FRACTURED (31 page)

“Exactly,” Alan replied with a halfhearted chuckle. “I'll see you two later.”

Alan slipped out of the apartment door, shutting Cooper and me in with the CF of the day.

“Eye situation?” Cooper inquired, his tone dubious.

“I'm down to four of my five senses.
That
situation,” I delicately told him. “I can't see, Cooper. I'm going blind.”

30

His emotions assailed me. Before he said another word, he turned the TV

up to the loudest possible volume that still allowed me to hear him. He came to kneel before me, his large hands encircling mine delicately, prying my cell phone away. With my hands free, they wandered up to his face, exploring it slowly, working their way across every line and crevice.

“Talk to me, Ruby. What the fuck is going on?”

“I woke up this morning and everything was gone. All I can make out is general outlines,” I told him, getting choked up. “I can't see the detail in your face at all.”

“So the blurry vision last night...?”

“Was a precursor to this, I imagine. In fact, a lot of things are starting to make sense, actually. Walking into walls. My eyes constantly feeling tired and weak. Something is truly wrong with Scarlet, Cooper.

Wherever she is, she's fading away.”

Before he could reply, my phone sprang to life, demanding our collective attention.

“Hello?” Cooper snipped. He didn't love being interrupted. “Who is this? No, not until you tell me who this is.”

“Cooper,” I called, reaching out for the phone. I had an inkling that I knew just who it was, and with Cooper home, I felt way more confident about getting those answers. Cooper was going to want them too.

He didn't argue, just slipped the Blackberry into my hand.

“Hello? Gavin?”

“He's very testy,” Gavin sneered. “If he wants to control a pack, he's going to need to get a hold of those emotions of his.”

“Yeah, well, we all have faults. Some of us are hotheads; others are creepy, evasive assholes. I'd call it even at the end of the day.”

“I'm disappointed that you trust me so little that you would call in the cavalry, Ruby. I don't know how many times I have to tell you―I'm not the enemy.”

“Then start acting like a fucking ally and tell me what you know,” I fumed.

Cooper came to sit beside me, wanting to hear all that he could of the conversation. That, or whisk the phone from me once he got pissed off enough to start laying down the law to the old man.

“Ruby, you need to understand that some of what I keep from you is in your best interest. Not everything can come out at once. It would just be too much for you.”

“That sounds oddly familiar.”

“Do
not
presume to lump me in with
him
. My truths will be revealed in time. His won't. That is the difference between me and him.”

“The only difference?” I asked, baiting him.

“Hardly.”

“Whatever, Gavin, enough stalling. I want to know how you knew what was going on, and better yet, how you knew I was blind before.”

I could hear him take a deep breath in preparation, but nothing came. No explanation followed. Then I heard Ginger in the background, urging him to tell me.
So she knows too...

“I will answer the latter question first. Probably best to start there,”

he started, sounding controlled once again. “I knew you were blind before, Ruby, because I've known you since you were a child. Since the day you were born.”

I felt the blood drain from my face. It couldn't be true.

“I knew your parents, Ruby. Very well.”

My blood ran cold.

“As for why I feared it was happening again, let's just say that I did my best to keep tabs on Scarlet while you were
indisposed
.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “She's a very devious creature. You need to get a better handle on that one.” Another pause. “If you're ever afforded the opportunity.”

I was in shock, and given the lack of commentary from my alpha, he was too. That was a whole lot of shit to absorb in a matter of a few seconds, and it really only begged further questions rather than provide answers.

Gavin knew what had happened during those three weeks, and I could tell he wasn't going to give that up easily. It also meant he lied to me.

“You lying shit!” I spat, wishing I could storm down there and punch him square in his arrogant old face. “You told me you hadn't seen me for a while on the docks that day, but you really knew exactly where I was, or at least where Scarlet was, the whole time!”

“I didn't lie,” he replied, sounding truly affronted. “I told you I hadn't seen you around
here
for a while, which I hadn't. That's hardly a lie.”

“Splitting hairs much? You should have told me right then and you know it.”

“And what would that have accomplished, Ruby? You were already traumatized enough and had plenty on your plate. What I know about Scarlet will keep for now. I promise that when the time is right, I will let you know.”

My hands shook with anger, but I knew that there was no way to get him to tell me. I had no leverage in the situation whatsoever, and though it was maddening, that was my reality. I'd have to suck it up and play nice with Gavin until then.

Cooper seemed far less inclined to follow that game plan. He snatched the phone away from me.

“Listen here, you slimy shit! You're going to tell me right now how to fix this fucking mess, understand? If you don't, I'm going to make your life immensely painful. We
all
will.”

I heard Cooper's breathing speed up as he listened to whatever Gavin was saying. When my phone crashed into the wall behind me, I could only assume that he wasn't too thrilled with the outcome of his conversation.

“Mother Fucker!” he yelled, pacing away from me toward the kitchen. “Who the fuck was that guy?”

I sighed, not wanting to have to explain to Cooper about the man I had no answers about.

“Remember the old guy who left the note...?”

“Yes,” he asked with dubious inflection.

“So, he's not
really
an old guy.”

“Am I going to enjoy this story?”

“No. Probably not. I don't love it much myself,” I replied nervously.

“Here's the short of it. Gavin is the Chameleon.”

That didn't ring any supernatural bells for Cooper.

“And...?”

“He's kinda stalking me, but I can't tell if it's a good or bad thing.

He knows so much about me, Cooper, even where Scarlet went while she held me captive. The strangest thing about him is that he seems to be on a mission to pry me apart from Sean, though I have no clue why. Those two have a history of some sort. He's constantly feeding me half-facts about Sean and who he really is. I don't know what to make of the whole thing.”

“What's his end game?” Cooper asked, anger rolling off of him freely.

“I don't know. That's what I'm trying to figure out.”

“Will he try to harm you?”

“That's the thing, Coop. I don't think he wants to...not physically anyway. He's really fucking with my head though.”

“I want you to stay away from him.”

“And I would love to do that, Cooper, but it's impossible. He pops up everywhere I am when the mood suits him.”

“Well then, he and I are going to have a little come-to-Jesus talk.”

“I think that's a bad idea. He's the one with the answers that I need.

You can't off him. Not yet, anyway.”

“I wouldn't count on that if I were you.”

“Seriously, Cooper. If you want to try to scare him a bit or intimidate him, that's fine. But I need the truth about Sean and other things. I need him alive.”

“What other things?”

I blew out a heavy breath before answering.

“In my purse, there's a picture that he gave me. It's of me and some woman I don't recognize, for obvious reasons. He knows who she is.

Apparently, Sean does too. He's trying to force me to show it to Sean for answers, but I don't trust his motives. I haven't done it yet. I'm hoping that if I'm stubborn enough, Gavin will tell me.”

“That sounds like a promising plan,” he replied sarcastically, getting up from the couch to retrieve the photo in question. “She's beautiful.”

“I know.”

“And you have no idea who she could be?”

“She could be anyone, Coop. I have no way to narrow it down...”

“I don't know,” he said sadly, shaking his head. “I don't like this plan.”

“You never like my plans,” I chuckled, knowing that perhaps he was right not to.

“After last night, can you blame me?”

Before I could reply, a knock at the door startled us both.

“Everything okay in there?” Alistair called from outside the door.

“We're fine, Ali. You can come in.”

“NO!” Cooper roared, moving toward the door.

“Cooper, we're going to have to tell them sooner or later,” I said aloud, giving him a wink that I prayed he saw. When he didn't argue any further, I assumed he had.

I heard Alistair enter the room tentatively, coming to sit in the recently repositioned armchair.

“We heard shouting,” he said cautiously.

“Cooper was upset with me,” I said, looking to the door where Cooper still stood. “I did something stupid as always. He's worried that I may have really done some damage this time.”

“What?” Ali asked worriedly.

“I've been taking too much medication, and it seems to have seriously affected my vision. I can't see a thing right now,” I told him carefully. “Cooper is worried that I may have done permanent damage.”

“But how? Was there silver in it?”

I had planned to let slip that Scarlet and I didn't heal the same way that he or other werewolves did. Cooper and I had agreed to keep as much information regarding my differences away from the boys, but it was all I could think of in the moment. I hadn't even thought of playing the silver card, but thanks to Alistair, I had the perfect out.

“No, not the meds, but the drops I put in my eyes to help the blurriness did. I honestly didn't even think when the lady at the health food store suggested colloidal silver.”

“You put bloody silver in your eyes?” he gasped, shooting out of his chair. “Have you gone mad?”

“Ali, I'm still new at all this shit! You've had guidance all along. I didn't get that until recently. You can't plan for every hazard.”I could feel his uncertainty with my well-being. It warmed me slightly on a day that not much could. “I'm sure it'll be fine. Please don't worry. I need to talk to Coop about something personal though. Do you mind?”

“'Course not, love,” he replied, a sad smile plaguing his voice. “I'll let the others know, if that's all right?” His question was clearly aimed at Cooper.

“You may. But I don't want them down here fussing over her. She needs to rest and heal. If she can.”

“Right. Will do.”

Cooper shut the door behind Alistair as he left, then made his way over to me.

“You do need to rest,” he ordered, helping me off the couch. “Let's take you to bed.” He started leading me down the hall, but I stopped him part way, something eating at me that I couldn't quite work out.

“Cooper, we've thought all along that Scarlet was trapped away in whatever dark corner of my mind she locked me up in, right?”

“Yeah...”

“What if she's not hiding away at all? What if she's disappearing?

Dying
?”

“She can't. That doesn't make any sense. She's part of you.”

“I know she is, but I don't feel
anything,
Cooper. Nothing from her, and I haven't since she let me out. I told Sean that maybe since trauma let her out, trauma shut her away again, but I'm starting to wonder if that is even what's going on.”

“Explain.”

“The mate bond, it's intense, right?”

“Well, I don't know firsthand, but I've seen it. I guess that's a fair estimation”

“Did you ever see that bond broken?” I asked, hoping he would have answers that could shed light on the mystery shrouding Scarlet's disappearance.

“I did. Once.” His voice sounded distant and mournful.

“What happened?” I prodded nervously.

He swallowed hard.

“He killed himself afterward. He couldn't handle the loss.”

Silence weighed heavily between us.

“What if that's what Scarlet is doing? What if she's slowly fading away? From grief?”

“But that doesn't make any sense. They were
just
newly mated. The wolves I knew had been together for decades. Surely that must factor into things.”

“You didn't feel her pain, Cooper. Before she shut me out, it was unbearable. The rage and grief were stifling.”

“But it's completely unlike her, Ruby. She's cunning, shrewd, and highly attached to living, if I recall correctly. She wouldn't crawl into a corner and die. No way. That bitch will go down fighting every time.”

I wasn't so sure.

“But what if she couldn't fight? What if she had no outlet for it?” I asked, wondering how someone so ill-equipped to deal with emotion of that kind would do without something, or someone, to take it out on.

“Alistair killed his alpha because his bond with Jemma had been severed.

Once he knew who the guilty party was, he tore him apart without thinking twice. Scarlet couldn't really do that given the circumstances.

She had no one to claim her vengeance on.”

“Maybe, but I still don't believe she would just walk away into the abyss of your mind. It's just not her nature.”

“I don't think she's quite as callous as you make her out to be, Cooper. And it explains everything. My sight repaired the very moment I Changed. Why else would it disappear other than as a direct result of
her
disappearing?”

“Fuck!” he yelled, smashing his fist into the wall beside him. “This just can't be happening. It can't.”

“I want to agree with you, Coop, but something Gavin said only further cements my theory,” I argued softly, not wanting to upset him any more than I already had. “He said that I needed to get control of her in the future,
if
I was ever afforded the opportunity. I think he means
if
she's still around to get control of at all. That has to be it, Cooper. You know what I'm saying makes sense.”