Mr. O’Grady put a restraining hand on his arm and John sat back down. “There’s a list of names for witnesses.”
Ed smiled. “Those would be the women who were forced out of their jobs previously after being pressured into dating Mr. Drake; I wanted to provide you with a complete list of witnesses. After all, I’m sure we can all agree that a long drawn-out courtroom drama can be so tedious.”
John looked down at the list of names and visibly paled. He turned to look at me as if for help and then as he looked into my eyes, his breath caught and he leaned forward in his seat, reaching across the table to take my hand. “Xandie, this was all a misunderstanding. Tell them and we can go to lunch and work this out.”
I tugged my hand away in distaste before looking over at Mr. O’Grady. “That’s how this all started. Mr. Drake asked me to lunch and when I said no, he reminded me that he was my boss and I needed to be nice to him. I didn’t mean to shove him so hard but he grabbed me and wouldn’t let go.” I finished on a soft little whimper, to show the lawyer how frightened I’d been.
Mr. O’Grady wasn’t immune to my charms either, it seemed, as he patted my hand in commiseration and frowned sternly at his client. He wrote something down on the legal pad in front of him and pushed it across the table to Ed.
“How does this sound to compensate your client for all the trouble this mess has caused her? It should be enough to set her up in a new life for quite some time to come. Like you I don’t think it necessary to put anyone through a court battle.”
Ed studied the figure in front of him as if giving it some serious thought. “I don’t know. I should probably confer privately with my client before agreeing to anything.”
I tried to crane my neck to see what was written on the legal pad but Ed purposely kept it turned away from me.
“Perhaps if the figure was more to my liking, we could reach a conclusion more quickly.”
Mr. O’Grady studied Ed thoughtfully and I realized he was finding a surprise beneath the package just as I had. The bumbling exterior hid exactly what he was, a wolf.
“What kind of figure do you think would make your client happy?”
“I’d say five years’ salary should do it.”
“That was more than I anticipated but not an unobtainable amount.”
“What! You’ve got to be kidding me! For that cow? Why would John be interested in someone like her, when he has me?” Simone screeched shrilly.
O’Grady winced. “Ms. Davies, please, if you can’t control yourself, I suggest you leave.”
Simone gathered her things together and left the room in an obvious huff. Tera leaned forward behind me and said, “What a B, can I eat her?”
I nearly laughed out loud.
Epenie quickly told Tera to hush and threatened her with a newspaper. They both chuckled under their breath. The exchange lightened the air in the room considerably, especially since I knew there was no way the humans in the room heard anything.
In no time at all the attorneys had agreed on a settlement in my favor and Ed stood to escort my entourage and me from the room. John stepped in front of me on the way out and tried to touch me but Tuck quickly inserted himself between us. “Ms. Pace has nothing more to say to you.”
And it was over. No more lawsuit and I was almost a quarter of a million dollars richer. That really took the pressure off for finding another job immediately and hopefully John would think twice before sexually harassing anyone else.
“I doubt it,” Ed said when I said as much out loud.
“Why not?” I asked, truly puzzled.
“My dear, this is far from the first lawsuit of a similar circumstance that the company has paid out because of Mr. Drake and I’m sure it won’t be the last.”
“Why would the company keep him around then?” Epenie asked.
“No choice when the culprit is the grandson of the company’s owner and a shareholder himself. Of course if his grandfather is smart he’ll ship him to another office.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you’d already filed a countersuit?”
Ed laughed. “Because I haven’t.”
Wow, Ed had been bluffing the whole time. Talk about not judging a book by its cover.
I was just glad this chapter of my life was now closed; with the impending werewolf war and Connor on my mind, the less I had to worry about, the better.
Chapter Sixteen
The relief at having my dealings with my previous employer over and done with and a hefty savings were overshadowed by the palpable tension running through the pack. War was coming and we all knew it. I just prayed everyone survived.
The first shot fired wasn’t really a shot but a square package delivered to Connor at the compound. We could all smell what was in it the minute it arrived; death… death of someone familiar who I couldn’t quite place, but from the reactions of the rest of my pack, they knew exactly what we’d find in the box. Rather, who we’d find.
As Connor opened the box, I found my eyes transfixed, unable to look away although I was pretty sure I didn’t want to see who lay inside. I couldn’t help the gasp that escaped when I saw the head inside the box, eyes wide open in death staring at nothing. It was Zack, the werewolf ambassador to the vampires; he must have left the safety of the nest against orders.
“They took his head to ensure his death,” Tuck growled as others in the room echoed his rage.
“We don’t have the luxury of mourning our fallen brother right now, we must prepare for battle,” Connor said to the room at large.
Ryan carefully removed the box from the table and carried it from the room. One mournful howl rang out and everyone else followed suit; my own voice lifted to mirror the keening cry of my pack. I hadn’t known him but was filled with the sadness and pain of loss; we were one… we were pack.
The vampires arrived shortly after the box was opened; Ethan’s eyes blazed red with his anger. Zack had been under his protection, and he took his death very personally.
I returned to my cabin to dress for battle. The first smile in a couple of hours came when I fastened the stilettos from Vera around my ankles; they made me feel like a real badass. I also had sheaths down my wrists with long silver knives. They would cause a lot of damage to any wolf I used them on, and I’d trained hard with them, learning to touch only the handle as it was protected by a layer of leather.
I might not be as experienced a fighter as the rest of the pack but I would be able to protect myself and would not be Sid’s helpless victim a third time.
I joined Tera and Sebrina in the practice field where the pack seemed to be milling around with an air of expectancy.
Suddenly Ryan appeared next to us. “Sebrina, go into the house and lock yourself in the basement so I know you’re safe.”
Sebrina straightened and glared up at Ryan. “I will do no such thing! I will fight with my nest and with the pack!”
“You’re in no condition to fight, young lady! You’re too weak because you don’t take proper nourishment. You’re a liability to everyone here,” Ryan said sternly.
Sebrina gasped; if possible, her face paled even more. “Fine. I wouldn’t want to be a liability.” I watched, feeling for my friend as she ran lightly up the steps and into the house, but I knew it was for the best; out here she wasn’t safe.
I turned to glare at Ryan. “Did you have to make her feel like it was because she was worthless and put us at risk rather than just because you’re concerned for her?”
“If it had been just about concern for her, she wouldn’t have gone,” Ryan said softly, regret obvious in his face. “She had to think she was putting everyone else at risk.”
I found I couldn’t really argue with his logic, though I’d hated the hurt look on my friend’s face when she ran inside.
Suddenly my worries for Sebrina were the last thing on my mind as our compound was flooded with snarling werewolves that didn’t belong. War was no longer imminent, it was here.
A wolf-ma
n launched himself at me and I aimed a kick right for his neck, sinking my silver stiletto deeply into his tender flesh. It went through his muscles like butter, much easier than I expected; he sank to the ground with an agonized scream as I ground my heel even deeper and twisted until I heard something pop and the screaming stopped.
I realized with a shock that I’d broken his neck and he was dead; shuddering with distaste at my own comfort with the kill, I pulled my foot free of the high heel, deciding it was best to leave the sharp silver stiletto where it was planted just in case.
As I pulled my foot free, I watched Tera using her stilettos to climb the back of a screaming werewolf; she drove them all the way in and pulled them out with each step. When she reached his shoulder she launched herself backwards after sinking a heel deep into his eye socket, then rolled into a graceful back flip, landing on her feet before his body even hit the ground. She was immediately engaged with another fight; I might have felt badass but Tera really was a badass.
The fighting around me was mass chaos but everywhere I looked, our pack seemed to be taking the day. I looked down again at my own kill and tried to force down any feelings of pity for the man. He was evil and I destroyed him, end of story.
I barely had time to turn from the corpse when another hard body hit me from the side, taking me down easily as I was unbalanced in one high-heeled shoe.
“My little wolf pup has grown some teeth,” Sid said from his position over me. He leered down at me, then leaned down to lick the side of my neck. “You got a little of his blood on you, love. Let me clean you up.”
“No!” I screamed, pulling my knees up to my chest and launching him away from me as hard as I could.
Sid laughed and prepared to rush me again but suddenly Connor was crouched protectively in front of me. “You will not touch my mate.”
“Why should she be yours? I made her… that makes her mine!” Sid snarled as he charged us again. Connor grasped me firmly by the waist and tossed me over his shoulder. I screamed in alarm as I found myself flying through the air away from the two men fighting over me.
Just as quickly as I was launched, I was snatched safely from the air by Ryan and placed gently on my feet. “You will stay by my side until the alpha has taken care of Sid.”
I opened my mouth to argue, angry to have been removed from the fray when two wolves rushed us at once; Ryan took a hard gouging hit to his midsection, momentarily incapacitating him because I’d distracted him. The other wolf knocked me to the ground and pinned me in place.
“Watch what happens to the second, soon our alpha will destroy Connor and you will take your place at his side,” the grotesque creature crooned at me.
“I’d rather die!” I screamed up at him.
A laugh gurgled from deep in his misshapen throat and he stroked one clawed finger down my cheek. “Oh, no, pretty, our alpha has many plans for you. May you have a long and fruitful joining. Now watch while our second eats the heart of Ryan.” The creature firmly pressed my cheek until my head twisted to watch the man on top of Ryan’s inert form.
I felt tears fill my eyes; if he’d only had a few minutes to recoup, he would be able to recover and take back control of the fight, but to my horror as his side healed, the wolf dug a fresh gouge in the other side, toying with Ryan before making his kill.
“Noooo!” A shrill scream rose and a small dark-haired figure rushed the wolf and knocked him aside.
Ryan straightened painfully, fear overcoming his pain. “Sebrina!”
“Weak little vampire,” the wolf spat as he dug his sharp talon-like claw deeply into the tissue of her neck and dropped her on the ground like a crumpled doll.
A deep below of rage was the only warning before Ryan struck, ripping the other wolf’s throat out before he’d even fully turned to face him; then Ryan was over Sebrina, clutching her still form to his chest.
I screamed and twisted beneath my captor, then suddenly I was free as Connor pulled the wolf-man off me, snapping his neck in the process.
Then we rushed to Ryan’s side to find Sebrina gasping desperately for air in his arms.
“She’s too weak to recover from such a wound,” Ethan said dispassionately from a few feet away. All around them small little skirmishes were being fought as the rest of the rogue wolf pack was dispatched to hell, but most of the battle was finished. The key players were already dealt with.
“You can’t just stand there and watch her die!” I cried, horrified by his bored expression.
“I gave her the gift of immortality once and she didn’t appreciate it very much. Once I stopped force-feeding her, she stopped eating healthily at all; her choice to exist on substandard nutrition is why we are at this impasse. I refuse to take further responsibility for her; Sebrina made this choice,” Ethan said with a shrug.
Ryan pulled Sebrina’s dying body closer and howled with grief.
Ethan cocked his head to the side and studied Ryan. “You can save her if you choose, wolf.”
Ryan sat up straighter and looked at Ethan questioningly.
“Any immortal blood will give her the strength to heal her wounds if you can get her to take it,” Ethan said matter-of-factly.
Ryan looked at Connor, his eyes pleading with the alpha.
Connor turned to Ethan. “If we do this, she is ours. She is pack.”
“Agreed,” Ethan said with a nod.
Ryan immediately ripped his wrist open in a jagged wound and pressed it to Sebrina’s pale lips. “You will drink!” he commanded her.
“Sprinkle a little blood directly over the wound first, it will help the wound to heal,” Ethan advised, still watching the whole scene with a sort of detached curiosity.
Before my eyes the gaping wound in Sebrina’s throat began to close, then Ryan pressed his bleeding wrist back to her lips and she began to slowly drink. When her eyelashes fluttered open, Sebrina looked up at Ryan in confusion. “Ryan?”
He simply closed his eyes and pulled her to his chest for a moment, his relief palpable. Then he stood cradling her against his chest and turned toward Sebrina’s little cabin.
“She will need more blood,” Ethan told him off-handedly.
“She will have it,” Ryan said firmly.
“I don’t need any more…” Sebrina began weakly, only to be interrupted when Ryan suddenly stopped to glare down at the woman in his arms.
“You are my mate… mine… you will drink, you will heal, and you will obey!” he snarled down at her.
Sebrina stared up at him for a moment, then simply laid her head back down on his shoulder, a ghost of a smile on her lips.
I grinned, relieved beyond words that my friend would be okay and looking forward to the fireworks soon to be happening between her and Ryan as I watched him carry her out of sight.
“In the future I would prefer you stay out of the fighting,” Connor said gruffly from where he stood behind me.
I turned to face him with a glare. “I’m perfectly capable of fighting with everyone else. I’ve been training.”
“The wolf I pulled off you could have killed you but chose not to because of Sid’s warped agenda. I will not have you continuously putting yourself at risk, Alexandria.”
“What? You’ve spoken so now its law? I don’t think so!” I yelled. I don’t know why lately every word out of the man’s mouth made me want to scream… well, scream and shove my tongue down his throat, but I was ignoring that impulse.
“If you live on pack land, my word is law,” Connor said succinctly.
“Then maybe I won’t live on pack land,” I said vehemently, rubbing my arms, I ignored the gooseflesh on my very sensitive skin and the need rising up in me to submit myself before him.
“I find myself in need of another ambassador from the werewolf pack; perhaps a little time away will give you both the clarity you need,” Ethan said helpfully, totally ignoring the warning growl Connor shot his way.
Never taking my eyes off of Connor’s, I snapped at the off
er, “That sounds perfect, Ethan, thank you. Let me grab Dizzy and my bags and I’ll go with you now.”
“Alexandria.” Connor’s voice held warning.
I held up a hand. “Enough. I’m done talking for now.” I walked away to get my dog and things, ignoring the sick feeling developing in the pit of my stomach. This was the best for everyone… I wasn’t ready to make a decision and I certainly wouldn’t have one forced on me.
Chapter Seventeen
It took me a ridiculously short amount of time to get all my stuff together and then I was walking to Ethan’s limo. I wasn’t sure why we needed a limo but wasn’t about to complain as I climbed into the back and Dizzy jumped in next to me, growling warily at Ethan. I cuddled her closer reassuringly and she settled into place.
Connor stood next to the car, his shoulders slumped in defeat, and sadness welled within me.
I shoved the emotions down and simply looked out the window as the car pulled away. I should have taken my own car but I really didn’t want to be alone right now; this way I could come back tomorrow night and see Sebrina.
I don’t know when the trees outside the window began to blur; I hardly noticed.
“Are you sure you’re making the right choice, Xandie?” Ethan asked softly beside me.
I blinked. “What?”
“If this is the right choice for you, why are you crying?” he asked.
“I’m not crying…” I protested but then I reached up and touched wet cheeks—unchecked tears falling from my eyes unnoticed because I was so wrapped up in my own misery.
“Love is quite elusive and relatively rare… each of us only has one mate… not something you should disregard unless you’re sure…”
The car rocked over the cattle guard at the entrance to the compound and I suddenly felt like I was suffocating, like my very soul was being wrenched from my body. “Stop!”
I turned to Ethan. “I’m sorry… I…”
“No explanation necessary, Xandie. Go to him. I will see to it Dizzy and your things are returned to where they belong.”
“My things? I need something from my bag,” I cried as I leapt from the car and opened the trunk. I looked quickly through my bag until I found it, the box holding the beautiful pearl choker necklace. My hands shook as I fastened it around my throat, then I turned and ran up the driveway toward home.
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