by R. J. Blain
“It’s rather obvious. We were expecting a more vocal and violent snapping of tempers rather than some over-enthusiastic nipping and a nap. Still, this will simplify matters for everyone as soon as other matters are resolved.”
Ferdinand. “I don’t suppose you know anything more than what we talked about?”
“Unfortunately not. Nothing that’s been confirmed. As far as we know, there are at least five women in his pack at current, but there could be more. We’re judging that figure from missing persons reports and sightings of Ferdinand in the area, but they’re unconfirmed speculations. Should he come for you, and you opt to try to help them, you’ll have your hands full. You’ll need to be careful and make certain you play along. That will not be easy. Also, expect any failed bites to hurt; it’s not common, but there have been women involved in feuds between rival males with multiple bites. The bites all hurt until a victor is decided and the other bites have been erased.”
“Erased? How?”
“The victorious male will bite over the prior bites, or the rival male is killed. That’s all we can tell from our reports. He’ll try to put you through hell.”
I scowled at that. “I can handle some pain.”
“It will be more than just ‘some’ pain. The sole account we have compares each bite to the aftermath of a broken bone.”
Ouch. “That’s going to make this assignment less than pleasant.”
“And you’ll likely be mauled by your tiger as he reclaims his territory. We’ll try to mitigate that, but that’s probable. Siberians are more territorial than even a wolf, and we suspect he’ll be unreasonable until any evidence of a rival having bitten you is completely erased. And he might not allow anyone near you until he’s satisfied.” Simmons scratched his head. “It’ll be a mess.”
“But for a good cause.”
“Still. I want you to be careful. It goes against everything I’ve worked for to just let this happen.”
“But you see the necessity of it.”
“I see that you would go out of your way to deliberately get picked up specifically to make certain that any allegations of taken women are resolved. And that’s why we’re ultimately going with it—because you’re correct to do what you can for their sake. And we have enough circumstantial evidence to believe it’s probable. In your shoes, I would do the same.”
“And that bothers you, because you’re rather like my aunt. You want to wrap me up in a soft, warm blanket and keep me safe.”
“You very much enjoy soft, warm blankets, and it’s a pleasure to provide them when we notice you’re cold again. Although honestly, I’d rather provide you with your tiger, who will be happy to bring you a blanket, because you’re happiest when you can snarl at him at your leisure. When you aren’t giving us the slip, you’re a pleasant principal.”
“Did you hit your head the last time you were tenderizing me?”
Simmons laughed. “No, but I’m amused you’re concerned I have a head injury for enjoying that I’m part of your detail.”
“I’m not the easiest person to get along with, and I have a bad habit of roaring, wandering off, and creating trouble for you. And this time, we’re basically throwing me to a wolf. On purpose.”
“Well, our work has not been boring. And however much I dislike tossing you to a wolf, you’re the best person we have to handle that specific problem. Between the Hope Diamond and his previous interest in you, the wolf will want you alive. That’s a key consideration. If they want the Hope Diamond, they need you alive—and once a wolf decides who he wants, he’s difficult to deter. This is extra protection for you. The advantages of going along with this far outweigh the disadvantages. And, we’re wise enough to know if you found out about the situation and we tried to bar you from helping, you’d find some way to help anyway, which would result in a even worse mess to clean up later.”
I really would. “I’m more impressed Anatoly actually went off on his own.”
“He knows he gets to stay with you tonight, and this is more efficient.”
The Secret Service loved efficient. My tiger did, too. Efficient meant he had time to do what he wanted, and as of late, the internal workings of the government had been anything but efficient. “I keep trying to figure out ways to rescue him from those damned meetings.”
“Once the current issues are resolved, I’m sure his schedule will ease. It’s just a lot of problems at once.”
“And I am part of at least half of them,” I muttered.
“Jesse—”
The twang of arrows leaving bowstrings heralded a thump. Pain flashed along my upper left arm before numbness crept towards my shoulder and fingers. I reached for the hilt of my katana, freed it from its sheathe, and turned.
Simmons slumped beside me, and I registered the presence of arrows protruding from his chest and throat, the life already fading from his eyes, my name on his bloodied lips.
I had seen death too many times to deny the truth of it. Nothing I could do would save him; the arrow to his throat alone, severing through his spine, had brought a swift and merciful end. He wouldn’t feel his pierced heart fail to beat, nor would he have registered more than a moment of confusion before the darkness had come for him.
I had no idea who the men down the hall were, but I expected they’d gotten in the same way I had long ago, hitching a lift with supply shipments coming into the building.
They would not be leaving except in a body bag. My blood dripped to the tile, mixing with Simmons’s as his pooled on the floor. Rather than take the easy route, the six men abandoned bows for swords, and they stepped forward to engage with me.
My katana’s blade erupted into black and blue flames, and heat washed over my hand although it didn’t burn me. Around my throat, the Hope Diamond likewise warmed.
Nothing would bring Simmons back from the dead. Nothing could.
I understood, then, why the Blade Clan did as they did, simplifying life to a series of contests and the endless cycle of life and death, removing as much emotion from our existence as possible.
In the blink of an eye, I understood Simmons wouldn’t be coming back, and the pain of it crushed me far worse than even the moment my uncle’s blade had torn into my shoulder. It reminded me of the grief of watching the abused horses I couldn’t help die, but far sharper and deeper.
I could only think of one thing to do: crush those who had killed my agent and forever taken him from me.
For a time, I would escape from the brutal emotions seeking to tear me apart from within.
It didn’t matter if my left arm went numb. I didn’t need both arms to kill them. I would fight to my final breath to ensure they all went down with me. The days of my childhood, such as it was, surged back to renewed life.
The first to die would be the taller man, the one who’d first gone for his sword of the lot, leader by action. Much like severing the head from a snake, I would begin with the most dangerous part and cut my way towards victory.
I came in poised to slash the fucker’s throat, switched my grip on the textured hilt, and ducked beneath his swing before running the bastard through the gut, twisting the blade as I yanked it free. Death would be a long time coming, and to make certain he wouldn’t be bothering me again, I slashed through the muscles of his forearms to prevent him from gripping a weapon. If he wanted to gnaw my ankles in his death throes, I’d enjoy kicking out his teeth. With one threat neutralized, I went for the next in the line, a fool of a man too stupid to realize death would come for him next at my hand.
Sometime before dispatching all of them, the numbness spread to my chest, making it difficult to keep a hold on my katana. A solid hit knocked the blade out of my hand, and I reached for my next possible weapon, the stiletto I held for the tribe.
It, too, burst into blue and black flames. I should have retrieved my katana, but I could only focus on one thing: making sure each and every one of the bastards paid for Simmons’s life with theirs.
Los
ing the katana gave them harder, longer, and more painful deaths, and a better person would have regretted extending their suffering. I did make certain to finish them off after they no longer posed a threat to me. Panting, I stood over their bodies, more of my blood dripping down my arm.
Ferdinand chose that moment to make his appearance, stepping around the corner with a smug expression on his face. “You’re as spectacular as always, I see. It’s been a while, Jesse. You’ve become more beautiful over the years.”
I wanted to end his miserable life, but I remembered. Before he could die, I needed to discover the truth. My gaze dipped to Simmons’s body, and my anger surged. I swore to never forget, and I would make certain Ferdinand lost everything.
Even if it meant pretending weakness to accomplish my goals.
I’d just stab the bastard a little first with my stiletto, hope the wound became infected, and that he suffered for months before dying a slow, agonized death.
Keeping my hold on the weapon would prove the trick, as the numbness insisted on spreading despite my wishes to stab Ferdinand a few times for his part in Simmons’s death. I panted, struggling to maintain my balance, a chill seeping through my body.
“It won’t take much longer for the sedative to kick in,” the wolf promised, stepping just outside of my reach. “While I’m sorry about the agent, it was a necessity. You’ll understand that soon enough.”
I’d heard that bullshit from the uncles I’d assassinated, and I refused to believe it. “What do you want?”
“What I’ve wanted for years. I’d ask you to keep from being difficult, but that’s part of your charm. I like my women tough. This is a fight you can’t win. Not this time. I’d rather you didn’t make this even more difficult on yourself.”
I gave it another minute or two at most before I lost the ability to stay on my feet, a mix of the drug and blood loss. Throwing a stiletto wouldn’t do much good, but would be an act of defiance that might leave a mark. I adjusted my grip on the blade and tossed it at his chest. As expected the wolf side-stepped, although the weapon’s tip did scrape against his arm before clattering to the floor.
He laughed, regarding his arm with an amused expression. “Just what I expected of you. Defiant until the end. I’m going to be generous, Jesse. The first bite hurts the most, so I’ll take care of securing you as mine as soon as you’re properly sedated and easy to handle. I’m a lot of things, but I’m no fool, and I won’t give you even a single opening. Not this time.”
Anatoly’s bite hadn’t hurt hardly at all, but I kept my mouth shut. I forced myself to take the steps needed to make it to Simmons’s body. Ferdinand stayed out of my reach, and something about his expression changed.
Had I not known better, I might have assumed he was concerned.
I dropped to my knees beside my agent’s cooling body. He’d fallen on his side, his neck twisted so he faced the ceiling. Reaching over, I closed his glazing eyes. My eyes burned. Some said the strong didn’t cry, but how could I not?
I couldn’t bring him back.
In the distance, the sound of steel clashing on steel warned me Ferdinand hadn’t come alone. I could only hope everyone else fared better. As nothing could bring my agent back, I drew in a deep but wavering breath. I pressed my hand to Simmons’s still side, clutching his suit in a fist.
Ferdinand would see my acts as weakness. I knew better.
To the fallen, I made a vow, and I would find satisfaction in the complete ruin of everything Ferdinand held dear. His plans would fall to ruin along with his accomplices, and I would tear him apart while he believed his bite could defeat me.
I hoped whatever foul magic he attempted on me hurt. It would only fuel my vengeance and focus me on what I needed to do.
The chill continued its steady march, and when my vision finally dimmed and I swayed under its influence, Ferdinand grabbed my arm and hauled me to my feet.
I remembered nothing else.
Chapter Eight
Ferdinand, as expected, lied. He woke me right before he bit me, and he did it to savor the moment. As warned, it hurt, and my tiger’s bite on my arm burned. Ferdinand picked a spot above the Hope Diamond’s setting to mark his territory, and he made sure he drew blood so his wolf’s magic could work.
Except it didn’t.
Every place my tiger had nipped and nibbled heated to the point of pain, a reminder of the weeks I’d spent cultivating my tiger in preparation of making him fully mine. The bite mark on my throat burned, but nothing else happened. The discomfort faded to something close to tolerable, and to play along with my new role as an infiltrator in addition to Ferdinand’s killer, I slapped my hand to the still-bleeding bite.
I wanted to scowl, but I widened my eyes to feign weakness.
He smirked, and he pulled away, sitting straight in his seat. It took me a few moments to realize we were in a private cabin on a train. I wondered how he’d pulled the stunt off, although the answer seemed obvious enough: he’d allied with people at the train station to smuggle me on board somehow. I expected an incident nearby, likely on another train at Charlotte’s station, had provided the necessary distraction. He had the blinds down on the windows, making it impossible to tell where we were. It didn’t matter; I wouldn’t have been able to tell much from the scenery anyway.
“You will be quiet, you will cooperate, and you will do as told. When I introduce you to the other members of our pack, you will treat them well. You are the lowest in the pack, and you will stay that way, as while you’re now one of my mates, I have no intention of producing offspring with a cat. It would send the wrong message to the pack. However, tigers are well-known for ferocity in protecting young, and that will be your role in our family. You will protect the children of my wolves, and you will do so with pride.”
Well, that was something. I wouldn’t have to abandon my duty to find out his plans by prematurely slaughtering him if he even thought about getting randy with me. As he’d ordered me to be quiet and cooperate, I clenched my teeth, aware of every single time my tiger had scraped me with his teeth.
I’d need to have a talk with somebody about the potency of the bonding magic I’d been exploring, as my tiger had left countless, invisible marks on me.
No wonder tigers got territorial; in any other situation, I would have snapped and mauled Ferdinand for subjecting me to such discomfort. Instead, I used it as fuel for my mission.
Ferdinand would pay dearly for Simmons’s death, and I would add to his punishment for making me even more miserable in the process. I’d present the wolf’s head to my uncle on a platter, and I’d give the rest of the body to my tiger. If I found proof Marie was involved, I’d bury her in a hole so deep nobody found her for years, and I’d brand my assassin’s mark to the bone so everyone would know she had deserved her death for her traitorous deeds.
I already regretted not having secured guaranteed payment for my work, although my aunt would pay upon demand.
The money would come in useful, especially if the women of the pack were being used—and treated like—broodmares for the wolf’s pleasure. No matter what the women decided once I finished with Ferdinand, they would have the funds needed.
I’d just mooch off my tiger when I found my way back to him. I would also swap roles and hide under his bed for a while.
“Good. I’m glad you understand how things will be. Nobody will really miss you, so I suggest you accept your new role. Once you’ve proven your loyalty, I might even allow you off your leash a little.”
Bastard. I wanted to hiss and roar at him, but until he asked me to say something, I needed to play along. I regarded the otherwise empty train car with a frown.
“I booked the entire car, although our compatriots are currently in the dining car retrieving something for you to eat. They were waiting for me to wake you and seal you to my pack. Otherwise, they would want you put down so they could acquire the stone that way. I had to remind them that it’s easier to transport a live woman
than a dead body, and we have no guarantees the stone will remain cooperative should you be killed. You’re lucky I have an interest in you.”
While he’d told me to be quiet and cooperate, he hadn’t told me I couldn’t display disgust, and I curled my lip in a silent snarl at his egotistical proclamation.
The bastard dared to laugh. “You’ll be an excellent asset to my pack. You’ll learn your place soon enough. As I do with all new members of the pack, I will bite you once or twice a day to ensure your loyalties are secured. The first bite is the worst. After a few weeks, I will reduce my claims to once a week, and it won’t have to be on your throat once you’re appropriately scarred.”
Fortunately, there were ways to remove most types of scars, and I’d beat however many mystics required to make it happen. As telling him to go fuck himself with his own teeth wouldn’t help my plans, I remained silent.
Three men with trays entered the train car, setting their bounty on the pair of tables near the front, which had enough room for everyone. Ferdinand gestured for me to head over, and I took my time, aware of the lingering sedatives in my system. I swayed with my first few steps, but I made the rest of the walk with my head held high.
I didn’t recognize them, and I hoped they realized I carved their faces into my memory, so they would pay their share of dues for their part in Simmons’s death.
“She’ll cooperate with you for what we’ve discussed,” Ferdinand announced. “As she’s mine, you will take all due precautions to make certain she’s returned to me alive and in good condition when the time is right. In the meantime, she stays with my pack, and you can verify her presence as promised.”
The wolf’s phrasing led me to believe he meant to keep me in the dark as long as possible. In a way, he disappointed me; I’d hoped he would have made some part of my job somewhat easy.
No matter. I appreciated a challenge, and I wouldn’t put him down until I had the proof needed to keep my name pristine.
“Jesse, eat. Once we’re home, you’ll find you’ll be working for your supper or you’ll go hungry. Enjoy while you can.”