“If you say so.” Ruri had no objection to taking on her fur-form, and neither did her wolf. They were a lot better equipped to protect themselves and Mary Alice with teeth and claws, and her wolf wouldn’t let her mate go unprotected. “I’ll shift now. Better to be ready to go when we get to the vamps.”
Mary Alice nodded and turned a bland expression at Stiletto’s inarticulate sound of disagreement. “If you want to try tracking the lycans down on your own, you’re welcome to it. I’m doing this because I think it has the best chance of success based on what I know of my city. But by all means, if you disagree, feel free to do your own thing.”
“I can’t leave you with this monster,” Stiletto said, her face ruddy. She clearly didn’t appreciate being dismissed, no matter how backhandedly. “You need one of your own to watch back, especially since you’re insisting on being insanely foolish. Lycans are one thing, vamps are a different kettle altogether. I hope you’ve proven yourself to them, or they’ll eat you alive.”
“Suit yourself.” Triumph bled through in Mary Alice’s scent. Ruri didn’t understand how she could be so pleased that Stiletto continued to attach herself to them. In her way of seeing things, they would have been far better off without the interloping human.
Cool air hit her abdomen as she prepared to strip off her shirt. Ruri had it barely past her rib cage when Mary Alice laid a warm hand over hers.
“How about downstairs? I don’t want to have to mop up another mess in here.” Her eyes gleamed in amusement. Apparently she still remembered the gift Ruri had left in her bedroom.
“As you wish,” Ruri said, laughing.
They were preparing to march into the belly of the beast, but she couldn’t have been happier. Mary Alice was self-assured, at the top of her game. Ruri could tell by the way her lover had thrown back her shoulders. She seemed prepared to take anything head-on, and Ruri couldn’t help but feel buoyed by her confidence. Things could still blow up in their faces—hell they probably would—but with Mary Alice at her side at least they had an even chance at survival.
Ruri stepped by to allow Mary Alice to lead the way, then cut in behind her, to Stiletto’s obvious irritation. That was fine with her. She couldn’t trust Stiletto with something as important as watching Mary Alice’s back.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Mary Alice’s eyes slid right again. She couldn’t help it. After all, it wasn’t every day she rode around with a giant golden wolf in her passenger seat. Ruri lounged easily, head high enough that only her ears were visible from the outside. The fewer people who saw her, the better. Of course, most civilians wouldn’t believe she was a wolf, let alone wolven, but Mary Alice wasn’t going to tempt fate.
It was fortunate that her truck wasn’t large enough for Stiletto to ride with them. She followed along behind in an old sedan, one as beaten up and innocuous as the truck Mary Alice called her own. She wasn’t the only one who believed an old car was inconspicuous.
Her mind was inclined to wander and she allowed it. There was little point in dwelling on Cassidy. Her sister had to make her own way. It was clear their worlds were further apart now than they’d been when her sister had still been human. How much of that was because of what Cassidy now was, and how much of it was because of what Mary Alice had been all along?
She shook her head, which elicited a questioning whine from Ruri. Her eyes shifted right before she could stop herself. Ruri was almost as thorny an issue as Cassidy, and yet there was less regret there when she allowed herself to contemplate the wolven. Less regret…but what were they doing, exactly? How could anything they had together last? She’d killed more lycans over the years than she could count, and here she was screwing around with one. It was only that one time, she corrected herself. Does that really count? Still, the sadness that threatened to choke her at the idea of never seeing Ruri again was too intense for “just one time.” When this was all over, Ruri would go back to her pack, to Cassidy’s pack. Mary Alice would be all alone once more.
“Dammit,” she swore under her breath.
Ruri shifted in her seat, and a cold nose touched Mary Alice on the back of her hand. Warm breath washed over the back of her hand before an even warmer tongue bathed it softly.
“It’s okay,” Mary Alice said. She dropped her hand and caressed the warm ruff around Ruri’s neck, unsure how the gesture would be received. Quite well, it seemed, as Ruri leaned into it.
The contact helped calm her racing mind, and she focused back on the task at hand. The vamps would be a problem, but they were the least of the host of evils facing them. She needed them far more than they needed her, but the trick was making sure they didn’t know that.
She pulled up behind the club. It was closed up tight. There would be no action here until night fell, but she knew they had human servants, humans who chased after the euphoria the vampire’s bite gave them. They brokered their blood for pleasure and the chance to be part of something absent from their mundane lives.
She got out of the car and Ruri jumped down right behind her, head held high and nostrils wide. What danger the wolven thought she’d be able to smell with vamps involved, Mary Alice wasn’t certain, but she was happy for her presence. Ruri was comfortingly solid by her side.
Stiletto pulled in behind them. Her car might have been a piece of crap, but it ran well, just as Mary Alice’s truck did. Her counterpart’s presence was much less comforting than Ruri’s. Not for the first time, Malice wished Stiletto away.
“You both need to follow my lead in there,” she said. She glanced down at Ruri and was reassured by the nod of her shaggy head. Stiletto was much less comforting. She set her jaw and said nothing. “I mean it, Simone.”
As usual, the use of her given name had more effect upon the woman than threats of physical violence might have. “Fine, I got it. But if one of them looks ready to sample any of me—or either of you—they’re not walking away.”
“Unacceptable.”
Stiletto cocked an eyebrow at her uncompromising tone but said nothing.
“I don’t know what Atlanta vamps are like, but these are going to mess with you, try to get under your skin. It’s what they did to me my first time here. If you let them push your buttons, you’ll get us all killed.” Malice pinched the bridge of her nose with one hand. It seemed like she’d had this headache for longer than she could remember. Stiletto only made it worse. Ruri stepped under her other hand and the pain behind her eyes lessened slightly. “I don’t trust them any more than you do.”
Stiletto barked a sharp laugh. “You have no idea.”
“I don’t. I want to get out of here with my skin intact too, you know. If I give the word, take out as many of them as you can manage, but if I don’t, keep your knives sheathed.” The katana across her back wasn’t Malice’s only weapon. There were also twin knives strapped to her thighs and the wakizashi at her waist. The trench coat kept them all concealed, more or less. Carla would know she was armed to the teeth and would expect no less. The company she kept would throw the vampire lord off more than weapons—or so Mary Alice hoped.
There was still no answer from Stiletto and Malice folded her arms and leaned against the truck. She wasn’t moving until Stiletto agreed to play ball. They stood there for long minutes, Ruri shifting at their feet, swinging her head between them to watch each in turn.
“Fine.” The agreement sounded like it might have caused her physical pain, but Malice was prepared to accept it. They didn’t have the time to mess around, but since she was the only one who knew the deadline they operated against, she couldn’t push it.
“Fine.” She pushed herself up and led the way to an unassuming metal door. Cigarette butts littered the ground and the scent of stale smoke made her wrinkle her nose. Ruri sneezed and Malice smiled at her in commiseration. She pounded on the door hard enough that the sounds echoed hollowly inside. If that didn’t bring someone running, there were other ways into the club, but she didn’t want to risk putting the vam
pires on the defensive. She needed them too badly to get their backs up.
There was no answer and no sign that anyone was coming to the door. She waited longer as Stiletto drummed impatient fingers on the wide leather belt around her hips. Ruri’s weight against her legs counseled her to patience, but this was not the time. She knocked again, louder this time. The door boomed beneath her fist.
It didn’t take long for the sound of running footsteps to reach them through the thick metal. A few seconds passed and a slot shot open in the door. Dark eyes stared out at them.
“We’re closed. Come back at sundown.” The words were curt and delivered with dismissive bite. The human obviously had no idea who had come to call.
“I’m not here to dance.” Malice stepped forward until she could see the veins in his eyes. “Carla will see me. Tell her Malice is here.”
“Malice?” He was sneering; Malice could hear it. She itched to reach through the door and bash his head against the wall. This little man was slowing her down, and she couldn’t allow that. “Never heard of you.”
“If you don’t open the door, you’ll wish you never had either.” When he started to slide the slot shut, Malice reached out and trapped it between her fingers. Try as he might, he couldn’t move it. “Look, little man, I know who your masters are. I won’t need to rip you into small pieces once they’re done with you. They will want to talk to me, and if they find out you’re the one who stopped that from happening, you will die long after you’ve stopped being able to scream.”
He blanched slightly and stepped away from the door. There was a small in-ear receiver in his left ear, and he reached up to activate it. Apparently he was going to do the smart thing. She could hear every word he said, though there weren’t many. In fact, he’d barely finished saying her name before he was back at the door. Tumblers chunked open, and he stood in front of them, one arm extended as if to welcome them into a grand palace. The front of the club might have been impressive enough for the gesture, but the back hallway certainly wasn’t. A long hall of concrete and darkness opened before them. Malice caught a glimpse of movement further down the hall, well out of the possible reach of the sun’s rays.
“You’re to follow me. Mistress Sangre will see you as soon as she’s able.”
Malice said nothing and simply took his invitation to step into the building. Ruri was stuck at her side as if she’d been glued there. It didn’t feel like she was frightened. Rather Malice got the feeling Ruri was trying to reassure her. Stiletto took up the rear, following soundlessly along in their footsteps. Malice didn’t have to look back to know she was there, she could feel her, but without those extra senses, she would never have known.
“I didn’t know,” their reluctant guide was saying. He hadn’t even batted an eye when Ruri and Stiletto filed in with her. “You won’t tell them, will you?”
Malice ignored the man and his question. He was not her concern. A tall vamp met them around the next corner.
“You may go, Christian,” he said to the doorman.
Christian gave a funny little bow and swiveled toward her before he was finished. He looked up before straightening, but whatever he saw in her face made him swallow hard and bow even more deeply. He waited until they were past before straightening up. She could hear him scurrying back down the hall.
“The Lord of Chicago will want to know who your guests are, Malice.” The vampire watched her closely. The skin on his face was drawn tight over bones a shade too prominent. He seemed like he needed a good meal, but Malice suspected he had looked that way all his life. His color was good. Unless she was mistaken, he’d fed recently, and well. If he was up and about at this time of day then he was very old indeed, maybe even older than Carla. He also knew a wolven when he saw one. She hadn’t missed how he’d asked for more than one name.
“You may tell Carla that Malice has brought Stiletto and Ruri with her.” She didn’t have to fill in the blanks for him; he was perfectly capable of doing so for himself.
He made no move to leave and stood there instead. A moment later he nodded and walked away. “This way” was all he said.
His grave manner was so stereotypical that Malice felt a laugh bubbling up from within her. At least he wasn’t wearing a cape. No, his clothing was more suitable for a casual day at the office. Suit jacket and slacks were finished with a shirt buttoned up to the top, but no tie. He looked like an evil accountant on casual Friday.
A sharp pain in her right hand drew her attention down. Ruri showed her teeth in clear warning. If she couldn’t pull herself together, she was going to get another nip.
With some effort, Malice managed to get herself under control. Nothing could distract her now. If this whole mess was going to be resolved, she needed to be at the top of her game. She reached down and touched Ruri on the back of the neck, taking reassurance in her strength.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chicago’s so-called lord wasn’t at all what Ruri expected. She was short, for one thing. Somehow, Ruri had assumed the vampire lord would be taller. She’d never had reason to interact with the woman before, but she knew Dean had at least once. The only time he’d spoken of her, he’d smelled coldly contemptuous. It only made sense that he would have some interaction with the self-styled leader of the city’s non-human community. The word wasn’t a good description for how the non-humans interacted. It implied a sense of cohesion instead of the shifting tapestry of alliances and feuds. Humans were a common enemy. That was about all they could agree to. The packs had more interaction with each other than they did with the vampires, but it was hard to dispute that the vamps knew everything that went on among the different flavors of non-humans. Still, it was difficult to trust them completely, especially given centuries-long feuds over territory and food.
For centuries, the wolven had done their best to shove vamps out of any communities they found them in. Vampires weren’t able to blend with human society the way wolven could. Having a vampire in the area brought down scrutiny from humans and usually ended up tarring the wolven with the same brush. It wasn’t fair. Humanity didn’t have nearly as much to fear from the wolven. Generally, they were more interested in livestock than in humans. To vampires, humans were livestock. Vampires didn’t trust the wolven, who returned the sentiment in spades. Apparently, not much had changed. Two vampires, including their escort, lounged in stiff-backed chairs next to a small table. They watched everything closely, as still as cats waiting for a foolish mouse to expose itself.
“Malice,” the vampire lord said, pouting. “Why have you come to see me during the day? I really should be getting my beauty sleep.” The excuse was pure crap. Ruri knew it and she was sure the Hunters did also. A vampire with the strength to run an entire city would have no problems staying awake during daylight. That ability was usually reserved for the oldest of vampires. This one didn’t smell that old to Ruri, not that she could smell much. There was little of the mustiness of the crypt she tended to associate with the oldest vamps. They might not smell like much themselves, but they did tend to take on the scents of their surroundings, at least a little bit, which made ambushing them in their territory a chancy prospect indeed. When at home, vamps truly melted into their scentscape.
“Like you need any of that, Carla.” Mary Alice seemed awfully friendly with the vampire. Obviously they’d met before, but Ruri wondered what kind of relationship they actually had.
“You’re kind to say so,” Carla said. She smiled widely, flashing tips of pointed eyeteeth against red lips. The smile disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. In its place was a small moue of disappointment. “But did you have to bring these…people with you?”
Stiletto shifted slightly on the other side of Mary Alice. Ruri agreed with her restlessness. The implied slight had hit home, for both of them it seemed. It was strange; the other Hunter didn’t smell as uncomfortable as Ruri expected her to. If anything, she smelled of anticipation that bordered upon sexual. Stiletto certainly didn
’t smell as if she were readying herself for battle but for something far more carnal.
“I have some questions for you and they’re involved in the worst of it.” Mary Alice folded her arms and settled her weight back on her heels. If her posture was anything to go by, she would not be moved.
Ruri dropped her head slightly, tensing her shoulders and readying herself. The movements were infinitesimal, and she hoped no one would notice. Her wolf bristled in agreement. If anything attacked, they would have to contend with teeth and claws.
“Tell your pets to stand down,” Carla said. “I’m not going to hurt them.”
“Pets?” Stiletto’s voice was mild, but she placed a hand under her trench coat. There was no doubt she gripped one of her knives.
“They certainly don’t have much in the way of manners.” Carla walked forward. Her steps were too smooth to be believed. She could have carried a stack of quarters on the top of her head without losing one of them.
Mary Alice turned to keep the vampire in front of her. Carla sauntered toward Ruri who refused to give ground. She recognized a play for dominance when she saw one. It was different than the way wolven took stock of each other, but she was being tested nonetheless. Carla had a presence that battered at her, trying to force the wolf and its protections out of her way. The wolf shifted and flowed around the vampire’s probing, never meeting her head on but never offering an opening either. A head-to-head confrontation probably wouldn’t end well for either Ruri or her wolf, but they hadn’t forgotten the difficult lessons that decades of experience imparted. Some battles couldn’t be won by a head-on attack. The vampire dropped a hand toward her, but it was intercepted before she could touch Ruri.
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