I kept my smile even though the question was curt. “Because, dear, I need your help with something.”
“Whatever it is, I’m sure you can manage.”
Ice raced up my spine. His expression was cold, and the look he gave me was the one I’d seen him bestow on enemies before a brawl that ended bloody. Never had I thought to be on the receiving end of such a glare from Bones, and the fact that it was over something so small made my sense of foreboding triple.
This wasn’t just odd behavior. It was as if Bones had been replaced with a stranger.
I met Wraith’s gaze, noting the surprise that flickered over his face before he covered it with a smile.
“I’ve monopolized everyone too long, I fear. I’ll retire to my room for a bit.”
Several instant protests met this statement, until Wraith held out his hands.
“Please, everyone. Attend to your lovely ladies. I’ll see you later.”
As if a switch had been flipped, Bones turned to me and smiled, his expression warm. “What did you need?”
I kept my jaw from swinging, with the utmost difficulty. “It’s in our room,” I managed. “Come with me.”
My rising fears made the steps leading there feel like they’d morphed into miles. By the time we crossed the threshold, I was almost vibrating with agitation.
“What the fuck is going on?” I demanded as soon as I shut the door. So much for subtlety.
Bones frowned. “Blimey, what’s gotten into you that you’re in such a lather?”
“What’s gotten into me? Me?” I repeated, catching myself before I became more shrill. Even soundproofing would be tested with a scream. I forced myself to calm down, to take two deep breaths before continuing.
“Care to tell me what you and the others are up to with Wraith?” I asked in almost a normal tone.
Another frown creased his features, this time with traces of confusion. “What do you mean?”
More deep breaths. I hadn’t breathed this much in months. “You all seem . . . inordinately attentive to him. Like you don’t notice anyone else.”
That also wasn’t subtle, but it was the best I could muster, since every fiber of me wanted to grab Bones and see if shaking him would snap him out of this.
His frown cleared and when he spoke, his tone held teasing, affectionate notes. “You’re not jealous about me paying attention to him, are you?”
Wow, was karma quick to pay me back for how I’d dismissed Ian’s concerns this morning!
“I’m not jealous,” I gritted out, switching tactics. “But I thought we agreed that Wraith needed some investigating before we went any further with him.”
“Oh, that.” Bones waved a hand. “Not necessary. It’s obvious he’s a good bloke and I’m proud to call him my brother.”
My stomach felt like it sank to my knees. His words and my tie into his emotions revealed that this wasn’t an act. Bones believed everything he’d said even though the man I loved would never be so blindly trusting. Somehow, Wraith had managed to do the impossible—brainwash a vampire. And not just one; several, judging from Spade, Annette, Mencheres, and Kira’s identical behavior. If I didn’t need to discover how, so I could reverse it, I’d go downstairs and kill him for screwing with everyone’s minds.
Then again, if Wraith was powerful enough to mesmerize other vampires, who knew what tricks he had up his sleeve? I might end up as nothing more than a stain on the floor if I went after him before I knew more about the source of his abilities.
I stared into Bones’s eyes and made him a silent promise. I’ll fix this and get the real you back. I don’t know how yet, but I will.
And then I’d kill Wraith, brother-in-law or not. Of course, if he had enough power to brainwash vampires, fabricating his connection to Bones would’ve been easy. He might have done it as an excuse to get close to everyone. For what purpose, I didn’t know, but whatever his motivation, I couldn’t let him succeed.
But before I did anything else, I had to cover my tracks. “You’re right, I was a little jealous of all the attention Wraith was getting,” I said, hoping my voice wasn’t too husky from the anger roiling in me. “Let me make it up to you. We’ll change our plans for Christmas. Instead of just the eight of us, we’ll have a big party to officially welcome Wraith into the family.”
He smiled with such clear pleasure that my heart twisted. The gorgeous vampire in front of me looked exactly like the man I loved, but somehow, Wraith had buried the real Bones underneath layers I couldn’t penetrate.
“That’s a smashing idea. He deserves a proper welcome.”
Oh, I’d welcome Wraith good and proper, all right. With a lot of lit dynamite, if I got my Christmas wish. But I smiled back, glad beyond measure that the tie between us didn’t flow both ways and Bones couldn’t sense my emotions.