WarWolf

by Emma Ray Garrett

  “No. That’s not it at all!”

  “Then what is it? Damn it, I can’t fix it if you won’t tell me what’s broken!” Karia threw her hands in the air in frustration.

  “You’re what’s broken!”

  Joshua lunged into her space, but Ari held her ground. “Excuse me?”

  “You, humans and human-type preternaturals. You want the status that comes from ‘surviving’ a night with the War Wolf, but nothing more. You don’t want to know Joshua Black.”

  “Joshua, I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I assure you --” Karia tried to interject, but he wasn’t listening to her.

  “‘Can’t you put the claws away? Do you have to be so wild? Why don’t you act more human?’ I open myself up, and this is what I get in return. This is why I don’t cultivate relationships with man. So, now, to see myself in a human body, to hear you sound so pleased…” Joshua stopped abruptly.

  Though his ranting didn’t make a whole lot of sense to Ari, what she did understand she could fix. She stepped forward until her breasts nearly touched his heaving chest. She slowly lifted her hand to touch his face.

  “Joshua, I find you immensely attractive as you are. No illusion could make you more appealing. And what I find most appealing isn’t your reputation. It’s your compassion for the suffering of others. It’s your kindness in making certain those around you are comfortable and cared for. The fact that you’re totally hot and have an awesome body is just fluff to me.”

  “You’re a very good diplomat.” His voice was hard, but Karia didn’t miss the spark of hope in his eyes.

  “I don’t need or want to bullshit you. That’s his job.” She jerked a thumb over her shoulder in Jeremiah’s direction. “To be honest, Jeremiah is a charmer, not a liar.” A blush swept up her neck and over her jaw. “You don’t have any reason to question his interest in you, either.” No, not his interest, just the reason why he acted on it now. Dear gods, I hope they weren’t together because of me. Because of my power.

  Joshua grinned, one sharp tooth slipping over his bottom lip. “Are you embarrassed?”

  Ari groaned and stepped away from him. Whether he was really over his upset or not, at least he was letting it go for now. “Shut up. Let’s get this show on the road. It’s getting dark.”

  “Dark is my kinda time, babe.” Jeremiah approached Joshua, hands tucked into the front pockets of his jeans. “You all right?” He moved closer to Joshua, real concern showing on his face.

  “I’m fine. I’ve been meaning to ask you if becoming an Ascendant gave you the ability to travel in the sun.” Joshua brushed his forearm against Jeremiah’s bare stomach, electricity sparking between them.

  “That has something to do with it, yeah.” Passion lit Jeremiah’s eyes and Ari turned away, heading back inside.

  She listened with one ear as the men discussed the merits of living more than a century and a half. Neither of them mentioned Joshua’s outburst. It was like it hadn’t even happened. Ari couldn’t help but smile at the mystery of men.

  Chapter 11

  “Thanks for all your help, Simone.” Jeremiah clasped the medical examiner’s hand, bringing it to his lips.

  “Hmm, don’t charm me. I won’t be able to help any more than this. If I get another preternatural body in here, we’ll need a Sweep crew to handle it.”

  “We understand.” Joshua loaded the last of the three bodies into the back of the large, white van Jeremiah had procured for transport.

  “Next time you’re in town, look me up.” Simone had sidled closer to Jeremiah. Ari watched on, quelling the sudden urge to scratch the attractive woman’s eyes out.

  Jeremiah lifted a hand to stroke Simone’s cheek. “Flirt.” She laughed throatily and he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Take care.”

  As he passed Ari, he leaned in close. “You’ll catch flies that way.”

  Karia snapped her mouth shut and got in the van. Well, will wonders never cease. Jeremiah Dean just turned down a come on.

  Joshua and Jeremiah fell into conversation about tactical avenues of approaching the Heteroclites’ docks. Karia let their chatter fade into the background, focusing on the turmoil inside she’d been avoiding.

  Is it possible that I’m doing this to them? Am I projecting my fantasies onto them unconsciously?

  Ari smoothed a hand over her face, stopping to cup her chin in her palm. She didn’t use her incubic abilities unless it was necessary, and she never used them in her diplomatic work. There were times when she fought the urge to do so, but forcing people to do what she wanted went against everything she believed in and fought for in her work. Still, a dark voice inside spoke up every once in a while, lulling her with the potential of the power she harbored inside.

  Karia had worked very hard to control her ability. But was it possible for the gift to manifest unintentionally? Had years of sublimating the power into her diplomatic goals not been enough to forcibly control it? Or was the situation she was in simply too much for her unconscious to let go without attempting to find some kind of satisfaction?

  So many questions and Ari didn’t have any answers. Deep down, she didn’t truly believe she’d been the catalyst for Joshua and Jeremiah coming together. However, it was difficult to completely let go of the feeling that perhaps she’d had some effect. Logic and emotion didn’t play well together. With a long sigh, she dropped her hands to her lap.

  “Logan, heads up, we’re almost there.” Jeremiah turned around in his seat to look at her.

  “How do we approach?” Karia slipped from her seat to kneel between the two captain’s chairs in front.

  “My suggestion is that we just drive up to the shipping offices and knock. Black here thinks we need to send you in first. He thinks your diplomatic skills will work better than my more blasé approach.” Jeremiah didn’t look convinced.

  “If we go in hot, they’re liable to attack, Dean. Sending in Karia, alone, is the better option. She’s less threatening. And she won’t really be alone. You and I will be in position on the dock. Within range to help her out if she needs us.” Joshua pulled the van to a stop on a dark strip of empty street.

  “He’s right, Jeremiah. His way is better. Where are we?”

  “About a block from the docks. Dean and I will get out here and sneak in under their radar. Take this street until it dead ends. There’ll be a tee intersection. Go left. That’ll lead you to the security fence for Amalgam Holdings, the name of Marshall’s business. I don’t care how you do it, Ari, but you have to get inside. Once you’re in, it shouldn’t be too difficult to talk to someone who can get you in to see Robert. Don’t worry. We’ll be watching the whole time. If you need anything, signal us with an illusion of fireworks. Dean will see them and we’ll extract.”

  “Affirmative.” Ari looked at both men, warmed by the worry on both strong faces. “I’ll be fine. Now go.”

  Jeremiah and Joshua hopped out of the van. She watched them until they disappeared into the shadows. “That’s a really cool trick, Black,” she mumbled to herself. She put the van in gear, old training falling into place as if she’d never left the military. When the guard shack came into view, Ari plastered a pleasant look on her face and drove slowly toward it.

  When her door came abreast of the tiny building, she stopped, waiting for the man inside to approach.

  “Can I help you?” The guy was musclebound and bald. He didn’t even try to be polite, either.

  “Actually, I think I’m the one helping you. I need to speak with Robert Marshall.”

  “I don’t know who you’re talking about, lady. This dock is private property, so beat it before your night gets real bad.”

  “I apologize. Let me introduce myself. I’m Ambassador Karia Logan from the Diplomatic Branch of the Recondite Corps. I have three metamorph bodies in the back of this truck that I’ve just picked up from the Mobile morgue. All I want to do is get your people back to you and share some intelligence the Corps had in regards t
o the recent unsettled activities in the area.”

  Baldy didn’t look like he bought her story. But Ari could see the wheels moving in his head. If he turned her away and she was who she said she was, he’d be in deep shit. She kept her face calm and peaceful, while he pondered. Finally, he stepped closer to the van, lifting his nose in the air, scenting her.

  “You smell human.”

  “I’m a transmorphose mage. Please, all I really want to do is return your fallen to you.”

  Baldy eyed her, then returned to the guard shack. She watched him pick up a phone, wishing she were a better lip reader.

  He came back out in short order. “I’ll open the gate. Wait on the other side. Someone will come and lead you to a drop off.”

  “Thank you.” Karia nearly sighed with relief. It could have gone much, much worse.

  The gate gave a mechanical whine, opening to let her onto the property. Ari pulled through and waited for her escort. They didn’t take long. A man in a sport jacket and tie approached the van, motioning her to pull up to him.

  “Ambassador Logan. I’m Mitch Donaldson, head of security for Amalgam Holdings. If you’ll follow me, please.” Ari nodded.

  He led her around to the business offices, she assumed. When he signaled her to park, she complied and exited the vehicle.

  “If you’ll open the back, I have men ready to take the bodies. I’m sorry Mr. Marshall has declined to meet with you. I’m sure you understand.”

  “Of course, Mr. Donaldson. However, I can’t entrust the information to anyone but Mr. Marshall. I wish it were otherwise, but the seriousness of the situation calls for me to follow protocol exactly.” Karia kept her tone light. The last she wanted in this delicate circumstance was to show any aggression.

  “I understand. I’ll convey your message to Mr. Marshall.” Someone behind Karia must have motioned to Donaldson. He nodded to them before turning back to Ari and opening the van door for her. “Personally, Ambassador, I’d like to see this mess over ASAP. It’s on the cusp of becoming a major breach. I know Robert wants to end it as well. The Heteroclites’ main directive is to prevent any exposure to the human world. But these bodies…” He trailed off.

  “That is a serious concern, but you’re safe, at least right now. The medical examiner here is Recondere. The People and the Corps are doing everything they can to keep this quiet, but any more casualties, on either side of the fight, and we may not be able to continue.” Karia offered her hand. Donaldson took it, giving her a firm shake.

  “I understand. Be careful.”

  Karia started the van. “Do you have a pen and paper?” Mitch handed them to her. “This is my cell. Call me if anything changes. I’m in town for the next couple of days.” With a smile, she turned the van around and headed back out through the gate.

  Chapter 12

  Karia stopped the van in the same spot Joshua had and waited for the men to rejoin her. It only took a few minutes.

  “Well?” Jeremiah seemed tense and both men were breathing a little hard.

  “Well, he declined to see me, so I impressed upon his security chief how important it was for Mr. Marshall and I to meet. Why are you two huffing and puffing?”

  “We ran into some heavily armed humans, about twenty of them. We cut them off and disabled them before Marshall’s people knew they were there.” Joshua swiped an arm over his forehead.

  Jeremiah chuckled darkly. “Shit, I forgot how much harder it is not to kill people in combat.” She heard him rustling through something in the back of the van, producing a bottle of water for himself and Joshua.

  After they’d re-hydrated and cooled off, the War Wolf turned to face Ari head on. “You have to go back in. Obviously, the human mafia is moving things to the next level. I have a feeling Robert knows the don behind this, but he isn’t sure how to proceed. Keeping himself apart from humanity comes at a price.”

  “We don’t have time to wait for him to change his mind, Karia.” The seriousness of Jeremiah’s tone gave her pause. “Right now there’s a yacht with twenty bound and gagged humans headed back across Mobile Bay. When the river patrols pick it up, it won’t take long for the men in charge to regroup and attack again. This has to stop now.”

  “What do you suggest I do?” Ari appreciated the severity of their position, but diplomatic guidelines said she had to let the other party approach her after she made initial contact.

  “You know what you need to do, Karia.” Joshua leaned over and took her right hand between his.

  “No. I won’t. You can’t ask me to do this.” She tried to pull away, but he held her fast.

  “Listen to me. I know what it’s like to have a terrible power. I empathize. But we don’t have time to waste on niceties here. By my best tactical assessment we have about thirty-six hours before all hell breaks loose.”

  “It’s not right. Didn’t you notice how upset I was using it earlier on you? How can you suggest it, knowing what I can do?”

  Joshua didn’t want to push Ari into this, but it was their last, best chance to thwart an all-out war, which would bring in the human authorities and media. Her agitation, her anger, was apparent and he fought the urge to take her in his arms and comfort her. Despite his menacing reputation, Joshua was a very compassionate being. Maybe it was his mixed heritage, maybe it was the fact that so few people who crossed his path showed him compassion. Whichever it was, Joshua felt deeply for the suffering of others.

  Unable to resist the urge to soothe her, the War Wolf lifted Ari from her seat and settled her in his lap. She struggled, but she wasn’t a match for him. Pulling her tight against his chest, Joshua smoothed one large palm over her head, her long hair soft beneath his skin.

  “I know. Neither Jeremiah nor I think this will be easy for you. And neither of us thinks less of you for doing it. In fact, knowing what you can do, but don’t, only makes me respect you more. I understand why you left the military branch of the Corps.”

  Jeremiah moved behind her, his palm rubbing across her back. Her tension eased away, replaced by an uncomfortable awkwardness. She was having a breakdown, a feminine moment, and it wasn’t appropriate. Gently she eased out of Joshua’s grip.

  “I’ll do it. But I don’t want to have to use my gift on anyone superfluous. Get me onto the property without going through the gates.” Karia tried to push off Joshua’s lap, but he didn’t let her go. Instead, Jeremiah wiggled into the driver’s seat and started the van.

  “You aren’t going in alone this time. Black and I will be right beside you. He has this nifty ability to cloak himself in shadows.”

  Ari looked up into Joshua’s face. “I know. I saw.” Dean nailed a pothole, tossing them about the front seat. Her lower body slammed against Joshua’s lap. He was hard and it shocked her. She turned to look at Jeremiah, for what she didn’t know, and Joshua leaned in close, burying his face in the crook of her neck and breathing deeply.

  She squeaked. Jeremiah took his eyes off the road, taking in the scene before shooting her a smug grin. “Now, now, Black. You’re gonna have to wait for that.”

  “Mmm, she smells so good, I couldn’t resist.” Joshua wrapped his other arm around her, pulling her down, tighter onto his rampant cock. Karia bit her lip, stifling a moan as her body reacted, softening, swelling, growing wet. He growled softly in her ear, the sound shivering over her skin, tightening her nipples.

  “Christ, Joshua. Stop that, or we’ll never get the mission accomplished.” Jeremiah’s voice had dropped to a deep, sultry pitch indicative of his own arousal.

  Joshua nipped her neck, leaving a tiny sting behind, before loosening his grip. Ari’s head was spinning from the War Wolf’s forwardness. She didn’t question the attraction, much. He’d already shown interest, but he’d been polite. Almost shy. The new aggression was unnerving, in a most scintillating way.

  “Here we are. Everyone out. Karia, follow us until we’re inside.” Jeremiah peeled out of the van.

  Joshua opened their door, h
olding her in his arms as he climbed out. He slid her down the front of his body before freeing her. Karia stumbled, but held her hand up to stop her helpers. “I’m fine. Lead on.”

  The men shared a knowing laugh and she glared at them both.

  Once Joshua had masked their bodies with shadows, he and Jeremiah took point. As they neared the office she’d parked in front of earlier, Karia took a moment to prepare for what she had to do next.

  Two bright, halogen lights blinked on, flooding the space in front of the building with light. Joshua held up one hand, signaling for the other two to stop and hold position. With two fingers, he pointed to his eyes, and then turned the gesture at Jeremiah. They would check the area out. He looked back at Karia and motioned her to follow Dean.

  The three split off from each other. Karia and Dean checked the east side of the building. It was clear. They made their way around the southeast corner, meeting up with Joshua at the rear.

  “Clear,” Joshua whispered. Jeremiah nodded, confirming the east was clear as well.

  As one unit, they made their way back to the front of the building. Jeremiah and Joshua took positions at either corner of the office. They would wait for her signal to enter, keeping watch for potential threats as she went inside. Both men clasped her on the shoulders, feeding her their strength. Karia set her shoulders and walked to the door.

  She didn’t get three paces inside the circle of light before the door opened.

  “Ambassador Logan. How did you get in here?” Donaldson reached beneath his sport jacket. Karia caught the glint of gunmetal.

  She held up her hand, releasing the demon within. “I’m so sorry for the breach in standards, Mr. Donaldson, but I must insist you take me to Robert Marshall.”

  His face went slack and his hand dropped back to his side. “You need to see Mr. Marshall.”

  “Yes. Immediately.” Power swelled within her, searching out other victims to bend. No. Focus on the task at hand. Her iron will strengthened, silencing darker urges.