by Unknown
He shook his head, but couldn’t meet the other man’s cold blue eyes. “Woman trouble. It’ll pass.”
That apparently satisfied Tony, because he just nodded. “Lucas is waiting for you to make your calls. Better head down.”
Lucas had found a way to hook up the cell phone to the speaker so everybody could hear. Eric had heard Amber Wingate’s voice once or twice when she’d visited with Charles. She sounded exasperated. “Why would the seers tell you to do that? It makes no sense. Ahmad and Bobby are both double-mated. They wouldn’t be able to have sex with Marduc. As the Wolven physician, I can assure you they physically can’t get excited by another woman. No matter the physical stimuli, they wouldn’t be able to ejaculate. Double-mates can’t cheat. Tell Raphael to bring them back in. They’ll be fine—if he didn’t already damage them too much by the death touch. Good God, people! Use your brains.”
Eric entered the room to find Lucas, Antoine, and Ivan looking somewhat abashed. Lucas cleared his throat and nodded Eric toward a chair. “Um, the Four Corners pack leader just arrived, Amber. I’ll have to ring off so we can see if we can reach Canada. Is there anything you want us to do about Charles? Or should we just keep him comfortable and let him come out of the trance by himself?”
So Eric was officially the Four Corners pack leader? That was news.
“No,” Amber said, frustration still in her voice. “He doesn’t know how to come out of a trance. I couldn’t get him to sit still long enough to learn. That man drives me crazy sometimes! But I can’t come there. We’re locked in Antoine’s estate with snakes slithering all over the place. We’ve got wounded here that are pretty bad. I can’t risk them, and I know Charles wouldn’t want me to. Oh, and Antoine? I’m afraid we got into the pantry, and the wine cellar. I managed to hide away one bottle of that special cognac, but the rest is gone. It’s the only painkiller I have for the humans.” Antoine swore under his breath, but then sighed. She sounded apologetic when she continued. “Sorry, but I’m just too tired to put every person here in a healing trance. We really need to outfit your estate with a good-quality medical kit. As for Charles, maybe—” she paused. “I know what we can do. Once Raphael gets back there, call me.” She chuckled ruefully. “I’m sure Charles is going to love this as much as you will, Lucas, but since I’m also mated to Raphael, I can mind link to him. Poor guy—I know he can’t really help that all the women seem to mate to him, but it has to be rough on Catherine.” There was a smile in her voice when she continued. “Tell our resident stud that he’ll need to get Tatya and then touch Charles. I’ll mind link to him and walk him through the process.”
Ivan spoke up. “Not Tatya. She’s not entirely stable right now. Lucas’s condition has hit her pretty hard. I don’t trust her to enter Charles’s mind. Could Holly Sanchez do it?”
Amber’s voice perked up. “Holly’s there? Sure. She’s done healing trances before and has some excellent instincts. Pity she hasn’t been trained properly, but she should be able to handle this.”
Should Eric mention that Holly might also not be entirely stable? He glanced at Lucas and raised his brows in inquiry.
Lucas tapped one finger on the table, then nodded. “That should work. But if Holly’s not available for any reason, could Raphael do it alone?”
Amber let out a small sigh. “Well, I’d rather not do that, if possible. He has some healing talent, but nowhere near enough to get my fluffy teddy bear out of a jam if it comes down to it.”
My fluffy teddy bear. Eric nearly choked in an attempt not to laugh, and he wasn’t the only one. Lips all over the room were being bitten and apparently Amber heard some of the chortles. “Yeah, yeah. So now you know what I call the Chief Justice. Like you don’t have pet names for your mates.”
Did he? Eric furrowed his brow. What was it he used to call Holly back in Boulder? He struggled to remember, but it just wasn’t coming to mind. What about the old standbys—baby, sweetheart, or even darling? No, they didn’t fit.
It had something to do with her scent. Flowers or strawberries—wait, that was it! Her sisters called her Hollyberry when they were in a good mood or when they wanted a favor. He’d called her Berrybelle and it had always made her smile.
He used to be concerned with making her smile as a human. He tucked his thumb into the watch pocket of his jeans, touching the cool metal vial. Would it be so terrible if she went back? Eric didn’t understand it, but maybe he was making too big of a deal over it.
“It could be dangerous.” The others had continued to talk while he’d been musing, but Amber’s words grabbed Eric’s attention. “I understand the need to get Marduc out of his head, but I can’t guarantee that she won’t be able to grab on to all of us if I try to seal his mind. Frankly, I’d rather just kill her and be done with it.”
“Would her death hurt his mind if she’s still connected?” Lucas’s question was a good one and it made Amber swear.
“Shit! Okay, fine. Call me back as soon as Raphael gets there, and don’t mention a word about this anywhere near Charles. Unless he’s already kicked her out, Marduc’s listening to all of you through him.”
Antoine nodded. “That’s why we put him in a sealed room. We put headphones on him, as well, with a CD playing on auto-repeat. I hope he likes Mozart. It was either that or country-western.”
Amber burst out laughing. “I’m trying to imagine Charles waking up humming Patsy Cline. If this weren’t so serious . . . but no. Mozart is fine. Call me back soon. I have to get back to my patients.”
Lucas was chuckling as he ended the call. He looked at Eric and motioned toward the phone. “Your turn, Thompson. Call every number you know up north. I’d love to give you privacy, but there’s no time for that. We’re listening to every call so we can bring Ahmad up to date when he gets back. Hang on for a sec.”
He stood and walked out of the room. “Tony?” he called and then started speaking again after he got a response. “Go get Holly Sanchez, would you? We need to see her.”
Then he returned to his seat and dialed a number. It was answered on the first ring.
“Raphael, it’s Lucas. I’m here with Ivan and Antoine. We just got off the line with Amber, and—”
The Albuquerque pack leader interrupted. “No need to go on. Amber just contacted me mentally—a trial run, apparently. I’m on my way back with Ahmad and Bobby. We’ll be there in fifteen.”
The line went dead and the scent of Lucas’s relief filled the room. He leaned back in his chair and motioned for Eric to dial with a wave of his hand.
Eric took a deep breath and dialed his mother’s cell number. On the third ring he heard a click and a feminine, “Hello?”
It wasn’t his mother. But Lucas recognized the voice. “Raina? Why are you on this line?”
“Lucas?” Her voice sounded surprised, but relieved. “Finally! I’ve been calling and calling, but keep getting busy signals. Where are you guys? It’s like everyone fell off the map.”
Lucas shook his head. “No time for an update. We have to wait for the owner of the phone to get back to tell us how to load more damned minutes on this thing. I promise, you’ll get a full update later. Were you attacked up there?”
“Oh, hell yes. Six pack members dead, and the effing pack leader got away. I’m so mad I could spit!”
“This is Eric Thompson. Is my mother okay? Do you have any idea where Derek went?”
“I’m sorry. I can’t release that information. It’s Wolven business.” The reply was automatic, but Lucas spoke up.
“We’re all here together, Raina. Eric has just been assigned as pack leader of the new Four Corners pack. There are also two council members in the room. Ivan for the bears, and Antoine for the cats. You can give us a full report. But make it quick.”
“Okay.” Eric could barely hear the snarl of frustration she released. “Alpha Thompson—that is, this Alpha Thompson—oh, hell. Forget it. I’ll call him Derek. I did as instructed and entered the pack headquarters afte
r dark and searched the computer system. Lucas, you were right. There were a number of e-mails from the Central American group. But more importantly, there were pictures of Derek and Sargon al-Akede hidden in his desk. They were relatively recent ones too. Obviously taken from a distance. I can’t imagine Sargon would want any evidence of his existence in a picture in someone’s desk drawer, so I doubt he ever saw them.”
Lucas looked at Antoine and Ivan. “So, it was going on longer than we thought. Sargon’s been dead for a while now.” The others nodded grimly. “Go on, Raina. What’s the status of the alpha female?”
Raina let out another frustrated sigh. “She’s here, but I don’t know what to do with her.”
“What’s wrong?” Eric’s adrenaline started to pump. If Derek had dared hurt her—
“She’s the one who helped Derek escape. Cracked me over the head with a full bottle of champagne. The lump is just now healing. But she also protected the entire pack, including me, from the snakes. Didn’t get a wound on her, and we only lost six against pretty overwhelming odds. That woman’s fast and mean when she needs to be. Right now, everyone’s in the pack gymnasium with the doors barred in case we missed any snakes. I’ve got Delilah under house arrest for collaboration and accessory to the escape. Mostly, she’s seeing to the needs of the pack. Cooking and cleaning wounds and such. There’s no healer here, but we’ve got some medical supplies and are hoping antibiotics will work on Sazi bites. I have to tell you, though, it just feels wrong to punish her for helping her son. Even if her son’s a criminal, and an ass.” Now her voice took on a tired quality. “You’re the council, so you guys tell me—what do you want me to do with her?”
Eric sighed. That was so very like his mother. She could be a harpy, or a saint, or both at once. Lucas glanced his way but he could only throw up his hands. “Don’t look at me. She’s my mom. I’m staying out of this.”
The Wolven chief looked at the two councilmen. They both shrugged, but Ivan spoke. “These are extraordinary circumstances we’re in. Raina, is there any evidence Delilah was involved with Sargon, or knew anything about this attack?”
Raina’s voice was confident. “None. And once I had her under lock and key, I went through all the computers here with a fine-tooth comb. When I showed her the evidence I found, including the photos of Derek and Sargon, she was appalled. I think if I’d showed it to her earlier, she might not have helped him escape.”
There was a tap on the door and Eric stood to open it. Holly was on the other side and started visibly when she saw him. She couldn’t look him in the eye and smelled of dusty shame. She was wearing a new shirt, one with a collar that nearly hid the silver chain she had around her neck. Did she know he’d found the box?
She kept her eyes on Lucas’s chest until he waved her into the room.
Lucas shrugged. “Release her?” It was a question to the councilmen.
Ivan nodded, but Antoine looked dubious. “Temporarily. I’m not in favor of a wrist slap for knocking out a Wolven officer. But as you say, these are extraordinary times. We’ll confer with Ahmad and, if possible, with Charles when he awakens.”
Holly’s face lit up when Antoine said that and Eric heard the first brush of her thoughts in his head. He wasn’t sure if it was directed to him, or if it was just a stray thought to herself. Charles is waking up? That will be a relief to so many people!
He hasn’t yet, He replied. That’s why you’re here.
She lifted her head to look at him with wide, panicked eyes. I can’t. I mean, I don’t know how—
Amber will be guiding you, through Raphael. She thinks you can do it . . . and so do I, Berrybelle. I might not be real happy about some things right now, but I do have faith in you. He stared at her, willing her to believe it.
Her eyes went wide when he used the old pet name and she seemed fidgety. But even though her nostrils flared, there was nothing to smell. Nothing for anyone in the room to smell.
Truth and faith didn’t have scents.
Chapter Twenty-one
BERRYBELLE. THE WORD made little tingles race over her skin, just like it had a decade ago. Just for you, Berrybelle, he used to whisper in her ear as he passed by the counter, and she’d go searching for that one pink rose. It was the name she’d heard in her dreams for years after, even when she was so hurt by his sudden disappearance that she would cry herself to sleep.
But how could Eric be both angry and supportive? That didn’t make sense. He could probably smell her confusion as the woman on the phone continued to talk.
“—a lot of work to do here. I’ll copy all of the files onto a flash drive and bring them down with me. If you’re confident she’s not a flight risk, that is.”
“No,” Lucas said. “I don’t want you leaving Quebec. Those people might still need protection. Just go to the train station or airport and rent a locker. Make sure you’re not followed, of course. In fact, why don’t you make two flash drives and mail one to Antoine’s estate in France. Amber will keep it safe.”
“Will do. Anything else?”
“Yes,” Lucas replied with a grim tone. “Be careful. I don’t think this is over—not by a long shot.”
A series of heavy footfalls came from the next room and the door opened suddenly. Raphael, Bobby Mbutu, and Ahmad filed in. They all looked exhausted, like they’d been awake for a week.
Raphael opened his mouth, but Lucas held up a hand. “That’s all for now, Raina. Keep a phone handy and we’ll get back to you with more instructions.” He ended the call and then looked at the men. “That was quick. I thought you said fifteen minutes.”
Raphael shrugged. “That was based on obeying the speed limit. I decided to use my discretion about traffic laws on back roads. The suspension on that sedan holds up surprisingly well on gravel.” Holly watched as he turned to her. He winked. “So, I guess it’s just the two of us, huh? You up for waking a bear from hibernation, Healer Sanchez?”
She let out a slow breath and nodded.
Lucas furrowed his brow. “It might be a little early to ask that, Raphael. We haven’t precisely told her what Amber said yet.”
Eric raised a hand. “I did, just a few minutes ago. I didn’t think you wanted to interrupt the phone call, so I said it through private channels.”
Lucas nodded, as Raphael frowned in confusion. “You’ve got a pack link with her already, Thompson? I didn’t think you’d been formally assigned as pack leader.”
Holly cleared her throat, feeling suddenly uncomfortable. “It’s not a pack link, Uncle Raphael. It’s more of a . . . mating one.” She smiled and tried to make a joke of it. “Guess who’ll be coming to Christmas dinner this year? If he’s still speaking to me, that is.” She didn’t look into Eric’s eyes when she said that.
Her uncle looked from one to the other, then shook his head and sighed. “Should have seen this coming, I guess. It took a death threat to get him away from you the first time.”
Eric hadn’t lied when he told her about Dad, but to hear Raphael say it so casually . . . “You know, you could have at least told me he didn’t run off with Vicki. That was just cruel.”
Raphael held up his hands. “That was not my idea. It was your father’s. And it was better than the truth. At least you didn’t go chasing after him. Not every solution is perfect, Holly. You needed a few more years under your belt before your judgment could be trusted. By the time you turned eighteen, I’d frankly forgotten.”
Lucas slapped his hands down on the table, stopping any reply she might have made. “Daylight’s burning, people. Let’s get moving. We have a Chief Justice to wake and a Goddess to send back to hell.”
ERIC WATCHED HOLLY and Ramirez walk into the next room with anxiety. He didn’t like how Amber had said it could be dangerous. It reminded him of when the pack would go hunting and Holly would be at the restaurant all alone, closing up. Someone could have kicked in the door and robbed her, shot her . . . or worse. That was part of the reason why he’d left. He cared t
oo much what happened to her. It was a daily struggle not to protect her from anyone who threatened her. He hadn’t won any friends when he’d told Corrine to back off and leave her alone. He’d backed up the demand by gripping that pretty chin and threatening to pull it off her face. It had worked . . . at least while he was there.
Lucas stood, pulling his attention back to the present. “When Charles wakes up, he’ll want to go on the offensive. I’m pretty sure he’ll forbid me to go, even though I can still handle a sword pretty well. But there need to be at least three people. Ivan, you know swords, don’t you?”
Ivan shook his bald head. “I haven’t practiced in years. I’d be more liability than asset.”
“Same with me,” Bobby said. “I’ve practiced more with guns lately. I’m pretty good with a bow, if we have one of those.”
“Then I suppose it is you and I again, Antoine,” Ahmad said dryly. “Do try to keep up with me this time.”
Antoine raised the sling. “I’m afraid this is my sword arm. It was broken in eight places. I’ll need at least another day of healing to have enough strength for thrusting through those metal feathers.”
“I’m pretty good with a sword,” Eric said. “I competed in college.”
Ahmad’s brows rose. “I’ll be the judge of that.” The slender, olive-skinned man walked past him, leaking enough power to make Eric’s skin sting. He followed Ahmad to the armory, where a variety of blades had been laid out. There were no cutlasses. These were mostly broadswords and were far longer than anything he’d worked with before. But then Eric saw a wooden handle peeking out from the corner. He reached down and pulled out a flat paddle of a weapon with glass embedded in the edge. Jack’s war club. He recognized it from the hindsight. He flicked a finger across one of the obsidian flakes, then swung it lightly. It was perfectly balanced and the stone was easily as hard as metal. But could the wood hold up against a sword cut?