?”

            “I wanted to talk to Nick but now I’m just pissed at him.”

            “He means well.  And he worries.  You should be use to that by now.”

            “Doesn’t exactly make it any less annoying.”

            “True,” Emma agreed with a nod and giggle.  “But at least he knows not to be too overbearing about it.  Bass on the other hand…”

            “I think Bass is actually getting worse,” Jing muttered as she sat down next to Emma and accepted the teacup with a sigh.  “He’s been really antsy lately, like he’s expecting the worse.”

            “Can’t exactly blame him,” Emma said sadly and stared out the window where her ‘protectors’ circled both the inn and each other.  “It’s not like Ella or I are seeing a whole lot of peace in the near future.  And the amount of blood that will be shed before this is through isn’t insignificant.  There is not enough for us to go on to keep it from spilling over to our side.”

            Jing felt her heart stop.  “You’re saying there’s going to be deaths within the pack?”

            Emma stared into nothing.  “More than a few will fall before the world will let us rest.” 

            “I hate it when you do that,” Jing murmured into her teacup. 

            “Me too,” Emma replied and sighed, sitting back in to her seat.  “Sometimes I say and do things I don’t really want to or even mean.  It’s very disturbing.  Ella calls it the ‘Nature of the Beast’ but really it’s just us letting whatever this is,” gesturing to her head, “take the rein for once and do whatever.”

            “That’s twisted,” Jing said softly with a sigh. 

          “You look tired,” Emma commented as she twisted to look at her.  “You sure you didn’t come to talk to me?”

            Slanting her a look, “Is there something you’d like to tell me?”

            She grinned in return.  “Is there something you’d like to ask me?”

            The two stared in silence at one another, one in playful delight while the other in scowling annoyance.  “Fine,” Jing said knowing perfectly well she wasn’t going to win.  “Am I having the Mating Dreams?”

            “Yup!” Emma confirmed with beaming glee.           

            “Are you going to tell me who it is?”

            “Nope!” was the same elated response. 

            Jing made a face and for a moment, looked ready to argue before she gave a defeated sigh.  There was no fighting the Moon.  “Okay then…” and got up.

            “Where are you going?”

            “Back to work,” Jing replied.  “Can’t resolve this easily or with a gun so I’m just going to let nature run its course and deal with it when it comes to head.  That’s all I really can do.”  She shrugged, her head a little too full to deal with everything, and headed toward the kitchen.  “Just let me know if anything needs to be…” she hit a brick wall as she tried to pass through the doorway and would have landed on her if not for the quick hand that caught her arm, pulling her right back into the brick wall. 

            Kai said not a word of concern or apology to the girl currently plastered to his chest.  Instead, he frowned at his sister.  “Dad,” was the one word explanation before he lobbed his phone at Emma and turned to leave again. 

            Taken aback, Emma fumbled with the phone a minute before grabbing hold.  Then she stared at it in her hand for a moment a minute before taking a breath and bringing it to her ear.  Swallowing hard, she greeted with a hesitant, “Hello?”

            Switching the position of his hand from her arm to her wrist, Kai yanked Jing out of the room without giving her an alternative.  Jing only put up a second of struggle before a glance at Kai’s stony visage told her it would be a fruitless effort.  He didn’t stop until they were in the empty dining room, full view of the front porch.  “Don’t leave her side today.  Come find me if she tries to leave the inn or she starts stressing out.”

            “How bad is it?” Jing asked in her usual no nonsense way before she suddenly grinned and asked, “And how much alcohol should I order from town?”  it was in her nature. 

            Rubbing the throbbing vein at his temple, Kai sighed and leaned against the table a moment, unexpectedly letting down his guard.  “The Alphas are putting on pressure to get this resolved.  That Calvin kid is straining at the bit to head out for something and Ella won’t let him, which only makes him want to do it even more.  Emma is feeling cooped up and wants to work the café again even though she was almost killed there a few weeks ago.  The cats are sniping at each other with my wolves standing between them; sooner or later something’s going to implode.”  He clothes his eyes a second and took a deep breath, trying to get all the frustration he was feeling out in one long breath.  “By the way, thanks for handling the cougars last night.  I appreciate it.”

            Jing was troubled by the recognition, it was so unlike him.  “Hey, I didn’t…”

            “…do it for me, I know.  You did it for Xiu and the others,” Kai interrupted with a sigh, straightening up and pulled his fractured mask back on.  “Just take a genuine thank-you when you get it.”

            “You jerk,” punching him in the shoulder, which barely made an impression.  “I was going to say that I didn’t do it just for you and the betas, I did it for Ella and Emma too.  Everyone’s all got enough on your plates without the cats getting into a pissing contest on Holy Ground.  If I can ease some of the issues without blood being shed for no good reason, then it’s no skin off my back to do it.”  She gave him a look of extreme annoyance.  “And in case it has escaped your notice, my brothers also happens to be some of those wolves you mentioned being caught between the cats.  I don’t want to have to explain to my mother why I let my brothers get their tails bent out of shape.”

            Kai took the reprimand with a grin, “Alright, fine… I get it,” then shook his head.  “You really are quite wasted you know.”

            “What does that mean?” she demanded, offended by the observation.

            “You’d be better suited as a Beta; you do a lot more than some of them do.”

            Surprised and flattered, Jing stared back a moment then caught herself when he looked out the window to frown at the prowling cats around the perimeter.  There were shadows on Kai’s face now that hadn’t been there before and he appeared dull compared to his usual self.  “You okay?”

            “I’m fine,” he replied automatically.

            “Bull ,” she answered rather casually.  “If you’re fine, I’m the Gypsy Queen.”

            He gave her a reluctant smile, “Well your majesty, your brothers are currently…”

            “Hey seriously,” stopping him with a hand on his arm.  “Did you get any sleep last night?”

            He waved the concern away.  “I’m fine.”

            “That’s not an answer.”

            “There are things that needed to be handled.”

            “And you’re not the only one that can handle it,” she countered.

            “In most cases, true,” he conceded without ego, “But not in this instance.  There are certain responsibilities that cannot be delegated.“ 

            Silent for a moment, Jing considered his words carefully. “The Council?”

            Kai gave her a look that was part admiration, part annoyance.  “You’re getting too good at this.”

            She grinned back at him and leaned against sideboard.  “It’s what happens when you’ve got 3 Betas in the family that don’t know when to shut up and not discuss pack business at the dinner table.” 

            “Remind me to have a word with them.”

            “Please do,” she replied cheerfully.  “It irritates Mom.”

            He gave her another reluctant smile and allow himself a moment to breathe in peace. 

            Jing frowned, unhappily concerned now.  “You should take a nap or something.  Get your head back into the game.  Plus you look like hell.”

            Unable to rise to the bait, Kai merely shook his head.  “I’ve got patrol in 30 minutes.”

            “I can do the patrol for you,” she offered, surprising even herself but refused to take it back.  “Who’s your patrol partner?”

            “You’re not doing patrol,” he informed her in no uncertain terms.

           “It’s just patrol,” she argued.  It was an old argument; one that’s she’s won a few times and lost a few times. 

            “Not now it isn’t,” he told her seriously.  “And no one, not even me, is to move between the towns alone.  Alphas are cracking down on watch.  Ella and Emma have both stated that this isn’t going away and there’s at least a few more fights coming.”

            She didn’t tell him what Emma said, it would only make things worse.  “Then get someone to take your watch.  You need to rest if you’re going to be effective.  And I’ll have Ella make the request if you won’t listen to me.”

            Kai smirked, his face suddenly taking on more light.  “I don’t take orders from my sister.”

            “Oh please,” she waved away the thought, “Ella never issues orders.  She merely prods and suggests.  All she has to do is put words into the right ear for it to become an order.”    

            A quizzical frown marred his brows a moment as Kai studied her face before approaching.  His long limbs moved purposefully as he loomed over her, causing her to lean away and eyed him warily.  “Where is all this concern coming from?”  The smirk turned just a touch.  “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you care.”

            “Don’t be an ,” shoving him in the shoulder with one hand.  “Of course I’m worried.”  She poked him in the chest.  “Your neglect of your personal health could endanger people in my life, myself included.”

            He leaned in, caging her between his arms as he braced himself on the sideboard behind her.  Kai’s predatory eyes searched her face a moment.  “Would you care if something happened to me?”

            She leaned back little more, trying to convince herself that she was wary and not excited when her heart sped up a notch.  “You’re not going to kiss me again, are you?”

            Dark eyes flickered down to her lips  a second before he leaned in another inch.  “Do you want me to?”

            The answer was much more complicated than it should have been and she chose not to answer it.  “Why did you kiss me that morning?”

            Kai backed away, the shutters in his eyes coming back down again.  “You want an honest answer?”

            With a little more room to please, Jing let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and ignore the flicker of disappointment.  “Honesty would be nice.”

            He sighed, eyed her with displeasure as if he had been hoping for a contrary reply, and leaned against the dining room table.  “I don’t know.”

            She glared at him.  “Thanks a lot.”

            “Honest answer,” he assured her in all seriously.  “I don’t know why I did it.  It could have been a number of things.  Impulse, instinct, insanity… I don’t know.” He sounded as frustrated as she felt.  “I just…” he looked at her with an unsettling frown.  “Nick saw me leave your place that day.”

            That was news to Jing.  “What did he say?”

            “Nothing of consequence,” Kai replied tiredly, suddenly looking drained again.  “He asked why I was there and I told him I wouldn’t mess around with his sister.  Emma walked in literally 30 seconds later.” 

            “You didn’t tell him about what Emma said, did you?” which would go a long way to explain her brothers’ recent increased vigilance over her. 

            He gave her a look.  “This is Nick we’re talking about.”

            “Right,” Jing rolled her eyes.  Of course her too-smart brother would have picked up on it right away.  “Anything else I should know about?”

            Kai’s eyes were dark with concern and was touched with a hint of confusion.  “I meant I said to him,” he informed her, “I’m loyal to my friends, I wouldn’t screw around with their sister.  It’s not in my nature.”

            She nodded, accepting what everyone already knew: Kai was loyal to a fault.  “Then why did you kiss me?”

            He shook his head.  “I don’t know.  I can’t even begin to explain why.”

            “Probably insanity then,” Jing said and shrugged, so ready to get out of the room.

            He snagged her arm as she passed him.  “I’m just trying to be honest with you here.  I just don’t know how to…”

            Ella rushed into the room, one hand clutched around the phone and her eyes sparking with fire.  She stopped short at seeing the two, then raised a brow at the hand Kai still on Jing’s arm.  He dropped it like a hot stone.  “Am I interrupting?”

            “What’s wrong?” Kai and Jing asked at the same time, clearly both intent on ignoring her question.

            “Emma and I need to make a trip home.  Alpha’s orders,” she spat out in frustration.

            “Seriously?” Jing asked in disbelief.  “Is it a good idea for you guys to be traveling right now?  Even between the towns?”

            Making a helpless, ‘I can’t do anything about this’ gesture, Ella shook her head and wanted to fling the phone across the room.  “I can’t reason with him.  He literally ordered us back.”  She took a breath, trying to calm her agitation.  “But I don’t plan on spending the night there so we have to move fast, in and out before nightfall.”

            “I’ll get the Betas and the car,” Kai announced as he got up.  “Full convoy.”

            For once, Ella didn’t fight it.  She turned to Jing, “You’re coming too.”

            “Why?” horrified by the thought of going to the Alpha House.

            “Because I say so,” Ella replied firmly then turn to Kai.  “Full convoy plus Calvin and Pets – they have to come with us.  No cats.  Leave the other packs here to guard sanctuary – tell them to be on guard, too many pieces are moving right now and I can’t see it clearly.  I’m leaving Fei here so call Bernice at the café to help.  I need Chun and Wes to stay with Sean.  Sean doesn’t leave the inn, ever.”  She emphasized the word and gave her brother a look not to be questioned.

            “Fine,” Kai replied and looked at his watch, it was almost two.  “We gotta go if we want to not be on the road at sundown.”

            “God…” Ella rubbed her head in frustration.  “I don’t need this right now.”

            “None of us do,” Jing agreed with a frown. 

            “Where’s Emma?” Kai asked as he pulled his phone out and mass texted the Betas to meet out front in 2 minutes.  He’s still got to deal with the cats too.

            “Xiu took her to get armed,” Ella replied and took a breath.  “I sent Calvin upstairs to tell the others and to get Pets.  For now, I need him to stay close.  Chun is going to argue it but I can’t deal with that right now.  He’ll be needed to keep Sean here.”  She glanced at the window and blanked out a second before coming to.  “…” she frowned.  “Change in plans: full convoy minus Bass and Sam.  Keep them at the café.”  She rubbed her head again.  “Okay… that’ll work,” muttering to herself a moment before looking at Kai.  “I’m going to grab my spare just in case and meet you up front,” then bolted from the room before Kai could respond.

            Jing shook her head.  “She can’t save everyone.”

            “But she’s going to try,” Kai replied as he headed out the door.  “It’s in her nature.”

To be continued….

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Author’s Note:  Sorry for the horrible delay.  Lots of things happening in my life so I wasn’t able to concentrate on writing.  Things are calming down now so hopefully there won’t be such a huge gap between updates.  Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.