White Knight Read Online Free Page B

to make sure his siblings’ children grew up knowing both of their parents.
    “Knight? You with me?”
    He blinked Bishop into focus, surprised to find him squatting in front of his chair, close without invading Knight’s personal space. “What?”
    “You went away for a bit.”
    “Sorry, I got lost in thought.”
    “You get lost a lot lately.”
    Ever since the forced shift. Worse since Shay’s kidnapping.
    Why can’t I say that out loud? Why can’t I confide this to my brother when he’s practically begging me to talk to him?
    Oh yeah. I’m sick and tired of being the fucking weak one in this family.
    “I’ve got a lot of crap in my head to sort through, don’t I?” Knight asked.
    “Such as?”
    “Are you being deliberately obtuse?”
    “Yes.”
    Knight frowned. “Why?”
    “So you’ll say it out loud.”
    Something ugly rolled in his gut. “Say what?”
    Bishop watched him steadily for what felt like forever. Knight refused to blink. “So you’ll say whatever it is you’re thinking about when you go away.”
    He had to give Bishop something, or he’d never leave. “I was thinking about Mom.” The scent of roses in the room seemed to intensify, but it was only his imagination.
    “Because of the baby news?”
    “Yeah. I was there when Rook found out. Brynn was worried about being a good mother, because she never knew hers. I keep thinking that Rook was three months old when our mother was killed. He doesn’t have a single memory of her.” Knight tapped Bishop’s shin with his boot. “And don’t you start getting morose and blaming yourself for her death. You nearly died, too.”
    Bishop’s answer was to stand and wander over to a potted white rose bush. “Believe it or not, I’m starting to let go of the guilt I used to feel over that night.”
    The admission shocked Knight into a rudely blunt “Finally?”
    “I know I deserve that. I’ve carried it around for twenty-two years. It isn’t easy to stop feeling responsible.”
    Knight risked opening his empathy to his brother’s emotions. He was pleased to sense a measure of concern tempered with peace. Bishop really was coming to terms with his guilt. He’d only been ten years old when several loup from another run broke into the McQueen house intent on stealing a three-year-old Knight to replace their dead White Wolf. Their reasoning was that Cornerstone had a White in Andrea—idiotic, considering Knight was a toddler and would have been unable to act in any real White Wolf capacity for several more years. The three children were being watched by Mrs. Troost, and Bishop was seriously injured trying to keep his brothers safe. Knight was briefly kidnapped, but during the pursuit and recovery, their mother was killed.
    Bishop had spent the rest of his life trying to make it up to his brothers for not saving them or their mother—no matter how many people told him that it wasn’t his fault. No matter how many times Rook and Knight told him to stop blaming himself, because they didn’t blame him. Being unable to help last month when Rook was kidnapped by the hybrids had torn at Bishop. Finding out what had happened to Knight when he tried to rescue Rook had devastated him.
    Hearing and believing that Bishop was getting past it all gave Knight hope.
    “You never were responsible,” Knight said.
    “Not back then, but I am now.”
    “As our Alpha, yes.”
    Bishop studied the rosebuds in front of him, tracing over the delicate petals. “And our mother was the only thing you were thinking about?”
    Irritation prickled Knight’s scalp. “If you want to ask me something, then ask me.”
    “Fine.” He turned, arms crossed. “Did Rook’s news make you think about Victoria?”
    Finally a blunt question. Talking to Rook about things like this was easier, because he flat-out asked. They didn’t do this verbal dance that he did with Bishop, and it was a lot less exhausting.
    And the simple mention of that crazy bitch’s name made