Cutting Ties

by C. M. Torrens

  “Odin, let me in,” Morgana called from the hallway.

  “No one comes in here,” he said, flipping through his books.

  “What do you have in there that’s so secret?”

  “If it were a secret, I wouldn’t hide it here. I just don’t like my stuff touched,” he muttered, scanning the pages of his books. He soon found what he was looking for and smiled. “Perfect.”

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  He finally looked up at her through the doorway. Morgana was dressed in a simple black dress and heels, a little less colorful and revealing than usual. It made him wonder who died. Her hair was a chestnut brown and cascaded down her back in perfectly manicured waves. “There’s been a breach of treaty,” he said. “Why? What are you doing here?”

  She stared at him a long moment. “Hector died this morning.”

  Odin blinked. “What? What happened?”

  “No one knows. He was found this morning by his daughter. It looks as if he jumped from a very tall building.”

  Odin frowned and shook his head. “It happens from time to time.”

  “Yes, it does. Do you know who else jumped over the past week?”

  “Who?” he asked cautiously.

  “Urusilim and Mania,” she said softly. “Strange, yes?”

  Two names he hadn’t heard in ages. Both long since mad, the twins had locked themselves in some cave in Bolivia a few centuries ago and didn’t come out.

  “Where were they?”

  “Everyone thought they were still in Bolivia, but they died in London six days ago. They jumped from the roof of their thirtieth-story hotel room. A long way to go to commit suicide, don’t you think?”

  “Hector was this morning? Where?”

  “The northern tip of France.”

  His mind reeled with the implications. All three were there when they put Eveline to sleep. He wouldn’t be next. She’d save him for last, but there were a few others he should warn.

  Odin shook his head. One problem at a time. He’d have to make a few calls later. Finding the others wouldn’t be easy.

  “I don’t have time for this. We’ll talk later, Morgana.” Grabbing the books, he rushed out of the room and headed downstairs toward the catacombs below.

  “WHEN I was a child, the city of Ur was a growing village. I helped build it up with my own two hands.”

  Odin bit back a sigh. “Bauninsheg, that is… very interesting, Elder, but we need to discuss the Packs. They’re coming to claim breach of treaty tonight.”

  “It would have been best to keep them as slaves, Odin. You were wrong,” Bauninsheg said. “This wouldn’t be happening again if the packs were carefully monitored.”

  Odin sat across the desk from the Ancient. He had aged, after so many centuries. They all eventually did unless they took steps to avoid it. Like his father did. Feeding from his children and children’s children. The flicker of firelight from the hearth gave the room a haunted glow, and yellow light deepened the shadows in Bauninsheg’s face.

  “You’re wrong. Slaves or not, she would have awakened eventually. At least this way, the Packs are willing to fight her. As slaves they would have joined her.”

  “They still have.”

  “Some. Freedom is the right to choose. What does she want?”

  Bauninsheg went quiet as he thought over the question. “What has she always wanted? She wants to be queen of all, she wants her pets to love her, and I’d say, she wants you and the others who locked her away dead. All of this is no surprise to you. She’s your sister, Odin. You tell me what she wants.”

  “Revenge is a given, isn’t it?” Odin said softly. “Hector, Urusilim, and Mania are dead. There’s only a few more of us left. She’ll pick us all off one by one. What are we going to do about Eveline?”

  “Do what you couldn’t do the first time.”

  “He won’t let me kill her. He didn’t before, he won’t again.”

  “He won’t let you, Odin. There are others beside you, aren’t there? You aren’t alone,” Bauninsheg said. “Bring your alphas to the meeting tonight. Guard them well and let them speak. It is time to bring the shadows into the light.”

  “Thank you,” Odin whispered and stood up. He gave a low bow and left the room without another word.

  6. Pack and Clan

  DANTE STARED down at the maps and notes on his desk. The silence from August and his mistress was driving him mad. Since the two attacks during the winter, nothing else had happened. The last attack they found two females and three cubs all under the age of two, dead. He still couldn’t get that image out of his head. They needed to find the nest and take this battle to them and soon, or they’d end up being picked off one pack at a time.

  Voices from outside the study caught his attention, and he moved to the window overlooking the front yard to see who was outside. He pulled back the curtain and smiled at the sight of Cory and Kip in the front yard, discussing what color they needed to paint the old quad they pieced together with spare parts.

  “We should paint it pink,” Cory said.

  “Why pink?” Kip asked, looking at a collection of spray paint they had gathered from the shed. His pale-blond hair shined white in the sun.

  “Why not pink?” Cory countered, circling the quad to get a better look at it from several angles.

  “River said something about pink being for girls,” Kip pointed out.

  “For humans, maybe. I like pink. It’s pretty. And River and Faith are girls. They’ll want to play on it too.”

  “I like green better than pink, and it hides much better in the woods.”

  “Electric green doesn’t hide in the woods, and who exactly are we hiding from? Dante would find us on the moon.”

  “I’m not talking about hiding from Pack, that would be stupid, but you know… things happen,” Kip said softly.

  Cory went quiet a long moment. “Black would be better than green, then.”

  Dante winced. Did they think he couldn’t protect them now? And here he was about to leave them again.

  He felt sick and pulled away from the window. He wished he could just let Angel go, but relations were so precarious when it came to the Nephilim, and he was the only one who had worked with any of them before. Odin claimed he didn’t have much pull at their Council, but he had enough to at least get them heard under the claim of Breach of Treaty.

  Dante ran his hands through his long hair in frustration. He was taking every precaution possible; he even had the strays checking the perimeter of the territory daily. There was nothing more he could do but stay, and that was impossible.

  The door to the study opened, and Jesse peeked his head inside. “Are you okay?” His ashy-brown hair hung long, shadowing his hazel eyes.

  He forced a smile and nodded. “Just… having some second thoughts.”

  Jesse stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. “You’ve been doing this all week, Dante. The pack will be fine. Angel can’t do this alone. He doesn’t have the solid claim of Breach of Treaty that you do.”

  Of course Dante knew all that. It didn’t stop him from feeling he shouldn’t be leaving his pack.

  Jesse smiled, closed the distance between them, and ran his hand down the front of Dante’s shirt. “Everything will be fine. You’re leaving the pack in good hands. Michael and Ivory will handle anything that pops up. You have faith in your second, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” Dante admitted and took a calming breath. “I just…. Do you think the cubs think I can protect them?”

  “You have so far. Why would they think otherwise? You saved them all. No one hurt them.”

  He frowned. “Cory and River….”

  “Cory and River aren’t cubs, and they weren’t hurt either. You kept Caster from them. You did as a good alpha would. Caster’s dead. He isn’t coming back. No one is going to attack this pack,” Jesse assured him.

  Dante wished he could believe that, but with August out there, he ha
d no faith in anyone’s safety. He fought to keep his fears at bay, and Jesse slid into his arms. The warmth of his body so close was a comfort. The sound of Jesse’s heartbeat helped to hammer out the bumps in his nerves, and he kissed his pet’s forehead.

  “Thank you,” he whispered. “I’d be a mess without you.”

  “Nah, you’d be fine. You don’t need me.”

  “That’s not true,” Dante said, staring hard at him. “I do need you.”

  Jesse grinned. “Yeah?”

  “Oh yeah,” Dante said and kissed him long and hard, enjoying the feel of Jesse’s body against him and the taste of his mouth. He could get lost in such kisses.

  The door to the study opened with a bang, and Dante turned to stare at River with surprise. She stood looking trapped between apologetic and angry. “I… uh, sorry, Alpha. But….” She paused a moment and took a deep breath. “I’m not going to Paris! I’m not letting you mate me off like a piece of meat, so there!” she blurted out.

  Dante sighed heavily and pulled away from Jesse. “You’re going whether you like it or not. And no one said anything about mating you off.”

  She looked at him uneasily. Her brows twisted with confusion. “But that’s what Ivory said. That you were taking me to find a mate.”

  Jesse slipped from the room to leave them alone to talk. They both had suspected this would be coming.

  “Looking,” Dante stressed. “We are looking for potential mates. I’m not mating you off to anyone overnight. What kind of alpha do you think I am to mate my females off to just anyone?”

  “I don’t want a mate. I want to stay here,” River said.

  “You can’t stay here, River. I wish you could, but you’re at the age where you need to start looking. You’ll hit your heat soon, and it just wouldn’t be appropriate for you to stay here.”

  “Ivory stayed with her pack.”

  “Ivory was raised here. I didn’t raise you. Victor didn’t raise you. You need to find a mate. I’m not saying today or tomorrow, but soon.”

  She glared at him. “So you’re just going to get rid of me?”

  Dante sighed heavily. “That’s not how it is, and you know it. Don’t make it into something you know it’s not.” He held his hand out to her, and she moved toward him and took it. He kissed her fingertips and smiled gently at her. “You know I only want what’s the very best for you. You can feel it, can’t you?”

  River winced and nodded.

  “Don’t you want a pack of your own? Cubs?”

  She hesitated. “Maybe someday. I can’t have my own pack, Dante. I’m not strong enough.”

  “You’ll share a pack with a good mate, River, and they will be yours. Yours and your mate’s.” He stroked her cheek. “You’re going to France with me, and you’re going to keep an open mind.”

  “I can’t speak French,” she complained.

  “Then you’ll learn, won’t you?” he said. “Look, this pack gathering will have packs from all over. Many packs, many more than the one here in the States. I’m not saying you have to pick someone, but be open to having some fun and letting nature take its course. You’ll be coming with me to the pack gathering here in the States too, but I want you to have as many options as possible. You’re a beautiful female and a strong enough alpha talent to draw in a good pack. And… taking a pack outside the States wouldn’t be a bad idea. I want you safe, River. You understand that, don’t you?”

  “I’m safe here with you.”

  If only that were true. He couldn’t have her here. If they didn’t find the nest soon, August would come for him. The farther away River was from him, the safer she would be.

  He forced a smile and kissed her forehead. “No matter what, this pack will always be your home. But you have to find your own life soon and make a new home, your own home. A place that is yours.” He took her chin and lifted it high in the air. “Who are you, River?”

  She took a breath and forced a smiled. “I am River, Sister of Alpha Dante.”

  “Exactly right. You are no stray. You are my sister, and don’t let anyone tell you different. You are claimed, you are my sister, and you deserve the very best I can give you. You are alpha born, River. You were never really a stray. It just took us a while to find you. Know that above all else. Fight for it if you must. Insist on it because that is who you are.” Strays were packless half-breeds. River had a pack and a family.

  “Dante?”

  “Yes?”

  She went to her tippy-toes suddenly and kissed his cheek. Her cheeks flushed, and she looked away quickly. “I love you.”

  “I know, sister, and that’s why you can’t stay.”

  River took a ragged breath and nodded. “All right.”

  DANTE FOUGHT against nerves as the plane lifted off. Angel’s plane was much more comfortable than flying commercial, but they were still in a tin can flying through the air, which made him uneasy, and it would be a long flight.

  River sat beside him and stared out the window with open amazement. “What is Paris like? Is it like it is in the movies? Will we get to see the Eiffel Tower?”

  “I’m sure we can arrange something so you can see Paris,” Dante said, relieved to have something to keep his mind off flying. “I was supposed to go with Victor to this. I was a bit excited when he told me. I’ve never left the States. He might have taken me before, but I had issues to work out.”

  “You could have been a heavy for a long time, right?” River asked.

  Dante thought a long moment. “In capability? Yes. But I had no off button. Well, I had one, but it didn’t always work.” Back then, when he was hurt or saw a threat, he attacked it with a blinding rage he couldn’t turn off.

  River looked him over. “Lloyd told me something once. He said you strung up a stray and left him gutted in the woods. He said you were dangerous, but that was a long time ago.”

  “I am dangerous, River. Heavies are dangerous, alphas are dangerous. You are dangerous. If we aren’t dangerous, dear sister, males like Caster take what is ours, and we can never let that happen, can we?”

  River shook her head. “No. Never.”

  The conviction in her voice made him smile. “That’s right. We have to be dangerous to protect those we love.”

  She dropped her voice to a whisper. “I don’t think I’m dangerous enough.”

  “What would you do to protect those you love, River?”

  “Anything,” she said, narrowing her eyes at the thought.

  “Then you’re dangerous enough.”

  “Saying it and doing it are two different things,” River said.

  “You don’t think you could do anything for your pack?”

  River stared out the window and picked at the hem of her shirt. Her hair caught the light streaming in through the window, and worry shadowed her eyes. “Packs fall. Two are gone over the winter. What if I can’t be a good alpha?”

  “I still worry about that one. We just try our best and hope it works out in the end.”

  Dante glanced across the plane at Evan and Trevor, playing cards with Angel’s heavies. It didn’t always work out, but he was trying to get better at accepting he could only do his best.

  “And if it doesn’t?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

  “Hope you live through it long enough to learn from it.”

  River laid her head on his arm. “I want to be a good alpha like you.”

  Dante reached over and stroked her hair. “Be better than me, River. Always be better than the place you came from.” He kissed the top of her head. “It’s a long flight. Get some sleep.” River laced her fingers in his, and he felt her pull some of the anxiety from him, which was nice. They both slept.

  About midway through the flight, Angel woke him, and they sat down to discuss what would happen when they arrived in England and went over what information they had gathered to bring to both the pack gathering and the clan council.

  Since winter he and Angel had found themselves
working a lot together. As top alpha in the States for some time, Angel had a lot of information trapped in his head. Dante even grew to like him. Their ideas on how to handle things sometimes clashed, but Angel was smart and had tons more experience than he did, especially when it came to politics. Dante was learning a lot by watching him work.

  “I’ll let you handle the clans,” Angel said. “You’re the only one with a solid claim of Treaty Breach. But I have to say, the very idea of going into a building filled with Nephilim makes me uneasy. It would have been nicer to able to bring more than just two heavies with us.”

  “Better it’s us than bringing in one of the European packs,” Dante said. “Though another heavy would have settled my nerves too.”

  “And your sister? Are you taking her?”

  “I don’t know any of the other packs here well enough to leave her. She’s capable enough in a fight. She’s been training hard. I think I’d rather she stay with me.” The plane hit a patch of turbulence, and Dante grabbed the seat handle, biting back a snarl. “I swear if we fall out of the sky, I will be pissed.”

  Angel chuckled softly. “I wouldn’t worry about that too much. If we fall out of the sky, we’ll likely be dead before we hit the water.”

  Dante glared at him. “That’s not exactly what worries me about flying. It’s the whole… flying-coffin thing and not being able to do anything about the sky-falling thing.”

  “Then maybe you should take flying lessons.”

  Dante wasn’t sure if that was the best or worst idea he ever heard, and changed the subject so he wouldn’t have to think about it.

  “If this claim of Breach of Treaty doesn’t work, killing that bitch is going to be extremely difficult. She’s old. Older than dust.” He studied Angel a long moment, letting his worry show. “How do you kill something that old?”

  “Very quickly,” Angel said with a worried frown.