She stripped off her workout clothes and detoured to the living room where she nudged the cell phone under the couch with her foot. A couple of books joined it for good measure, though not too close. She had to stage things carefully. There could be no question that the phone had ended up there by accident and not by design.
“What’s with that giant metal box out there?” Stiletto asked as Malice reentered the kitchen.
“I needed somewhere to corral Cassidy while she was going through the change.”
“You locked up your own sister?” Stiletto raised both eyebrows without looking up from the component she was carefully drying off with a Q-tip. “After all your talk, I didn’t think you’d have it in you.”
“I didn’t want her hurting anyone. Or herself.”
“It’s not that much different from handing her over to our people.”
“Hardly. There’s a world of difference, but I guess there’s no expecting you to get it.” Time to change the subject, Malice decided. If Stiletto continued comparing her to the government, Malice would force feed that hard drive to her. “Looks like you’ve done that before.”
“You could say that.” Stiletto didn’t look up from her task. “This is the first time I had help screwing it up, though.”
“I had no idea you were so clumsy.”
“I most certainly am not.” Another piece went into the bag of rice. “I might have the tendency to multitask unsuccessfully.”
“I’d say.” Needling Stiletto probably wasn’t the wisest thing to do, but she seemed to have come down from her earlier rage. With a heavy sigh, Malice lowered herself to a stool across the island from her counterpart. “We need to figure out our next steps with the pack.”
Stiletto grunted in agreement. “Damn right we do.”
“We should move now, before word of your presence in town spreads.”
“And if it does, whose fault is that?”
“The way I see it, no one forced you to follow me.” Malice glared at the top of Stiletto’s head.
“You were hiding something, I knew it.” Stiletto looked up to capture Malice’s gaze. “Turns out I was right.”
“And my business is my business. How I choose to deal with the supras in town is my deal. I get the job done and it works for me.”
“Until now. Coddling them will get you killed. If you’re going to work with them, they need to fear you or they’ll take you down sooner rather than later.”
“I don’t plan on getting taken down at all. And since when do you work with supras? I thought you hated them too much to do that.”
“Just because I know I’m going to kill them eventually doesn’t mean they can’t be useful until that happens. It’s only a matter of time until they step a foot out of bounds, and knowing their haunts and habits makes it easier to hunt them down.”
“That’s cold. And isn’t it against regs?”
“The regs aren’t clear on that point. We’re not supposed to fraternize,” Stiletto’s pointed look should have embarrassed her some, but it failed to raise the slightest bit of shame. “But they don’t specifically forbid contact that’s necessary to complete our mission.”
“That’s a great rationalization. Can you split hairs any finer?”
Stiletto held up her hand, and Malice bristled before realizing that she was looking toward the windows.
“What do you—?”
“Do you hear that?” Stiletto interrupted her again. Her eyes were intense; she looked like she was trying to see through the wall by sheer force of will.
Malice slowed her breathing and listened. Silence fell over the room and she made out quiet scratching noises. They seemed to be coming from outside. She opened herself up, but there was little to go on. The thickness of many layers of bricks muted her senses, but she couldn’t deny that something was coming up the wall toward them.
“This is why you don’t make pets of monsters,” Stiletto hissed. She slid off her stool and slunk over to the wall of windows. The sounds were louder now, coming inexorably closer. Stiletto positioned herself by the open window.
It seemed a good idea to Malice, and she stopped only long enough to retrieve a couple of combat knives from her weapons drawer. She flipped one toward Stiletto, the knife turning end over end through the air. Stiletto grabbed it without looking and settled into a crouch. Malice took up her position on the window’s other side, waiting for whatever it was that was crawling its way up the side of her home toward them.
The sound stopped only to be replaced by the tortured squeal of tearing metal. Malice gritted her teeth and readied herself. As soon as whatever it was came through that window, it was dead.
The silhouette of fingers made too long by the claws at their tips felt their way up the frosted glass of the window. They gripped the bottom of the opening left when the window had been opened. Small tufts of golden fur dusted the back of the fingers where they met the hand. An intimately familiar energy registered to her senses now that it wasn’t being insulated by brick walls two feet thick.
Stiletto surged forward, her knife at the ready. She grabbed the nearest arm and yanked, pulling the intruder into the kitchen. The knife flashed, plunging toward the back of Ruri’s neck. Mary Alice threw herself forward, pushing Ruri away from Stiletto and sandwiching her own body between her lover and her squadmate.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Ruri squawked in a most undignified way when a hand reached out from nowhere and grabbed her wrist. She flew through the window into a blur that even she had trouble following. The woman Mary Alice didn’t like had a hold of her and was swinging a huge knife at her head. A weight like a wrecking ball smashed into her from the side, sending Ruri into Stiletto, knocking the breath from her in a thunderous whoosh.
The sound of a pop was followed by the smell of iron and salt. Blood, but she didn’t feel any pain. Instead, she felt warm spots on her skin. Mary Alice’s blood was dripping down on her from where she stood over her, protecting her from Stiletto.
Adrenaline surged through her veins and her wolf tried to break free. Fur and fluid flowed up her arm from her hands and a sharp pain rocketed through her jaw. Teeth burst from her gums in blood and agony.
Mary Alice still had one hand around her upper arm, and it tightened in warning. “Don’t,” she whispered.
Ruri looked up and caught the human’s pain in the crease around her eyes. Fury flooded into her. The wolf would not be denied. She demanded to be fully let out, tearing at Ruri’s belly and chest. More fur sprouted in the wake of her claws. The bones in her back legs broke and reformed in a series of loud snaps.
“Ruri, no!” The words were no request; they were an order. Surprisingly, her wolf took heed, stopping her internal rampage and retreating back inside Ruri with a whimper. Without the wolf’s rage to sustain her, Ruri allowed the transformation to reverse itself. She came fully back to herself, crouched on the floor and pushed up against the cool brick of the exterior wall. Warm drops still splashed on the bare skin of her arm, dyeing it streaky red.
“What are you doing?” Stiletto’s voice dug into her skull. Ruri rumbled a growl in response before realizing the question wasn’t directed at her.
“I’m keeping you from killing each other.” Mary Alice straightened, pulling Ruri with her. She shoved Ruri behind her. “What are you doing here?”
It took her a moment to figure out she was being addressed. She hid her pause behind an insouciant shrug. “You didn’t give me a key. How else was I supposed to get in? I figured you’d booby-trapped your door, so I came up the side.”
“For the love of all that’s holy, Malice.” Stiletto gestured toward them with the combat knife before turning away and running her free hand through her short hair. “It’s a death wish. You have a total death wish.”
“That’s not it,” Mary Alice said. “But I won’t let you harm those under my protection.”
“Just because you’re sleeping with it doesn’t mean it cares for
you.”
But this time it does, Ruri realized. It means everything. With a start she discovered her wolf had chosen a mate and she wondered when exactly that had happened. The wolf trusted Mary Alice completely and had for some time, even while she’d held them captive. As soon as she’d realized why Mary Alice had kidnapped her, the wolf had started becoming attached. So too had Ruri. Sure, she’d originally come on to her as a way to rattle the Hunter’s cage and to gain an advantage, but the move hadn’t been despite lack of interest. Someone who would give anything for family was someone Ruri understood, respected even.
But did she love her? It was possible, but how did she unravel that string of emotion from the tangle she found herself in? Her mate was supposed to be another wolven, not a human and certainly not one tasked with hunting them down. And her Alpha’s sister? Something wasn’t quite true about the last statement, though. Cassidy wasn’t really her Alpha. Dean still held that position and her connection to Cassidy and the other wolven who’d been gathered under her protection was tenuous at best. She felt more connected to the woman in front of her than to them. The human woman who had kidnapped and held her there.
“That’s not what’s important here.” The words were dismissive, each one falling on Ruri like a sledgehammer.
“This thing just crawled up three stories to get to you, and that’s not important?” Even Stiletto seemed incredulous at Mary Alice’s dismissal of Ruri’s sudden presence. “What could be more important?”
“Taking care of the pack that’s making a mess of my city, that’s what.” Mary Alice ground the words out. If her voice had been a weapon, holes would be smoking in Stiletto’s torso. There was more going on here than an argument over her presence. “The sooner I get rid of them, the sooner things go back to normal. The sooner I can be done with you.” The last was delivered through clenched teeth.
For a brief moment Ruri wondered if the last had been directed at her, but she decided it probably hadn’t been. She focused on Mary Alice’s back. The stab wound still oozed a sluggish streak of crimson blood. When she pulled her arm out of Mary Alice’s grasp and stepped around her toward the kitchen, she couldn’t help but notice how both sets of human eyes followed her. She appreciated being the target of Mary Alice’s attention far more than she did Stiletto’s.
Ruri opened the towel drawer and rummaged through until she found a particularly tatty dishtowel. She returned and pressed the towel against Mary Alice’s stab wound. A slight intake of breath was the only acknowledgment she received.
“It knows its way around your kitchen. I knew one of them was your girlfriend.”
“So what if she is?” Mary Alice turned her back to Stiletto and gave Ruri a small smile, but kept talking. “I’m done talking about my personal life. If you want to help me track down that rogue pack, then you can come along. Otherwise, do us all a favor and go back to Atlanta.”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” Ruri said. She spoke quickly before Stiletto could get a word in edgewise. It sounded like they were picking up an interrupted argument. “You don’t have to take out the entire pack. You shouldn’t take them all out.”
“So it’s here to keep us from doing our jobs,” Stiletto said. Ruri was starting to really hate the sneer in the human’s voice whenever Stiletto spoke of her.
Stiletto subsided when Mary Alice held up her hand, though she tried to make it seem as if she’d had nothing else to say.
Mary Alice nodded to Ruri, encouraging her to go on.
“Most of the pack won’t be involved in whatever MacTavish is up to. They’re with him for the protection he affords, not because they believe in what he’s doing. You want MacTavish and the top members of the pack. They’re the ones who have choices in what they’re doing. Let me have the rest of them.”
“They could leave anytime, Ruri,” Mary Alice said gently. “Why should I treat them any differently?”
“But they can’t, not really. Don’t you see? Dean would let anyone go if they really wanted to, but he had to break the bond with them. Somehow I don’t see MacTavish letting go of anyone he’s already sunk his claws into, not until they no longer have any use to him.”
“Then what about you and the others?”
“Simple, we got out when he took over. The Alpha bond hadn’t formed yet. Those under his thumb now aren’t so lucky. If they try to get away, he’ll be able to track them down. I can assure you he’ll be less than kind when he catches up with them again.”
Stiletto broke in, and Ruri felt a short burst of hot anger at her presumption. “How does he find them? What is it about the Alpha bond that makes that possible?”
Ruri just laughed scornfully, the harshness of her tone making Stiletto angry enough that red showed through her dark complexion. There was no way she would tell that woman any more than she had to. Stiletto would gain no advantage over her people from her.
“Mary, the rest of them don’t deserve to be put down just because MacTavish is a murderous bastard.” Surely she would see. Ruri held her breath as Mary Alice seemed to mull over her request.
“Anyone who had a hand in turning my sister is already dead.” Mary Alice’s face was unyielding, her lips set in a straight line. “They don’t know it yet is all.”
Even if Ruri had been inclined to disagree, she doubted she’d have been able to convince her otherwise. “I didn’t expect anything less. Anyone who would do that to the unwilling deserves what’s coming for them. I can point you in the direction of a couple of them. I recognized them in Cassidy.”
“Thanks.” Mary Alice’s face softened slightly in gratitude before hardening again. “Let’s get ready to head out, then. The sooner this is all handled, the better.”
She strode out of the room, leaving Ruri eyeing Stiletto uneasily. The human glared back at her. She betrayed no outward sign of unease, but Ruri could smell her anxiety. It wasn’t overwhelming, but the skittering stutter of mild fear colored her aroma. Like Mary Alice, Stiletto gave off very little scent. She too faded into the background of prevalent smells. Stiletto lingered a moment longer as if proving to them both that she had no reason to fear Ruri. She seemed to be having problems standing still, though, and followed Mary Alice out of the room after less than a minute.
Ruri perched on the edge of the kitchen island and waited. Voices floated to her from the far side of Mary Alice’s home area.
“I can’t believe you’ll bargain with them,” Stiletto said, her voice heated. “It has no claim on you, even if you are sleeping together.”
“It’s a reasonable request.” Mary Alice’s response was unruffled.
Something had changed; the Hunter no longer scrambled to find her feet. Somewhere in the time between when Mary Alice left the safe house and Ruri surprising her here, she’d gotten her bearings. In fact, she was more self-assured and in control than Ruri had ever seen her. Her wolf coiled around her in approval. The wolf may have chosen Mary Alice as her mate, but Ruri was still uncertain. There were simply too many complications for her to sign on, but how could she go against the wishes of her wolf? The stories of her people made it clear that it was a losing battle. Disagreement about the matebond was a recipe for unhappiness, but surely there had never been a situation like this one.
“This is a terrible idea.” Stiletto’s voice high and insistent. “Good lord, Malice, do you remember nothing from our training?”
“Our training hasn’t exactly been good enough for what I’ve had to deal with lately. I’ll take the best help I can get, and I’m not going to run a DNA test on who it’s coming from.” She laughed humorlessly. “Besides, if you have problems working with these lycans, you’re going to like what I have planned even less.”
If she’d been in fur-form, Ruri’s ears would have pricked up in interest. As it was, she snickered a bit as Stiletto’s voice increased in its register.
“What do you mean? What do you have planned?”
“I don’t know where the lycans e
nded up, and neither do you. There’s only one group I know of who knows whatever there is to find out about the supras in town.”
“You don’t mean—?”
“Yep. Vamps.”
If she wasn’t mistaken, there was a note of glee in Mary Alice’s voice. As amusing as Stiletto’s anticipated discomfiture had been, Ruri had to agree with her. Vampires made her skin crawl. The way the creatures practically licked their chops when one of her kind was around didn’t help. Wolven blood was preferable to them than that of humans and easier to come by than fae or demon blood.
Her wolf shifted uncomfortably. She didn’t like the idea of rubbing elbows with anything that thought itself higher up on the food chain. Still, if this could get her to the rest of her people, it might be a risk worth taking. When it came down to it, it was better by far that she should be the one going into the den of bloodsuckers than Cassidy. She couldn’t see Cassidy sitting idly by if she knew what was going on, and her blood would be of special interest to vamps.
The two Hunters entered the kitchen. Mary Alice was dressed in what Ruri could only surmise were her work clothes. They were black and form-fitting without being tight. Pockets and straps seemed to cover every possible surface. She moved with purpose and without wasted effort. Ruri’s mouth went dry when she saw her. Mary Alice was danger personified, and Ruri could feel herself being drawn to her. She wanted to slowly peel each item of clothing from her body and run her hands over the skin beneath.
“Are you okay?” Mary Alice asked.
Ruri came back to herself with a start. “Yeah, fine,” she mumbled. She shook her head to clear it. “I’m coming with you.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“Good idea or not, it’s happening.”
“It’s your call.” Mary Alice shrugged casually. She smelled relieved, however. It warmed Ruri to know she was wanted.
“I can help. I should help. These are my people. I failed them once. I’m not going to do so again.”
“Good.” Mary Alice looked her up and down. On the surface it was all business, but Ruri could smell the edge of arousal that crept into her scent. “You should shift. We’re going to need some firepower for this one. Let’s make it clear exactly what they’ll be taking on if they decide to go up against us.”
Five Moons Rising Page 29