by C. T. Adams
Couldn’t say I blamed her. Bobby rushed to keep up with her clipped steps. “And what of the joy when we touch? The ache when we’re apart? I could barely stand it when you were hurting here at the hotel, knowing that he was who you turned to. How often did we stop to touch on the way to Carmine’s? How many times did we share ourselves with each other? I was so proud when you found the body of the man, hidden deep under the snow. Does my pride have no value? Does my love not touch you?”
I knew that Asri had found Sammy’s body—this time, almost thirty feet down. Carmine had to call in heavy equipment to fill the hole because Asri had been exhausted after excavating him. Sammy had been dead for several days. We were definitely dealing with a shape-shifter who could cast illusion, and was one hell of a digger. It reminded me that I needed to finish up the security system and get my butt back to finding Babs’s kidnapper. Every minute away was a minute more for the scent to grow cold—and increased the likelihood that Carmine would give up waiting.
There was quiet sobbing now in the hallway, and I couldn’t help but listen again. Asri’s voice caught when she spoke, and her words were harsh. “Yes…it touches me. Is that what you want to hear, Robart? But it doesn’t change our lives. We can be mated and be apart. It is hard, but others have done it. We must each live out our own destiny—follow our own path.”
Boy, I wouldn’t recommended the “mated and apart” thing. I wasn’t liking it very much. There was determination and passion in Bobby’s reply. “My path is to bring you joy, Asri. Everything—and everyone—else be damned!” There was a shuffling and the sound of whispering cloth. I knew they were kissing. I heard the sound of a lock unlatch and then the door of the nearest room close quietly. The voices disappeared into groans and sighs. I needed to get out of the ceiling before I heard anything else. I can’t say I was any different when Sue and I first got together. It’s even worse now, but not just for sex. I felt the black glove settle over me again and fought to shake it off long enough to climb down the ladder.
By the time I got down the five steps, I was annoyed. Anger seemed to beat back the depression. Great! They were going to be useless now. I could go break it up, but then they’d be even more distracted. As if I didn’t have enough to think about. I was probably going to have to add Asri’s duties to my list, if I expected them to get done. I knew the little soap opera wasn’t going to be played out anytime soon—certainly not before the council meeting was over. How long had it taken me to admit I couldn’t fight the feelings for Sue? A month? Two? And, Bobby was my friend. He’d covered my ass twice already, so I guess it was my turn.
I returned to attaching wiring and fighting to ignore what was going on just down the hall. I was having a hard time concentrating. If Sue didn’t get home soon, I was going to be a basket case.
“Damn it!” I exclaimed after I accidently snipped off the wire I was trying to strip. The shaking was getting worse and depression was threatening to rip out my gut. I was torn between pulling my Taurus and snooting up the place, or turning it to my own temple.
“Tony?” Yurgi’s voice was tentative. He could hear me snarl under my breath.
I forced myself to stop. “Yeah, Yurgi? Did you find the tester?”
He shook his head. His bushy eyebrows dropped as his brow furrowed in resignation. “The Alpha and the Duchess, they are in the room. They talk angrily. I think is trouble for us.” His scent became odd. I didn’t quite know what it was.
“Trouble for us?”
He nodded vigorously. “The Duchess, she says that room must be for the banquet. Nikoli, he says is for meeting. Cannot use for both at same time.”
I let out an exasperated breath. “Nikoli, Lucas and I already agreed that the conference room would be used for the meeting. It’s already set up with recorders and security galore. You don’t need as much security for the banquet. The banquet will be in the ballroom on the second floor.”
Yurgi shrugged his shoulders. “I only say what Duchess says, Tony. The banquet must be near kitchen. She is not want the live mice to sit next to the venison for whole dinner. Is not enough space in ballroom for all dining tables and food tables. I think the Duchess, she will win.”
Live mice? Eww. Must be for the birds. Then, as if by magic, I heard Nikoli’s bellow from downstairs. “Tony! I need to see you.”
Wonderful. Just wonderful. I stood and dusted the residue from the ceiling from my pants.
“Tony, before you go…” I turned and stared at him, waiting.
He opened his mouth again, but I held up a hand to stop him as Nikoli called a second time. “Let me finish with the boss first.” I called toward the lobby below. “Be down in a second, Nikoli.”
“Take your time, Tony,” Lelya yelled back with fire in her voice. “I don’t believe that Nikoli and I are ready for you yet.”
“Yes, we are!” came his snarl again. I’d bet the strong scent of boiling coffee wasn’t coming from the kitchen.
Lelya’s voice was bordering on deadly. “No, we are not.” Then the doors slammed closed once more.
Okay, that settled it. I was going to wait for awhile. I turned my full attention back to Yurgi, happy to be out of the loop for a moment. “What did you want to say?”
“I forget, but remembered when I was downstairs. My lovely Pamela, she has tickets. I would ask you—and your wife, to accompany us, if you please?”
“Tickets? To what?”
Yurgi slapped his forehead lightly and the dry heat of embarrassment rose from him. He was also nervous, but I didn’t know why.
“Is true. My Pamela, she speaks to your Jessica, but you do not yet speak to her. You are very busy. You rise in rank so quickly. The others are impressed, and worried. You make the dragon bow and take Sergei from the air yesterday, and then again today you shoot him before he can strike. I hear of it.” He brought up his hands into shooting position and mimicked me shooting Sergei. Then he smiled again. “Is no surprise you defeat me.”
I struggled not to show my frustration. I guess I was flattered, but was there going to be a point to this conversation? I glanced at my watch. I hated doing detail work on a time schedule and they were going to be yelling for me again soon.
“Okay, so I’m glad I impressed you. But what tickets are you talking about?” I tried hard not to sound condescending. English seems to be hard for him. I can’t say that Russian is any better for me.
“Is to your American game—the football. The proud Bears battle the team from the Bay. I watch some of these games on television, but have never before attended.”
He had my attention now. “The Bears and the Packers? That game’s been sold out for a week.”
He nodded hurriedly and smiled again. “Is true. My Pamela, she gets tickets on telephone, from radio. Four tickets. She is very excited—they are near field on center line.”
Center? My eyes grew wide. “You have four tickets on the fifty yard line? Are you kidding?”
His face and scent grew grave. “No kid. My Pamela, she is wonderous. She puts her name on pieces of papers and sends them in mail to big companies. They mail back gifts. Shirts and shoes and hats to wear. Once we received fancy music player—with speakers and places to play tapes and CDs. It fits on a shelf, but with such big sound.”
Ah, It was the pieces of paper that gave it away. “You mean she enters sweepstakes.”
“Yes. That is the word—Seepstaks. She wins many things. Is how we met.”
“You met in a sweepstakes?” Okay, that had me a little confused.
“No, I do not say right. She wins trip—to Moscow. She goes to nightclub and I see her. The others in our pack, they think she is plain and tiny. A little mouse. They say to me, ‘Do not bother with her, Yurgi. She has no fire.’ They think women must be like flames in hearth, wild and hot.” He put a finger up to his temple and tapped. “But no. My Pamela. she is like stove. It warms as good, but fire is hidden inside, not for all to see.”
Okay, so his wife is q
uiet on the outside, but strong. She and Sue probably were hitting it off.
“So, you’re asking me and Sue to go to the game with you and Pamela?” I didn’t know if Sue liked football, but I sure as hell did. “Hey, I’d be happy to go with you, but are you sure you don’t want to ask any of your friends from the pack?”
His face fell a bit and his scent was the wet mist of sadness. “I am Omega, Tony. Beneath notice to pack. You are only person to treat me kindly.” The sadness faded, left behind by the warm dryer vent smell of gratitude.
He thought that I treated him kindly? After I’d nearly snapped his arm off and left him to bury deer carcasses, and was now bossing him all over the hotel? Okay, that made me feel a little uneasy. What do the others do?
“Are these guys taking advantage of you, Yurgi? You don’t have to put up with their shit. I can teach you to shoot. Then they’ll treat you with the same respect as me.”
He reached out to grasp my arm, but then pulled his hand back hurriedly. I guess word had gotten around not to touch me. “No, Tony. Is okay to be Omega. Is much better than Siberia. Nikoli is good pack leader. I do small things, not like hard work in Russia. Only a few days a month do I have chores for pack, instead of every day, early to late. I have apartment with Pamela, a job, food on a table that belongs to me instead of pack. All because of gracious Alpha. They pay me American money for every hour I work—so much money. Is good life. I am happy here. There is future. You understand? Nikoli, he honors effort. He allows one such as me even to breed, if I am able.”
I’d never really thought about things like that. Okay, so maybe Chicago isn’t too bad, after all. I’ll be keeping Siberia off my list of places to visit. It made me realize that maybe I didn’t understand Nikoli, after all. He’d won a few points just now.
“So you and Pamela got married in Russia and then moved here?”
His eyes grew wide and the clove scent of pride burst into the air. “No. Not in Russia. Pamela was only for short time in Moscow, as was I. We spent time together while we could. I was bold enough to tell her my secret, because I hoped she could stay with me. But she could not. When she returned to America, she sends me letters. I learned much English from her letters, with help of friend. I learned she loved me. She could accept me.”
His scent suddenly returned to embarrassment, but anger rode over the top. “My Alpha, he sees me reading letter when I should be working. He is ready to kill me, but decides to exile me instead. Is hard for low wolf to be in wild, Tony. I will not survive without pack to provide for me.”
Okay, now that I didn’t understand. Even a human can survive in the wild. It made no sense. I didn’t get a chance to ask about it, though, because he continued.
“I write to Pamela one last time. I tell her I am exiled and will never see her again. But she is brave, my Pamela. She lives in Chicago. She searches for Sazi, asking in dark places where she should not be. She is taken to Nikoli and asks for his help to bring me to America. She promises to work hard for the pack if he will bring lowly Yurgi to be with her.” His face showed surprise and his scent was once again cloves and cinnamon. “My Alpha, he calls me to him once more before I am taken to deep forest. He is surprised. The great Nikoli has asked for me. He offers passage to America—to Chicago, for a lowly Omega. He makes passport and obtains visa. I do not forget his kindness, Tony. I have Pamela and if God is willing, we will have children. She is human, so it is possible. All is possible in United States.”
“Even football,” I said with a small smile. Despite the waves of depression fighting to take control of my mind, it was hard not to feel better with the scent of oranges and cinnamon and other happy spices filling the air.
“Yes. Even football. You will go with us? It would please me to share my fortune with one who avenges the small ones. Denis and Alek are most humble to you.”
I glanced to my side when I saw Lelya walking down the hallway toward us. “Sure, Yurgi, I’d be glad to. We’ll work it out later.” I turned my attention to the Duchess. “So? Who won the battle?”
An amused but annoyed scent rolled off her and she glanced at Yurgi sharply. He lowered his head, and absolutely reeked of the dusty heat of shame and embarrassment.
“The banquet will be held in the conference room. You will provide two additional cameras for the ballroom on the second floor. Wolven will provide extra agents for guarding the room. It has no windows, so there should be little to delay your schedule.”
I closed my mouth when I realized it was open and rubbed the bridge of my nose to ease the tension. Windows. Shit, that’s right. I’d forgotten all about the windows. We needed to get bars installed, or…
I looked at the Duchess. “Since it’s winter anyway, would it be okay to use nails or wood screws to secure the windows to the frame and then putty and paint over them? We can pull them out afterward, and I can’t imagine anyone who would need them open. That way I wouldn’t have to install bars. It would save time—give me the extra time to work on the ballroom.”
Yurgi almost slapped my shoulder, but stopped short a second time. “Yes. Is good idea. Would save much time.”
Lelya glanced up to something behind me. I turned my head. Asri was walking down the hallway, pulling her long hair out from inside her shirt. The necklace she always clutched finally appeared for a moment before she tucked it back inside. It looked like a carved piece of bamboo on a chain, but it was solid, not hollow. Some sort of charm, I guess.
The smell of peppermint preceded her by about a mile. Does she carry the stuff with her now? I decided I didn’t want to know.
The Duchess noticed the scent, as well. Her brows raised delicately. “Peppermint Castile is a new scent for you, Asri.”
Asri’s face went stony and blank after a brief moment of surprise at Lelya’s new, improved appearance. “It was a gift.”
Lelya’s face was a mix between stern and amused. “Ah. I’ve always thought it better in tea or candy than disrupting scents. Don’t you agree?”
The face and scent gave nothing away, but Asri’s hands were trembling a bit. “If it disturbs you, my Alpha…”
Lelya flipped her hand gracefully. “No, no. But I don’t believe it is one of Nikolf’s favorite scents. Yes, I think peppermint is better in tea. I don’t believe we have had tea together in a number of years, Asri. Why don’t you join me?”
Asri’s eyes grew wide and panicked and her mouth opened just a bit. She closed it abruptly and glanced around her frantically. “I’m afraid that I will have to decline, Duchess. There is much to do, after all, and I have little free time.”
My smile was both malicious and impish. “Oh, go ahead, Asri. Yurgi and I can take up the slack for a few more minutes.”
She turned to me and the shock of surprise, combined with hot and sour soup, rode over the peppermint in a burst.
Lelya stepped forward and put an arm around Asri’s shoulders to lead her away. “Yes, but I insist. Tony seems quite competent.” She turned to me for a moment. “I believe your idea about the windows is a good one. You may proceed.” I nodded, and then she turned back to the wide dark eyes framed by a curtain of shimmering black hair. “And we’ve much to talk about, you and I, Asri—with the meeting here so soon. I will tell you many things, of people and personalities. The past and the future.”
Asri stepped quickly to keep pace with the older woman, but she wasn’t walking smoothly. She turned her head often, looking for some way out of the situation. Oooh, boy, was she in for it. I still remembered my own tea party.
“Have fun.” I called as they walked the hallway to disappear down the stairs. If Asri shot me a dirty look, I didn’t see it.
I would like to say that Yurgi and I worked as a well-oiled team until afternoon, but it would be a lie. He was having a hard time grasping the necessary detail work involved for a good security system to function smoothly. I did find out that he was pretty good with a solder iron and could climb into tight spaces like a monkey. But I also kn
ew that I would be installing and programming the computers alone if I didn’t get more help.
Lucas strode up as I was explaining—for the third time—why we had to move the cameras again so that the coverage overlapped. The information just wasn’t sinking in.
“How’s it going, guys? You holding up okay, Tony? Will we be done in time?”
I looked around at the stacks of boxes and wires that I hoped to turn into a control room soon and sighed. “I sure hope so. I can think a little better thanks to you. I’ve got to run back into town to get two more cameras and a bunch more wire, though. The Duchess apparently has decided that the conference room will house the banquet, so we’ll need to get some video coverage outside the ballroom on the second floor.”
Lucas swore under the breath. “I was afraid Lelya was going to win that argument. I just hope Nikoli holds up under pressure better in the council chambers, or the wolves are in for a rough ride until I’m back in the saddle.” He shook his head and I could smell the burnt metal frustration envelop him like a cloud. “Go ahead and get whatever you need. The budget’s out the window anyway.”
“Any chance you can work with Yurgi getting the computers set up while I’m gone? It would really speed the process along.”
He looked around at the room, with wires sticking out the walls at odd angles. “I’m not good with electronics, Tony. But, I do have someone coming in later who’s a whiz at this system. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind helping out.”
I didn’t bother to keep the eagerness from my voice. “When does this whiz arrive?”
“His name is Raven Ramirez. He’s second in command at Wolven. His is one of the jobs I’m watching at the moment while he’s on mandatory leave.” He shook his head angrily and clenched large fists. Boiling coffee rode the air and made Yurgi sneeze so hard and fast that he had to leave to find tissues.
“It’s ridiculous for the council to require both Fiona and Raven to be on leave at the same time! Mind you, neither of them had a break for years, but I’m only one person! The desk in Paris is a disaster.”