by Cathy Clamp
Amber shifted forms in a flash, shredded clothing falling to the floor, except for one black pant leg, which she kicked off. “I’m on it. Send a car that way. I can put him out, but I won’t be able to carry him back.” She was out the door in a flash, moving so quickly that she was just a blur of spotted fur.
Rabi looked at Dalvin and managed to come up with an impressive amount of angry scent on short notice. “You have your assignment, Agent. I’m done arguing. You will keep your mouth shut and do your job!”
Dalvin nodded, crisp and professional. It wasn’t hard to look angry—but it was a struggle not to look at Rachel as he left, his hands clenched into fists.
In the distance, he heard Rachel shout, “You can’t do that to me! I want to talk to my alpha!” He smiled. Attagirl. Then he had to regain his anger, so he thought about Larissa, trying to trick him into framing Rachel. Which made him furious. Except he couldn’t afford to be mad at her. He was supposed to be snuggling with her. Wow, that was going to be a test of his undercover skills.
Reaching under his shirt, he ran his fingernails along the healing scab where Tamir had marked him. Oh, yeah. That would do nicely. By the time Tamir reached him, he was good and pissed.
“Arguing with a councilman, Adway?” the big bear said. “That is a short path to a grave.” He glowered at Dalvin.
“Yeah, well, I don’t freaking care. Rachel has her own parliament. Why should I have to train her for the race?”
Tamir’s face and scent reflected confusion. “Why would you have to train the owl? What race?”
Dalvin blew a raspberry and yanked open the back door of the nearest SUV, searching around on the floor as though he’d lost something. “Oh, that’s the Council’s latest bright idea. They’re going to have a third competitor in the blood feud challenge. Rachel complained about Larissa to the Council. Told some bogus story about her making racist comments.
“I’ve never heard Larissa say a single bad word about black-, brown-, or green-skinned people as long as I’ve known her. Since I’m the same race as Rachel, I think I’d notice, y’know? And now I have to train Rachel? Bullshit. I swear, I should just up and quit this job.”
Tamir shook his head, buying the story completely. His scent was mostly neutral, with a slight edge of dark glee at Dalvin’s situation. “The Council, it does what it does. We have to live with their judgments, no matter how ridiculous. When are you expected to do this? Don’t you already have a guard shift?”
“Yeah! And that’s the other thing. When am I supposed to sleep and eat? Huh? Pisses me off!” Actually, he really hadn’t thought about that part. It was going to be a tough couple of days. At least he thought about what he should be looking for in the car. “Have you seen my flip phone? Someone must have jacked it out of my bag. It’s my private phone, the one I use for family.” Actually, it was the one taken by Amber, and he really didn’t know where it was, so it was a semitruthful explanation.
The bear agent shook his head. “No. I haven’t seen it. Check with your roommate. You never know the character of people assigned to sleep with you.”
“Yeah. True. Well, it’s not here, so I’ll check there tonight. Keep an eye out for it.” He got in the driver’s seat and started the engine while continuing to mutter about people walking off with his stuff.
Normally, he might have left the car behind, but the problem was, he didn’t know when Rabi would come by or whether the Council member would insist everyone come to him, making the car necessary. Detroit’s alpha always made people fly in, in horrible weather, for meetings. In fact, Dalvin was pretty sure Frank waited to summon everyone until conditions were truly terrible, so people would be too cold and wet to bitch about how things were being run.
He parked outside the Williams house and took a deep breath, then sprinted up the wide steps and into the log cabin. The alphas and Larissa were in the living room. He wasn’t sure where Bojan and Zara were. He tried to decide how much he should know and how much he could tell them.
Middle management, he decided. I know some stuff, but it might be wrong. That was frequently the case. It was rare that he knew as much as he now did about any assignment.
He touched Larissa as he walked by. Just like always. She looked up and smiled. There was an unpleasant edge to her smile, one he’d never noticed before. Mustafa and Iva were in twin recliners, their feet up. She was knitting, a constant, never-ending hobby, and he was reading the paper. Well, looking at the paper, anyway—Dalvin had learned that the big man could not read. He listened to Internet radio and managed to bull his way through current events. But reading looked “smart,” so he did it.
Iva looked at Dalvin, her scent all curiosity. “Is there any news of the missing bear?” It still seemed strange to have her asking questions of him directly, without Larissa translating. They’d hidden their language skills well; he’d lived with them for weeks without realizing they both spoke and understood English.
The female alpha’s eyes sparkled with the hope that he brought bad news.
“Someone spotted him. I just came from a meeting. A couple of the Council members are on their way to the location. He’ll probably be put down as a rogue.”
Mustafa tried to look sad and failed miserably. “So sad. Some families do not have good genes.” Iva nodded agreement.
Dalvin sat down in the chair next to Larissa and leaned toward her, running his hand along her upper arm. “I’m sure someone from the Council will be in touch.” She turned and smiled, her expression more genuine this time.
“I went through the course today,” Dalvin told her. “We should talk about it before we start training tomorrow morning.”
Mustafa clapped a hand down on his knee and Dalvin looked his way, keeping his gaze carefully on the sloth leader’s neck, as was proper. “You tell us both. Is good course?”
He nodded. “It’s challenging, but yes, it’s a good course. There were some spots where Larissa would have to dive too low under the brush. I fixed those so she doesn’t hurt her shoulder more.”
Her smile widened; it made Dalvin’s stomach turn. “You are sweet.”
“And since it was a cat course, there was a climbing test to show hunting prowess. I think we can change it to fishing in the lake. You can fish with either hand, right?”
Mustafa nodded vigorously. “Larissa is excellent fisher. Left hand, right hand, bare teeth. Catches large, fat salmon. Enough to feel whole sloth.”
Larissa looked almost smug, completely confident in her fishing skills.
“I don’t know if they have salmon here. I don’t know what kind of fish are in the lake. But I’ll find out for you,” he added. He tried to remember more about the course, but since they hadn’t made it all the way through, his knowledge was limited. He hoped he wasn’t lying about anything.
Mustafa slapped the arm of his chair, causing the floor to shake. “I would see this lake. I hear of it, but have not seen it. You will take me there. Now.”
“Um—” Could they leave? He didn’t know. “I think you’ll be safer here until we know that the rogue has been captured.”
Mustafa rolled his eyes and scoffed, his scent amused. “Samit is baby bear. How much rogue could he be? I am Alpha. If I cannot bring down baby bear, I will turn pack over to Suljo.”
Iva and Larissa started laughing and Mustafa joined in. Dalvin guessed that nobody expected Suljo would be taking over the pack anytime soon.
The Alpha walked the few steps across the room and clapped him on the shoulder. “Come. Show me the lake.”
“Sure. Okay. But you’ll probably want to change your shoes.” Dalvin gestured to the man’s elegant dress boots, which were covered with colorful embroidery.
“True. I will meet you at car in moment.”
The Wolven agent raced out of the house and shut himself in the car, which was pretty well soundproofed. Hurrying, he called Scott.
“Hey, Dalvin,” came the other man’s voice on the line.
�
��Quick. How do I get to the lake from the Williams house? I’m supposed to already know.”
“No problem, but you’ll have to tell me why later. Go to the diner and take a right. Stay on the road until you get to the crossroads with the paved road, then turn left. You’ll run right into it.”
Thank goodness the windows were tinted, so though Mustafa was already reaching for the door handle, he couldn’t see Dalvin.
“Thanks,” he whispered and hung up, stowing the phone just as the Alpha got into the front passenger seat.
Sniffing the air, the bear said, “You smell nervous. Is there problem?”
Dalvin shook his head. “I’m always cautious when there are potential problems.”
Mustafa clapped Dalvin on his sore shoulder, making a shudder run all the way through the younger man’s body. The alpha laughed. “Nervous and cautious. They are sisters in the nose, yes?”
Nodding was the only correct answer. “So, let’s go to the lake.” He prayed that he could follow Scott’s hasty instructions.
The sun had finally broken through the clouds so the roads that Scott described were easy to find. There were no other vehicles in the small dockside parking area. A low, narrow wooden plank dock stretched perhaps a dozen feet into the water. The lake, shaped like a crescent moon, probably covered ten acres. A few ducks that should have already traveled south paddled lazily along while shorebirds stepped carefully at the water’s edge, looking for food. It was a tranquil little lake. Nice.
Mustafa let out a snort. “This is lake? Bah. Not enough fish here to feed sloth for a month, and no river!”
“Will it be okay for the competition?”
The big bear shrugged and looked around more carefully. “Eh. Muddy edges will make them work to get to water. Anica is smaller, so she will have advantage there. But Larissa might jump across whole mud and is strong swimmer, so she will get to big fish faster. Is contest for speed or weight of catch?”
Actually, that was a good question. “I don’t know. I’ll ask Councilman Kuric.”
Mustafa started strolling across the field. “Where is course they will run? I would like to see.”
“The Alphas will see the course later today … at the same time,” Dalvin said, heading back to the SUV.
“It will not matter,” the elder Kasun said with a snort. “Larissa will win and our fence will stand.”
Dalvin held open the passenger door. “I’m sure that’s true. She has a lot of skill.” Lying, cheating, sabotage. All skills, just not ones he valued.
CHAPTER 13
Rachel sat in one of the black SUVs with Amber, parked upwind and well out of sight of the start of the Ascension course. The three-quarter-carat diamond brooch Rabi was wearing on the collar of his white-and-gold tunic was actually a video and audio transmitter that he explained he routinely carried on assignments. This way they could stay hidden but still listen in until it was time to drive up for the big reveal. He’d really dressed up for the event. Rachel could believe without hesitating that he was a Council member in the clothes he was wearing. Unfortunately, the SUV didn’t have a video screen, so they had to watch the goings-on through binoculars. They had to continually shift around to see through the blowing branches of the trees and bushes that concealed the car, but the audio came in clearly through their radio.
“I decided to bring both families together here, away from the townspeople,” he said, then paused, studying all of them, including Dalvin and Tamir. All the delegates were present except Samit Petrovic, who was in the rogue cage in the Williams house, being guarded by the Williamses and Alek. “This way you will not be publicly humiliated by what I am about to do.”
“Where is mediator?” the Kasun Alpha asked. He was likewise dressed to the nines, in a suit that would look best on Rodeo Drive and a black cloth hat resplendent with silver and gold thread. “Why is she not intervening in councilman giving orders to us?”
Anica’s father shook his head and barked out a laugh. “Because mediation is over. We chose to battle through omegas. She has no place.” His clothes were clean and pressed but neither new nor fancy. Either he had no fancy or formal wear, or he didn’t feel this meeting was worth the effort. Same with his wife, Draga. Where Iva Kasun was painted and posed, Draga Petrovic was simple and wholesome. Rachel thought they probably didn’t own any formal outfits—they’d dressed the same way at the welcoming dinner too.
Zara Kasun, the little minx, was dressed in fur and jewels. She was perched on the edge of the fence beside her brother, who looked more like a member of the other family in his jeans and pullover sweater.
“Then who will judge contest?” Zara said. “A judge must be chosen. I will judge.”
“You?” Draga Petrovic barked out a laugh. “A dog guarding a bone would be more fair.”
Iva Kasun took a step forward, her jaw jutting defiantly. “Says the woman who cannot even keep a fence from being built under her nose, not—”
“Be silent!” Rabi raised his hands dramatically, and a wave of magic swept across the field so fast that it blew the grass flat like a giant crop circle. The Wolven agents and the junior members of both sloths screamed in pain and dropped to their knees. Even the Alphas struggled to stay on their feet.
“Do you think I’m an idiot?!” came Rabi’s tinny snarl over the radio.
Rachel looked over at Amber. “How is he doing that? He didn’t feel this powerful at the town meeting.”
Amber gave a small smile. “His sister has a rare talent. She can store magic from multiple sources and feed it to whoever she wants, as long as it’s someone she’s connected to. I imagine Antoine donated some magic for this little show.” She put a finger to her lips. “But you didn’t hear that.”
From one person to the next, right down the row, Rabi confronted every delegate, plus Dalvin, revealing exactly what each one had been doing to sabotage the competition.
Since Rachel already knew everything he was telling them, her thoughts turned to a question she had had for a while.
“Amber, I’m just a lowly omega. A nobody. You should all be patting me on the head and pushing me out the door. But everyone is talking to me, listening to me, taking me seriously. It seems sort of … off.”
The redheaded cat sighed. “I really can’t tell you. But there is a reason. Besides … don’t you want to know all the secrets?” She grinned.
“Well, sure. But it’s weird. Sort of scary. I keep waiting for the other boot to drop.”
Amber tapped a finger on the steering wheel, her scent such a mixture of emotions that Rachel figured she was undecided about what to say. Finally, she let out a breath and gave a little shrug. “There is a boot about to drop, and it won’t fit you very well. But it’s nothing you can’t handle and it’s necessary.”
Well, that sucked! Still … “Thank you, I guess, for telling me that. My gramma always used to say it was better to know you’d get beat up before you left. Then at least you’d be carrying bandages.”
Amber covered her mouth to try to hold in her laughter. Rachel turned her attention back to the feed.
“Let me explain what is going to happen now.” Rabi’s words were forceful, and there was a weight of … maybe majesty was the right word, in his tone. That must be the “channeling Ahmad” part. “I have grown weary of your petty squabbling and would rather simply remove you all from our species. But the Council has stayed my hand. Instead, by majority decision, the Council has selected an omega shifter to race against your omegas. You met her at the dinner last night—the singer, Rachel Washington.”
The bears’ shouting was cut off by another wave of magic that shook the ground. “A grave insult was given her by the Kasun Omega and she rightfully demanded an apology. We have decided that if insults can form the basis for a blood feud, then Rachel deserves to be included in this competition.”
The Kasun Alpha turned on Larissa and grabbed her by the throat. “What do you say to this singer? You will apologize immediately!”<
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Rabi shook his head, sending a horrible scratching sound over the radio. Amber winced. “You were there, Mustafa. You heard it just as I did. Not only did you not discipline her at the time, you laughed. The only reason I did not discipline her myself was that I was hoping you were enlightened enough to notice there are no Sazi monkeys, and discussing blues singing in the same sentence with chains is unconscionable. My ruling stands. Rachel Washington will compete for her honor.”
Anica’s father stepped forward. “What could she possibly win? The dispute isn’t about her, or even this town.”
The corner of Rabi’s mouth turned up in a sly smile. “If the Council’s choice wins the race, the Council decides the dividing line between your lands, and your dispute is over.”
Both Alphas shouted at once.
“Ne!”
“No! This is not acceptable!”
Rabi reached out a clawlike hand, looking for all the world like Darth Vader, and clenched his fist. It was almost funny to Rachel until the Alphas began to grab at their necks and gasp for breath. “I decide what is acceptable for this dispute. Not you. Be grateful I don’t simply kill you all.” He sat down in midair, one leg crossed over the other knee, casual. His fingers were steepled, and he peered down at them as if he was seated on a high throne. That was a hell of a trick to pull off; it must have used a ton of magic.
He released the men with a flicking gesture of dismissal, seemingly effortlessly, and they dropped to the ground, coughing.
“That’s our signal,” Amber said. “Don’t hold against me what I’m about to do. It’s for show.”
“Wha—” The rest of the words in her intended sentence never reached the air. Amber had put her in a hold so tight she could barely expand her lungs.
She heard a ripping sound, and then Amber put a wide strip of duct tape over her mouth, being careful not to get it too close to her nose. “Can’t have the feisty little omega running away or screeching, can we?” Then she taped Rachel’s hands behind her back and gently laid her down on the front seat.
Ohhh! It was making sense. She was going to be brought into the competition bound and gagged—to show that this wasn’t her idea of a good time either. Amber started the SUV and drove up to the other group.