by Jami Gray
When the waitress left, a stilted silence settled around the table. Toby braved it first, giving a round of introductions. “My Second, Will, and my Third, Leticia.”
Tala returned their polite nods. “I appreciate you making the time to meet with me on such short notice, Toby.”
The wolf wore an inscrutable mask. “Andrew managed to catch me before your Triune, so, given the situation, I felt it would be the most judicious decision in my attempt at gaining answers.” His gaze turned to Cheveyo. “However, I wasn’t expecting to see you here, Cheveyo.” There was no missing the underlying territorial growl in his last statement.
Given his recent change in powers, Tala figured the wolf was entitled.
Obviously so did Cheveyo since his relaxed position remained undisturbed. “My visit was very last minute, and I did not have the time to notify the necessary parties. Natasha requested I deliver a—” Here, he paused, making it obvious he was carefully choosing his words, “—delicate, but urgent message to the powers that be. Unfortunately, my plans were unavoidably changed.”
Toby’s smile was more a bearing of teeth. “Funny, today seems to be the day for such things.” He turned his attention to Chay. “And you are?”
“Chayton.” The fact that Chay remained unruffled under the alpha’s regard, when most would show some sign of intimidation, solidified a few of Tala’s assumptions. Not only was Chay here to protect Cheveyo, but chances were damn high he was one of those sneaky Wraiths, a group of elite warriors at home in the shadows. Wasn’t it funny how when a Wraith hit town, things suddenly detoured to hell? Or maybe that was just having Cheveyo in the picture. Whatever it was, she was really beginning to hate it.
“He’s mine,” Cheveyo added, reclaiming Toby’s attention. The two men engaged in a staring contest, neither willing to back down. At least not until the waitress returned, her perkiness cutting through the tension.
Tala stifled her sigh as orders were given. Cheveyo’s claim was like some sick version of deja-fucking-vu. The last time he claimed someone as his, it was that freaking hellcat, Raine McCord. Before that…well, Tala had no intentions of going there. Not now. Not ever, because the past needed to stay in the past.
The waitress finished taking Chay’s order and turned to Tala. “And you, ma’am?”
“The Southwest salad, dressing on the side, please.”
“Of course.” With another professional smile and a quick scan of drink levels, the waitress left.
The polite smile Toby donned for the young girl faded, and he studied Tala. She couldn’t miss the banked fury in his brilliant gaze and knew his patience was at an end. “What happened?”
She relayed everything as matter-of-factly as possible—starting with how she and Ash were on her land, harvesting herbs, when Tomás attacked, all the way through to her and Cheveyo’s futile attempt to save Tomás. When she finished, the roiling anger from all three wolves made it hard to breathe. Still, she kept her heart rate level and her breathing even, knowing the slightest change might trigger a messier situation than what they currently faced.
It was Leticia who spoke first, forcing out the question, “Magical traces?”
Cheveyo shook his head. “Neither Tala nor I could find traces of anyone or anything else at work.”
Will leaned forward, bracing his balled up hands on either side of his bread plate. “So what? Our alpha just decided to attack Tala for the hell of it?”
“No.” Chay shifted in his chair, his face hard. “He in-tended to kill her, then Cheveyo, and then Warrick Vidis.”
Will snarled, his fingers flexing, the nails scraping against the table. Toby set a restraining hand on his wrist, leashing his Second. He gazed intently at Chay. “He told you that?”
Chay nodded.
“Damn it,” Toby muttered, letting go of Will and rubbing his forehead as he sat back.
“You don’t seem surprised,” Cheveyo noted.
“We’re not,” Leticia said quietly, ignoring Will’s glower. She then turned to Toby. “I hate I-told-you-so’s as much as the next person, but I did warn you he was too far gone over Lizbeth.”
Toby’s jaw tightened. “And I told you, challenging him while he was obviously grieving would give those looking for it an excuse to cause problems.” It had the tenor of an old argument.
Leticia folded her hands in her lap and gave her alpha a telling look.
It was Will who said, “Well, thanks to Tomás’s insane attack, we now have even bigger problems.”
Not quite catching the unspoken conversation, Tala frowned. “Bigger problems?”
The three wolves exchange a look, and Leticia urged, “Since we can rule them out, you may as well share.”
Toby grimaced. “Fine.” He sat back in his chair, his arms crossed, and met Tala’s gaze. “In the last three weeks, it’s become apparent someone’s decided I’m bet-ter off dead.”
Chapter Nine
Further conversation ground to a halt as their food arrived. Cheveyo waited until everyone was served and the wait staff retreated before getting back to the conversation. “Do you have any idea as to who’s decided to come after you?” In an attempt not to ruffle Toby’s fur any more than necessary, he focused on his meal to avoid tempting a direct challenge. Such things never went over well with alphas.
“Initially, I thought it was Tomás.”
That wasn’t the answer Cheveyo expected. He paused with a bite of steak half way to his mouth and met Toby’s gaze. “Seriously?”
“Completely.” Toby took a huge bite of hamburger and chewed, closing his eyes with a soft hum of appreciation.
Shaking his head, Cheveyo turned back to his meal. If everyone down here knew Tomás was bat-shit crazy, then Tala’s meeting with the Triune tomorrow should be a cakewalk. Unfortunately, he knew better, so, instead, he’d stay quiet and see what else was at play.
When the steak hit his taste buds, he understood Toby’s gastronomical bliss. The steak damn near melted in his mouth. He dug in for another bite.
Next to him, Tala picked up the conversation, “What happened?”
“A missed shot,” Will answered since Toby’s mouth was full. “During a monsoon storm, when the pack was out on a run. They nailed him in shoulder.” He waved a fork at his alpha, his expression exasperated, but resigned, as if Toby lived to drive him crazy. “If it hadn’t been for the weather and that pup, West, stumbling over his damn paws and bowling into Toby, the bullet would’ve been a headshot.”
Chay narrowed his eyes. “Silver?”
“Yes,” Leticia answered, patting her mouth with her napkin, then setting it in her lap. “Initially, we thought it was a trespassing poacher, but either the rain managed to wipe away the scent, or they used something to cover it, because our Tracker came up empty.”
Tala turned to Toby. “If you thought it was Tomás, did you confront him?”
Cheveyo enjoyed another bite, silently thanking the gods she asked that question instead of him.
Toby gave a slow nod. “He called me some choice names and made some, what I figured at the time, were paranoid accusations and basically threw me off his ranch. Andrew stepped in and try to calm us both down, but not before Tomás challenged me.”
“Should’ve accepted, would’ve served him right,” Will mumbled.
Toby narrowed his eyes at Will and continued, “It was obvious to me Tomás was in a sorry state, and as much I wanted to take the challenge issued, I couldn’t.” But going by the flare of amber in his eyes, it was clear walking away was the last thing he wanted to do.
“Why?” Tala asked, genuine curiosity in her voice.
“It would have started a series of back-to-back challenges from the other packs,” Leticia said. When she caught Tala’s puzzled frown, she explained, “If Toby accepted and won, there are those wolves who wouldn’t shy away from claiming Toby took advantage of a grief-stricken wolf to gain power.” Her tone made it clear she wasn’t one of those wolves.
; Remembering Tomás’s clear hate and churning desire for vengeance, Cheveyo decided it was safe to insert an observation. “I wouldn’t consider Tomás grief stricken. He was bound and determined to take out everyone he could and to hell with the consequences.”
Toby used a French fry to scoop up some ketchup. “Be that as it may, unless we could provide proof that Tomás was working against the good of the Pack, such an argument would simply be a matter of opinion.”
Cheveyo thought about mentioning the fact that Tomás indicated he was working with a partner then decided not to. Not with someone still targeting Tala, and he wasn’t comfortable in completely eliminating the three possibilities sitting across from them.
“After that, things stayed quiet for about a week, then there was an accident on the construction site I’m overseeing.” Toby’s ketchup-covered fry disappeared and was quickly followed by another. “My crew was working on a new corporate plaza development down in the foothills area when one of the steel I-beams fell.” His face darkened, and his eyes glittered. “I managed to dodge the worse of it, but it put two of my crew in the hospital.”
“Construction accidents happen all the time,” Chay observed.
“They do,” Toby agreed. “But after, when I went to recheck the crane, I found a snapped cable.”
“Which happens when they get overstressed, right?” Chay prompted when Toby paused.
Toby’s jaw flexed. “Sure, but this particular cable was just replaced two weeks ago. Despite the frayed edges there was no way in hell it snapped from being overstressed.”
Chay frowned. “So you’re thinking what? The break was caused by a chemical reaction?”
Toby shook his head. “There was no chemical scent so I reached out to a local witch and she found traces of a spell.”
“Definitely rules out accidental then,” Cheveyo murmured before stabbing another piece of steak. He paused with his fork raised, his mind slipping through the possibilities. “I’m assuming you checked to see where Tomás was during both occasions?” He wouldn’t put it past Tomás to have hired out a hit. Witches might love their Three Fold law, but there were some who didn’t quibble on ethical lines if the price was right.
“We did.” Leticia traced the condensation on her glass with one glossy nail. “During our run, he was supposedly with Andrew shoeing a horse. Then he was out of town on business in the days leading up to the construction mishap.” She lifted her gaze, her lips curved with a hint of cynicism. “Again, no proof of his involvement beyond a gut feeling.”
“Gut feelings work for me,” muttered Chay.
“You and me both,” Will agreed, clearly not happy with the whole situation. “But then came the latest incident which came the closest to killing Toby.”
Chay turned to Toby. “What happened?”
“A surprised gift left at my office from a supposed client,” Toby growled, shoving his now empty plate away. “A bottle of poisoned wine.” He paused, his gaze going to Cheveyo. “Not just any poison, mind you, but that nasty-ass shit Warrick sent the warning out about.”
Stunned, Cheveyo carefully set his fork down and rocked back in his chair. “The one that turns Shifters feral?”
Grim faced, Toby nodded. “That’s the one.”
“You don’t seem feral.” Despite the rather flippant tone of his comment, Cheveyo was quite serious.
When Toby looked up, his eyes were pure wolf, and a savage predator stared back. “I almost lost one of my electricians. The only thing that saved her was she didn’t drink much.”
“Because she’s a wine snob,” muttered Will.
“She’s not a snob, you plebeian,” Leticia shot back. “She just has good taste.”
Cheveyo ignored the byplay. “Regardless, that’s worrisome.” How the hell had that evil potion gotten down here so fast? The last he heard, both the human geneticist behind the drug and the remnants of the drug itself had been destroyed.
“It’s downright frightening, actually,” Toby corrected, and Cheveyo silently agreed. “According to the information Warrick sent, that shit shouldn’t exist anymore.”
Reading the alpha’s statement for the challenge it was, Cheveyo calmly answered, “That was our belief as well.”
“Well, someone’s playing us all for fools then, aren’t they?” Will snapped, his fork bending slightly in his tight grip. When he noticed, he forcibly relaxed his hand and set the crooked fork on the table.
“Three different attempts in three different forms,” Tala mused. “Either you have a group hunting you, or…” She trailed off and looked at Cheveyo.
It was easy to follow the speculation in her gaze. “Or someone is bound and determine to set you all at each other’s throats,” he finished softly.
“Which means they aren’t just playing with your house,” she agreed.
“Perhaps you two would care to share?” There was a note of warning in Leticia question.
Cheveyo inclined his head in acknowledgement and did just that. “The first attempt was direct—a silver bullet. It says ‘we know what you are and how to hurt you.’ The second wasn’t as focused on harm, more of making a point. Using a spell to weaken the cable would throw suspicion on the witches. If it managed to hurt Toby, all the better.”
“And the drugged wine?” Toby asked when Cheveyo stopped speaking. “What does that tell you?”
That his visit here was anticipated. “It tells me that whoever is targeting you, isn’t done yet.” He looked at Tala and back at Toby. “They’re playing with both of you.”
Toby cocked a brow. “And who do you think is running the board?”
Even though Cheveyo had no doubt Toby had suspicions about the answer, he still gave it. It was why he was here, after all. “The Council.”
Toby’s lips curled into a mirthless grin. “So the rumors are true then? The Northwest is setting itself against the Council.”
Cheveyo buried his frustration at the light speed of the damn rumor mill. “Not the Council as a whole, just those who would destroy what the Kyn have built here in America.” He held Toby’s gaze and waited.
The wolf leaned forward. “You’re looking for allies.”
A statement, not a question, so Cheveyo treated it as such. “Change is coming, we can’t outrun it, but we sure as hell can get in front of it before it tears us to pieces. Staying in the shadows is a death sentence, for all of us.”
Leticia cleared her throat with a delicate cough, causing both men to turn their attention to her. “I’m not sure how neighborly relations fare with the Northwest pack, but I can tell you that if you tell the ranchers in this region that their neighbors sprout claws and teeth, you’re asking for them to come hunting us.”
Cheveyo inclined his head in acknowledgement. “Humans are already hunting us, but if we can control how our presence is made known and leverage the partnerships currently in place, we may stand a chance of surviving as a race.”
“Maybe,” Will said, his skepticism loud and clear. “Maybe not. Right now, knowledge about us is only shared among a select group. You tell the entire world we’re real, and we’re done before we even get our heads above the tide. They not only outnumber us, they fear us. What they fear, they kill. Period. Our history proves there’s no mediation, no compromises. Hell, so does theirs.”
Toby raised a hand, cutting off the age-old argument before it could start. When Will fell silent, he lowered his hand to the table and addressed Cheveyo and Tala. “Until we find out what the hell is going on here that discussion will have to wait.” His gaze centered on Tala. “I appreciate you meeting me tonight and sharing what happened, Tala. While I apologize for the situation Tomás’s behavior has put you in, I must relay your version to the other alphas tonight and address their concerns as best I can.” He switched his attention to Cheveyo. “Be assured, I’ll pass along your theories as well.” He pushed back and stood, dropping his napkin on the table. Will and Leticia followed suite.
Unwilling to remain
seated, Cheveyo rose, offering Tala a hand before he could think better of it. Thankfully, she took it and rose, Chay slowly doing the same next to her.
She faced Toby, regal and composed, no signs of the chaotic mess Cheveyo knew was tumbling through her. “I will gladly answer their concerns tomorrow in front the Triune, Alpha Greene.”
He inclined his head, and Cheveyo caught the gleam of calculation in his gaze. “A bit of advice, if I may?”
Tala waited with a polite smile.
“When hunting, it’s best to follow your prey with care. You’d be surprised how alert they are to who is on their back trail.”
Chapter Ten
Hours later, Cheveyo gave up on the idea of getting any sleep. Since he was wide-awake, he decided to take Chay’s place on watch. He padded down the dark hallway, pausing at the living room.
A table lamp’s soft light provided enough illumination to confirm Ash was still curled up on his plush bed near the fireplace. He raised his head, met Cheveyo’s gaze, sneezed once, then reburied his nose in his paws and closed his eyes. An obvious canine dismissal.
“Love you too, mutt,” Cheveyo muttered, then continued out onto the porch.
“Couldn’t sleep?” Chay’s low question came from heavy shadows to his right.
Not quite ready to settle, Cheveyo shook his head and went to lean a shoulder on the left porch post. “Figured I’d keep you company, or if you’d rather, you’re welcome to go on in.”
The shadows shifted and stretched, then slipped back as Chay stood up to mirror him on the other side. “Nah, I’m good.”
An easy quiet settled between the two men. The tension riding Cheveyo crept away as the night’s peace seeped in.
