by C. T. Adams
“I need a favor, Antoine. You know Nigel Sutton pretty well, right?”
A deep sigh now from the massive cougar that spoke volumes. “Oh, yes. Better than I would care to.” Liz’s ears were as perked as human ears can get, so she was definitely listening in. That Lucas made the call in the car, and stuck to speaking English, said he expected her to.
“I’ve got his granddaughter in the car with me, Elizabeth Sutton-Kendall. She’s twenty-three, a new turn, and middle-class American. She’s going to have to train with him.”
Now the big cat was fully awake and had lost most of the French accent, which I knew he could turn on and off at will. “Merde! Someone actually mated with him once, and survived to give birth? Good lord. And you would inflict him on some poor schoolgirl? That’s cruel, even by Sazi standards, Lucas.”
Lucas laughed, even as Liz winced. “Hardly a schoolgirl, mon ami. Only two years younger than your new wife, if I recall.” He paused long enough to hear the slight cough on the other end and then I could hear a light squeaking as he apparently walked on old boards into another room. Possibly to escape the glare of said wife—the very American, via Turkey, Caspian tiger named Tahira. “And yes. I have no choice. Who else would train a badger? Me? She’s already alphic. Tony can see the aura, and she’s already destroyed part of her hometown on her last turn.”
Liz blushed a dark beet red as both Babs and Linda turned to stare at her briefly. But Babs patted her hand in a warm way, and the blush turned into a relieved smile.
Antoine sighed deeply. “What would you have me do? Have you told Nigel yet? Is that what you’re asking of me, because I am at my estate in France. It’s only a few hours drive to his place if you need her to be guarded for the first meeting.”
Lucas pursed his lips, thinking. “Actually, that wasn’t what I had in mind, but it might not be a bad idea. And bring Tahira with you, in case we need to pull some of the fight out of him. No, I was actually calling to ask if you could phone the parents of a friend of hers, named Heather Marshall. They’re cougar family members from the Colorado mountains, so I figured you’d have their number somewhere. The girl’s full human, but they’re close and she’s been exposed to Sazi her whole life. I thought it would be good to let Elizabeth have an American friend stay with her, considering how isolated his estate is. Nigel’s staff would ensure she stayed safe.”
“Oui. I agree. They’re accustomed to defending visitors from his wrath. She would be quite safe, so I have no problems guaranteeing her healthy return to her parents. Hopefully, they’ll watch over the new turn as well. But that will be harder. His lessons will be quite difficult on her.”
“But necessary.” He glanced back over his shoulder to see the concerned look on her face. “She’s tough, though. I think she can handle the old digger.”
“Indeed? Then she and Tahira should get on famously. I doubt Nigel could object to a girl’s day out on occasion—especially considering the tenuous relations with the Hayalet right now. He is nothing if not a political animal.” I could hear paper crinkling in the background and Lucas waited patiently. “Yes, yes. I have the family on my roster. I’ll call them straight away. Perhaps even include a trip for their family to my home in Arizona as a bonus. The cats in my show always get along famously with family members. They smell like cats, but don’t present the threat that actual Sazi do.” He paused and then sighed again. “Shall I break the news to Nigel, or are you going to rely on Charles for that? He’s really the only one who can order Nigel to do something and have it stick.”
Lucas nodded. “Definitely Charles, but you’ll be the face of the council when she arrives. Oh, and has anyone talked to you about Angelique yet?”
A light snarl erupted in his voice. “Non. What is her problem this time? I will not change my vote no matter how much she harps, Lucas. She gets no more mountains in California. Her birds already have more than enough hunting ground. Hers is not the only species in the state, after all.”
Lucas was tapping his fingers on the armrest now, and I knew why. But we didn’t have any answers yet, and maybe Amber and the others had managed to make the ritual magic work on her too. “We’ll talk later. Plan that you won’t be going back to bed tonight, I’m afraid. If Charles hasn’t already called you, he will be soon.”
“You do know how to ruin my day, old friend. Very well. I’ll start coffee and begin to make calls. We’ll talk more soon, I’m certain. Bon chance.”
“And to you.” Lucas flipped the cell phone closed. “It’s a done deal. Antoine will make sure it happens. We’ll work out the details later, but plan on her accompanying you or meeting you there.” Then he turned to Linda, who was just slowing to enter one of the lines at the exit toll booth. I was betting they hadn’t been here long enough to owe anything, but it reminded Lucas again that they were here at all. Liz opened her mouth to say something, but he didn’t notice, so he spoke directly to Linda. “So . . . you were about to tell me how you came to be here to find Tony.”
Babs opened her mouth to reply, but I shushed her with a warning look. “You know he’s going to get it out of one of you. He’ll be nicer to her.”
She sighed. “We might as well tell him, Lin. Tony’s right. He’ll make one of us tell him and it won’t feel very good. And it’s not like he swore us to secrecy or anything.”
“Fine,” she said, raising her one hand off the steering wheel to yank down the button to lower the window with obvious annoyance. “Fine then. Nikoli told us. Once we explained the situation, he understood how important it was we find Tony, and he made some calls.”
Well, that didn’t sound good at all, because there isn’t much that will move Nikoli to share information, much less go out and seek it. “What situation?”
Linda clutched at the steering wheel and the wet fog of sorrow filled the car. She passed her ticket to the cashier silently, but not because she was afraid the old guy behind the glass would hear, but because she suddenly couldn’t talk. Babs took over the story. “Carmine’s in the hospital, Tony. He’s in really bad shape.”
Crap. Ricky’s words in Hansen took on new meaning. There was a hospital, with someone important enough that I would normally go visit. And the room was being watched for any sign of me.
Linda kept talking and I had to force myself away from trying to figure things out to hear the story. “We were staying up in a condo in Vail, enjoying the fall colors, when he was attacked. He’s been having a lot of trouble with a group from the East Coast, newcomers from South America that took over one of the families there. It’s like a drug cartel, but they’re shifters and they’re really pushing their weight around Atlantic City. More than one casino has had a hostile takeover, if you know what I mean. I don’t know what made them think they could muscle in on Carmine’s turf, but we sent them packing, and without even a hint of it in the papers or on the police blotter. We thought it was all done, but they tracked us down.”
Lucas and I both stared at Babs open-mouthed, because I hadn’t heard even a whisper about this, and I should have, from one side or the other. I was thinking from the look on Lucas’s face that it was news to him too. “Just how long ago was this?”
Linda sped up as soon as the gate opened for her and we were up to highway speed in a matter of seconds. But it was Babs who kept talking. “The attack? Just day before yesterday. They airlifted him down to Denver from the hospital up there because his kidneys shut down briefly and their dialysis machine was giving them fits.”
Linda broke in, her voice steadier now. “Mom saw the whole thing happen, but they didn’t notice her. She was in her whirlpool and it probably smelled too much like chlorine, plus the oil from her chair. She swore at least one of them turned into a snake and she was really freaked out. We told her she was hallucinating from the heat and stress, because . . . well, we haven’t exactly told her that you guys exist.” She turned to look at me then. I couldn’t help but be surprised that Lissell, Linda’s mom, would say something like
that unless it was true. But no time to mull. I had to point back out the window because her hands always follow where her head goes, so the big SUV was veering toward the shoulder at a rapid clip. She jerked it back straight. “I’ve never seen anyone cut up like that, Ton. It was worse than when Barbara was disciplined for bringing you over. But we knew she’d heal. We . . . well, we don’t know with Carmine.”
Double crap. “Of course. As soon as I check in with Sue, I’ll head down to visit him.” I didn’t look at Lucas. He was probably glaring at me, but that didn’t matter. I would see him somehow, even if I had to take Bobbo with me to cast an illusion over me.
Linda shook her head so hard the hat nearly came flying off. “He don’t want to see you, Tony. Not when he’s like this. You visit him and it’ll only piss him off. He just wants you to make it right. You need to keep things going back home, without anyone knowing about him, and make it right. You’re the only person he trusts right now, because someone had to have squealed about where we were. We kept it out of the papers, mostly, with a fake name. It should be a few days before anything hits the press back home.”
I knew what that meant and I was betting Lucas did too. I started to quietly beat the back of my head against the thick, leather-clad headrest, eyes closed. Fuck. But something sounded squirrely too, the longer my brain stewed. No way would Carmine have Linda order a hit. No way in hell. He wouldn’t even let me do that. I don’t care how close to death he was.
“I have to tell him you agreed, Ton. He made me swear I’d get you to do the job.”
Now Lucas was shaking his head. “He can’t.”
Linda turned all of her worry and pain into blind fury, directed straight at the alpha wolf. Her voice was raw and harsh with recently shed tears and Lucas was taken aback at the intensity. “You stay out of this. It’s family business. If you get your kicks beating up women, then go ahead and get it over with. But Tony’s blood. You can’t tell him no and make it stick forever unless you kill him. And you can’t tell me shit. I know the rules you guys have to play by. Nikoli said I could ask, said he’d let Tony make his own decision.”
Nikoli understands both sides, and I honestly didn’t know which side he favored—Wolven law or family honor. He might be giving me enough rope to hang myself, or could actually be encouraging me to go to New Jersey to kill the attackers—to make it right. I only had one hope to satisfy both sides without directly refusing one or the other. “It’s technically a Wolven matter if there were shifters involved in an attack on a human. Right?” I didn’t wait for him to reply. “And, if there are South American snakes that have forcibly taken over a human enterprise, isn’t that for Wolven too? Could we send someone to the hospital to investigate? Bobbo knows Carmine and could tell if any snakes touched him, and could detect any venom in a wound.” Plus, if Bobby was the person sent, he’d take me along. Grudgingly . . . but he’d do it. After I got Carmine’s orders, I could get started elsewhere—like back in my old hometown, leaning on the locals for information.
The low growl from the front seat said Lucas wasn’t liking this. It made me shiver this close to the moon. Linda was drumming her fingers on the wheel nervously, but other than the scent of hot-and-sour soup that was bleeding out of her like a broken pressure line, she gave no sign of fear.
We were nearing the turnoff to the parking lot and as Linda put on the blinker to move into the next lane, Lucas finally spoke. “I’ll think about it on the drive up the mountain. Tony, Liz, you’re with me. He looked at Babs and gave a small nod. “Give me a cell phone number and I’ll call you with my decision after I’ve talked with some people.”
“Oh hell no!” Linda slammed on the brake so hard the tires squealed and the back end fishtailed before straightening out on the gravel. Lucas had to throw out his hands to keep from slamming into the dashboard, and I had to put a hand backward so I didn’t get beaned by a flying suitcase. “I ain’t putting up with this ‘I’ll call you’ shit. Tony’s his own man. He drives with us. I’ll follow you there and he can tell me what his decision is. I’m not going to have you go all official on him and make him say no when he means to say yes.”
Okay, I’d had about enough. I raised my voice to be heard over their argument, both of them talking so fast and loud that their words were unintelligible. “Knock it off—both of you! Linda, you’re right. I’m my own man. And Lucas is right that I’ll ride with him. I’ll make my own decision and it won’t matter what either of you say. I know the stakes and I’ll take the heat either way. So just zip it while I think.”
Linda shut up, and Babs and Liz hadn’t uttered a word. They just looked at each other, raised brows, and stayed thankfully silent. But Lucas responded by raking a whip of power over my skin until I ground my teeth to keep from screaming. It was a completely silent exchange and only I could see it, but I got the point—mess with him, or yell at him again, and I could expect more. An alpha Sazi can do a lot of damage without ever killing me. I’ve learned that over the past year. But he’s learned pain only makes me more stubborn and irritating. He’d have to kill me outright and for some reason, that was always off the table. One of these days, I was going to find out why.
Chapter Eight
THE TINY CLINIC held a surprising number of people, when it came right down to it. Linda and Babs insisted on following us up—ostensibly for a prenatal exam from a real Sazi doctor, which Lucas couldn’t very well refuse. The patients were still there, as was Ahmad, Charles and his bodyguards had arrived, plus me, Lucas, and Liz. A pretty full house.
While Lucas pulled Charles and Ahmad in for a powwow, and Linda and Babs went with Amber for an ultrasound, I looked in on Sue.
The change in her was not only remarkable, it was slightly disturbing. She wasn’t in a regular room anymore. She was in a private one, with a regular bed, and was sitting in a recliner reading a novel. It said how deeply we weren’t connected in the head because I startled her when I spoke. “Wow. You’re looking good.”
And I wasn’t kidding. The bruises were gone, as was the tired, worn appearance. Even the haircut did her proud. Most people get a haircut and it’s not a big deal. But with her, it changed her entire appearance. She’d gone from pixie-like with a shoulder bob to a rowr-rowr siren with the wedge cut. No idea why. I think it helped that she was wearing an off-the-shoulder burgundy shirt that showed off both her chest and neck. She’s got a terrific neck, and the shirt made her look nearly skinny. I got the feeling that she’d been losing weight from her illness anyway. She seemed pale and too thin when I’d seen her in the bed before.
She looked up from the book and the open-mouth surprise turned to delight. She dropped the book and slammed down the handle to lower the recliner footrest before racing toward me. I met her halfway.
There’s nothing quite like a reunion after a long absence anyway, but to have her whole and healthy—well, that was just a bonus. I pulled off the gloves and gathered her into my arms. I held onto her until I could feel my racing heart start to relax. “Thought I lost you,” I whispered into the melon scented hair and she responded by tightening her fingers in my back.
“You nearly did. It was touch and go. But, as you can see—” Sue pulled away and spun around, her hair flying into the air with the effort, “I’m as good as new. Actually, I’m better than new.” She wiggled her hips and my groin did a little leap. She noticed and snuggled in against my chest again. “I asked Amber to keep us separated until we could be sure the magic was going to hold. So far, so good, and now I think it might be time to try the next test—a little conjugal visitation with my mate.”
She grabbed my head and pulled me down into a kiss. I didn’t argue a bit as her lips nibbled at mine and then slowly opened my jaw. The frustrations of the day were swept away by the sensations that flowed through me from just a simple meeting of our mouths. Whatever the ritual had done to her was making my magic go into overdrive. My skin began to heat, then burn, and it was only when she touched me that it cooled. Sh
e apparently felt the same, because the whimper she let out when I slid my hand up her shirt to cup her bare breast was enough to make me growl and push her farther into the room before kicking shut the door with my heel.
I wanted to taste her skin, run my tongue along her neck until I could feel her pulse beating under it. So I did. She responded by nipping on my ear and running her fingers through my hair.
Nice. Very nice. My body approved wholeheartedly.
While I recognized that this wasn’t the time nor the place for sex, it had been a rough day already and frankly, I couldn’t seem to help myself. The need to touch her was nearly as strong as it had been the very first time we were together. Sparks literally flew as I pulled down one side of her shirt and flicked her nipple with my tongue. Tiny charges of electricity danced into the air. Soon my hands dropped to her hips and pulled her tight against my growing erection. She moaned and squirmed enough that I nearly . . . very nearly, threw her to the bed. I wanted to tear off her clothes and take her. Right here, right now, and I didn’t care who watched.
It didn’t help when she groaned, “Take me, Tony. I want you inside me.”
It took every ounce of willpower I had to pull back and shake the scent of her arousal out of my mind. “Soon, sweetheart. Soon. But there’s waaay too much going on right now. Shit’s hit the fan all over the place, and as much as I’d like nothing better than to ravish every inch of your body, we just don’t have the kind of time I want to spend on you.”
She looked disappointed and a little pouty, but there was no helping it. All I could do was try to change the subject and hope it was exciting enough to get her interested. “Linda and Babs are here, and Babs is pregnant. Does that help?”
“Babs is having another baby?! Ooo! Yes, that helps!”
I winced and grabbed her arm before she could rush out the door past me. “Not another, sweetie. She lost the last one. The venom was too much for it.” Her hand flew to her mouth after a loud gasp, and she closed her eyes. The thick wave of sorrow pretty much took care of the any remaining arousal that might still be in my system. “But this one seems to be okay, so we’re happy for her today. Right?”