Midnight Wolf (Shifters Unbound #11)(69)
Now Angus was learning that Gavan had wanted to build a harem, one that included not only April, but Tamsin. Gavan had always liked the idea that Shifter males should be leaders of their own packs, that producing offspring through several Shifter females would strengthen them. Apparently he’d been putting theory into practice.
But then, if Gavan wanted to spread around his own sperm, why had he insisted that April bring Ciaran with her? Scared he couldn’t produce his own offspring? He’d fought against Angus taking Ciaran back, and only stopped when Angus threatened to sic Shifter Bureau on him.
Angus dropped to the ground and dug his hands into his hair, strangled noises coming from his throat. He stretched out flat on his back and yelled to the sky.
“Goddess, I hate that asshole!”
Tamsin sat down beside him, hugging her knees. “Yeah, I wasn’t thrilled with him either. That’s why I was so surprised to learn you were his brother. You’re nothing like him.”
Angus scrubbed his face. “Damn it, Tamsin, I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“Really?” She grinned at him. “How about You’re hot, you’re wonderful, and I want to be mated to you?”
“You haven’t said those things,” Angus pointed out. He rubbed his face one more time. “Son of a bitch. An arsenal.” He lowered his hands to study Tamsin’s face above him. “This is what Dylan wanted to know? Haider too? Why were you afraid to tell me?”
Tamsin drew herself into a tighter ball. “I had to make up my mind about you first. When I realized you were Gavan’s brother, that scared me. I didn’t know whether you’d be like him. I didn’t want to see your eyes get that predatory gleam like his did. And as far as I knew, you were dumping me on Haider and I’d never see you again—even if you so nicely arranged a pickup for when I escaped. I didn’t know that was why Haider was after me, until he started threatening to dissect me. I didn’t tell you before Dylan questioned us because I still wasn’t sure what Dylan knew until we got to the motel room, plus I didn’t want you to have to lie to him. He’d scent your nervousness and get it out of you. Or me, to keep him from hurting you. And after that . . . I had to decide how you would react.”
“I would react like this,” Angus rumbled. “My brother is a fucking shithead.”
Tamsin flashed him a faint smile then shook her head. “The real truth is that I didn’t want to think about it anymore. I didn’t want it to matter. I just want to be with you, and Ciaran, and have this.” She stretched out her arms, then lowered them. “And anyway, the arsenal might be long gone by now. That was about eight years ago.” She sighed. “But I can’t run away all my life. If I’m going to run away with you, you should at least know what you’re running from.”
“Hell,” Angus said softly. He sat up, leaning back on his hands, opening himself to the sunshine.
“I’m sorry,” Tamsin said. “You can take back that mate-claim. I’ll understand.”
She spoke glibly, but Angus heard the sorrow in her voice.
Out of nothing, they’d found each other. Angus’s brother had done one thing right in his life—he’d brought Tamsin and Angus together. In a roundabout way, years later, after Gavan was dead, and not on purpose. But in a weird twist of fate, he’d been responsible.
“I’m not taking it back,” Angus said. “We belong together. I knew it when I saw you, kicking ass at poker and being all smug about it. When you got hurt because I chased you, I knew I’d move heaven and earth to get you well again. I mate-claimed you to save you from Dylan, but I’d have done it anyway, sooner or later. Dylan just gave me the excuse.”
“Well, damn,” Tamsin whispered. “You’re going to make me cry.”
“Why? It’s the truth. I’m glad you’ve told me about the arsenal—I mean, before you got yourself killed for it. But I’m not sending you away for something my dickwad brother did. You said it might not be there anymore. Do you know for sure?”
“No. I haven’t had a chance to check on it.”
“Because you’re right,” Angus said. “It could have been found and reported by now, although I’m thinking a story like that would have made news headlines. I don’t pay much attention to the human world, but I probably would have heard that. Or it might have been plundered by others, like gangs or militant groups. Which I seriously hope not.”
“Like I said, I haven’t had the chance to look, and once Gavan was caught, I had no intention of returning to a place he’d been associated with. I didn’t have a death wish.”
Angus frowned. “Why didn’t you report him right away, or at least this arsenal? To a Shifter, I mean. I understand why you didn’t rush to the human police, though you could have made an anonymous tip.”
“And have a stock of weapons be traced back to Shifters?” Tamsin shook her head decidedly. “Gavan probably left his fingerprints and DNA all over it. What do you think Shifter Bureau would do to all Shifters everywhere if it was discovered one of them had stockpiled weapons? Machine guns and grenades? I’ll tell you what they’d do—they’d round up all the Shifters and put them to death, terrified we were more dangerous than previously thought. At the very least—and only if Shifters had good lawyers—Collared Shifters would be locked into even more restricted Shiftertowns, and the few liberties they have now taken away.”