Carnal Secrets (The Phoenix Pack #3)(73)
Author: Suzanne Wright

Taryn appealed to Nick with a look. “You talk to her.”

Shaya had fully expected Nick to back her up on this one…but he didn’t, the ass**le.

“I say we leave.”

She snorted at her mate. “So you can keep me safe from Logan?” His overprotectiveness was freaking annoying at times.

Sensing that he’d nicked at her pride, he lightly toyed with her curls. “It’s not just that. Yes, it will mean I get to know that you, Roni, and my mom are safe”—his sister and mother didn’t appear to like the protective move either—“but it will also mean dividing the huge group of humans.”

Mollified slightly on realizing there was more to his decision, Shaya asked, “What do you mean?”

“From the things Logan said, he isn’t going to be happy until Nick’s dead,” Derren replied for him. “If Nick leaves town, he’ll follow. Sure, many of the humans will follow Logan. But many of the humans have grief with the Sequoia Pack, and they won’t be so concerned with a group of shifters who aren’t even in their town anymore—they’ll see us as the problem of whichever extremists live in the town we then head to.”

“Divide and conquer,” drawled Tao, nodding in approval.

“I can warn the Sequoia Pack about the planned attack.” Nick tucked his head into the crook of Shaya’s neck. “That will give them time to gather any contacts—I’m guessing the Nazi has plenty of them and they’re all plenty dangerous. They can deal with the humans who remain when Logan leaves, and I’ll deal with Logan.”

“We’ll deal with Logan,” corrected Derren. “You’re not alone in this. Don’t forget, Nick, you’re not the only one set on seeing that man dead.”

Nick nodded. “Fine. Now we have to decide where we lure them to. I was thinking—”

Taryn snorted. “We lure them to our territory.”

“You can’t be serious.” Nick shook his head. “This problem isn’t yours. You would risk your home, the safety of your pack?”

Another snort. “Of course I wouldn’t. But Shaya is pack to me. More importantly, she’s family. I won’t risk her safety. That makes this just as much our problem as it is yours. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no safer place than our territory.”

Anticipating that Trey would insist his pack stay out of this mess, Nick turned to the Alpha. To his surprise, the male nodded his agreement. Nick’s wolf was impressed and pleased.

“She’s right.” Trey cuddled his sleeping son closer against his chest. “We’ve stepped up the security measures. The place is now tougher to get inside than Fort Knox.”

“So we’re going to lure the humans there…but hide?” Roni frowned, looking confused and disappointed.

When an evil smile surfaced on Trey’s face, Nick understood where his thoughts had taken him. “You intend to let them think they’ve breached your territory. You want to let them inside, seal up the opening so they can’t get back out, and deal with them on your own turf.” Trey’s smile turned even more evil. The guy was just as ruthless as everyone said. Nick’s wolf approved.

Amber didn’t appear convinced it would work. “They have guns.”

“And we have Ryan,” said Trey. “The guy might only be one man, but he’s like a f**king ghost. Add in Jaime—who can sneak up on anyone without being sensed—and you have a way of moving in on the humans before most of them even know they’ve been discovered.”

“And let’s not forget that Shaya is an excellent marksman.” Taryn smirked.

Nick turned his mate’s face to his. “A marksman, huh?”

“My dad was a Navy SEAL, remember. He taught me stuff.”

Roni cocked her head at Trey. “How large is your pack? I heard it was a relatively small one.”

“It is. And I can’t seek support from my alliances as there may be extremists planning to attack them too—they need to be with their packs in case that happens. So there’ll only be us.”

“From what we heard at the meeting, it’s just Logan who intends to attack without provocation,” Tao reminded Trey. “The other extremist groups are simply on guard in case shifters attack first.”

Trey nodded. “I know, but do you think Nick would ask Jon to stand beside him in this war and risk his old pack—which still includes his brother and Taryn’s relatives—being adequately protected?”

Nobody responded, because the question didn’t need addressing: Nick definitely wouldn’t risk his old pack.

“Then there isn’t any other choice but to take care of this shit ourselves.” Trey shrugged.

Dominic sighed. “Yep. We can’t afford to just hide and ignore what the humans have planned.”

That was true, Nick could concede. He didn’t relish the thought of having more blood on his hands, but they couldn’t allow the humans to live and do the damage they intended to do, particularly as it would inspire other extremists to act in the same way. This was about more than just them. What decision they made would affect the lives of many shifters.

“Their large number doesn’t worry me,” said Taryn. “They’ll be on our territory where our rules apply, and whereas we know that land well, they won’t have a goddamn clue how to get to us. Even if that ass**le Logan forms a huge army of extremists and turns up at the gates of our territory, he’s as good as dead.”

“He’s as good as dead anyway,” growled Derren.

“Then we agree that if he follows, it isn’t a problem.” Taryn and Derren exchanged nods.

Trey spoke then. “Their deaths will send a message too. Logan, boastful as he is, will have told his plans to the other extremist groups. When his gang of armed humans enters shifter territory never to be seen again, it won’t be forgotten.”

“Um,” began Jesse, “what about me, Bracken, and Zander? Do you want us to keep guarding the house while you’re gone?” he asked Nick and Shaya.

“I assumed you were coming with us,” said Derren, grinning.

Nick was ready to object, but the rebels were grinning as wide as Derren, and Nick didn’t have it in him to disappoint them. They clearly wanted to be part of this, and he guessed they would rather stand with the shifters here than with the Nazi. Still…“If you guys want to come, that’s your choice. But everyone needs to be clear that I’m not forming a pack.”