The Shepard's Agony (17 page)

Larry kissed the back of Elaine’s hand when she sniffled again, his face worried.

“Something’s come up and I can’t ignore it this time no matter what Bill says.” He gave Elaine a sympathetic look and Gwen was curious as to whether she even knew how her father felt about her.

“
What happened?”
she asked, fearful that something had been overlooked regarding David’s health.

Elaine’s sniffled again, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks. She was trying to hold back her crying, but it actually seemed to be making it worse.

“
The hunter …”
she started.

“David’s brother?” Gwen tensed.

Elaine shook her head. “Keith, his name is Keith.”

Gwen thought the poor woman was confused, maybe Jimmy had somehow hypnotized her and didn’t even know it? It had happened before in new vamps. “You mean Jimmy?”

“No
,” she sobbed.

“Gwen, it’s about the boy down there you … used to be with.”

Her entire body jerked back in shock. “David? What about him?” He couldn’t have done anything wrong to her, he was still unconscious!
And
, who was Keith?

“
His name is Keith!” Elaine shouted, answering her unasked questi
on.

“Who is she talking about?”

Larry shrugged helplessly, letting Elaine tell the res
t with a hiccup.

“He’s my son.”

Chapter Eleven

Gwen couldn’t
believe
that David,
her
David
, was connected to her pack in such a
way
.
It
was just unreal.

It wasn't just the strong mental connection she felt with him since he was turned, which she was still scared to think too much about, but he was blood related to someone here.

She stood in the kitchen, trying to prepare the potion Evey had instructed her to make, thinking about the time wasted trying to calm poor Elaine down.

Not that Elaine wasn’t worth the effort, but the longer she waited to give David his
potion
, the higher the risk that it wouldn’t work.

Gwen gave her some tea that had crushed sleeping pills in
it
. The poor woman was so distraught, she didn’t notice the taste difference before it knocked her right out.

Larry put her to bed and Gwen was now pouring her potion into a big mug. She wasn’t sure if the rest needed to be kept hot, but just in
case
, she put the burner on low to keep it warm.

She didn’t just want to give David his potion, she wanted to ask his brother if Elaine’s claims had any truth to them. She was sure they didn’t. David had told her himself that his mother died
during childbirth. While she knew that Elaine did have children at one point, it could be just some sort of mental breakdown after years of stress.

Walking down the steps, careful to not spill any of her potion, Gwen opened the thick door and let herself in.

Jimmy was huddled against the wall, the light touching his clothes was enough to make his body smoke, but not enough that it would hurt him.

He ignored her. There was the chain John had asked for tied around his ankle connected to a peg in the
wall
. Gwen shook her head at it before sitting with David.

His face was so peaceful, so much better once the blood had been cleaned off and his head bandaged.

Seeing his reminded her of
hers
. With a gentle
smile
, she scratched the bandage he’d applied above her nose before gently peeling it off to feel the damage.

Still tender. She was sure it had closed but wished she had a mirror to know for sure. Either way, she wasn’t going to wear it anymore. She was shocked it even stayed on after she changed and ran like mad through the woods.

She looked down into David’s face and wondered what it would be like running with him as a wolf. Would he like it as much as she did?

Gwen prayed Evey’s potion would work as she gently lifted his head and sat behind
him
, picking the mug off the floor when she found a comfortable
spot
.

She opened his mouth and poured a tiny bit inside. He
choked
. The sound terrified
her
, but she kissed his head, whispered that it would be over
soon
, and
continued
when the sound stopped. He choked on every little bit she poured down his throat until the mug was empty.

Gwen didn’t realize she was sweating until she wiped her brow
. She hated the thought of hurting him, but he needed to drink it.

She decided to give him some of the drink hourly, praying that it would keep him alive and sane through the change.

She knew she should probably go back upstairs to check on her potion, ask Evey for anything else that could be used, and see that Elaine was alright, but she didn’t move from her spot. She continued to cradle David’s head in her lap, running her fingers through his blond hair, willing his eyes to open.

They wouldn’t open. Of course not, she only just gave him his potion to
drink
. Even if its effects were nothing short of miraculous, it would still be too early for her to see any results.

She wished she hadn’t thrown him out of the truck, it was all her fault that he was laying there, sick and helpless, possibly
dying
. The very thought brought tears to her eyes. She tried to blink them back, but was soon wiping her cheeks on her sleeves.

She looked up and saw the hunter-turned-vampire staring at her curiously, his face turning red despite the dim lighting.

“
What do you want?”
she snarled, in no mood to feel any pity for him.

He was silent for a moment before cautiously speaking. “He used to tell me about you.”

His words halted her tears. “What?”

Jimmy stared at his brother sadly. “He used to tell me everything, so when he told me he was planning on leaving our circle it wasn’t really a surprise.”

Gwen felt her stomach launch itself into her throat. “He was going to stop?”

Jimmy nodded. “For you. It wasn’t the kind of thing he would tell our father, the man wouldn’t hear talk like that, but he told me about how he met the girl he always wanted to marry and he was going to leave the life for her.”

Girl he always wanted to marry.
The words made Gwen want to jump for joy and cry over her broken heart. She knew the rest of this story, he’d told it to her in the motel after he’d kissed her. He’d seen the crescent moon on her thigh, panicked, and did the only thing he could think of. He let his family attack her pack so that he
could
keep his cover, gain access to her during the attack and, in
turn
, keep her safe.

Over the last several hours she spent running around, it was easy to forget
that there were people in her pack that died because of his
decision
.
But
, looking down into his face, she knew for certain there was no way she could hate him for
it
.
Because
, really, what else could he do? Warn her pack so they could surprise his family? Admit to her that he knew what she was and then tell his father he betrayed them by giving away their
plan
? No matter what he
did
, something bad was going to happen. Something horrible did happen, but she didn’t hate him for it. She didn’t think she ever did.

The thought made her feel warm, like a weight had just been lifted, and she was glad for that.

But
, there was still another question she wanted to ask.

“When Elaine left—”

“Who?”

Oh right, he didn’t know her name.

“
The woman who was treating him, she’s a
nurse
.” Gwen stared into David’s face. “She said he was, or is, her son. What do you think of that?”

Jimmy sighed and stared up into the ceiling. “If that’s what she said then it’s probably true.”

She expected him to scoff, laugh, and then deny it. His easy admission was surprising. “What?”

“
Davey boy over
there
, isn’t my real brother. He never knew.”

“
He told me your
mother died giving birth to him,” she said, still shocked. So David really wasn’t a Shepard?

The new vampire still averted his eyes, but he shook his head. “Dad just told him that. I’m not even sure what happened
, one day the old man just came home and he had a toddler in his arms. Said he was our little brother,
David
, coming home to us. We never knew where he got
him
. We were in Vancouver at the time, we moved the next day and no one questioned him.”

I
t was true, not only was Garrett Shepard a dangerous hunter, but a baby snatcher
as
well. Any sympathy she felt over the loss of the man’s wife and son vanished in that instant. Poor Elaine, Gwen wondered how it had happened that she lost her baby and then managed to move on with her life.

And how had she recognized him? There were no
telltale scars or marks on his face or body that would identify him as her son so easily, the scars he had were ones that he’d been given from hunting, or so she
believed
. Perhaps David really resembles his natural father? And what happened to his natural father?

So many questions were running through her head, like how would David take the news when he woke up? Gwen was smart enough to know one thing out of all
this
; now that David had a connection to her pack, not just through
her
, but a real blood connection, Bill would have to show some lenience on him.

More often th
an not, whenever a hunter was captured the pack would either kill him or turn the hunter over to a
vampire
… or
anyone,
for that matter, willing to pay enough money for food that wouldn’t be missed among the general
population
. One Shepard would likely bring her pack a lot of money, not to mention two. Bill would at least have to evaluate David’s actions, past and present, and take Elaine into consideration before making his judgment, if she really was David’s mother.

However,
that still didn’t provide any protection for Jimmy.

As if sensing where her thoughts
were headed, he responded
with
, “I’ll be questioned soon, right?”

Gwen blinked. “What?” He was looking at her now, and then at David.

“Well, he won’t be answering your questions any time soon.”

Gwen stared into David’s sleeping face. That was right, he wouldn’t be, and they had one more hunter to take his place for that event. He wasn’t just bringing it up for something to talk about, he wanted something from her.

“
What do you propose?”
she asked. His mixed emotions of fear and hope confirmed her suspicion, she only wished she could sense what David was
thinking
. But, he was dreaming and that cut him off from her.

“
If I tell you how we found this place, you’ll let me
go
. Tonight.”

The request shocked her more than his perception. Of course she couldn’t let him go, the idea
that she would go against her pack was the stupidest thing she’d ever heard, but she also needed that information. Any mistake they made that could cost lives
and
, at the same
time
, be preventable was important to have.

What else could she do but tell him what he wanted to hear?

“Alright.”

He told her about Dianna, about how she came to them seeking help, and how they betrayed her in the end
. The wolf pelts were far more valuable than the measly amount of money Di had offered them.

When it was
over
, Gwen Zombie-walked out of the room. She could vaguely hear Jimmy calling out a reminder of her
promise
from behind
her
. She
just
nodded her head and waved her hand, pushing the door shut behind her.

What was she going to do?

Chapter Twelve

Evey had predicted
it
; if she couldn’t
even
find the
cabin
, then no other vamp could, there must be a
traitor
. Never in a million years would Gwen have ever suspected Di, her best friend since childhood.

Dianna was
never the smartest girl in the pack, or the bravest, but this,
this
just went beyond anything Gwen ever expected of her, not in a good way either.

She walked with her head down, biting on her lip, trying to think of something,
anything
that could be done. Should she confront her and see if she would deny
it
or go straight to her father? No matter what happened, the truth would eventually come
out
. And if Jimmy was telling the
truth
, Di would be banished from the
pack
.
And that
was only if Bill was lenient.

Gwen walked into something solid on her first step up the stairs.

It was John.

“What are you doing down here?”

Gwen looked up at him, half horrified. “How long have you been standing there?”

He shrugged. “Not long, but what are you doing down here by yourself?”