Five, Marten thought as Bill’s voice continued. The same number he had lost to the Sickness… He was not prepared to lose another five.
“And then there’s the Apprentice Lore Master. Henry recognized his Jeep…”
He knew it! Aster must have been the female that allowed Lucas to form a pack. But—no. That couldn’t be right. There must be another female. Because he’d felt the pack-magic when he’d said the words to bless their union.
He was their Alpha. And he couldn’t afford to lose Dean. Lore Master Renau had been one of the first to leave. Marten needed Dean’s knowledge to guide his pack.
“We leave tonight,” he said, cutting Bill off mid-sentence. “Gather the men, but only from our group. I have something I want to… discuss with this new Alpha.”
For some reason, new packs almost never survived. They almost always succumbed to the Sickness, sooner or later. No one knew why. And after twenty years of being shunted from the fringes of one pack territory to another, twenty years of trying and failing to keep his People safe, he knew what it was like to lose someone to that. He was not prepared to let that happen again. Upstart Lucas was about to find out what it meant to be a real Alpha.
“But…” Bill’s voice was tentative. “Don’t you have to declare war on another Alpha to take his pack?”
Marten gave him a hard stare. “Whatever it takes.”
** *
Millie sat in front of the fire and stared blankly at the dancing flames, trying to make sense of the roiling emotions she could feel coming from Marten. Her— mate.
She could hardly believe this was her life. When he’d first told her, she thought he was insane. So then he’d shown her, and that hadn’t gone too well. Marten changing before her eyes from a gorgeous, naked, bad-ass lover into a giant, grizzled black wolf had sent her leaping up onto the bed, shrieking like a banshee. As if he were a mouse, for God’s sake, and being up on the bed would actually do any good. And then he’d turned back into himself, looking hurt and crestfallen. Which had almost been worse.
She still cringed, remembering it. Because, God bless him, he had tried to explain. But, yeah. She hadn’t believed him.
Quitting her job and going on a Canadian adventure with a hot, sexy man who said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her had seemed like a no-brainer. Boring dead-end job—
or exciting romance and travel? Really, it was no contest, once she’d had a chance to think about it. Not that she’d believed him— about the rest of their lives stuff, anyway. But she could always get another job. Yes, working for Dr. Evans had been a good fit for her, but there were other jobs that didn’t involve dealing with a lot of people. And, she’d thought, who knew? Anything was possible.
Of course, that was before she knew just how many things were possible. This is why they tell women not to go home with strangers, Millie. You never know who you are going to wake up with.
And now she was living with a pack of strangers—okay, make that werewolves—in a tiny rural community in Canada. And she was experiencing just a small amount of culture shock. She hated meeting new people. Especially groups of people. Which is what had happened today.
She sighed and hoped it hadn’t actually gone as badly as she thought it had. She’d tried to avoid it, but Marten had insisted. He said it was really important to him and for his place in the community. So, she tried to suck it up— take one for the team, so to speak. But there were so many of them. Hundreds of faces peering at her like she was some kind of failed science experiment. Her heart pounded and her hands grew damp just from the memory.
Marten had pulled her forward, first by the hand, and then when her stomach clenched and her knees threatened to give out, he’d turned to her, concern evident in his face. He put an arm around her shoulders, tucking her into his side.
“It’s okay, Millie. They are my People. They would never harm you.” But, of course, he had no idea actual physical harm was the last thing on her mind. Which yes, she could admit it, made her completely, certifiably crazy. They were werewolves!
But he’d led her out, and introduced her with words she couldn’t hear over the pounding of her heart, as all of them—a sea of strangers—stared back at her. She’d managed a dorky little wave before he took pity on her and led her away, assuring her the whole time that she was safe, the look of concern on his face echoing the worry she could feel through the bond.
And Millie was pretty sure, whatever it was he’d needed from her in terms of his ‘standing’ in the community, she hadn’t provided it. No, she was pretty much a liability when it came to things like that. But he hadn’t seemed upset or annoyed. Just concerned. Which was confusing as hell.
But the past week had been— wonderful. The cabin was a bit rustic and could use some updating, but it was charming in its own way, and the views were spectacular. The back sliders looked over a grassy expanse that stretched out to a line of evergreens, with a majestic range of white capped mountains beyond. The front window, the kitchen window, looked out on a small pristine lake, or maybe it was technically a pond, but the water was a clear crystalline blue. She and Marten had spread a blanket out there and enjoyed a lovely picnic dinner complete with wine and candlelight once the sun went down.
Marten had been sweet and attentive, seeing to her every need. And the sex… The man was a god between the sheets. Really, if Millie had tried to imagine her most perfect dream lover, she wouldn’t even have come close. And he liked her. Really and truly cared for her. Deeply. She could feel it—actually feel the emotions coming from him—which, okay, that was freaky. But it was nice-freaky, so…
The problem was, there was no going back. There was no ‘getting another job’ if things didn’t work out. This was... forever. And Millie wasn’t really sure she was ready for that. Because Marten needed her. Big, strong, tough-guy Marten was depending on her. And that scared the shit out of her.
Chapter 24
Dynamic is a style of play that is considered ‘double edged,’ and developed out of the Hypermodern School. It challenges more classical strategy by using openings designed to improve both the aggressive and defensive position of each piece, and thus capitalize on their dynamic potential while preserving the initiative.
— From the Journals of Aster Ardennes
Aster stepped through the mudroom door, allowing Dean to hold it open for her— without even grumbling. She’d spent most of the day with him and Aaron in Dean’s lab creating small incendiary devices using magnesium powder and white phosphorus. They would be placed strategically to ensure the fire burned particularly hot in certain areas, so that all the critical records and data were destroyed. Aster made a face. At least they’d let her help with that.
She clenched her teeth and resisted the urge to stomp into the great room. Aaron and Dean had been arguing all morning about whether they should disable the sprinkler systems before starting the fires, or not. Well, maybe arguing was the wrong word, because they each seemed to come down on either side of the argument at one point or another, and as far as she knew, they hadn’t reached any consensus. It hadn’t helped her mood any.
Not that it mattered. Lucas would make the final decision. Which was really not helping her mood, because if he thought he could tell her she had to stay here—
Unfortunately, he can. Maiden’s own, what possessed her to think having her big brother as her Alpha was a good idea?
Just as she reached the couches and prepared to flop down dramatically onto one, Lyla came in from the porch, followed by Aaron. She was carrying a big straw bag over one shoulder and Aaron had two more, one in each hand.
“Hi Aster,” Lyla said with a nervous smile. Lyla, the witch. Aster watched her carefully. She smelled a little anxious, but then again, who wasn’t?
Aaron gave her a chin lift on the way past. “Aster,” he said in acknowledgement.
“Hey guys.” Aster settled herself into the corner of a couch, forced to forgo her dramatic display since Dean
had already disappeared into the basement.
Aaron set the bags on the counter of the kitchen island and followed him to the basement stairs.
Aster turned to Lyla. “Have a nice day preparing for tonight’s big event?”
Lyla gave her another tight smile and set the bag down on the coffee table. “Well, let’s see. First I made these protection spells. That took a while.” She pulled out eight clear glass jars filled with what looked to be jagged pieces of broken glass and nails. The kind you hit with a hammer.
“Then I made the containment spells, which let me tell you is not my specialty.” She pulled out a number of colored plastic spray bottles which looked like they contained water, “and then I tried to gather whatever herbs and materials I might need tonight to seal the house…” She sighed, looking worried. “I hope I remembered everything.”
Lyla leaned forward and lowered her voice, “Aaron made me promise not to go back to the cabin, but he showed up about half an hour ago and rushed me out the door. I thought I had more time.” She glanced down, rummaging in her bag and muttering to herself.
Aster leaned back against the cushions, taking the opportunity to really study the other woman. With everything going on last night, she hadn’t gotten the chance. She was pretty, very pretty, actually, with classic features and a fine ivory complexion. Aster would guess she was somewhere in her early forties. She looked tired. As a representative of the ancient enemy, Lyla wasn’t very intimidating.
Aster glanced down at the innocuous items laid out on the coffee table. “Those are your protection spells?” She jerked her chin at the glass jars and didn’t even try to hide her skepticism.
Lyla shrugged one shoulder, her lips curving in a depreciative smile. “I know. They don’t look like much. They’re more like the physical embodiment of the spell—a reservoir, sort of, to hold the magic.” She gave another elegant little one-shouldered shrug. “And the closer the physical object matches the objective of the spell… well, it seems to work. I’ve never actually done this before. I have no idea how effective it will be.”
“Hmmm…” was all Aster could think of to say. “So, you have never done magic, or this spell?”
“Oh, just the protection spell.” She nodded at the jars. “And the containment spell. I’ve done others. I’ll seal the doors and windows against intruders—I’ve done that one before. It works pretty well. But I have to wait until after the guys leave because it involves wolfsbane and… um, you guys won’t be able to cross it.”
Aster shivered involuntarily. Wolfsbane was dangerous. She looked at Lyla with new interest. “Really? It works that well? That stuff is poisonous to humans too, though, isn’t it?”
“Very. But I’m not using it like that. I’m just going to hang some of the dried flowers from the doorframe.”
Aster smirked. “Um, Lyla. I don’t really think that will work.”
Lyla laughed. “No. I know. But the wolfsbane is the physical embodiment, remember? First I have to infuse it with the spell.”
“Right.” Aster nodded. “So what about silver bullets? Got any of those?”
“Fresh out, I’m afraid. But even if I did, they wouldn’t be much good since I don’t have a gun. I don’t think they work if you just chuck them.”
“Too bad. I wouldn’t mind shooting that dirt-bag Marten in the butt with one.”
“Now you’re talking,” Lyla said grimly. Aster was reminded that Marten had tried to have Lyla kidnapped, too.
Mari’s small form emerged from the hallway. “I thought I heard female voices.” She glanced around. “Where’s Elizabeth?”
Lyla looked to Aster, who shrugged. “I haven’t seen her. She must not be here yet.”
Mari settled on the couch next to Lyla. “So, whatcha got there, Lyla?”
Lyla started to answer when Cray and Elizabeth came in through the mudroom. Elizabeth glanced around. “Where is everybody?”
Even as she asked the question, Cray headed for the basement and trotted down the stairs.
“The men are downstairs, in the he-man-woman-haters club.” Lyla shot Elizabeth an amused smile. “Also known as the basement. Discussing manly things, no doubt.”
“Really?” Elizabeth raised her eyebrows, giving them all a significant look. “We’ll just have to see about that. But first— is there anything we want to discuss before they come up?”
Aster waited, but no one said anything.
“Okay then.” She walked to the door and pulled it open. “Lucas,” she called in an overly sweet voice.
“Yes, Elizabeth?” Her brother’s dry tone was clearly audible up the stairs.
“Could you come up here, please, oh Great Alpha? We ladies have questions on how this is all going to go down.”
Cray came bounding up the stairs and made a grab for her, but Elizabeth danced out of the way. The move looked practiced. His face was grim as he stretched out his stride and caught her around the waist, ushering her over to one of the armchairs and pulling her down with him.
Lucas appeared a moment later, followed by the rest of the pack. He had an expression on his face that Aster had never seen before. It was somewhere between amused and annoyed, but it reminded her of the look a proud parent might give a child. Hmmm.
“Elizabeth. You had questions?”
“That’s right. I want to know exactly how you intend to ensure my husband’s safety during this wild raid of yours, complete with explosives.”
Lucas’s eyes softened and he gave her a tight smile. “They are not explosives. They are incendiary devices. They do not explode. They only ensure certain areas will burn very hot and destroy necessary equipment and data.”
“Oh. That sounds smart.”
“I’m glad you approve.” Again, his tone was dry. He turned his attention to Lyla. The witch.
“Lyla, have you made the spells we discussed, to contain the fire within the areas we wish to burn?”
Lyla picked up one of the spray bottles. “Right here.” She wiggled the bottle slightly. “Just spray it on the perimeter and the fire should stay contained within the confines of the spray.”
“Should?” He raised one eyebrow.
Lyla grimaced. “I think it will work, Lucas, but I’ve never done this type of spell before. It works on small fires.” She shot Aaron a quick glance. “But I didn’t have time to test it on anything else.”
“Very well. And if we spray ourselves, will it keep the fire from touching us?”
Lyla bit her lip. “Um, I don’t know. That’s not… it’s not made to go on people. I don’t think it would be a problem, but…”
Lucas nodded. “Very well. We will use it on the buildings only.” He pinned Elizabeth with a look. “And we will all use the utmost caution when setting the fires.”
“Good,” Elizabeth said. “I expect every one of you to come back in one piece. No excuses.”
That got one of Lucas’s rare full smiles. “Exactly so.” He nodded. “Aaron, bring the map over here. I will go over the final assignments.”
Aaron spread a large map of New York over the coffee table while Lyla moved her items to one side.
“There are nine separate locations that we need to deal with. The good news is the warehouses in Brooklyn and Scranton, as well as the facilities in Poughkeepsie and Binghamton, are not involved. That still leaves us with a significant amount of ground to cover in one night.”
He glanced around the room, his face serious. “Jesse and I will meet Boaz in Albany and deal with the three locations there.”
He glanced at Elizabeth, and then met Cray’s gaze. “Cray and Zeke will take care of the lab set up in that strip mall in Utica. You will want to be very careful to contain the fire there. I would like to avoid as much collateral damage as possible.”
Cray nodded and glanced briefly at Zeke, but Elizabeth’s mate looked like he’d rather try to chew rocks than go on this mission.
“Eli, Gage, you two will deal with the small facility in Aubu
rn, since you have already been there once and are familiar with the layout.”
“And that leaves the headquarters and offsite server, both located in Syracuse. Aaron and Jeffrey will deal with the server first and then join Dean to take care of the headquarters building.”
Finally, Lucas turned his eyes on her. “Aster, do you still wish to accompany them?”
“I do.” Her heart rate shot up. Was he really going to trust her to go?
He nodded grimly. “Very well. They can use your help. Remember you are part of a team now. Coordination is essential. We must all attempt to strike as close to the same time as possible. It won’t be completely simultaneous, because we have three locations in Albany and two in Syracuse, but that can’t be helped.”
He turned away from her, facing Lyla once again. “Lyla, have you done your protection spells?”
Lyla patted the glass jars on the edge of the coffee table. “I just need to bury these around the house and say the final spell. I’m not going to try to protect more than that. I’m not really sure how much power the spell will need.” She gave a weak smile, and Aster thought she looked nervous, playing with the silver bangles on her wrist. “Anyone have a shovel I can borrow?”
“I’ll get one,” Aaron said. His mouth was tight, like maybe he didn’t really like her doing magic. Which was a little odd, considering he mated a witch.
“Good,” Lucas said. “We leave tonight after dinner. Any questions?” His gaze drifted to Mari for a moment before moving away. Aster wondered what was going on between the two of them. They were not mated, that was clear. But there was definitely some kind of connection between them. Aster regarded the petite woman for a moment. Aside from the fact she was a human, the clearly skittish woman was not at all the type of female she would have expected her brother to go for. Then again, it wasn’t like she’d really given it much thought. He was her brother after all.
Chapter 25
A Pin is created when a piece is unable to move without exposing a more valuable piece to capture. A related term is the Skewer, which occurs when a threatened piece must move to avoid capture, but in doing so exposes a lesser or equal piece to imminent danger.
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