“Jenna,” Aislinn said uncertainly and honestly. “Last night was desperation and a wild guess. I suppose I can try to do it again. But I’m not positive I can.”
Jenna assumed that Aislinn was messing with her. She wasn’t inclined to trust Aislinn in anything. “So what do I have to do? I mean I stopped the attack. There’s no way the Council will let me keep the alpha position in the Tairneach.” Her voice lowered. “I suppose my father didn’t want that anyway.” Jenna’s voice cracked and there were tears again. “I have something I need to ask him. Can’t you just pity me and take me to talk to him? Or maybe one of the other druids can do it if you won’t.”
Aislinn stared at her. Jenna’s tone was making it hard for Aislinn to feel bad for her. The woman’s actions had nearly taken her mate away. “I told you that I’ll try,” she said in a calm voice that a person would use with a whining child. “I don’t know what the others are capable of. If I can’t manage we can look into whether or not the others can. But Jenna I’m curious why you think you can ask for anything in your position. How many people did you intend to kill in your little quest for godhood?”
Jenna flinched. You for one, she thought angrily. “Look. I know that I’m in trouble here. I also know that I could have made things much worse for you last night and didn’t. What’s the chance that you as the supposed good guy will meet me half way?”
Aislinn shook her head. “Not real inclined to be overtly helpful to you. I happen to think that the fact you’re in this room instead of strung up somewhere is half way.” Somewhere in the hall, back to his usual self, Keith chuckled.
“Fine. You know what? I’m tired and don’t really want to play mental chess right now,” Jenna sneered. “How about you take me to talk to my father again and I’ll tell you where the books are?”
Aislinn smiled. She was glad to be done playing games with Jenna anyway. “No. How about you tell me where the books and the notes and anything else that might hint at the fact that a druid ever existed in or near the manor is, we go get them to make sure you’re not lying, and then I’ll take you to talk to your father?”
“Damn,” Keith said a little too loud. “She’d tough.” Cullen glared at him to be quiet. But he was pleased that she was doing so well. He hadn’t been entirely sure this was a good idea.
Jenna looked toward the door and smiled at the men standing there through tears. “Fine whatever,” she said. “You’re the good guys right? I’m supposed to trust you.”
Jenna handed over the information that they wanted. In the end it seemed that if they had just raided the manor most of the things would have been pretty easy to find. She still had some of the stuff locked away in her father’s desk. But most of that had been extraneous information that didn’t apply directly to the creation of the weres.
It was decided that Cadifor would personally deal with the missing books and notes. That was partially because Cullen had business to attend to with the pack and then back at the Madadh-Allaidh Saobhaidh and partially because now that Cadifor had a taste of doing something active other than having sex with Makeda and wanted to participate. Besides he had decided to stick around until Cullen did the official mating thing with Aislinn. Since he had announced that it wouldn’t be for another month that meant he’d have to do something to keep busy.
***
The month went by quickly. Cullen couldn’t believe how much he had missed the standard, nobody’s life’s at stake, everyday paperwork that he dealt with before all the bullshit started. He sat at his desk in his office on the13th floor and opened another bill. He smiled. Sure he could have had an accountant or someone take care if this stuff, but then what would he do all day?
Cadifor had gotten stuck dealing with the fact that when he showed up to grabbed the books from the Tairneach manor the feds had been there first. The last couple weeks he had been dealing with phone calls and private meetings. He had tried to talk to Cullen about it at one point but Cullen had stopped him. He didn’t want to know about it unless he had to be involved in it. Cadifor had laughed at him and moved on. He figured that Cullen had earned a reprieve for a while.
Sarah was even in a good mood. With Aislinn around to take some of the load off she’d been spending more time with Drake and that was always good for her mood. Cullen had even backed off of Keith. He still had Keith dealing with the internal morale issues thanks to Terrick, but for the most part he left Keith to help Jaylyn with the new babies. Thinking about that had him chuckling. Jay had called that morning and asked Cullen to please find Keith something to get him out of their room and away from her for a little while. Apparently he was trying to be helpful with the babies and he was driving her nuts.
Keith had managed to track the last leak the Arnauk had back to Terrick. That had been no surprise. The problem ended up being that there wasn’t anything solid to get him with. He had been talking with the Tairneach, but he hadn’t leaked anything that he had been told not to say. So they were keeping an eye on him and he was removed from the elder council. But he was still around and still causing problems. Oddly enough Cullen found that he didn’t care. Dealing with Terrick was better than dealing with the other caoch that had been dominating his life lately. Besides Terrick had never been a loyalist or a good friend. If there was anyone in the pack who Cullen could have expected to stab him in the back it was Terrick.
Makeda had stuck around to spend time with Aislinn while Cadifor had dealt with the Feds and the Pack Council. Cullen growled pleasantly. That first week had been something else. Makeda’s influence on Aislinn had been interesting. Aislinn couldn’t behave more like an alpha’s mate than she was under Makeda’s diligent tutelage. And for all of Makeda’s effort with helping Aislinn she was repaid in her favorite way. Cullen had never figured Aislinn for being that enthusiastic with a woman. But she was always surprising him with something.
He finished with the bills for the casino and hotel. Liam was possessive of the bills for the Taigh-Oèsda. So he didn’t get to do that this morning. But he took a moment to look over the last of the arrangements for the mating ceremony. It was set. All the guests outside of the pack had received actual invitations. Nora was invited. There would be fewer druids present but enough to make a showing for the groups who were just in it to meet the druids. The guest list had actually gotten larger after word spread about the first mating attempt and all the things that had happened.
At first Cullen had tried to talk Cadifor out of doing the diplomatic thing and make it a nice small mating ceremony. Aislinn was the one who said she wanted the druids there and Keith pointed out that Cullen had already told everyone that they would reconvene in a month. So they were kind of stuck with the big party. Sarah had gone to extra lengths this time. There seemed to be more of everything. Liam had been in his office complaining twice about the food she wanted. The kitchen at the reservation apparently wasn’t sufficient for his people to make it all out there in the quantities Sarah wanted and Liam refused to bring it all in cold and heat it up there. Cullen had finally conceded to buying some additional kitchen equipment for the cabin. He had told Sarah that she was getting out of hand. But she had smiled at him and told him that after all the trouble there had been the first time they owed it to everyone to make this a night to remember.