Roderick said they were always a bit sluggish the following week. Hopefully they’d be thrown off their game.
Gripping the ladder, I started down, vision buckling and warping.
Note to self: take vertigo meds before Water next time.
I closed my eyes, blocking out the water below, and felt for the next rung.
Bang.
The observation tower shook, and I gasped, my foot slipping from the rung. I clung to the ladder with both hands and scrambled for a foot hold.
Bang!
The tower tilted. I had no chance.
Fingers slipping, I screamed, hurtling for the surface.
Cool water closed over me as I catapulted down. Bubbles erupted, and I twisted to get my bearings. A male Luther appeared before me, and I shouted in surprise, bubbles erupting again.
I relaxed. He couldn’t touch me. The game was over.
He’d be penalised.
Kicking for the surface, I was stopped by a grip on my ankle. I glared downward, trying to see the Luther through the low light and flurry of white water.
Lashing out, I tried to swim for air, but his hold was unshakeable.
Not this again.
He couldn’t actually intend to drown me. Yet suddenly, the penalty of losing a grid didn’t seem like much protection.
I shrieked at a pain in my calf. Blood swirled around my leg and his mouth.
What the fuck?
Did he just bite me?
A familiar tightness squeezed my lungs. Still smirking, the dark-haired werewolf released my leg. Chest burning, I dragged my body upward to the surface, gulping in air when I made it.
Where was the tower?
Body heavy, I spotted the tower behind me. So far.
I paddled in that direction.
An engine roared at my back, and a boat circled me.
“Need a hand?” Leroy held the engine out of the water.
I ignored him, staring up into honey eyes. “No.”
“How did you fall out of the tower?” Sascha Greyson asked, jaw clenched.
How was he dry?
“Someone shook it. I suggest you ask your pack.” I choked on a mouthful of water.
Sascha stilled. “You’re exhausted. Here.”
He extended his hand, and I shoved it away.
Was the tower getting closer or farther away?
I yelped, dragged bodily from the water by a grip on the back of my shirt. Sascha deposited me in the bottom of the boat.
Mustering my strength, I tried to sit. Leroy, of course, chose that moment to put the propeller back in the water. Huffing, I sagged against the wall of the boat, refusing to return Sascha’s intense perusal.
I peeked at the shore, groaning at the stewards lining it, all of them facing this way.
For fuck’s sake.
Sascha crouched before me. “You said the tower was shaken.”
I didn’t answer because my heart was thundering.
A wolf just bit me.
On purpose.
What did that mean? I had to find out. And until then, I couldn’t make a big deal about a Luther attacking me.
Questions would be asked.
Fuck! Were Luthers born or made? I seriously hoped werewolf movies weren’t accurate on the bite front.
I thumped my head against the rubber side of the boat.
Leroy guided the craft alongside the pier, but Sascha didn’t move from his crouch.
“You’re terrified.” He searched my expression.
I pulled myself to sitting. “Well, I’m in your company, aren’t I?”
Leroy growled low, quietening at a sharp look from his leader.
With the grace of a cat, Sascha cradled me in his arms. I crossed my arms as he stepped up onto the pier.
Wade was the first to reach us.
“I’ll take her from here, Luther,” he said coolly.
Sascha froze, sniffing. “You’re bleeding.”
“You’re hurt?” Wade took me in his arms. “I saw you fall.”
“It’s nothing,” I said, feeling the exact moment Sascha smelt the lie. I was too close to miss his sudden tension. “The ladder caught my leg as I fell.”
Rhona ran up. “What happened?”
“The tower was shaken. Someone wanted to throw me off.” I avoided Sascha’s gaze.
She spun on the Luther.
“I didn’t see them.” I cut her off.
Lie.
“Only one species here is strong enough to shake that tower,” she snarled at Sascha.
My leg ached, and I couldn’t risk anyone here seeing the wound. “I have no proof, Rhona. A penalty would be disallowed. But a penalty for you attacking their leader in plain sight would not go unpunished.”
She cocked her head, slanting me a glance.
I looked at him then.
His body almost vibrated with the force of his anger. Yep, he smelt the lie, alright. Wade tightened his grip on me.
I wasn’t the only one noticing his reaction.
“Thank you for bringing the boat over,” I said. “Congratulations on the win.”
Sascha’s gaze darted to my leg and back. His fingers twitched at his side. “We both know you didn’t intend to win that round, Miss Thana. You won’t find me a relaxed opponent despite your recent introduction to Victratum. I respect your cunning too much.”
With a short bow, the werewolf returned to the boat. Rhona stared after him, fixing me with a curious look.
“Let’s go,” I muttered.
Wade carried me down the pier.
“Get everyone dispersed, please, Rhona.” I sighed. “There was an attack on me, but we have no proof.” That would fire everyone up. “They did well today, and the Luthers should fear the next time we meet them in Water.”
Let’s hope I could live up to that promise.
Or just live in general.
“How’s the wound?” Rhona asked, striding into the office.
I tensed at the mention of my injury. The wound had the appearance of a cut at least—the Luther’s teeth must be razor sharp. I’d told everyone the metal of the ladder caught me on the fall.
I shrugged. “Fine. Bruising is turning yellow, and everything is scabbed over.”
Thank fuck. The tribe’s history only mentioned a werewolf’s volatileness at the new moon. Two days into that lunar phase and I’d felt nothing at all.
No sideburns or extra hair.
No fangs.
No growl in my voice.
Only one thing wouldn’t let me relax—the Luther’s smirk. What was he so happy about? Scaring me? I wished I’d got a clear look at the bastard.
Rhona plonked into the seat opposite. “Got a moment?”
No. I was calling our main importers today to introduce myself and pass on the news of Herc’s death. After that, I had an hour of study and a meeting with the head team.
I placed the importer’s contact file aside. “Of course.”
She frowned at her hands. “I was already on shore when the tower began to shake and tilt. Most of us saw you fall. Sascha Greyson was onshore too. He and the blonde ran for a boat when you screamed.”
She fell silent, and I waited.
Nothing more came. “And?”
“Like sprinted.”
I blinked. “I don’t understand.”
Oh, but I did. Damn it, Sascha.
Rhona fixed me with a serious look. “When the boat came back, he cradled you in his arms like some precious treasure. He wouldn’t stop looking at you. And he respects your cunning.”
Okay. Shit. I could not risk Rhona growing suspicious. “I thought he was close by at the time. You think he was in on what happened?”
Her brows climbed. “No. Well, we shouldn’t discount that risk, but no. I think the pack leader wants you. Like, is completely besotted with you. I don’t know how I didn’t see it before. He’s obsessed.”
I blanched. Fuck. “You’re kidding me?”
She kicked
her boots up on the desk. “Think about it. We always thought he was gunning for you because you infiltrated The Dens and he couldn’t act outside of the game to get back at you. What if that wasn’t the case?”
“I—”
“We could use this against him, Andie.”
Exhaling quietly, I shook my head. “I don’t know how we’d go about that.”
“Tie you up as a sacrifice.”
I snorted.
“Just a fake one, obviously. You could wear a white dress that gapes at the front. And you’d need to scream. It’ll be like King Kong, minus the gorilla and plus a werewolf.”
Laughing to cover my pounding heart, I leaned forward. She was far too close to the truth. If she wanted to use me as a weapon, then Rhona would expect me to bring this to the head team’s attention.
The theory would then spread to the entire tribe. That was a lot of scrutiny on an area that I couldn’t afford questions.
I had to contain this.
Rhona pursed her lips. “You don’t think it’s a good idea?”
More lies. “We can use it. I think there could be something to your theory. My worry is that the tribe could easily misunderstand the matter. I’ve just become head steward, and that information could make them view me in a negative light.”
“Right. I didn’t think about that. You think we only tell the head team?”
“I think that we keep it between us for now. Let’s brainstorm a way to use me to gaping-white-dress effect and take our plan to the head team then.”
“We only have two grids right now. Shouldn’t we throw everything we have at the Luthers?”
“Believe me, I intend to. What do you think they’ll choose today?”
“They beat us in Sandstone last time, so that’s my guess. Don’t see why they wouldn’t.”
Unless we revolutionised our strategy in Sandstone, the grid would belong to the Luthers in a week, so if I were Sascha, Iron would be my pick.
Win the harder grid, finish on the easier battlefield.
Plus, Iron was the Ni Tiaki’s main source of income. Without that money, collecting gear for Water would be nearly impossible. We were already down 25 percent with the loss of Timber a while back.
Stretching, I yawned. “I’m going with Iron.”
“Read any of the journals yet?” she asked.
“Just started last night. More of Mum being in love with Murphy. Can’t say I’m enjoying it.”
Once, I’d raced to devour Mum’s journals. Now, reading them was another chore—and one that made me feel so horrible. But I couldn’t not read the journals either. Aside from Pascal, they were my only clue to the past.
Rhona closed her eyes. “I’m so angry at them. Mum and Dad.”
She’d known her real parents, and perhaps that made their betrayal harder to stomach. Herc and Savannah never let her down in life—not until the end. My mother regularly let me down in life and this last lie was just the straw on the camel’s back. “You have every right to be angry. You were old enough to hear the truth.”
“Do you think after Mum’s death, Dad didn’t want to hurt me more or something?”
“I believe that was a factor. Maybe he didn’t know how to tell us too. Whether that had to do with his fear of the fallout or him trying to find the right time, we won’t ever know.”
A tear slipped over her cheek. “I hate him so much sometimes. I feel like you’re handling it so much better than me.”
I smiled. “Don’t believe what you see on TV, sis.”
Rhona eyed me. “Right. Dad was good at hiding emotions too.”
“What are you doing today?” Probably best if we didn’t linger on that subject either.
“I took your advice,” she said. “I’m working with Gerry and taking over some of the dawn trainings.”
Once Gerry retired, I’d look after the strategy and Rhona would look after the execution of those strategies. Playing to our strengths made sense, and this job gave her responsibility. “Good. You’ll be great at it.”
“People are too afraid of me to mention if I’m bad. Anyway, I’ll let you get back to ruling the world.” She winked, leaving the office.
I scrubbed at my face. “Fuck.”
That was too close.
Rhona wasn’t the only smart steward around. If she thought the exchange with Sascha was weird, others could think the same.
Picking up my phone, I unblocked the number from the other day and dialled.
One ring.
“Andie.”
I shivered at his smooth voice, hating myself for the reaction. “I thought you might be interested to know that your behaviour at the lake was noticed and commented upon. I don’t care if I’m dying, drowning, or being mauled, do not pull that shit again.”
His reply was immediate. “Impossible.”
“This is the part where you make up some Luther bullshit to justify ruining my life, right?”
“I can’t not protect you from life-threatening situations. We are an instinctual race, and in some situations, our wolves take the lead.”
Greyson.
I rolled my eyes. “There’s a new one. Now you’re saying you had to kill Herc. It just happened. Give me a break, Sascha.”
“My life is also tied to yours, as you know.”
“So you say.”
“If a male dies, his female mate must live on to care for any young she has birthed. If a female dies, nature deems the male’s existence unnecessary as he will not sire more children.
Oh, brother.
“You always know what to say to turn me on,” I quipped before hanging up.
His number flashed again, and I declined the call.
A message came through.
Remember.
I will make everything alright again.
Delete and block.
He was pretty fast at texting though. Couldn’t deny that.
Turning to the list of importers, I dialled the top name. Something about it seemed vaguely familiar. Le Spyre.
Kind of fancy.
“Hello, you’re speaking with Evie.”
I double-checked the name. “Sorry, must be a wrong number. I’m looking for Basilia Le Spyre.”
“I’m one of her secretaries.”
One of. “Right. Is she around?”
“Mrs Le Spyre is a very busy woman. Can I ask what this call is in regard to?”
“I wanted to introduce myself as the new CEO of Deception Valley Exports. My father recently passed.”
There was a pause. “Please hold.”
The line was answered a second later. “Yello, this is Mrs Le Spyre.”
“Uh, yello. I’m Andie Thana, the—”
“Yeah, I heard. Nice to meet you and all that.”
How did she hear? This lady sounded young. My age, maybe a little older. “The same to you. I wanted to touch base and let you know that my father recently passed. I’ve taken over the CEO role of our export companies.”
“My sympathies. And empathies. A similar thing happened to me not long ago.”
This lady was eccentric, no doubt about it, but her words were heartfelt. “My sympathies and empathies back to you, Mrs Le Spyre.”
“Real talk time. My mate says your family is at war with werewolves. True or false?”
My heart hammered. “What?”
“Oh, don’t worry. I know about all the supernatural stuff.”
She did?
Something else stole my attention though. “Did you say mate?”
“Kyros is a vampire. I am too. One week old.”
What. The. Fuck.
Vampires exist?
My body chilled. I mean, I knew other stuff had to be out there, but this woman was from Bluff City.
Five hours away.
“So,” she drew out in the silence. “Vampires—Vissimo—are kind of territorial. And a little elitist. They’re a bit snobby about discussing other races. What’s the go with werewolves?”
&
nbsp; Swallowing hard, my mind rushed for an out. For all I knew, she was recording this conversation. “You’ll need to excuse me, Mrs Le Spyre. I only found out recently.”
That was vague enough. I hoped.
Her voice lowered. “You didn’t know?”
“Nope.”
“And you grew up in the valley? That’s bullshit. Been there, done that. Hated it. All I can say is that things do get better. If you need to talk, well, I actually am really busy and super rich, but leave a message with Evie and she’ll pop a call through when I’m free.”
Weirdly, my chest loosened at her offer.
She wasn’t a steward. Was that it? I had so many secrets at this point and something to hide from everyone. Even Rhona and Wade. Talking about my troubles to an unbiased ear—someone who’d mated with a supernatural creature—would be incredible. “Thank you. That means a lot. Really. And if you have any business questions, don’t hesitate to call. I’m busy, but not super rich, so leave a message and I’ll pop a call through myself.”
The woman laughed. “I like you. Gotta go, Truth Ranges time.”
Billionaires watched that crap? The line beeped. I grinned. Did she hang up?
She did.
I liked her too.
The door burst open.
I sagged. “Christ, Wade.”
He kicked the door shut. “Hey, baby girl. Busy?”
“Only extremely. Hey, do you know the name Le Spyre?”
“Basilia Le Spyre is the seventh richest person in the world. Like, crazy powerful. I want to use the word camp, but I’m not so sure I understand what it means.”
Did you know she’s a vampire? “Do you know other supernatural races exist?”
“Yeah. Vampires rule Bluff City. Big war there for a long time. Apparently, it just came to an end.”
So casual. “Any other creatures I should know about?”
“Like, locally? Demons to the north, some say. There were rumours of a witch’s coven out south at one point.”
My ears rang. “What else exists?”
“I wouldn’t rule out anything in books. I mean, you’ve seen what the Luthers can do. Best to just throw the rules out the window. On to more interesting things.”
“I find this subject pretty interesting.”
Moon Claimed: Supernatural Battle (Werewolf Dens Book 2) Page 4