There was an underlying message in Anton's tone, but she couldn’t puzzle it out. As they stepped through the door, the girl who brought the coffee was standing on the other side, leaning casually on the wall. She straightened up when she saw Anton.
"I'm sorry I can't take you to him myself, but my next appointment has just arrived. Beth, could you please show our guests to one of the empty sitting rooms and then fetch Aaron?" The girl nodded, and indicated they should follow. She set a quick pace through the maze of halls, and they turned left and right, up and down several times until Azar was well and truly lost. The dens were a labyrinth that she would never be able to navigate on her own.
Finally, she led them into a little room with an overstuffed couch and two recliners, a large oil painting of a wolf stalking a rabbit on a green field. A bookshelf filled with bestsellers was arranged beside a laptop that sat on a desk in the corner. Beth motioned for them to sit and was gone in a flash.
The decor in this room was just as lovely as the Alpha’s library. The only thing Azar couldn’t deal with in the dens were the lack of windows. It made her claustrophobic. Beth returned equally as quickly with Aaron. A huge grin stretched across Azar's face.
The boy looked good after his ordeal, his scars had healed and he’d put on weight. She jumped out of the recliner and skipped over to wrap Aaron in a huge hug. Adversity and fear had bonded them for life.
"You don't know how happy it makes me to see you looking so good," she enthused. Aaron laughed and hugged her again.
"I'm happy to see you too. Come and sit down." He led her to the couch and sat next to her, Bast relegated to one of the recliners. "What brings you to our neck of the woods?"
"In my new role as Adel badass, they've sent me out here to investigate a case where a couple of Djinn kids were murdered by Weres," Azar told him.
Shock transformed Aaron’s young face, all evidence of the carefree kid that had been there moments before disappearing in an instant. It was more than the natural horror about hearing of a gruesome murder. Bast leaned forward in his chair, picking up a vibe as well.
Azar rested her hand on Aaron’s knee. "Do you know something about this?" A shadow passed over his face and his brow knitted. She could see him fighting an internal war of loyalty.
"Kind of." He shifted on the lounge and turned to look at the painting on the wall. "I think it's W.A.D.," he murmured after a minute.
"Wad?" Azar asked, confused. What the hell was a wad?
"Weres Against Djinn. They formed after I was...” he hesitated, "taken by the Rogue. It’s mostly a group of young radical Weres, going to meetings and dissing the Djinn. From what I've heard it’s just a few kids from lots of different groups, not just wolves. They asked me to join, but I told them I owed my life to a Djinn, that I wanted no part in their hate group." Aaron’s nostrils flared a little. The kid had been at the other end of such hate, and had come out stronger on the other side. Azar couldn't help being proud.
"Who asked you exactly?" Bast asked, and Aaron looked at him suspiciously. He obviously didn't want to rat the person out, knowing the Adel wouldn't treat the person kindly. "They killed two kids in the most brutal of ways and then set their remains on fire. People like that do not deserve your loyalty." Bast's soft voice seemed completely reasonable and non-threatening.
Aaron sighed, seeming older than his years. He'd obviously been struggling over this dilemma. "Her name is Becca. She was my girlfriend before I was taken. I think she was one of the founders of the group. When I said that I didn't want to join, she told me that I was weak, broken, and that no female wanted that in a mate. I told her that in comparison to you guys, we are all weak." His solemn tone broke her heart.
She held Aaron’s hand tightly and looked him dead in the eye. "Where it counts, you are the strongest man I have ever met. You helped save millions of lives, including mine, and defeated a creature that was riddled with hate, who was easily the deadliest being I've ever had the misfortune of encountering. You did this while being extremely physically and mentally injured, against all odds. You are a hero.” She squeezed his hand tight, and Aaron gave her a half smile. "Besides, the bitch is obviously crazy. It's better to have loved and lost, than to live with a psycho for the rest of your life." That put a smile on his face, and she hugged him close again. "So, where can we find this Becca?"
Azar was going to tear the girl a new one for hurting Aaron.
"She's not here. She told her parents she was going on a road trip with her college friends. She's an anthropology major at NYU.” Aaron shook his head, "But she came to see me before that. She told me she had found a way to ensure that we were never the weak one’s ever again. She told me she'd found one of the Great Weapons, on eBay. She was going to Canada to collect it."
Azar was speechless. Bast seemed equally as shocked.
"She found a Great Weapon on eBay? Are you sure?" The idea was preposterous.
Aaron nodded. "She'd become obsessed with them after they discovered Drakhul. She researched them, found every scrap of information she could, no matter how farfetched. She was sure."
Azar finally found her voice. "Fuck."
Chapter 6
"Seriously, eBay? The humans are selling our greatest relics on eBay?" Killian ranted at the room, and Azar rolled her eyes and nodded. For the tenth time. To say that the Adel were shocked that an ancient relic, which they'd assumed was lost to antiquity, had resurfaced in the hands of a middle-aged Canadian man from British Columbia, would be something of an understatement. "Are we certain that it is authentic?"
Mira shuffled more papers. "We have our historians looking at the images from the eBay entry as we speak, but they seemed pretty positive that it was the real deal. It's Ibsali."
Joia sucked in a shocked gasp, her eyes wide with fear. Ibsali was a Chakram, a metal ring originally designed for Djinn warriors in ancient times, and later appropriated by the Sikhs in India. However, it was made most famous by a leather-clad Xena, Warrior Princess on human television. That funny ring of death thing she flung around, which always managed to kill ten men in one throw; that was a Chakram. It was the Great Weapon used to destroy the Sila, and Azar felt pity for Joia. She knew what it was like to come face to face with an urban legend, the stuff they scare little kids with to make them behave.
Everyone was looking at Joia, and she finally came out of her shocked stupor for long enough to stand up and excuse herself from the meeting. Mira watched her leave, concern marring her usually serene expression. Azar could tell she'd like to go after her partner, to comfort and reassure her, but she couldn't.
Instead, Mira cleared her throat and got back to the issue at hand. "There is another problem, Sir. British Columbia is the known territory of The Green Man."
Killian sighed and dragged a hand over his face. Azar wondered who or what the Green Man was? It sounded like a hippy music festival in California. She looked around the table to see if anyone else was as confused as she was, and the varying reactions of the group perplexed her even more. Mira looked concerned, and Killian looked stressed. But Bast looked almost nostalgic. She knew she should wait and ask Bast or Mira later, to hide her ignorance from Killian, but she couldn't help herself. She had to know.
"Who is The Green Man?"
It didn’t help when three eyes turned to look at her with incredulity.
Bast covered her hand with his. He knew her lack of knowledge was a sore point for her. "The Green Man is a powerful Fae, more specifically Tuatha Dé Danann. He is intrinsically connected to the earth, to nature and the spring. He has elemental magic and a solitary nature. The Djinn do not mess with the Fae without good cause. Their magic is old and powerful."
"And they are sensitive as hell," Killian muttered.
Azar knew about the Fae of course; she might have been cut off from Djinn society, but she’d still roamed in the supernatural community over the last century. The Fae encompassed a lot of different species of creatures, some humanoid, most n
ot so humanoid. There were three branches of the Fae; the Tuatha Dé Danann, the Seelie Court and the Unseelie Court. They all came from separate regions, but had united under the title of Fae for who-knows-what reason. They were also supposed to be tied to the soil of Europe. Because of that, Azar had met very few Fae in her time. As far as she knew, there were none in the Americas. This brought up an excellent question.
"What is a Fae doing out of Europe?" From what she heard, the Fae were literal creatures. When they said ‘tied to the soil of Europe’, they meant they could not set one foot outside of the ancient boundaries.
"From what we have gathered from our interactions with the Green Man and other Fae, he is a law unto himself, a force of nature if you will. He makes his own rules," Mira explained.
Azar could respect that. To be able to live outside the strictures of a preordained society would be a dream.
Killian rubbed his temple, like he was getting a headache, but she wasn’t sure full-blooded Djinn could get headaches.
"This is a problem. The Green Man has to be treated with tact and respect. He abhors unnecessary violence, so we will have to retrieve Ibsali and leave the rebel Weres to be punished another day."
Azar cleared her throat nervously. "I have a suggestion, if I may?" Killian nodded. "I think it would be best for everyone if we can capture the W.A.D members and return them to the Packs for discipline. As you know, Were discipline is rather, uh, brutal by nature, so I am fairly sure the rebels will be punished in a very final manner, and we will not cause further unrest between the Djinn and the Weres. It's win-win."
She peeked out from under her eyelashes at Killian, and she could see him considering her idea. There was even a small glint of what looked like pride in his eye, but that could be her inner child desperate for the approval of her older brother. Who knew the inner workings of her mind? She was a therapist's wet dream.
"That seems like the most diplomatic course of action. But we must make it clear to the leaders that further acts of violence against the Djinn will be considered acts of war and responded to in kind." He nodded to himself absently. "We must go to Canada and collect Ibsali before the Weres. Mira, you will be lead, Lida will be your second. A Sila cannot go on this mission, for obvious reasons, so I shall send Danian as back up. Also, Azar will go. This will be a good first mission. You four will go to the address of the human in British Columbia and convince him to give you Ibsali. I’d prefer peaceful methods, but by force if necessary. If you can get in and out without coming to the attention of the Green Man, all the better. Any questions?" He looked at each of them.
Azar couldn’t believe that she was being sent on this mission and not Bast. By the angry look on Bast's face, he wasn’t happy about it either. Bast opened his mouth to protest, but Killian put a hand up to stop him. "Bast, you have been requested by one of the Councilors to conduct a special assignment in Europe. You will be briefed when you get to Stuttgart. You leave in two hours. The rest of you leave at 0600 tomorrow, by private jet. Meet me here at 0500 for a briefing. I shall inform Danian."
With that, Killian stood and strode out of the room. Bast eyed his departing back with suspicion, before standing and walking out. Azar followed and no one tried to stop her.
When they were back in Bast's room, Azar allowed herself to feel fear. This was the first time she would be without him acting like her security blanket. Her anxiety ratcheted up several notches and her breathing hitched. The panic must have shown on her face, because he sat on the bed and pulled her into his arms.
"It'll be fine, Jaanaman. Mira and Danian will look after you, and I will be back from Germany before you know it. I'll visit you every night in your dreams while I'm away." He laid down on the bed and shifted her to the side so he could curl his body around hers.
"Why does he hate you so much anyway? It can't be because of me, he barely knows me.”
Bast sighed and nuzzled into her neck. Silence reverberated through the room, and she was beginning to think he wouldn’t tell her.
Finally he sighed again and rolled onto his back.
"Before I quit, I was in line for his position, Director of the Adel." Azar rolled over so fast, she almost bounced off the bed. Bast smiled and ran a finger under her chin to click closed her gaping mouth.
"We were always competitive, but I was always a little faster, a little stronger. I have a longer lifespan and could have led the Adel for centuries. But I decided to quit instead. So, Killian got my position, but he never forgot that he was a second choice, and it burns him on the inside. The fact that I'm dating his sister probably only makes it worse." He gave a mirthless laugh. "But I didn't think he'd send me away out of spite." His face hardened into its mask of neutrality, and he sat up.
Azar watched him pack his things and thought how much she would miss him. She didn’t know when she'd become so dependent on a man, but she didn't like it. She was Azar Nazemi, lone wolf, badass Ifrit, who didn't need any man to shield her from the world. She didn’t realize she'd become so pathetic. She sat up and straightened her spine. She would get a grip and do her job, not pine away like some love sick puppy.
She walked over and gave him a long, hot kiss, and he returned it with equal fervor. It was the kind of kiss that haunted dark nights when you were alone in your bed.
"I better get back to work, I don't want Mira to crack the whip." She wrapped her arms around his waist, and rested her ear against his chest, listening to the steady thump of his heart. His hands ran over her back and he kissed the top of her head. "Please be safe," she whispered.
He just squeezed her tighter and walked her to the door. "Don't do anything crazy while I'm gone,” he warned, and even though he said it jokingly, there was a thread of truth to the statement.
"I can't make any promises," she joked over her shoulder as she left the room. She rushed down the hall before she did something really pathetic like burst into tears.
The breeze off the snow capped mountains was touched with ice, and it whipped around the small group standing on the tarmac like a cold embrace. The Djinn didn't actually feel hot or cold unless they were extremes, so the group probably could have stood there in their underwear and only felt mildly uncomfortable. But they were rugged up in quilted jackets, caps and snow boots, just to keep up appearances amongst the humans.
A black SUV pulled up in front of them, and the woman who slid out of the driver’s seat was of medium height with soft, rounded curves. She had a classic beauty that had fallen out of fashion in the last hundred years or so, but renaissance artists would have begged to paint her. The black cargoes and black tee, the unofficial uniform of the Adel, hugged her curves. The woman shook hands with everyone as she introduced herself.
"I'm Beth from the Vancouver compound. I flew here last night with supplies. I brought enough resources to set you up with whatever you need. Come on, I'll show you to your hotel."
Azar smiled warmly at the woman. There was something about her that was infectiously happy. Beth shook Azar's hand enthusiastically.
"I'm Azar, nice to meet you."
A look of recognition crossed Beth's face. "I've heard a lot about you. I was part of the team tasked with finding you when you disappeared a century ago. I have to tell you, you did a great job hiding your tracks. We looked everywhere for twenty years. It's nice to finally welcome you into the fold, even if it was under somewhat dire circumstances."
Azar just blinked at her dumbly. She was obviously another Ifrit, and reasonably old as well. Definitely a voluntary Adel recruit, as opposed to being assigned for the term of her servitude. Beth gave her one more big smile and then moved back around the SUV to the driver’s seat. Everyone loaded their packs into the back and climbed into the SUV. She got squished in between Danian and Lida.
She had discovered that Lida was Ghul on the flight to Canada, and it kind of explained the obvious disdain she felt for Azar. The last Ghul she had met was the owner of a swingers club called ‘Blue Smoke’. Lila was a lit
tle blonde Barbie doll with the temperament of an evil weasel. Azar had hated the bitch on sight. Even more because Lila and Bast had some kind of romantic history, which just made her stomach roll in disgust. Come to think of it, there were a lot of physical similarities between Lida and Lila. Azar turned to the Ghul next to her in the car.
"So, do you know Lila at the Blue Smoke Club?" she asked, with as much politeness as she could muster.
"We're half-sisters," came the clipped response.
Well, that explained the waves of loathing that poured off the woman.
“Oh, I see. Now that I think about it, I can see the resemblance. In the scowl, and those wrinkles on your forehead," Azar said pleasantly. "I bet family holidays are a blast at your house."
Lida shot her a look of hatred, but Azar could feel Danian's body shake with contained laughter. Though his face was perfectly blank. That mask of neutrality look must be a Jann trait.
The rest of the trip was conducted in silence as they drove through the streets of Dease Lake, and Azar was secretly glad it was spring. Snow and the Ifrit weren't comfortable companions, and even though it was desperately cold, at least it wasn't sleeting. The town was one of those blink-and-you’ll-miss-it sized towns, but the streets had a fresh exuberance about it, free from the corruption of smog, gangs and the other trappings of New York City. Azar liked it on sight. Not enough to move there of course, even if she wasn't in her servitude. The minus twenty degree weather they experienced in winter sounded horrible, even if she wouldn't feel it as badly as a human.
Beth pulled into a small hotel off the highway and parked in the almost empty lot. They all piled out of the SUV like it was a lamp.
Beth opened the door to one of the rooms. "I got two double rooms under your assumed bounty hunter names, paid upfront for a week just to be on the safe side. I stowed all your equipment under the bed. There’s a map on the night stand. I have to fly back tonight, so I'll leave you guys to it." She handed the SUV keys to Danian and left with a wave. Another black SUV picked her up in the parking lot.
The Azar Omnibus: The Complete Azar Trilogy (The Azar Trilogy Book 0) Page 28