Page 22 of Bad Blood Panther

“Alton and his followers want to ‘restore our clan to glory,’” she said, making more air quotes on that last part. “They want to prove how badass they are. With teeth and claws. They deliberately incited war between Broken Hill and practically every other shifter clan within a hundred miles.”

Flynn said, “What the fuck was your alpha doing while all this was going on?”

“They were careful to make it look like they weren’t the ones doing it, at first,” she said. “He didn’t realize how bad it was until too late. By then, we’d won some battles, and everybody was hyped up on victory and blood lust. Alton got their animals all riled up, until they couldn’t think straight. Rhett tried to shut him down, but most of the clan supported Alton by that time. He challenged Rhett for alpha, and he killed him.”

“Shit,” Xander muttered. “That sucks. Rhett was a decent guy, even if he was a panther in disguise.”

“Yeah, he was,” Jenny said quietly, fighting back the tears. She’d liked Rhett, and respected him. “So were most of the other warriors that Alton led to their deaths.”

She looked up at Flynn. “They started losing after that,” she said. “Alton is a messed-up egomaniac who doesn’t give a damn if everybody has enough to eat and decent shelter and medical care, as long as his cronies are telling him how fucking awesome he is. He’s ignoring the businesses, profits are down, and the clan compound is practically falling apart. A third of our strongest warriors have been killed. And nobody will stand up and stop it! The more they lose, the more they feel like winning another battle is the only thing that will get their pride back. So they just keep fighting. They’ll keep fighting until they’re all dead, and the clan dies with them.”

Flynn was studying her, his dark eyes opaque. It was impossible to figure out what he was thinking.

“Alton hates to be defied,” she said, dropping her eyes. “And he can’t afford to look weak, especially right now. He might come after me as a matter of pride, to make an example of me.”

That was partly true, anyway. It was the most she could give them right now.

Flynn snorted. “If you’re like every other Bad Blood mate, somebody’s sure as shit after you,” he said.

“True,” Xander said. “It’s like a thing. Can I kill him, when he comes?”

“Sure,” Flynn said. So casual. But he sounded like he meant it. Jenny shivered.

“So what exactly are you looking for here?” Flynn said to Jenny. “If you think we’re going to get involved in your internal clan issues, forget it. If you’re hoping Xander will go back there and throw his life away for your clan, that’s his choice, but it would be a damn stupid one.”

“No fucking way,” Xander said.

“No,” Jenny said. There was no way she was going back. She had to get Brandon out of there. “I was hoping…” She took a deep, calming breath. “If things worked out here, I was hoping to maybe join the Bad Blood Crew.”

There was silence.

“Shit,” Flynn said finally. “Broken Hill must really be fucked if we look like a better choice.” He gazed at her, and she felt like he could see right through her—and he knew she wasn’t telling him the whole story.

“Normally, I would say no,” he said. “We’ve had our share of trouble. We’re due for a break.”

Jenny’s heart sank.

“But,” he went on, “if you and Xander turn out to have a genuine bond, I’ll accept you into the crew. If you don’t, but Xander decides he still wants you here, I’ll consider it.”

Xander was looking off into the distance now, out the big windows. She couldn’t read his face. Did he want her to stay here? Or not? She wished he’d say something.

Flynn said, “Also, we’re not a wealthy crew, so I expect the members to work. Got any skills?”

The quick subject change threw her. “Um, waitressing, office admin, accounting,” she said. “That’s pretty much it.” She was best at being a mom, but it seemed like that wasn’t valuable anywhere she went.

Flynn tilted his head. “The crew runs a construction company. Bearcat Construction. We could use a bookkeeper—Lissa’s overworked as it is, and Tank and I hate that shit. Maybe we’ll try you and see how it goes.”

Hope bloomed inside her. Flynn was offering her a job—sort of. But…it all rested on Xander. She looked at him hopefully.

He still didn’t say anything. Now he was gazing down at the stapler in his hand, frowning. She suddenly felt like this was going badly, and she didn’t know what she’d said wrong.

She also felt guilty. Flynn was being decent to her, and she was keeping things from him. She should tell him about Brandon. But she should tell Xander first, and she had no idea what he wanted now. The mating bond should have made things easier, but it had just made them more complicated. And the longer she kept Brandon from him, the harder it would be when she told him.

Flynn said, “As far as Raines is concerned—”

He was interrupted by the roar of a bear from outside. Not the forest-shaking, deep-throated roar of a grizzly, so it must be Lissa.

“Fuck,” Flynn muttered. “I thought she was settling down.”