The crowd forced us to slow as we approached the doors outside. The entire casino was pouring out into the front courtyard to make sure they got a good view of the fight to come. That's my peeps for you, just a good old bloodthirsty horde in every shape and size, furry, winged, scaled, and those were the ones I felt good about. It was the ones with hidden skills and talents that were most likely to take a person out. After all, it's always what you don't see coming that gets you in the end.
"Come on," he said. "You're going to miss your homework assignment."
We made our way out to the front courtyard, still covered in snow. The air was brisk and chilly. It must have dropped ten degrees since last night.
The crowd parted for me and Burrom, and opened up a spot in front so we'd have a great view of the violence. I eyed him, knowing he'd done something magical to encourage it. He smirked in response.
Everyone was out here, and the ones that weren't hung out any window that was still big enough to allow it. The castle had shrunk so many of them down they were a firefighter's nightmare.
I looked around and felt almost like I were in high school, with all the cliques. Everybody was commingled but separate. The Fae, humans, wolves, Keepers and changed were all in their own little clusters.
The crowd parted again as both wolves, Rogo and Kaz, walked out into the center of the circle, both in wolf form. They didn't stand still long but started to circle each other, looking for weaknesses. Rogo was slightly taller and looked like he would have the longer reach. Kaz was wider, probably outweighing Rogo by a good thirty pounds.
The scene was brutal, vicious and barbaric. And it fit our new world like a custom made suit.
Dark stepped up behind us, getting a clear view over my shoulder. He was a wolf too, but everyone knew his allegiance was with the Keepers. He'd been excommunicated from his own kind when he'd decided to join us. If it bothered him still, he didn't show it.
Burrom nodded to him in greeting.
"Hey," I said in a hushed tone, not sure why I was whispering. This was a fight to the death, not an afternoon at the library. Before I could say anything else, Rogo made his move and drew our full attention back to the two combatants.
It was a long swipe that caught Kaz across the ribs. He let out a growl just as a loud cheer rose from the part of the crowd rooting for Rogo. Neither wolf wore anything but their fur, and the crowd could see the fresh gash ripped open, the jagged flesh partially hanging. Blood dripped from the gaping wound, matting in Kaz’s fur. It didn't look lethal, just brutally painful. Yeah, I was getting good at judging wounds. After all, this wasn't my first death match.
I was glad Rogo was off to a strong start, but I didn't cheer. I wouldn't show my preference openly; I'd have to deal with whoever won. I'd never cared about politics before The Shattering. I'd blissfully gone through life completely ignorant of elections. Never voted or cared, until the senator. Apparently, living knee deep in the political considerations of every freak known to man was to be my penance for youthful irresponsibility.
I looked at Burrom and saw he was keeping a neutral expression as well, although that wasn't as uncommon for him. Sicko that he was, he actually enjoyed playing politics. I didn't understand how we were even friends.
Rogo got another good blow in that sent Kaz reeling, and he staggered backward. Rogo quickly followed his staggering form, and snapped his jaws, just missing Kaz's neck by less than an inch.
Just as I was becoming confident Rogo might be able to win this one, I saw his stance change slightly. Typical of Rogo, he was getting cocky. That's when I knew it was only a matter of time. He was losing his edge. He thought he had it in the bag. I sighed and refrained from the urge to rip a hand through my hair.
Kaz was already starting to come around again and was beginning to circle. He was sluggish but he was acting more hurt than he really was to lure Rogo in. I could see it in his eyes. They were too sharp in contrast to the way he was moving. You can see pain in a person's face and a werewolf wasn't much different; Kaz was only reading about a three out of ten.
I wanted to smack Rogo and tell him to pay attention, but I couldn't even make eye contact with him. He was too busy prancing around the ring like a popinjay, playing to the crowd. They longed for blood, wanted reparations for their losses and pain, and they weren't particular where they got it. Guilt and responsibility weren't required.
Kaz staggered, falling to his knees, as if struggling from blood loss. Rogo saw the fake opening and eagerly stepped into the trap. I knew what would come next and resisted the urge to turn away. It would've looked weak to the wolves and I couldn't afford any show of vulnerability that could be exploited. I let my vision blur out of focus as Kaz leapt to his feet and took Rogo's head off with a snap of his jaws.
Rogo's body collapsed onto the ground. It bucked and continued to spasm, even as his head rolled a few feet away. Blood pooled bright red on the snow-covered ground beneath him.
The crowd stood hushed, but only briefly, and then erupted into cheers for Kaz. It apparently didn't matter that some of them hadn't been cheering for him in the beginning. They were certainly trying to vigorously make up for it now. Or perhaps they cheered for the newest payment made toward the anger they held. Maybe it was the nearness of death that reaffirmed their own still beating hearts and excited them.
The reason didn't seem to matter to Kaz. He stood in the center, accepting the attention as if it were his due. He turned to where I stood and walked over.
"Meeting. Eight tonight," I said.
Kaz turned away without an acknowledgment. I knew the wolves enough by now to know it was a slight, and so would everyone nearby. Why did the wolves always have to be such a problem? It was a stupid question and I already knew the answer. Their society ran like a pack and an alpha didn't tolerate another alpha's presence. And even though I was twice damned in their eyes, being a female and not a wolf, he considered me an alpha. I guess I could take it as a compliment.
Kaz took about ten steps away and I knew I couldn't let the slight go unanswered. The castle was near to bursting with different races, all scheming for control. In this environment, you couldn't let any cracks show.
I waited, as everyone else watched.
Kaz was about twenty feet away when my voice carried loud enough for everyone there to hear. "Clean up your mess."
Kaz stopped. He stood still and then he waved toward some of his men and pointed to where Rogo's body lay. Then he turned and looked back at me. I was in jeans and a winter jacket that I'd found in an old ski shop, but I felt naked as his eyes went from my toes all the way to my chest and stayed there before finally reaching my face. His large wolf tongue reached out and lasciviously licked his lips, his tongue following the points of his fangs.
I took an aggressive step toward him. "Try it." He stood his ground as I walked closer to him; not being able to speak in wolf form didn't matter. His puffed up chest said it all. "You sure you want to do this? You might have a lot of backup, but so do I and I guarantee you, I won't go down before I take you out first."
I saw his nostrils flare and his chest rising and falling with his breaths.
I stood an inch from him. He towered over me but I didn't feel scared or intimidated; I had my own blood lust coursing through my veins. I had months of bone crushing disappointment and responsibility, and I was looking for an excuse to unload.
His eyes widened slightly as he stared into my unflinching face and I recognized the expression. I'd been getting it quite often lately.
"No, not crazy, blood thirsty. And know this, I don't care where I get my pound of flesh. I'm just waiting for an excuse." Not a hundred percent true, but close enough that I could pull it off.
He dropped his stare in silent surrender.
"Too bad," I said, and meant it. He turned and walked back to the castle. "Let me know if you change your mind," I called after him in a tone that sounded like I were trying to push a timeshare tour on him, not offering up death on a platter.
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br /> Chapter Three
The Bad Man Cometh...
I walked further down the empty Vegas strip, among the towering piles of debris, enjoying several feet of snow and freezing air. Yeah, right. Who was I kidding? I was freezing and I couldn't feel the tip of my nose.
I was stalling. I'd go back soon, but the faces, the questions, the never ending needs and, even worse, the quiet of the penthouse, all waited for me and didn't offer an appetizing evening. I'd return, but not until I had recharged my battery for a minute. I'd stay out here long enough that I could muster up the energy to plaster on the appearance of calmness over my raging emotions.
Before I could stop myself, I wondered if Cormac had felt like this. This could drive anyone to run.
No, I would not give him excuses. I was less prepared for this than he had been and I still stayed. I could've left, but I hadn’t. And the staying hadn't been easy, especially not in the beginning. The wolves had been nipping at my position, undermining my control in every way they could.
They still were, but were just being less obvious about it. I knew they'd been picking away at the food supplies in storage. I just didn't know how they were gaining access, yet. I had that area guarded around the clock by Keepers, which meant one of them might be cooperating.
In the beginning, the humans barely tolerated me, until I'd made it clear they could leave if they didn't like the way things were going to be. The Keepers were loyal, but I feared it was simply because they all still expected Cormac to come strolling back any day. Even some of the Fae had tried to undermine me.
I was so lost in my own thoughts it took me longer than it should've to notice the solitary figure approaching. He was about a half a mile away, walking toward me. Squinting my eyes as he approached, I saw long blond locks caught up in the wind as a full-length fur coat flapped around his calves.
My spine stiffened as my brain recognized who it was. He hadn't alerted me that he'd intended to visit, but he rarely did. I tried to tune my senses in to my surroundings but I was pretty sure he'd come alone, like always.
"Josephine." He stopped about twenty-five feet shy of me.
"Senator."
Neither of us spoke as we took each other's measure.
His feminine grey fox coat might have inspired laughter from someone more naïve, but I'd had enough experience with him to not be lulled by his flamboyant dress. There was nothing soft about this…man?
I could see from his expression, he found my black cargo pants and hiking boots lacking.
My palms were moist and my pulse raced. I schooled my features into a blank canvas as I stood there, waiting for him to speak. Every time he showed, I expected the worst. Even now, after months of periodic visits with no ill effect.
"Care to take a stroll?" he asked.
"Sure." I shrugged and stepped forward, acting much less agitatedly than I felt. If I could get him to leave peacefully, I'd take the stroll, no matter how distasteful I found his presence. The first visit had been the most disconcerting.
I walked the distance to him and kept walking. He fell into step beside me as we strolled down the strip together.
"Still no Cormac?" He asked a question he already knew the answer to. I didn't know if he was looking for a reaction or trying to rub in the betrayal.
I knew he had spies in the casino. After Cormac left, I hadn't bothered wasting resources and energy on finding out who they were. Sometimes information leaking wasn't such a bad thing, and yes, maybe we didn't have a steady supply of food and resources, but we weren't sitting ducks either, with our increased numbers, and I wanted him to know. I'd also been juggling so many different issues since that I hadn't cared.
I didn't bother responding to his question in a petty attempt to thwart whatever it was he looked to gain.
"I have to say, in spite of myself, I feel impressed. Knowing your mother, I never thought you would be capable of taking charge of that many people."
"I'm not sure if I should be insulted or say thanks." I was surprised at his mention of her. We'd both avoided the topic in the past. These conversations always felt surreal, and not in a good way. I just wanted him to get to the point, sooner rather than later.
"If you had known your mother, you would understand. She was a feckless creature." He flipped a long blond lock away from his face.
He spoke as if I wouldn't have a reason to be annoyed by him discussing her like this. A year ago, I probably wouldn't have been. These days, I had a lot more compassion and understanding for the choices people made. The big ones weren't usually easy. So it galled me but I held my tongue and refrained from getting into a tit for tat insult session.
"Are you here for a reason or did you just feel like strolling in the snow with me?" I asked, hoping to speed things up a bit. I wasn't sure how long he'd been alive, but he had the nonchalance of someone who hadn't watched a clock for decades. I was only newly immortal and a bit more time sensitive.
"We've reached an impasse of sorts and I thought a clearing of the air was in order." He spoke like a scholar and oozed arrogance.
I remembered the first time he'd shown up, just a few weeks after Cormac had left. I'd been petrified of what he'd wanted. We'd spoken a few meaningless words that I couldn't even remember, now. He'd left and I'd collapsed in relief, not telling anyone of his appearance.
A week later, he'd shown up again. I still wasn't clear on why, but he never made any demands or threats. We'd fallen into an awkward pattern of occasional visits. Him showing up and me agreeing to go along with it. I did it to keep myself apprised of the current level of aggression and I started to imagine he was doing it for the same purpose. I viewed it as an awkward truce of sorts, sort of like two divorcées living in different wings of a house and playing polite so the other didn't torch the lawn.
But in all this time, we'd never "cleared the air" and I wasn't sure how much clearing he was looking to do.
"Was there anything in particular you wanted to share?"
"It's not in my best interest to kill you. Likewise, killing me might have some of the same inherent risks."
He tilted his head toward me with his last words, still acting nonchalantly, as if there were nothing amiss about discussing our mutual destruction.
But, more importantly, he confirmed what Burrom had thought. Whether it was true or not, there were now two different voices expressing a concern over possible repercussions if I were to be killed. I didn't tell him I'd wondered if his death might have the same negative ramifications.
"What did you have in mind?"
"I think that we can mutually exist - perhaps even be of use to each other, from time to time."
I stepped back quickly when he reached into his jacket.
He stopped moving instantly. "I just wanted to offer you a gift of peace, is all." He stood paused, not out of fear but consideration to my alarm.
At my nod, he continued to reach within his pocket. As his hand withdrew, I saw a long red velvet case. He held it out to me and my curiosity got the best of me. I reached forward and took it.
Prying it open, I was stunned by the ruby bracelet lying on velvet.
"This is a peace gift?" I looked back up at him.
"Fit for a queen," he said. "Thirty carats set in platinum."
"I got the distinct impression, on several occasions, that you found me beneath you." Yes, I had a chip on my shoulder. Actually, make that present tense. I have a chip on my shoulder. Dealing with him in the past had grown it to an unhealthy size. I'd managed to shrink it down, small enough that it wasn't screaming attitude. But this, after the way he'd treated me in the past - the scorn with which he dealt with me, I couldn't quite rise above. Sometimes it's more fun to roll around in the mud than rise above.
"Like I said, I might have underestimated you." I watched his eyes rove over me again. "You know, you could be quite attractive, if you did something with those clothes."
"Is there anything else?" I tucked the bracelet in my pocket, wo
ndering when I'd ever have an occasion to wear it. A truckload of gas might have warmed me up to him more.
"No, I think that about sums it up."
"Fine. I'm agreed. There will be no aggression from my side. But, from now on, if you want to discuss anything, you will give me three days’ notice, delivered by a single human, that you are entering my territory. I will, of course, offer this person safe return."
"And you will do the same?"
"Yes."
He stopped walking, as did I.
"I find these terms acceptable."
"I'm so glad." I said it was such an exaggerated graciousness I was sure he'd realize the insult, but instead he smiled, oblivious.
"I'd offer you my hand but I doubt you'd take it. As I said, you seem a bit savvier than your mother ever was." He tilted his head to the side and squinted his eyes. "I'm surprised with your human emotions you haven't taken one of these opportunities to question me about her."
His eyes were deep and penetrating, as if he could discover my secrets by simply staring. I was fairly certain that wasn't one of his abilities, especially since he missed my mockery. If he had an idea of what I really wanted to do to him, I doubted he'd be offering me gifts.
I wouldn't explain that a part of me was bursting with curiosity. I refused to give him any satisfaction. I shrugged, smiled and turned my back on him, as if I had nothing to fear.
"I'll assume you can find your own way home," I yelled as I left him standing there.
"I anticipate this to be a long and interesting relationship, Josephine," he hollered back and let out a deep throaty laugh that filled the air.
***
It had taken supreme control to keep from shivering while I was with the senator but I'd managed. Walking into the penthouse, I felt like it was going to take forever to thaw out. As the magic changed the casino, it at least had pity enough to supply fireplaces in the rooms that had been robbed of heat. The penthouse was one of the last areas to lose modern heating but it finally lost the battle, the vents covered by stone one chilly afternoon. At least we could still find wood for fires.
Redemption: Alchemy Series Book #4 Page 3