“That’s a powder keg,” he muttered. “I’m going to allow you to deal with that. I’ll call you after my meeting.”
“Do that,” Lena said, a hint of irritation creeping into her voice. “You don’t respect my decisions, and I’ve proven myself time and again. Maybe we should think about parting. You can go back to New York.”
“Maybe I will after tonight,” he said and stalked to the door. “Once you pull your head out of your ass and realize Astor isn’t exactly what he seems, don’t come begging for my help.”
Lena sighed and shook her head. “He’s a fool for not trusting me.” She knew Astor had an agenda of his own, and she knew exactly what it was.
Her brother just had no clue.
****
Claudia stepped into the meeting room to find the minor security panel members present at two tables flanking the primary table. Dunbar was already there talking to a couple of those members, as was Glory and Forbes, who were deep in conversation with Astor and the other main panel members.
Her animal snarled inside her and Claudia scanned the room trying to determine the reason for the edginess.
“Hey.” Mallory put a hand on her shoulder and Claudia gave her a brief look before moving to the table.
“Everyone’s here,” Astor said as he faced them. The panel members all came to the table and Claudia’s animal tensed as if readying for an attack.
“Something is off,” Mallory said. “What do you think’s up?”
“We’ll see, but I hear you brought backup.”
“All the good it’ll do me in here,” she commented.
“Blacklaw,” Astor said. “We’ve voted.”
“The meeting started fifteen minutes earlier to give us a chance to do that,” Forbes said.
“That is out of order,” Claudia growled. “Why wasn’t I notified?”
“Your vote would have been unnecessary,” Astor said. “We all know where you stand.”
“Still, I did suggest the wait,” Dunbar assured her. “However, the yays have it and Blacklaw is dismissed from the Coalition on the grounds of colluding with Summerfield to take over Gray Tail.”
“What?” Mallory burst out. “Are you insane. They attacked us with the help of Jericho and hyenas.”
“Be that as it may, we have testimony from Gray Tail members that their alpha was given no choice but to defend himself. We have papers that prove the heir is dead. We’ll begin implementing sanctions against Summerfield immediately,” Astor told her.
“As in a few days,” Dunbar said. “We’re assembling teams to unseat her. We don’t expect any help from you. We’ll treat you as a hostile and attack you as well.”
“Remove and detain Blacklaw,” Forbes ordered. “She’s to be executed along with those on that list.”
Claudia glanced at Mallory, whose expression was filled with rage.
“Mayer,” Forbes said. “You’re dismissed from the Coalition as well.”
“On what grounds?” she demanded.
“You’re a threat to the stability of the group,” Astor told her.
“We’re not all in agreement,” Dunbar said quickly. “But there was nothing I could do to prevent it.”
“Get them out of here,” Forbes ordered.
“Remove us yourselves,” Mallory snapped.
Four men came from the side of the room, heading for them and Claudia growled.
“Let’s go, Mallory,” she said.
“Blacklaw is going nowhere but into another room to await her death,” Forbes said.
“Like fucking hell,” Mallory snarled. “If you want me dead, you better bring your ass over here and do it yourself.”
“I don’t have to,” he said with a smug look. “The Coalition has voted. Summerfield will be dead in two days along with her friends.”
“Remove Mayer,” Astor ordered.
Two other men approached and one grabbed Claudia’s arm as two others set upon Mallory. Mallory struck out, landing a kick that got her backhanded, and Claudia shoved one of her would-be removers into the man who’d hid Mallory.
She then turned and grabbed the other and shoved him toward the table. Claudia waited for help, for an order from Dunbar to allow them or her at least to leave, but none came.
Coward.
One of the men attacking Mallory let out a growl as Mallory broke away from them, heading for the door. Claudia followed. Mallory had the right idea. They were out-numbered and she was under a death sentence.
“Run, coyote, run,” Forbes called, and Claudia spun around to see him grinning.
She stopped and raced back toward the table. He got to his feet and held up a tranquilizer gun. She dove and rolled gracefully, coming up before he could pull the trigger a second time.
“Claudia, don’t,” Dunbar said. “It’ll only get you under a death—”
His words fell on deaf ears as Claudia jump kicked, her foot connecting with Forbes’ crotch. He dropped his weapon and she swung, going straight for the jugular. He ducked and allowed his momentum to take them to the floor.
He got off a punch, stunning her before hitting her again as her ears rung.
“You’re going to wish you’d waited your turn.” He drove his claws into her side, and Claudia bit back a cry.
She raised up and drove the heel of her hand into his nose. He let out a growl and she drove her claws into the side of his neck.
He crawled away, and Claudia moved toward him only to take a punch from Astor.
“Clear the room,” Dunbar ordered. “Now.”
****
Kyra growled from the doorway when Claudia was hit with a tranq. Several people were exiting a side door as she let out a rush of light. Astor was hit in the shoulder, and she turned her attention to Forbes who was kneeling over Claudia.
She didn’t wait to see what he’d do, Kyra fired and light slammed into his frame. He gasped and jerked up onto his knees. His body trembled as if caught in an earthquake and glowed as if backlit before collapsing over Claudia.
Kyra scanned the room and her eyes narrowed on Astor as he scurried for a door. The door opened and members came rushing out.
“Stop this,” Dunbar snarled. “Mallory, stop it.”
Mallory walked up to him and moved around him to drive her fist into Astor’s stomach. She grabbed him by his hair as he attempted to land a blow of his own and missed when he slipped.
He impaled himself on her claws, but Mallory was grabbed from behind, and Kyra watched in horror as she was bitten in the shoulder and bones crunched.
Mallory screamed and Kyra hurled a light ball into the animal. It released Mallory, but she crumpled to her knees, bleeding from wounds in back and front before she just moved in time to avoid a punch.
Kyra ran to her aid though she didn’t want to leave Claudia unattended in case someone decided she wasn’t dead.
“Kyra, down.” Cordelia screamed.
She ducked, and a jackal collided with a wall of ice. Kyra was knocked off balance and bitten in the side by a jackal. Mallory was on him despite her weakened state, and Kyra in turn took out a hyena coming to the jackal’s aid.
Kyra was shoved across the room and a wolf lunged at Mallory when she was face down on the ground. It attacked from the back, drawing blood and she rolled over and it lunged for the jugular, but Kyra kicked him off.
He snarled at her, but decided to finish Mallory off instead of coming after her, but a sheet of ice rolled out knocking him off his feet.
“Cordelia!” Kyra threw out a ball of light, but she was too late.
Cordelia was hit from behind and went to her knees just before she herself was attacked by a wolf from the front and a jackal from behind.
The wolf snarled as Cordelia tried to keep it from pulling her down, but she couldn’t. Kyra coyote took over and she felt the surge of heat from inside. It pushed through each and every one of her cells as the animal let out a howl.
Then, it broke free. Light poured from her pores
, burning and cutting through the wolf and the jackal before spreading out across the floor in a fast-moving wave, hungry to destroy everything in its wake.
Chapter Thirty-Six
When Claudia came to, she was lying on her back on a cold surface. Her shirt was damp, and the smell of smoke hung heavy in the air. She groaned when she moved as pain shot through her.
She turned her head to see the building, the meeting hall, a bright blaze lighting up the night sky.
“Kyra,” she whispered.
“She’s okay,” Mallory said weakly. “Damn that was one hell of a tranq they hit you with.”
She grunted and struggled into a sitting position. Mallory was bleeding and looked even weaker than she felt.
“What happened?” Claudia asked.
“All hell broke loose. We just managed to get out. The place just went up. Doors were jammed. I think they planned to burn us alive.”
“Astor was inside still?” Claudia asked.
“He was dead, though,” Mallory said gravely. “He attacked Kyra in animal form. Jenner managed to get out along with Glory and a few others. Most didn’t make it though. Everyone at the front of the room died as the fire exploded out of nowhere.”
Claudia felt rather than saw Kyra as she approached them.
“Mallory,” Kyra said. “Sam said our ride’s here and a healer will treat you en route.”
Claudia got to her feet and helped Mallory up. She groaned, and Kyra moved to one side to help Claudia get her to the truck that was waiting for them.
Just as they reached the vehicle, tires squealed and gunfire erupted. Growls followed and Kyra raised a shield of light causing bullets to bounce off them.
“Son of a—” Jenner cried, and Kyra was distracted by shattering glass and then a scream. Her shield died for a moment and bullets careened into Jenner.
“Jenner!” Mallory screamed.
He fell to his knees as more shots disturbed the night.
“Go,” Mallory told Claudia, and she stumbled when Claudia went to the fallen wolf.
Kyra turned and hurried after her, but the car squealed away.
“Kamari!” Mica screamed.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Jeno glanced at the clock on his desk in his study as his cell phone rang. He wasn’t expecting a report from his brother tonight. He was certain with Carlo’s help, now that the trial was being postponed, they would have the packs in Mystic behind them before the next week’s end.
Then, they’d be ready to move against Summerfield before moving onto Mayer.
He picked up the phone and frowned at his son’s number. “What is it, Carlo?” he asked calmly. He feared his son might have been rearrested as the D.A. himself decided to try the case, but Russo doubted the man would move on him yet.
He was too much of a coward to even put anyone else on the case.
“Forbes is dead,” Carlo said quietly. “We managed to take out Carpenter, but Summerfield didn’t show for the meeting with him.”
“Marc is dead?”
“I’m sorry,” Carlo said. “I know you cared for him.”
Jeno pushed out a rough sigh. He had loved his brother, but the man was merely like a cousin. “Go to his apartment and secure it before anyone else does.”
“I’ll take care of it right away. Am I looking for anything in particular?”
“Just get his personal papers. He was looking for my father’s killer.”
“Yes, sir,” Carlo said. “I’ll arrange for his body to be sent to New York once it’s released.”
“How did he die?”
“According to our friend, Mayer is responsible. They got into a scrimmage at the meeting. He tried to stop her with the tranquilizer, but she’d already dealt a fatal blow.”
“She’s probably the one who knows who killed my father as well,” he said. “I’ll have to deal with her myself.”
“Are you sure? I can handle things.”
“I’ll do it, and you can run the show there when I’m done. Those people have killed the last member of my family without reaping the retribution they’ve earned.”
“I’ll expect you then,” Carlo said.
“I’ll let you know when. Take care of yourself and don’t do anything else. Just wait for me.”
“I will,” he said.
Jeno ended the call, his chest aching with the pain of his loss, but his rage boiled in his gut overriding it. Snowbury would rue the day they ever decided to mess with him.
****
Lena put down the phone, tears glistening in her eyes. Her mate was gone.
With one hand, she wiped at a drop of water running down her face as the jackal inside her let out a soundless howl of mourning. She clenched her other fist at her side, teeth bared in a silent snarl.
Astor’s killer would pay for taking him from her. And this town wouldn’t be the same when she was done. Mayer would end her term in disgrace, unable to stop the violence and then the takeover as she laid claim to this sleepy little coyote town.
A rap on her apartment door had her heart skipping a beat. Maybe the caller had been wrong. Lena hurried to the door and jerked it open. Standing on the other side was one of her brother’s lieutenants.
“What is it, Rory?” she asked the woman with short red hair. She’d never liked Rory McMullen despite how efficient she was.
“May I come in, ma’am?” Rory asked quietly.
She motioned her in. “What does my brother want? He thinks I need protection from Astor?”
“No, ma’am,” she answered as she stepped in and closed the door behind her. “I’m here to tell you that he’s dead.”
Lena blinked. “Summerfield killed him? I didn’t think she’d be stupid enough or have balls big enough to go after him.”
“It wasn’t her,” she said. “She didn’t show. According to Lew, she was in Mystic backing up Blacklaw.”
“What do m—my brother… What happened?” she snapped impatiently.
“We were attacked out of nowhere. Two coyotes from Summerfield’s pack, but Russo’s scent was on the air.”
“Russo? Summerfield is aligning with him?”
“I don’t think so,” she said. “One of them was screaming that Summerfield wasn’t there. They expected to kill her, too.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Two days later, Kyra stared out the window of the small home Claudia called her sanctuary. A light snow was falling, and the temperatures had dropped again ensuring the roads would be slick.
She was fully recovered from both her injuries and the power outlay. Though she was rarely in danger of depleting energetically since all she had to do was absorb energy from the sun.
“Hi.” Claudia murmured from behind her, but Kyra didn’t face her, and Claudia’s arms came around her waist to pull her back against her.
Kyra sighed and leaned her head against Claudia’s shoulder. “Is Kamari okay?”
“Sam said she was going to make it,” Claudia replied. “Jenner didn’t, and the new alpha will likely be contacting us soon. I just hope he or she realizes we need to heal rather than continue to fight.”
“What are the chances?”
“I won’t speculate,” Claudia said. “With this climate it’s hard to say, especially since the Coalition as we know it is over.”
“I can’t help but think someone wanted that to happen,” Kyra said. “You were all being divided, but with there being no check or balance, Russo can attack you all one by one.”
“We will miss it,” she said.
“Why don’t you form something like that with Sam and Mallory? You’ll need each other more than before with Carlo still out there. Russo might, or he might not, avenge his brother’s death. There’s no way to know.”
“I agree,” Claudia said. “But there is one person I need more. I realized that two nights ago, but I promised myself I wouldn’t ask.”
Kyra turned to look up at her, heat washing over her. Her hands trembled, and s
he slipped them into the pockets of her pants to hide it.
“Ask me what?” She tried to keep her tone light, but Kyra heard the whispery fear in it.
“I know you’re going to be here a while, but—”
“You want me to get my own place?” Kyra asked quietly, surprised her voice didn’t shake with rejection. However, the animal inside her was snarling at it.
“I don’t want to tie you, Kyra. I know we mated, but the tie will fade if we don’t sleep together,” Claudia said.
“You want to forget it?” Kyra demanded, claws threatening to elongate and cut right through her pants, but she got a tight grip on the animal.
Claudia shrugged. “Don’t you? I know you’re leaving when your boss calls you home, and I don’t want to deepen a relationship that will tear me apart to lose. I have a pack to lead and an enemy to defeat.”
“So, you were going to ask me to move out?”
“I was going to ask you if you—what your intentions were toward me, but I decided not to put you on the spot.”
Kyra laughed. “Are you serious?”
Claudia frowned. “Yes.”
Kyra laughed again as she moved away from Claudia. “I think a better question is what are your intentions toward me,” Kyra said hearing the challenge in her tone.
“Mine?” Claudia rested a hand on her chest. “Okay, fine. You want me to lay my cards on the table. I’m holding a full house. You’re my mate. I want you to stay. I’m crazy about you, and all I can think about when I let myself is you.”
“Claudia—”
“You had me from the very first dance, Kyra. I knew I had to have you. When I saw you in that bar, I recognized your scent, the way you move, and when that guy started hitting on you, I wanted to take him apart. I figured, though, it would be better to see how you reacted to him.”
“What do you mean?” Kyra asked with a frown.
“If you were gay or just gay for pay.”
Kyra snorted. “I admit I’ve been whatever it took to get a job done, but I’ve never been into men.”
“Are you into me?”
“Yes.” Kyra nodded. “More than I’ve ever been into any other woman I’ve ever met. You make me want to put down roots right here with you.”
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