by Dena Christy
What game is Nan playing? He knew it was her. If his wolves said they eviscerated her, then there could be no mistake that she had been the victim. Only an immortal god could have come back from that. So what was she doing here? She better not think of spoiling his fun. He was grateful to her for what she’d done for him, but that wouldn’t stop him from removing her from the game they were playing if he had to.
More than anything Nan wanted Baldr back in Asgard with her, and since she was keeping a very big secret that could destroy what little relationship she may have with her beloved husband, Loki was sure she wouldn’t let the cat out of the bag.
Loki relaxed his shoulders and stretched his neck from side to side as he gazed out his bedroom window. He’d once had deep feelings for the woman who’d become Baldr’s wife, but a thousand years of torture had only nursed his feelings of hatred and resentment. He and Nan had made a deal, and she better hold up her end. If Nan even thought about interfering with what he had planned for her husband, he would not hesitate to destroy her in the only way he knew how. If he went down, he would be sure to take her with him. And if there was one thing Loki had learned in the past thousand years it was being immortal was a curse when you were made to wish you were dead.
* * *
Cadric sighed as he sat back in his chair and showed his computer’s keyboard aside. His focus had been lacking all day, and he wasn’t feeling the normal rush he usually got when he was working out of his office at headquarters. He’d been trying to unravel the knot that was Dany Cavanaugh’s death, but inspiration eluded him. The only thing his mind wanted to focus on was Nan, the more he tried to block out thoughts of her, the more the memories of their time together so many years ago came flooding back. He’d left her at home when he’d come into the office today, thinking her presence would be too much of a distraction.
He raked his hand through his hair as he thought about what he should do. He had an organization to run, and he couldn’t do that in his perpetually distracted state. He should try to find a way to sent her back to Asgard. To do so would severely weaken him, and his power would take a long time to replenish as a result, but he was certain that he could do it.
Something was holding him back from that course of action, and he was positive it had nothing to do with a loss of power. His mind shied away from what it could be and he growled roughly.
The Order would not run itself and he needed to focus, especially now. The Dark Wolf investigation had caused so many problems for the Order, and Dany Cavanaugh’s death had not been the end of it. There were rumblings in the werewolf community, and many felt their kind had been victimized and they wanted to know what the Order intended to do about it. Reports were coming in to him that the families of those who’d been slaughtered at the warehouse wanted answers. Cadric also wanted answers, and he needed to get them soon. There would be trouble for the Order from werewolves who’d felt they’d been unfairly treated, and perhaps it was starting already. Why else would werewolves be lurking in the woods near his house and attack his wife? There had to be a link between Nan’s attack and the restlessness plaguing the werewolf community, but he couldn’t see it.
If werewolves were bold enough to stalk his home, and attack a woman on his property, then their fear of consequences from the Order was being pushed aside. Something stronger than their natural fear of the Order was emboldening them and Cadric needed to find out what that was. He needed to focus his energy on solving that problem, and he couldn’t waste his power on sending Nan home.
He reached to his left and put his hand on the receiver of his phone. Hadria had reported nothing new, and he needed to know if she’d learned any more about what had happened to Eduard. Before he could lift the receiver the phone rang under his hand.
He answered it after the second ring and was surprised to hear his old friend Miach’s voice on the other end of the phone.
“Miach, how long has it been?” Cadric said, his delight in hearing from his friend palpable in his voice as a smile spread across his face and he relaxed back in his chair. Miach was a god too. They’d both had so much in common when they’d met centuries ago. Like him, Miach was dead to the gods in his pantheon, and was forced to wander the Earth. Miach had joined him in establishing the Order of Odin and was head of a cell that operated in Ireland.
“It’s been too long, my friend,” Miach said, his strong Irish brogue a soothing balm to Cadric’s frayed nerves. Finally here was something to distract him, at least for a little while, from thoughts of his wife and the troubles plaguing his cell of the Order.
“So, how are things in your part of the world,” Cadric asked. He frowned when his friend hesitated on the other end of the phone. Normally Miach was so talkative that it was hard to get a word in, but now his friend was uncharacteristically quiet. “What’s going on Miach?”
“I don’t know how to say this, but I need to give you a warning. I’m doing it because we’ve been friends for a long time, and you need to watch your back.”
Cadric straightened in his chair and clenched the phone in his hand as his heart picked up its pace.
“What is it?”
“Word has reached the other cells of your current difficulties,” Miach said.
“And what difficulties would those be?” Cadric asked, an edge to his voice.
“We’ve heard about the slaughter of innocent wolves by some of your agents,” Miach said as he sighed.
“They were hardly innocent. They were employed by Dany Cavanaugh, and they were taking part in experiments to turn humans into werewolves.”
“And you know very well that the Order does not partake in vigilantism.”
“How dare you or anyone else tell me how my organization should be run,” Cadric said as anger burned hot in his gut. “I started the Order.”
“Calm down. We have rules in place for a reason. When we started this you were the one who wrote the ordinances. I’m not your enemy. I’m trying to warn you that if you don’t get to the bottom of what’s happening, your place in the Order is on the line.”
“You don’t think I’m trying? I have agents out trying to sort this out,” Cadric said. He could appreciate what his friend was trying to do, but it didn’t make it any easier hearing what he had to say. He didn’t need Miach to remind him what the consequences were if he failed.
“Try harder,” Miach said, his voice edged with steel. “Rumblings have reached me all the way over here. Not only have you had people slaughtered without the benefit of due process.”
“I already told you that I have agents looking into that.”
“There is also a rumor that a prisoner was killed by one of your agents while in custody. Has that agent been dealt with? Give me something, Cadric, so I can at least assure the members of the board that you have the situation in hand.”
There was a sound of cracking plastic, and Cadric loosened his grip on the receiver. Goddamn Eduard Rouben. Why the hell did he have to kill Dany?
“He has gone missing, but I have agents searching for him,,” Cadric said as the muscle danced in his jaw. He really hated explaining himself to anyone, and that he had to do so now only further pushed him to unravel the mystery of Dany Cavanaugh’s death.
“You’d better do it soon,” Miach said. “I’m your friend, and that’s why I’m calling to give you a heads up. You have a little more time, but not much more. The others will want to get this dealt with. We have to think about what’s best for the Order.”
Cadric ground his teeth. Miach was talking like he wasn’t aware of the importance of the Order. He’d started it, it was his baby, and he’d nurtured it into the organization it was today. How dare anyone threaten to take that from him. He would fight tooth and nail to make sure he maintained his place.
“Thanks for calling to warn me,” Cadric said, his tone barely civil as he slammed the receiver down into the cradle.
“Son of a bitch,” he growled as he picked up the phone and threw it against th
e wall. He stood and his chair flew back and it the wall behind him. How dare they threaten his place with the Order? He knew exactly what his friend was warning him about. If he didn’t sort this out soon, there would be a tribunal.
He blocked that thought out of his mind. He would solve the mystery of the warehouse slaughter and Dany’s death before that would happened. And whoever was responsible for it all would pay.
He went around his desk and scooped up the phone and put it back on his desk. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the bottom drawer of his desk was out slightly. A frown pinched his brows together as he moved over to it and pulled it open. He was always very careful to shut the drawers of his desk tightly, it was almost a compulsion with him. Nothing appeared out of place, and he wondered if perhaps this was the one time he hadn’t shut it tightly.
The case where he kept his silver bullets was slightly askew, and he opened it. He quickly counted them and came up short. One was missing. He closed the case with a snap and put it back in his desk. Someone had taken a bullet, but why? There was plenty of ammunition in the armory, and he couldn’t think of why anyone would need one of his. They were regulation silver bullets, the same as the ones in the armory except for one tiny difference, his were marked, with a C intertwined with the symbol of the Order. He’d had them commissioned years ago when they’d taken over this building, by way of celebration. He’d never had occasion to use them since he spent most of his time at his desk. Whoever had taken them would be found out soon enough.
He lifted the receiver to his ear, relieve that there was a dial tone. At least it hadn’t been destroyed during his display of anger. He blew out a breath, and could feel the control over his emotions slipping back into place. He needed to operate from a place of calm if he was going to do what he needed.
The first call he made was to Roger. As head of security Roger would have access to the surveillance tapes. He’d be able to see who’d been in his office over the past few weeks.
As soon as the were-bear’s voice came on the phone, Cadric instructed him to find out who’d been in his office without Cadric in there. He hung up the phone before the were-bear could respond.
He punched in Hadria’s number for his next call, and his mouth twisted when he got her voicemail. A quick glance at his watch told him that she would have gone home several hours ago.
“Hadria,” he said as soon as her voice message finished. “I want you to report to my office as soon as you get in. Bring everything you have an Eduard Rouben.”
He put the receiver back down. Going back around his desk, he righted his chair. After a moment's hesitation he pushed it in toward his desk and grabbed his coat. Brooding in his office was about all he could do at the moment, so spending any more of his evening here would be wasted time.
He left the building, grateful that Nan was home waiting for him. Perhaps she would provide a much needed distraction from the fight for his professional life that was looming on the horizon.
Chapter 7
Nan ran her hands down the side of her jeans when she heard Baldr’s car in the driveway. She’d been left to her own devices all day, and the boredom had nearly driven her out of her mind. She was tired of staring at the wall while her son’s visit played over and over in her head. Hopefully her husband would be a little more social than he’d been and refrained from burying himself in his study, again.
Baldr walked in the front door and stopped short when he saw her standing there. She offered a tentative smile, and it did nothing to sooth the dark expression on his face. For a moment she wondered if she’d pissed him off, but couldn’t think of what she’d done since he’d left her here all day.
“What’s the matter?” she asked as she took a step toward him. Any hope she had of being able to provide him with some comfort was dashed when he stepped around her and headed toward his office.
“Nothing,” he muttered as he passed her. The door to his office closed with a snap, blocking her out. She stared at the door, her resentment building inside her. Her son would not be forestalled for long, and she would not get anywhere with Baldr if he insisted on shutting himself away from her. She could either passively allow him to run the show, or take the initiative and force him to deal with her.
Taking a deep breath to stiffen her resolve, she took a resolute step toward his office and opened the door. He was sitting at his desk, looking much rougher than he had when he’d walked in. The veneer of calm that he usually cultivated was gone, and she could see that something had happened today to deeply disturbed him.
“Please tell me what’s wrong. I can tell by looking at you that it’s not nothing,” she said as she walked into his office and shut the door behind her.
“You wouldn’t understand,” he said as he dragged his hand through his already disheveled hair. “It’s about the Order, and I know you wouldn’t want to hear about it.”
She should have known the Order was at the heart of what was bothering him. His commitment to the organization would be difficult to overcome. She almost wished the obstacle to their happiness was another woman because at least then she could compete. Perhaps if she was more receptive to his talking about the problems at the Order, she would get her place back at as number one in his life.
“I’m your wife,” she said as she walked further into the room. She approached his desk and rested her hip against the side. She reached out and smoothed the hair that had fallen across his forehead. She was encouraged when he didn’t brush her hand aside. “If something is bother you, I’d like to know. Maybe I can help.”
“I wish you could help me,” he said as he took her hand in his and held it. “But I don’t think that would be possible.”
A small thrill shot through Nan and she pushed it down so he wouldn’t see it. He was relaxing his guard around her, and while it was a small step, they were heading in the right direction.
“Won’t you tell me what it is,” she asked softly as she gazed at him. He looked up at her and looked into her eyes for a long moment.
“I got a call from an old friend. He’s head of an Order cell in Ireland.”
“But surely that’s a good thing, to hear from an old friend.”
He looked at her and shook his head.
“His news wasn’t good. If I don’t find the agent responsible for murdering a prisoner, and if I don’t get to the bottom of the slaughter at the warehouse in Ottawa, I’ll be stripped of my position.”
Nan edged closer to him. She put her hand on his shoulder, and could feel his iron hard muscles under her hand. The tension in him thrummed under her palm, and she wanted to do what she could to relieve him of it.
“But how can that be? You’re the boss aren’t you?”
He let out a cynical laugh and stood up. Her hand fell down to her side, and a part of her mourned the distance she could see he was putting between them.
“It’s possible,” he said as he paced the room. “There will be a tribunal and if I’m found to be unfit I will be stripped of everything.”
Nan hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should voice the thought that had come into her head. She stood up straight and said what she wanted to see where it got her.
“Would that be so bad?”
“What are you saying? The Order is my life, it’s everything to me,” he said as he turned aggressively toward her.
Hurt flashed through her, and for a moment she struggled to breathe. She’d wanted to know where she stood with him, and now she knew. How could she compete with the Order which had held her husband’s interest for the past thousand years? Once, long ago, Baldr had held the same devotion for her, but not any more. She was questioning if he’d truly been that devoted to her, since he’d done his father’s bidding so readily.
She turned and made her way toward the door. She didn’t think she could listen to how little she meant to him.
His hand caught her by the upper arm, halting her forward motion. She tried to pull her arm away, but he he
ld fast and turned her to face him.
“I’m not saying these things to hurt you,” he said as he stood before her and looked into her eyes. “You wanted to know what’s in my head, that’s what’s there. For a long time the Order is all I’ve had to focus my energy on. We do good work, and I need it. It’s not a slight against you. You haven’t been in my life for a long time, and I’m not used to having competing priorities.”
She tilted her head back and looked up at him. They were standing so close to each other, and his voice had dropped to a husky note that had always sent shivers chasing down her spine. His warm, sweet breath fanned against her skin. The ice in his eyes had thawed, to be replaced by a heat that had her body softening and leaning in to his.
“Nan,” he whispered as he drew her slowly to him. He brought his mouth down on her, and the world fell away. She entwined her arms around his neck and pressed herself against him. Even after a thousand years, his kiss still had the power to melt her bones into jelly. She couldn’t get close enough to him, and she threaded her fingers in the short silky hair at the base of his neck.
He deepened the kiss as he pressed her against the wall. She could feel his erection pressing against her soft flesh and knew he wanted her as much as she wanted him. She longed to beg him to take her, but wanted him to be the aggressor. This had to be something he wanted too, and it would go a long way to soothing the hurt of his abandonment if he was the one who needed her.
He eased back. She looked up at him, her lids heavy as he reached up to caress her cheek.
“This can’t happen,” he said, his voice shaky as he took a step back.
“Why not?” she asked as she straightened away from the wall and took a step toward him. He held up his hand to halt her progress.
“My professional life is on the line right now. I can’t afford any shift in my focus,” he said as he raked his hand through his hair.