“Sorry, Mom, I promised Breanna I’d be home for dinner.”
“What? Don’t tell me you plan to see that witch again. For God’s sake, Lucas, what are you doing? Your father has Stephano locked in the basement because of what that witch forced him to do.”
“Breanna had nothing to do with Stephano attacking me and you know it. That’s old, unfinished business. Breanna saved my life.”
Her deep brown eyes flashed silver. “Could you for once doing something right and stop this nonsense? That witch is creating a rift within the pack. She is using you to get to the Alpha so she can destroy us.”
My wolf was rumbling. “Breanna isn’t using me for anything.”
My mother cackled–a terrible, evil sound. “You are a fool.”
I don’t know what stunned me more, the iciness of her voice or her actual words.
“Gemma, there is a call for you on line one,” Clara called calmly from her desk.
“Who is it?” my mother snapped.
Clara never met my mother’s silver-flaked glare. “The Alpha.”
Gemma snatched the phone from Clara’s hand. Whatever Josef said made my mother livid. She slammed the phone on Clara’s desk and left without another word. I was speechless.
Clara inspected the injured phone and tossed it in the garbage.
“Clara, why did my father call on the office line?”
Clara winked at me. “He didn’t. I called him.”
“Thanks, Clara.”
She smiled politely and returned to her work as I headed out the door. My truck was out back in the employee parking area. I’d never gotten into using the VIP parking at the front of Benelli Enterprises. I left that parking area for my parents.
I’d only taken a few steps into the parking lot when the presence of another being set off my wolf. There was no musk so it wasn’t a werewolf. I checked the stone Breanna had given me. It was cool to the touch, though there was a red mark on my chest where the stone had been resting.
“Ciao, Lucas.”
Istagio Serendelli stepped into the dim light of the parking lot. Istagio was, as always, impeccably dressed. Tonight his dark eyes were troubled, his forehead wrinkled in concern.
“What’s up, Istagio?”
“There is a situation I wish to discuss with you. Is there somewhere we can speak in private?”
I motioned to my truck and unlocked the doors. Istagio felt we needed to drive and not idle in the parking lot. He was as paranoid as every other vampire I knew. When we were several blocks from Benelli Enterprises, he broke his silence.
“Talia is missing.”
“When?” Another disappearance wasn’t a good sign.
“I haven’t heard from her in almost three days. She went to visit a friend in Marseille, but never arrived.”
“A friend?” I asked skeptically. Talia wasn’t exactly Miss Congeniality.
Istagio shrugged off my skepticism. “Yes, another vampire she had spent time with many years ago. The two normally visit once a month and it was Talia’s turn to go to France.”
I glanced at my watch. Breanna would wonder where I was. “Do you want me to call Tristyn and have him check into her disappearance?”
Istagio watched the passing traffic. “Yes, I would appreciate his assistance.”
“What else is going on?”
Istagio leaned his head back on the seat. “Have you had any indication of a witch being in Vicenza?”
Oh shit. No need to lie. Eventually the vampires would sense Breanna’s presence and vampires hated witches.
“I know of an earth witch, but she is of no threat.”
“I know of only one earth witch and she is most definitely a threat to her enemies. No, I am referring to black witches. I have felt the vibrations of dark magic in the air.”
I was relieved the conversation turned away from Breanna. At least Istagio knew about earth witches. Unlike the werewolves, the vampires tended to try to learn about their enemies rather than just killing them on sight.
“There have been more rumors about Malandanti.”
Istagio flinched at the mention of the dreaded dark witches. We weren’t friends, but he was someone I preferred to have on my side.
“I hoped we killed them all three hundred years ago. It was a horrific battle and many of my kind lost their lives.”
I’d heard the Malandanti wars had been equally brutal for werewolves. The dark witches had sacrificed my father’s mother and his older sister, which helped explain his zero-tolerance policy toward witches.
Istagio squinted as the bright lights of an oncoming tractor-trailer flashed in his face. “Have you spoken to Tristyn about the rumors?”
“A little. I know the military is on its way.”
Istagio arched a brow. “Bravo is coming to Italy?”
“They were here about three months ago and are scheduled to return sometime during the holidays.”
The funny little smile returned to Istagio’s face. “Ah, good. It has been too long.” He shook off the distant look and resumed our conversation. “I will contact a few of my allies and determine the vampire course of action. Would you please keep me advised of any actions the werewolves may be taking?”
Werewolves and vampires generally didn’t work together. Sharing a common enemy as powerful as the Malandanti, werewolves would be stupid not to pool the resources. However, the werewolves would never publically acknowledge any help from the vampires and the vampires were equally stubborn. It was another old-world belief system that vampires and werewolves were mortal enemies.
“I’ll call as soon as I know anything.” We’d made a big circle around the block and I was pulling back into the Benelli Enterprises parking area. “If the vampires come up with any ideas, will you let me know?”
Istagio inclined his head. “Absolutely. Our kinds will need to work together if the rumors of the Malandanti return are true. There would have been much less bloodshed three hundred years ago had we trusted one another.” He extended an icy hand. “Please let me know when Bravo arrives.”
With a quick goodbye Istagio disappeared into the darkness, leaving me to ponder the weirdness that seemed to be coming from all directions.
I’d never come home to a meal waiting. The food smelled great, but everything in my body was hungry for the woman waiting at the door. I was instantly hard at the sight of her in sexy black jeans and one of my Boston Bruins t-shirts.
I tugged at the hem of the shirt. “Hmm, looks better on you.”
Her cheeks turned the cutest shade of pink. “I missed you.”
If she had any idea how much I liked seeing her in my clothes, she didn’t let on. Knowing my scent was drenched all over her body was satisfying to me and my wolf. I really wanted to lay her down and rub my body all over hers, but she’d worked so hard to make a great dinner, I didn’t want to insult her by having the dessert first.
“How was your day?” she asked, placing a whole turkey on the table.
“Okay. My mom came by and had a tantrum. How about you?”
“Well,” she started as she placed a plate of dinner rolls beside me. “I spent most of the day at Ederle speaking with General Armfield, the base CO.”
Hmm, that sounded important. “And what did General Armfield have to say to my most beautiful mate?”
Her cheeks flushed pink as she poured glasses of milk. “He offered me a job.”
My fork clattered onto my plate. “What?”
She smiled apprehensively. “It’s a new position.”
“This position, would it be based at Ederle?”
She nodded and I couldn’t stop myself from leaning over the turkey and kissing her. She was going to be here, in Italy, with me. Then it hit me.
“Does this mean you’re leaving Bravo?”
She shrugged half-heartedly. “Yeah.”
I took her hand and pulled her over onto my lap. “You don’t want that.”
“No, but I’ll be with you.”
>
Taking her away from the people she loves? Selfish bastard.
I wrapped my arms around her. “You don’t want to leave them.”
“No, and I won’t leave you either. There’re too many enemies here, too many lies and secrets. My gut says you need someone you can trust here. If I’m assigned to Ederle, your father can’t come after me. The Divine Council will support my right to be here.”
“I wish I could just fight him and get it over with.”
She rocked back to look into my eyes. “You think you’ll kill him?”
“Our wolves hate each other.”
She narrowed her eyes. “No offense, but is that normal for a father and son? The only ones I know are Cody and Galen and they get along great.”
Nic and my father had been so close they could read each other’s minds. In my father’s eyes, Nic was the sun. I was more like mud. “We’ve never been close, even before everything happened.”
“I still say he’s an asshole,” she snipped.
“He’s my father, asshole or not.” I should have been at least a little angry at her insults about my father. I wasn’t.
“Since I would be employed by the military, the Italian Pack would have to deal with my presence.”
“What would you be doing at Ederle?”
“Paperwork, mostly. It would be an on-base position.” The hint of sadness in her voice punctured my heart.
“If I can work things out with my father and get released, could you rejoin Bravo?”
She took a deep breath and bit her lip. “I could try out again if a spot was available and if the higher-ups approve my request.” She shrugged like she was trying to convince herself she spoke the truth. “Bravo will be fine. Simon can handle the wolves and Ordy has always wanted my position. Levi needs a place of his own, so I’ll offer him my house. He doesn’t have any money, but Galen will loan it to him.”
“Will you be all right?”
Her lip quivered. “I’ll be with you. I’ll be fine.”
“This isn’t fair to you.”
She snorted softly. “Most of life isn’t. What’s your point?”
I leaned my head against her shoulder. “Bravo is your family.”
Her eyes suddenly sparkled mischievously. “What’s wrong, wolf? Afraid I’ll cramp your bachelor pad style?” She asked as she nibbled my ear.
The food would have to wait. I carried her into the bedroom and tossed her onto the bed. “I’m a mated wolf now, baby. My bachelor days are over.”
She wriggled to the top of the bed. “Yeah, so how many women have you taken in this bed?”
“None,” I answered truthfully.
She wrinkled her nose. “What? I don’t believe that. A stud like you? Women must be lining up down the street.”
I took my shirt off and she made the cutest growling noise. “No, I’ve never had another woman in this house other than my mother and if you are going to be the mate of a werewolf, you must learn the nuances of growling.”
She sat up and glared at me. “And what is wrong with my growls?”
I nipped the skin along her neck. Heavens, she smelled good. “You sound like a cat.”
A sharp slap across the back of my head interrupted my exploration of her neck.
“I do not sound like a cat.”
I nibbled her earlobe and she purred like a kitten. “Okay, babe, whatever you say.”
Chapter 31
Breanna
It had been days since I’d seen my unit and, damn, I missed their smelly asses. The first one to scent me was Aaron and he dashed across the tarmac and scooped me into a big wolf hug. The others soon followed, a sea of musk swallowing me. I was used to it since the werewolves were so openly affectionate, even with each other. They loved high-fiving, hugging, slapping each other on the back, or just bumping shoulders. It was a wolf thing, always craving physical interaction.
Damn, I’m gonna miss this.
“Hey, Bre, it ain’t true about you taking that post at Ederle, is it?” Ordy asked.
I figured Simon would have told them. “Yep, I had to do it, Ordy. There’s some heavy shit going down over here and we need somebody on top of it.”
Bravo will come to visit. I’ll see them.
He scowled. “Then let’s send Aaron’s scrawny ass over here. At least we could all get some sleep without having to listen to his stories about women.”
I can make new friends and Simon will take care of Bravo.
Aaron leaped into the conversation. “Oh, go ahead and tell him the real reason you’re taking it, Bre. It’s that fucked-up Italian wolf.”
I punched him in the shoulder. “Hey! Don’t say that about Lucas.” I owed him an ass kicking anyway.
Aaron rolled his eyes and I punched him again. “Truth is truth, Bre. You’re leaving us and throwing away your career for a loser.”
“Go to hell, Aaron.” I headed toward Celeste. I needed her perpetual happiness and pointless chatter.
Camp Ederle. No elves. No vampires. No werewolves. Just humans.
“Oh, Breanna,” she chirped, “I’ve missed you so much!”
I could pick her up she was so tiny. “I missed you, too, Cee. Everything going okay for you?”
She filled me in on the latest happenings and gave a great rundown about the progress Levi was making with his young wolf education.
Celeste finally stopped and took a breath. “Now, tell me about you and Lucas.”
It was fun talking girl stuff with Cee and I knew she would be happy for me. She giggled and jumped up and down when I got to the story about picking out an ugly Christmas tree and clapped at my tales of cooking dinner. Cee, more than anyone, understood my limited domestic abilities.
“Ah, Breanna, my dear, it is good to see you,” Simon said as he pulled me into a hug and kissed the top of my head. This is a no-tears-allowed zone. Suck it up.
After a quick debriefing, the Bravo wolves disappeared into the mess hall. The Bravo vampires disappeared to the busy city district. Both groups were hungry for dinner and needed to be satisfied before the big meeting tonight.
The Divine Council had called a Gathering, a meeting of the Council and the supernatural leadership of the area. There would be lots of werewolves and vampires. Bravo would also be there.
This will be my last formal duty with Bravo. Damn.
Simon and Celeste agreed to have dinner with Lucas and me before the Gathering. I wanted Simon’s opinion on how we should handle the Gathering. Lucas wanted us to go together or at least sit together. I thought we would be better to go separately and remain as such during the meeting.
Lucas was worried about me. I kept telling him I had lots of guys in camo watching my back. I was worried about him, specifically about his father. The Alpha didn’t like me, yeah, big surprise, and I didn’t like the way he treated Lucas. For an Alpha, Josef Benelli didn’t seem very protective of his wolves, especially his only son.
The restaurant was a short drive and Lucas was waiting by the door when we arrived. It felt like I hadn’t seen him for days even though it had been fewer than four hours.
“Hey, baby,” Lucas whispered as he nipped my ear. “You smell like ten different wolves.” There was a little irritation in his voice, more from his wolf than him.
I nuzzled his neck. “Hmm, more like fifteen, but who’s counting?”
A growl rumbled deep in his chest so I left out the part about five vampires.
We made our way to our table and ordered. Simon and Celeste opted to share a dinner since he would not be eating anyway. Lucas and I didn’t share. He wanted his rare steak and I wanted a big veggie stromboli.
Dinner was over much too quickly. Simon agreed with my take on attending the Gathering. Lucas reluctantly agreed to go with his father while I would lead the second line of Bravo. It made sense even though my mate did not approve. I didn’t want to tell Lucas how much I wanted to march in with Bravo. It was my duty.
Not that I liked the idea of L
ucas sitting with a group of pack wolves who cared nothing about him, but the other wolves were not nearly as likely to harass him if he was beside his father. I had complete faith Lucas could best any wolf who would challenge him, but even he was no match for a group attack.
“Will the Ambassador be attending the Gathering tonight?” Simon asked as he held the door for all of us.
Lucas sighed. “No, Tristyn and Alex are in South Africa trying to head off a vampire war.” From the heave of his shoulders, Lucas would have felt better having his friend at the Gathering. I would have felt better, too, and it would have been nice to have another witch in the building, if only for moral support.
“Breanna, the CO at Ederle was quite impressed with you and has called three times asking if you had made a decision,” Simon said as he pretended to sip a glass of red wine. “Have you made a decision?”
I glanced at Lucas. “I’m gonna take it.”
Simon nodded slowly. “I will call Ederle tomorrow.” He let out a breath, something vampires rarely did since they didn’t need to breathe. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
It hurt to answer his question when I wanted to shout no, no, no. It was so stupid, really, the whole pack and territory thing. I’d bet Galen would let Lucas stay with me regardless of pack affiliation. Josef Benelli’s head would pop off and spin around if that happened. Ordinarily I wouldn’t give a happy damn what someone like Josef Benelli thought, but he held power over Lucas and I would have to play nice. Well, sorta, anyway.
“When do you report to Ederle?” Celeste asked as she snuggled under Simon’s arm.
“January first.” Lucas squeezed my hand. I smiled at him. He was so excited about me staying in Italy and I was, too, for the most part.
We said goodnight to Simon and Celeste and headed home. Lucas tucked me under his arm as we trekked into the blustery December night. Shoppers scurrying to finish their Christmas shopping crowded the streets.
“I thought after the Gathering we could go out if you wanted, dancing or something.” He tried so hard to act nonchalant about this Gathering.
“All I want to do is go home with you where we can be by ourselves.”
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