CHAPTER 1

Confession

Eliot had pulled his phone out and started to dial Nati, for the third time. But again, he just shoved the phone back in his pocket and paced around the roof top garden. It had only been a few days since Christmas, and Nate, Sophie, and Gemma would all be leaving soon. He wanted to get the amulets handed out but that meant straightening things out with Nati first. He walked slowly around the edge of his garden trying to think of the best way to handle things.

His garden was bedded down for the winter. Straw and netting provided protection for the plants that stayed year-round but weren't quite sturdy enough to survive winter on their own. He wished his pack was as easily protected.

With a sigh he pulled out his phone again.

"Want me to call her?"

Eliot's head snapped around at the sound of Quinn's voice. "How long you been there?"

Quinn took the last couple of steps to get up onto the rooftop and closed the door. "Not long." He tapped at his belly. "Just thought I'd check and see what was happening."

"Nothing's happening." Eliot growled.

Quinn pulled out his own phone and tapped at the screen. He held the phone in front of him since Eliot would be able to hear the call regardless.

"Who is this?" Nati's Irish accent was clear.

"This is Quinn." He watched as Eliot arched an eyebrow at him.

"Quinn? Should I be knowin' ye Quinn?" Nati sounded amused.

With the sigh of a man resigned to something unpleasant Quinn answered. "I guess you should. I'm…"

Eliot cut in before Quinn could say something that would tilt this conversation into dangerous territory. "He's one of mine Nati."

Now it was Quinn's turn to give Eliot a look.

"Eliot? What's going on here?"

"Ms. Ossory, it looks like I've put my pack in a bind." Quinn glanced nervously at Eliot.

"How is that lad?"

"There was a secret I'd been keeping from my Alpha. I want that to be clear because I don't want you to think that Eliot's known and hasn't told you."

"I'm not liking the tone of this." Nati grumbled. "Eliot do ye care to explain?"

"Actually, I'll do the explaining." Quinn swallowed hard. "I'm the one that killed Caroline Ossory and left her body at your door."

The gasp and strangled cry that Nati made was clear over the phone and made both men flinch.

"You…" Nati tried to speak but couldn't.

"I'm sorry." Quinn felt Eliot's eyes on him. "I'm sorry for the pain it's caused you." He wasn't sorry for having done his job but with Paige and Julio's advice he was able to find a way forward.

"I… I just…" Nati hung up.

Eliot stared at Quinn's phone. Quinn stared at Eliot.

"That went better than I hoped for." Quinn quirked a nervous smile at Eliot.

"What did you think it would go like?"

"I don't know. I never really apologized for something like that before."

Eliot's phone started ringing and he pulled it from his pocket with a look that said he'd rather be handling a venomous snake. He hit the button to answer the call but didn't get a chance to say anything.

"What in bleedin' hell is goin' on over there?!" Ewen's angry voice barked from the phone speaker.

"How's Nati?" Eliot asked.

"She's refusing to tell me." Ewen bit back a wolf whine. "I felt such a wave in the bonds and when I got to the house she wouldn't open her door. All she'd say was 'Eliot's pack killed Caroline.' So what in fecking hell is going on?"

"Not the pack." Quinn moved closer. "It was me."

"And who…"

"Ewen, this is something Nati and I need to work out." Eliot frowned at Quinn.

"She's my Alpha." Ewen growled.

"And Quinn belongs to me." Eliot's tone was firm. "When she's ready have her call me."

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Eliot and Quin had waited a few minutes in the cold air of the garden but when no call came Eliot led the way back inside.

Hardison glanced up from his computer when he saw them at the top of the stairs. "What did we miss?"

Quinn rubbed at the back of his neck but didn't answer as he moved past Eliot and headed down the stairs into the kitchen. He'd just pulled a beer from the fridge when Parker dropped from the beams behind him.

"Did you say sorry?"

Quinn flinched and his eyes went bright blue. "I did."

"Sorry for what?" Nate asked from his spot in the living room.

Quinn looked around at all of the faces looking at him. "I'm the one that killed Natali Ossory's sister."

Gemma looked confused but the rest of the pack flinched.

"That's bad." Parker frowned.

Quinn shrugged. He spoke to Parker, but his voice was pitched so that everyone else would hear him just fine. "I was doing my job. I can't honestly say I'm sorry for that. I've been thinking about it though and I am sorry for the pain it caused."

"I meant that it's going to cause trouble with Nati." Parker followed Quinn to the couch.

He nodded as he sat.

Eliot's phone rang. "Speaking of." He held the phone in front of him. "Nati, are you okay?"

"Aye dear boy." Nati sounded subdued. "I just needed a minute to collect mehself."

Eliot waited, unsure what to say.

"Of all the places I expected to find Caroline's killer, it wasn't in yer pack."

"I'm sorry."

"Aye, I suppose you are. If ye dinnea mind I'd like to speak with Quinn."

"He's here. Keep in mind Nati that he's one of mine."

"I have neh forgotten." Nati paused a second. "Quinn would ye mind telling me a few things."

"I'll tell you whatever I can." Quinn had walked over to stand next to Eliot.

"I imagine you were hired for the job?"

"Yes ma'am. I was hired by Jean Chastel."

There was a barely audible whine from Nati. "I knew the bastard was responsible. No matter how much he denied it." She took a steadying breath. "Did Caroline suffer?"

"No. It was a quick, clean death." Quinn could feel eyes on him and glanced around before focusing back on Eliot's phone.

"And how much was my sister worth?"

Eliot heard the growl in Nati's tone and used a look and the bonds to stop Quinn. "Nati, that's not a fair question."

Nati growled in earnest for a moment. "Yer right. Now what was it that brought all of this to light?"

"The amulets." Eliot glanced at Quinn. "I was concerned about giving Quinn an amulet that has your magic in it."

"Aye, you were afraid it would give me a connection I could use to get my revenge." Nati sighed. "Much as I'd like, I know better than to blame the sword instead of the swordsman."

"Do you want the amulets back?" Eliot waited and he thought he heard Nati hum or possibly mutter something. "Nati?"

"No dear boy." She sighed again. "And if it would lay your concerns it's not my magic in the working. Abby is the one that did the working, and she is too kind a spirit te do the things I've done."

"Thank you Nati."

"Can I be askin' a special favor of ye?"

"Of course you can ask." Eliot couldn't begin to guess what she would want other than Quinn's hide tacked to her wall. And she could ask, but he knew he wouldn't give Quinn to Nati no matter what.

"May I come to see ye in person?" Nati's tone was full of entreaty. "I promise no harm to you or yours and no harm to any others yer pack holds dear."

Eliot looked face to face around the room. "You are welcome to come. When can I expect you?"

"Would tomorrow mornin' be too great an inconvenience?"

Eliot looked at Hardison. Hardison nodded and gave him a thumbs up. "That'll be fine. Let me know what time and I'll pick you up from the airport."

"Ewen will be in touch."

Eliot heard the call disconnect but stared at his phone for another second.

"Well that was unexpected." Sophie rose from her armchair. "Are you sure it's safe given everything that's happened?"

"I trust Nati to keep her word while she's here. After that…" Eliot shrugged.

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Gemma could tell that Eliot was brooding as he chopped through vegetables at a blinding speed. Despite the speed and precision, it just looked like he was thinking hard about something else. Gemma had tried to draw him into conversation but it quickly became clear that he was determined to think through things in his own time.

Gemma watched as the pack settled into different tasks and routines. Nate, Parker, and Hardison were huddled over Hardison's computer and seemed to be looking at possibilities for the next job. Sophie had resumed her armchair and was flipping through a fashion magazine while keeping tabs on Nate mostly. Quinn had disappeared to his room for a few minutes but had come back to join Gemma at the counter near Eliot.

"Nati is an old friend right?" Gemma looked from Eliot to Quinn.

"I've never met her." Quinn shrugged.

"Nati's been a friend for a long time." Eliot shoved the sliced vegetables off of the cutting board into a bowl. "Taught me how to control the wolf."

"The Bla…" Quinn choked back his words. "She's the one that turned you?"

"No." Eliot pulled several cuts of meat from the fridge. "One of Chastel's men turned me by accident. Nati, well Ewen really, taught me how to control the wolf."

"But I heard rumors that you were the one that killed Chastel." Quinn drummed his fingers on the counter.

"Yep." Eliot glanced at Quinn and snorted. "Chastel was never my Alpha. He wanted to get me under his control for a lot of reasons. But I had no ties to him."

"But if his man turned you, the bonds should have brought you under his control." Quinn scowled.

"Traditional werewolf bonds have only ever given our man here a passing glance." Hardison interjected as he went to the fridge to pull out an orange soda.

Eliot rolled his eyes and started slicing the first cut of meat into thin strips. "Nati says it happens sometimes." He shrugged. "I tried to help her take down Chastel not too long after we met but the old bastard got away." A growl rumbled in Eliot's chest.

"And you aren't afraid that she'll hurt Quinn when she gets here?" Gemma frowned.

Eliot looked carefully at Quinn. "No. She won't hurt Quin." He looked at Gemma with a soft smile. "Wolves generally tell the truth, and old wolves get really hung up on it being tied to their honor and whatever. Regardless, I'll pick Nati up tomorrow and her and I will talk. If she's on the up and up then I'll bring her here."

"And if she's not?" Nate asked as he leaned against the counter near Gemma.

"Then she'll have to leave. You guys are my pack. Nati is a friend. She's been a good friend, but she's not pack." Eliot gestured casually with his knife before he went back to slicing meat.

. ͽϿ Ѻ Ͼͼ .

Eliot figured that Nati must have hung up with him yesterday on her way to the airport. Her flight was arriving in Portland at six a.m. and Eliot had taken Lucille to get there on time.

Gemma and Quinn had both been awake when he'd left the pub, and both had offered to go with him. But this was a meeting that he didn't want to risk anyone else on. He was sure that Nati would stick to her word and no one would get hurt but his wolf wouldn't settle until he heard the words from Nati again when she would be close enough to smell.

He parked Lucille and made it into the airport just in time to see Nati and Ewen headed toward him down the main concourse. He wasn't surprised to see Ewen. Years ago, when they'd first told him about Caroline, he'd had the impression that Caroline meant more to Ewen personally than the average member of his pack.

Eliot waited for them to come to him. "Natali Ossory, Ewen McEllen, be welcome in my territory." He gave them the formal greeting.

"I promise no harm to you or yours." Nati gave Eliot a tired smile.

Eliot quirked a half smile at the scent of truth and pulled Nati into a hug. "I'm sorry."

Nati stepped back and Ewen stepped forward with a firm handshake.

"How are Abby and the girls?" Eliot asked.

"Well, the girls have settled in, and grown like weeds. And Abby is fantastic as always." No one could miss the happy pride Ewen felt when talking about his family.

Eliot turned for the exit and they followed him. As they traversed the parking lot, Eliot couldn't help noticing the subdued feeling. "So Nati, why the trip? Why come all the way here if you aren't planning on murdering Quinn with your own hands?"

"I can't say yet." She gave him an apologetic look. "Depending on how things go I might be able to tell ye later."

Eliot stopped and turned to Nati. "Then maybe I should take you back inside." He crossed his arms.

A growl started to rumble in Nati's chest. "I've already promised nay harm. What more can ye be wanting?"

Eliot let his eyes go yellow and he could feel his wolf sizing Nati up. "I want the truth. Why are you here Nati?"

The volume of Nati's growl increased.

Ewen stepped forward and laid a hand on his Alpha's shoulder. The sound of Nati's growl cut off. "She can't tell ye Eliot. Whether she'd want to or not, she's bound."

"I'm sorry lad." Nati sighed and looked at Eliot. "I dinnae mean te be so outa sorts. It's just this whole thing with Cary and Quinn… it's taken the spit right outa me."

Eliot pulled the wolf back and let his eyes go back to their normal blue. "What do you mean bound?" He looked back and forth at them. "Nati are you in some kind of trouble?"

"Remember me telling you that I was made a wolf by a black witch?" Nati arched an eyebrow.

Eliot nodded.

"Holdin' me to life wasn't all she did. But I can't talk about it except under certain circumstances."

Eliot could smell Natali's frustration as she tried to tell him about it. "Okay. But if you can talk about it later you will?"

"Aye lad." She gave Eliot's arm a squeeze.

Eliot led them to Lucille and Nati climbed into the front passenger seat.

"I'm guessing you want to go right to the pub?" Eliot asked as they pulled into the line of cars headed for the exit.

"That would be grand." Ewen stretched across the back seat.

"I can offer you my houseboat, Hardison's already got hotel reservations ready, or you're welcome at the pub." Eliot had been debating with himself about offering them one of the guest rooms in the loft. Nati had sworn no harm and Eliot believed her, so while his human logic said it was better to keep Nati and Ewen at a distance the wolf was fine with keeping them in the pack house as usual.

"Let's see how the rest settles before we decide." Nati leaned her head back with her eyes closed.

~~o0o~~

Eliot was unsurprised to see Quinn and Parker waiting for them on the loading dock. He parked Lucille and stepped out into the chilly morning air.

"Everyone else upstairs?"

"Made sense to keep the others out of it as much as possible." Quinn shrugged.

"Whatever it is." Parker grumbled.

Eliot pulled Parker into a hug chafing her arms in hopes of warming her up. "I'll fix hot cocoa later." He pressed a quick kiss to the top of her head before letting her go.

Eliot smiled a little when he saw Quinn close ranks with him, pushing Parker a little behind them. Quinn took his responsibilities as a protector of their pack seriously and Eliot appreciated it.

Nati and Ewen waited at the stairs to the loading dock but made no move to follow Eliot up.

"Nati, Ewen, this is Quinn. Please…" He gestured for them to join them on the dock.

Nati and Ewen both came forward, but Nati hesitated in front of Quinn. "May I?"

"May you what?" Quinn frowned. He'd expected screaming, crying, name calling, and any other kind of rash behavior. He certainly wasn't expecting polite calmness.

"May I approach?"

"She wants to touch you." Parker leaned around Quinn's side.

Nati gave Parker a smile. "True." She looked at Quinn. "I've already promised your Alpha, I'll not harm you."

Quinn nodded.

Nati stepped closer and ran light fingertips across Quinn's shoulders and arms. She ran her fingers up the sides of his neck across his cheeks and up into his hair.

At the feel of cool fingers in his hair, Quinn stepped back with a little growl. The touch of an unfamiliar Alpha was already making him uncomfortable but the feel of cold fingers in his hair was the last straw.

Nati stepped back. "I didnae mean te make ye uncomfortable."

Quinn stopped growling but didn't say anything.

Nati turned with a smile and a nod at Ewen. "He's the one."

Ewen stepped forward. "I want to hear it from you." He glared at Quinn.

Quinn kept an eye on Ewen and used an arm to scoot Parker closer to Eliot. "I killed Caroline Ossory."

Ewen punched Quinn hard enough to stagger him back.

Quinn spit to the side and straightened. He touched a finger to his lips and showed the blood to Ewen.

Eliot moved between Ewen and Quinn. "What the hell Nati?!"

Eliot's demand overlapped Nati's order. "Ewen, back off!" Nati shoved Ewen hard enough that he slid off the edge of the loading dock. She glared at Ewen and it was clear that it was Nati's will and control through the pack bonds that was making it hard for Ewen to rise. Nati turned to face Eliot stepping in front of Ewen. "My apologies."

"El, it's okay. I'm not hurt." Quinn spoke softly over Eliot's shoulder.

Eliot glanced at Ewen who looked like he was in pain as he came back up the steps of the loading dock. He could tell, through the bonds, that physically Quinn was nearly done healing already and that he hadn't been in the least surprised by the attack. Eliot turned a glare on Nati. "I thought I could trust your word. You promised no harm. I didn't think we had to negotiate every detail like enemies."

"Again, my apologies." She glared over her shoulder at Ewen until Ewen tilted his head to expose his neck and dropped to one knee. "Nothing like it will happen again." Nati looked from Eliot to Quinn.

. ͽϿ Ѻ Ͼͼ .

Things had been awkward at first but eventually Nati had settled into pleasant conversation with the rest of the pack. Ewen sat next to Nati and would speak when spoken to but the tilt of his head, exposing his neck, and his general demeanor made it clear Nati was still unhappy with him.

Quinn leaned against the kitchen island and watched. He cringed a little at Ewen's posture. He remembered what it felt like to be under someone else's control and to be made an example of. He thanked his lucky stars that he had the pack he did. Although now and again having an order to obey always settled his wolf.

Quinn watched the way the rest of the pack interacted with Nati and Ewen. "They've all known each other a while now huh?"

The question had been very quiet but Eliot had heard it. He sniffed the sauce he was stirring and added a little salt. "They met her, I think, four years ago. Knew about her couple a years before that."

"Why'd they come? Now I mean." Quinn glanced at Eliot. "I get Ewen taking that swing at me. But who takes an eighteen hour plane ride just to hit someone?"

"Nati implied there's more to it but she hasn't said what exactly. Says she's bound and can only talk about it at certain times."

"Convenient." Quinn grumbled.

Eliot snorted. "There's nothing about this that's convenient."

"They staying here?"

"Mostly up to you I think." Eliot gave the sauce another stir and set it to the side. "I've offered them my houseboat or a hotel if you'd rather." He wiped his hands on a towel before heading to the fridge.

"Why are you putting this on me?" Quinn's eyes flashed blue.

"You're the one in the center of this. Ewen already hit ya and Nati's been more than a little weird, so if you don't think you'll be able to settle with them here then I'll put them up somewhere else."

"Couldn't you just make it an order?"

Eliot arched an eyebrow. "What makes you think I can order Nati to do a damned thing?"

"No, me." Quinn couldn't help the small smile. "Couldn't you just order me to be okay with things; to like your friends and get over it?"

Eliot shuddered at the thought. "No." He set a flat of eggs on the counter harder than he intended and winced when he heard a couple of the eggs crack. "I can't tell you how wrong that sounds to me. You aren't a puppet or a slave. You're pack and you can feel how you like, even when I disagree with it."

Quinn nodded.

Gemma came up behind Quinn and rubbed a soothing hand across the back of Quinn's shoulder. She smiled at Eliot as she settled into the chair near Quinn. "And do you disagree with whatever it is you two are talking about?"

"We were talking about sleeping arrangements." Quinn gave Gemma's shoulder a squeeze.

Gemma looked at Quinn with a frown. "You mean Nati and Ewen?"

Quinn nodded. "It would be easier if Eliot would just give me an order instead of making me decide."

"Suck it up butter cup." Gemma rocked to the side nudging Quinn with her shoulder. "Since when is life easy? Besides" She shuddered. "being ordered to do something you don't want to… even if the order makes it feel like you do want to… just gives me the heebie-jeebies."

Quinn rolled his eyes.

Nati had moved nearly silently, and to Quinn, it seemed like she'd just appeared at the other end of the counter. He flinched. Gemma slid her hand into his and he gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Let's not worry on sleepin' arrangements jest yet." Nati smiled and pretended that she hadn't noticed the way she'd caught Quinn by surprise.

"I'll have brunch ready in a few minutes and then after that maybe you can tell us a little more?" Eliot arched an eyebrow at Nati.