“So, when are you going home?” he asked.
“We’re on for two weeks here. Could be more or less, depending on what we are looking for.” Finding a specific supernatural in a South American rainforest was not an easy task. We could look for three months and never find a trace.
“I’d like to come visit you in America when you get back,” he said softly. I almost fell off the rock as he continued. “Would that be all right?”
I didn’t need a mirror to know I had a stupid grin on my face. “Yeah, that’d be great.”
I could hear him smiling. “Magnifico! Just let me know when you’ll be back.”
We talked for almost an hour. My cell bill would be scary, but it was worth it to hear his voice, to imagine his smile as he laughed at my stories. Was it possible to miss someone you barely knew? The idea of seeing him again made me all tingly. He was willing to spend good money to fly to America to see me? Me?
When we hung up my heart whimpered. This was all so strange. The way I responded to him was unnerving, like he had some kind of control over me. I was acting like a lovestruck teenager and it would have been embarrassing if it hadn’t been so real.
A slight vibration in the air told me I wasn’t alone. The vampires were near.
“Breanna? Everything okay?” Christopher asked as he stepped into the moonlight.
“Hi, Chris, yeah, everything’s all right. I was talking to Lucas.”
He raised an eyebrow. “The Italian werewolf?”
I nodded, the stupid teen-in-love grin slipping into place. “He called me.”
Chris hopped onto the boulder effortlessly. “You really do like him, don’t you?”
I tried to play off the question, but Chris kept me pinned with a droll stare. “I guess I do. He wants to come to America for a visit.”
“Do the wolves know?”
“I haven’t talked to them. Why?”
“Lucas will need to gain permission to be in another pack’s territory.”
That was the way of the werewolves, but I didn’t think Galen McGregor, the Wisconsin Alpha, would have a problem with Lucas.
“For what it’s worth, Breanna, we vampires like Lucas Benelli. He is good friends with Tristyn Ziccardi, the Vampire Representative to the Divine Council.”
“He said he was friends with a white witch also.”
Chris smiled knowingly. “Ah, yes, that would be Alexandria.”
I did not like the familiarity in his voice. “You know her, too?”
I dropped to the ground and Chris landed soundlessly beside me.
“She is Tristyn’s mate.”
“A vampire mated to a witch?”
Chris clasped his hands behind his back and walked with me toward the barracks. “Tristyn is no ordinary vampire. He is a born vampire, the viata sange. According to the prophecy of the Divine Council, the viata sange would help bring peace and stability to the supernatural world. For many years Lucas Benelli served as his bodyguard. Lucas risked his life many times for the viata sange and even fought a demon to protect Tristyn’s mate.”
I tripped on a rock and Chris’s cool hand grabbed my arm. “Lucas fought a demon?”
“He was injured and took several weeks to heal. Tristyn and Alexandria delayed their mating ceremony until Lucas was well enough to attend.”
I paid more attention to where I was walking as we hit a particularly rough patch of ground. Funny, the terrain had not been an issue on my run up the hill. “How did a werewolf end up guarding a vampire?”
“They were best friends from childhood. I’m not sure how they met, but Lucas never left Tristyn’s side until Alexandria came along.”
White witches were decent in the magic department, drawing on their bloodlines for their magical abilities. If she was any good, she could take care of Tristyn without Lucas’s help.
And then there were earth witches calling out brown bears and tossing fireballs. Whoopee. Somehow that just didn’t seem fair, but it was what it was. No need to whine about it.
Chris’s wicked pace slowed as the barracks came into view. “I hope this works out for you, Breanna. You deserve to be happy.” The vampire pecked me politely on the cheek. “Sleep well, ma cherie.”
Chris disappeared into the darkness and it dawned on me he hadn’t been out on a stroll when he happened upon me sitting on a rock. He had purposefully made the climb to make sure I was all right. I’d saved his life almost a year ago when a group of very angry sorcerers had captured him, planning to cut him into bits and feed him to their cats. The sorcerers had been hoping the vampire’s body would give their cats immortality.
The cats didn’t get immortality but they did get rehomed into a cat rescue group I found in Green Bay. The sorcerers ended up in a special supernatural prison in Bulgaria and Chris had been one of my closest allies ever since.
* * * *
It was zero four hundred and we assembled for our briefing. Simon hadn’t talked much about our mission and we were all anxious to know what exactly we were hunting.
Simon stepped to the front and the room fell silent. “There have been reports of a rogue werewolf in this area. The closest pack is four hundred miles away and that pack reports no loss in its numbers. Our mission is to find this rogue wolf, kill him, and dispose of the body in an appropriate manner.”
An eerie quiet filled the room. The werewolves were never completely comfortable hunting one of their own. Interestingly, the vampires didn’t have that issue.
Simon allowed time for his words to settle before continuing. “This wolf is reportedly black, medium build, and has been sighted twice near the Bermejo River. We will conduct our search as four units. Sergeant Welker will fly ahead and recon.” Intense blue eyes turned in my direction. “And she will report her intel and will not engage.”
“Got that?” Aaron whispered as he bumped my shoulder.
“Shut up and get away from me.”
“Do the two of you have something to share, Sergeant Welker or Lieutenant Miller?”
“No, sir,” we answered in unison. A couple chuckles broke out around us but Simon’s glare quieted every sound.
“Ready your gear for a three-day trip. Sergeant Welker, Celeste will see to your pack.”
“Yes, sir.”
Simon dismissed us and we headed toward the barracks. Aaron loped along beside me. “So, Bre, what’s up with you and that Italian?”
“I’d appreciate it if you and your boys didn’t try to beat the shit out of a guy who wants to talk to me.”
“You shouldn’t be talking to him.”
“Excuse me?”
“His pack doesn’t like him and I got a bad feeling about him at that bar.”
“You were being a territorial asshole in the bar, Aaron.”
He shrugged, holding the door open for me. “Maybe, but when a pack doesn’t like a pack wolf, there’s something wrong. They said he tried to kill another pack wolf when he was younger because that wolf threatened to tell everyone what he liked to do.”
“What he liked to do? What the hell does that mean?”
“They said he liked men.”
My blood pressure shot up fifty points. “Oh, you are so full of shit. You’re just saying this because I like him.”
Several other wolves walked up. I’d been ignoring them all, but it looked like that was about to end.
“I’m going to say this once. Leave. Lucas. Alone.”
Aaron picked up my sleeping bag. “He likes vampires.”
“So do I.”
Aaron growled, tossing the bag into my duffel. “No, I mean he really likes vampires. Guy vampires.”
Oh hell, here we go again.
“Bullshit.”
“I’m serious, Bre. You need to stay away from that guy.”
“I like him, Aaron, and he wants to come to Wisconsin to see me. If he liked guy vampires, why would he want to do that?”
Aaron looked puzzled for a second before looking around to see who was
listening to our conversation. Everyone looked preoccupied with packing but they were listening to every word we said.
“Maybe he wants to see LeCavalier. I’ve always wondered about that vamp anyway. He looks at me funny.”
Oh, for God’s sake. “Christopher is not gay and neither is Lucas, now will you please go pack your bag and leave me alone?”
Aaron mumbled something more worth ignoring but then opened his trap again. “His pack hates him, Bre. That should tell you something.”
I threw a dusty pillow at Aaron’s head. “How do you know so much about Lucas?”
He grabbed the pillow and tossed it to the side. “I talked to some of the Italian Pack before we left. He’s damaged goods, Bre. You need to stay away from him. He’s fucked up.”
“Shut up, Aaron. When we get back home, Lucas is going to come see me and you’d better leave him alone.”
“You deserve better than him.”
My fingers twitched, fire arcing along my nails. “There is nothing wrong with Lucas. Leave him alone, Aaron. I mean it.”
I was in his face, nose to nose, when a wave of happiness swept through the room, Celeste trotting in. “Hey, Bre! Got your stuff packed?”
With one last glare at Aaron, I shoved another sweatshirt into my bag and handed it to the waiting elf. She took it with a big smile and grabbed my hand. “Simon wants to see you.”
Great. Probably a lecture about following orders, protocol, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
The tiny elf wrapped her arm around mine. “Did you talk to Lucas?”
I told her about my conversation as we entered the shanty office building. She leaped for joy when I mentioned Lucas wanted to come for a visit. At least she didn’t tell me he was gay.
We entered the office and I snapped to attention as Major Trenton scowled at me. Damned protocol.
“Thank you for coming, Sergeant Welker,” Simon said as he disrupted Trenton’s line of sight. “Major Trenton’s Combat Unit will be acting as backup on this mission.”
Trenton moved to stand shoulder to shoulder with Simon. The werewolf major was a little taller than Simon and much broader through the shoulders, but everyone knew Simon was the best fighter in Bravo.
“We are not acting as backup, DuChard. We are completing the kill and disposal. I don’t know why your unit is here other than to get you out of the general’s hair.”
Simon’s spine went rigid. “We are here because it is our job to find the wolf and your soldiers will stay out of our way until we complete our mission.”
Trenton’s eyes flashed silver. “And you would do best to remember, DuChard, we are here to make sure the mission is completed.”
Simon’s power filled the room. My back hurt from standing at attention for so long.
“Major Trenton, I will contact you when the wolf has been captured. Sergeant Welker will be forward of the unit, relaying her intel. We will capture the target and transport him back here. Your unit will then take custody of the target and my soldiers will return home.” Simon looked over at me and frowned. “Sergeant Welker, you are dismissed.”
I saluted and got out the door as quickly as possible, Celeste close behind.
“Sorry, Bre. I didn’t know Major Trenton was there.”
“That’s okay. Do you know what Simon wanted to talk to me about?”
Celeste twirled her golden blond hair around her finger. “Not really.”
I touched base with the unit leaders, double-checked my radio was in my pocket, and took to the air. No need to waste time waiting to see what Trenton was up to, and I’d had about as much werewolf crap as I could take. Simon would handle him and the quicker I found the target, the quicker I could see Lucas.
It was dark and I’d flown almost twelve miles when a big black wolf came into view. Lying in the shallow pools beside a stream, he was huge, much too large to be one of the native mane wolves, but only a medium wolf by werewolf standards.
I circled for a suitable landing place. The wolf, intelligence glowing in his silver eyes, watched me curiously, but made no attempt to leave or come closer. The wolf pawed at the water and lolled his tongue like a puppy. He yipped and playfully splashed the cool water in my direction.
He wriggled his hips and splashed the water again. I snapped my beak and he yipped happily. This must have been a lonely wolf if he was trying to play with an owl. I hopped two rocks away and shifted to human. The wolf immediately bared his teeth, all signs of playfulness disappearing.
“Easy, big fella. I’m not here to hurt you.”
Shiny white teeth said hello.
“Hungry?” I asked. He responded with a low warning growl and even more teeth.
I pulled a pack of jerky from my pocket and tore into the crinkly wrapper. I took a bite and tossed a piece toward the wolf. He ignored it. From the look on his face, he would have ignored a bloody rump roast.
“Fine, don’t eat it. That just means more for me.”
The wolf turned tail and ran, disappearing into the darkness. I dug into my pocket for my radio. The GPS would give the coordinates I could forward to Simon.
Two minutes later, Simon radioed.
“Good work, Master Sergeant,” he said when I answered. Trenton must have been nearby for him to address me so formally.
“Thanks, Major DuChard.”
We discussed the logistics of setting a trap for the rogue and decided something involving female scent would work best given the wolf’s apparent lack of food motivation. Trenton mumbled in the background and then a door slammed.
“May I speak to you in private, Major DuChard?” I asked.
“Trenton’s gone.”
“That wolf didn’t try to attack.” He should have charged rather than wiggling his butt in an invitation to play.
“Our duty is to capture him, Breanna, not to pass judgment on his actions.”
“What if he isn’t a rogue? What if he’s confused?”
Simon drew in a sharp breath, obviously in irritation because as a vampire, he didn’t have to breathe. “You did your duty, Breanna. Return to base and we’ll finalize the plans to complete this mission.”
“Yes, sir.” Damn it.
Chapter 10
Lucas
“Lucas, did you speak with the clients regarding the office building in Florence?”
“Yes, they were happy with the prints I had couriered yesterday.”
My father shook his head. “Couriered? I asked you to hand-deliver those prints.”
“I couldn’t deliver those prints to Florence and meet with the subcontractors in Verona. The courier service guaranteed delivery and the subcontractors needed my signature on their work orders.”
“You need to learn how to budget your time better. Niccoli would never have used a courier service.” My father turned on his heel and slammed my office door closed behind him.
The phone rang. I hated that phone.
“Lucas Benelli.”
A client, unhappy with our crew’s work on a site in Tolmezzo. Great. I tried to appease him, but sometimes humans couldn’t be satisfied.
“I’ll be there in the morning, Mr. Franconetti.”
The human babbled angrily.
“No, sir, Nicolli isn’t available. He no longer works here.”
Franconetti slammed the phone in my ear and I returned the favor. Problem was, my phone burst into a hundred pieces and he had already hung up.
The fax machine beeped, demanding more paper. I rushed to its aid since my father was expecting three contracts. The paper didn’t make it into the drawer in time and the sending fax disconnected abruptly.
The heavy oak desk cracked as I slammed my fists into the top. Why had I come back here?
Clara stuck her head in my door. “Lucas, you have a visitor.”
I shot her a questioning look and she mouthed “Tessa” I shook my head and put my hands together in a mock prayer. She nodded and pulled the door closed.
My personal phone vibrate
d.
“Hey, Trist.”
“Hey, Luc, got some news on your girl. Want to meet for dinner tonight? Alex and I can meet you in Vicenza.”
I checked my calendar and rubbed my eyes. I was supposed to have a dinner meeting with a client at six.
“Could we make it late?”
“Sure, whatever works. Alex and I can stop by your house after we eat. We’ll bring dessert.”
“Yeah, that would probably be best. My meeting might run a little long. You know the code to get in if I’m not there. You guys can stay the night if you want. There’s a hockey game on at midnight.”
My meeting dragged on forever before Ms. Menetti would agree to the terms of our contract. She smiled and flirted over cocktails. She talked about her art collection and how much she would love to show me her favorite pieces. I couldn’t get out of the restaurant fast enough when she finally signed the papers.
Tristyn’s car was in the drive when I got home. Alexandria laughed as Tristyn and I exchanged shoulder punches. Tristyn was more my brother than Nicolli ever had been.
“Master Sergeant Breanna Welker is in Bravo Company,” Alex chirped as we settled onto my overstuffed couch. “I didn’t find anything about her background except she joined the military at seventeen. Bravo is American-based. She’s the only witch and I think the only woman.”
And the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.
The cute brunette who had been Tristyn’s mate for a little over two years rifled through a stack of papers. “I didn’t find much on earth witches. From what I can tell, they are very rare. Do you know anything about her parents?”
“She didn’t talk much about her past except how it related to her work with Bravo.” Breanna had looked uncomfortable when I asked about her family.
Alex screwed up her face like she always did when she was thinking. “Did she feel more grounded than I am?”
“Yeah, you could say that.”
“Did you see any of her magic?”
“No.”
“Why was she there, anyway?”
“She was on reconnaissance duty and had been assigned that stretch of road. I haven’t had a chance to talk with her much about that night. I still don’t know why I crashed my bike and don’t remember much except waking up and seeing her.”
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