He seems confident in his cooking, and he’s not known for his false bravado.”
“Huh.” Nessa cocked a hip, chewing her lip. “Yeah, good point. I better get him to cook something similar before I offer mine up. I haven’t really analyzed the stuff I’ve tasted that he’s made.”
She closed the door behind us, nearly bumping me with it as she did so.
“Nothing seems to rattle that woman,” I said as I glanced around the front yard, looking for his ride. “She’s been in touch with their underground network off and on all day, and even though she swore a couple times, I’ve noticed no other signs of stress. Did you come by car?”
“I flew. What’d she swear about?” He bent to grab a satchel he’d stowed just behind a decorative rock.
“She didn’t say. I guess she and Sebastian are planning to share some information with us at the meeting tomorrow morning.”
Tristan stopped at the mouth of the garage. “What is this?”
“Kingsley’s prank on his brother.”
“I’ll say,” he muttered, heading to the passenger seat and opening the door. I started toward the driver’s side. “No, Jessie,” he said, still standing beside the door. “I’m opening the door for you. I know where we’re going. I’ll drive.”
I shrugged and changed direction.
“Are you being a gentleman or a bodyguard?” I asked as I sat in the passenger seat.
He closed the door and crossed to his side, adjusting his wings so he could sit more comfortably.
“Both. You probably don’t need a bodyguard around here, but Alpha Steele feels better if someone is watching your six, and I enjoy doing nice things for ladies. It makes them glow most of the time. Except for you, because you’re used to it with your mate.”
“So why keep it up?”
“Because I like when ladies do what I tell them.” His grin was wicked, but his eyes sparkled with mischief.
I couldn’t help smiling as I shook my head. This gargoyle was dark and complex, and I had a feeling he did like telling ladies what to do, behind closed doors, in sheets of satin. Nessa had better be careful with this one. His was the sort of passion you probably had to be prepared for, or at least compliant with. He battled in life, and he battled in the sheets. I knew something about that. I was a gargoyle, too.
Speaking of…
I leaned forward so I could look up through the windshield. None of the gargoyles dotted the sky, not that I was surprised—I’d felt them all land at about noon. I hadn’t called Austin to ask about it, not wanting to bug him. I asked Tristan now.
“Kingsley requested it,” Tristan said, no emotion in his voice. “It was upsetting some of the locals, I guess.”
“Those guys from earlier?”
“Probably. Might have been other people too.”
“I don’t understand what’s happening in this town. Kingsley asked for our help, but now they’re fighting us. Or they’re threatening me, of all things. It’s like they don’t understand the seriousness of the situation.”
“Honestly, they might not. While Momar’s taken out plenty of packs, none of them have been this big. They might not realize how far up shit creek they are. Maybe they don’t want to know. Ignorance can be a crutch. We’ll have to convince them of the gravity of the situation tomorrow morning when we go over everything.”
“Okay, sure, I can understand that. But why is Kingsley allowing his pack to threaten Austin through me? Or challenge our people or just be genuinely crappy? It’s counterproductive.”
Tristan let out a breath. “I doubt Kingsley knows how deep the animosity runs. His people have a lot of respect for him, so they’re not going to treat his brother like that in front of him. Even if they are jealous.”
“Jealous?”
“Yeah. Alpha Steele is wealthy, he’s handsome, and he’s got a lot of power. More than that, he’s privileged. He’s been allowed to create all sorts of turbulence in this pack and suffer no consequences because he’s the brother of the alpha. I’m sure that galls. On the surface, it looks like Austin is allowed to do whatever he likes. Come and go as he pleases. Be an ass but never get punished for it. And now he’s returned with what looks like a militarized force that’s disrupting their way of life. People don’t like disruptions in general, and they’re even less pleased because it’s coming from him.”
“And you think Kingsley is blind to all of this?”