Justin sees us near the backdoors and climbs into the passenger seat, correctly assuming Jon will be driving.
“Two redheaded bitches at the inn,” I say with a smile as the angry werewolf reaches us. “The employees won’t know what to think.”
Jon chokes and coughs, as Rafe laughs and opens the back door for me. I slide inside and the dog leaps up to follow, staying in the deep footwell to snuggle up against my legs. I rest a hand on her wide head as Rafe climbs in to join me.
“She reminds me of Cleo,” he says. “The red Staffie we had at the Paris V V Inn a long time ago.”
The memory floods back to me with a warmth blossoming in my chest. “You’re right! She does. We still have a picture of us with Cleo hanging in the office. This dog’s a little longer and leaner, with lighter eyes and nose, not to mention taller—but you’re right. It’s the coloring. God, I loved that animal.”
His palm slides over my thigh in a reassuring touch. “Don’t get too attached. Remember, she’s Asa’s.”
Jon opens the driver’s side door, gets in, and slams it hard, anger radiating off him in waves.
“Are you okay, Jon?” My brow furrows in concern and the animal whines at my feet.
“Just peachy.” He starts the vehicle and pulls away. After a moment, he takes a deep breath. Perhaps willing himself to calm down. “Don’t mind me. Must be tired. And I know we’ve got a lot to do, so it must be getting to me.”
I look at Rafe, who shrugs as if to say he has no clue what’s eating the man either.
Rafe takes out his cell phone. “How about I get the ball rolling and organize a debriefing at midnight? That should give us a chance to unpack and settle in a little.” Jon nods as my husband starts his text. “Take us to the apartments first.”
I lean down and put my face closer to Mariposa’s. Yes, I have mentally re-named someone else’s dog. Calling her she-devil, in any language, doesn’t fit with her nature. “Ignore that grumpy werewolf. He stinks. You stick with me and I’ll look out for you.” She licks my jaw, exhibiting a sweetness I don’t expect. Unexpected moisture fills my eyes. We’ve lived up here with no personal pets for so long, I’ve forgotten what unconditional love from one can feel like. The sensation fills me, and her adoring stare reminds me of a hug.
We won’t stay for long on this visit, but when we’re back for good, I may have to steal this dog for my own. Asa can always get a new one on his next trip to Fairbanks. He can’t be too attached to her yet, right?
I’d love to report a feeling of guilt at my highhanded thoughts of taking someone’s pet, but nope. There’s none. Being in charge should have its advantages.
Come now, you want to steal his new pet, liebling? How about we get one of our own?
He couldn’t have had her long. It wouldn’t hurt to ask.
By “ask” do you mean “tell”? He squeezes my knee gently to show he’s teasing, but I ignore him anyway.
Jon drives to the employee apartment building and we spend time showing Justin around and introducing him to Miranda. In a few minutes, Justin’s assigned one of the larger units, probably bigger than his tiny house in Buenos Aires, and given the keys with a map of the resort. At Miranda’s prompt before leaving, Rafe takes Justin’s picture on his phone for the young wizard’s employee file, and he arranges to meet with him tomorrow morning for the laying of the new security wards and their first magic lesson—a prospect that still has me on edge.
I trust the man I married. Even when I don’t agree with all his decisions. Like the one to learn magic. But I also respect his need to do something to keep us safe and strong, so I’ll keep my mouth shut. For now.
CHAPTER TWO
JON
I enter the conference room a few minutes before the scheduled debriefing, erratic energy pouring off me. Sure enough, I’m not alone. The bald vampire sits stoically in the dark, peaceful and quiet, like he’s meditating or some such shit.
Uncaring, I slam on the lights and flop into the chair next to him. “Vivian thinks you got a dog.”
“What?” Asa says, confusion crinkling his forehead. “Why would she think that?”
I push away from the table to stand, anger fueling my movements, making them jerky. “Goddamn Candy. That’s what.” Running both hands through my hair, I grasp it in my fists and tug hard. “You’re not going to believe this,” I say, releasing my hair and starting to pace. “Get this—she shifted to the form of a dog and was at the airstrip—ready to meet Vivian and Rafe the second they got off the plane.”
“Yikes,” he says with a grin. “Talk about your girlfriend truly being a bitch.” The scowl I send his way wipes the smug smirk off his face. “Why in the hell would she think that was a good idea? And why haven’t you told Vivian about her yet?”
“I have no clue why she did it. No fucking clue!” My pacing increases in speed. “And Jesus, Asa, I can’t believe you’re grilling me on the why. We’re talking about the master vampire I’ve pledged my life to. Don’t you think I should make sure things are solid between me and Candy before I introduce her to someone who can essentially crack her mind wide open?”
He smiles, not trying very hard to hide his amusement at my predicament. “Kind of like a teenager afraid to introduce his new, wild girlfriend to his conservative parents?”
A groan escapes me. “Fucking hell, man. That’s right, make jokes. It’s really helpful.”
“All right, all right. Don’t get your panties in bunch. Did you tell Candy you were coming back today? Maybe it was a case of being in the wrong place at the right time.”
The energy inside pushes me to continue pacing. Or punch something. Pacing seems safer. “I texted her at our last refueling stop. I asked her to hang back at the cabin until I had a chance to introduce her properly.”
“There you go again, sounding like you’re bringing her home to meet your folks.”
I whip around and shoot the fangy bastard another deadly glare. “Not helping, man.”
He raises both shoulders. “Fine. I’ll try to help. What do you expect me to do?”
“I need you to pretend you adopted a dog in Fairbanks and texted me about it. Oh, and you named her Diablesa.”
“Dia-what?”
I sound it out, exaggerating the syllables. “Dee-a-bless-ah. Means she-devil. It spilled out in anger when Viv asked the dog’s name. But I think she’s renaming her to Mariposa now.”
“Renaming my dog? That’s not cool, man.”
“She’s not your fucking dog!” I storm to the hall and lean my head out, checking to make sure we’re not overheard. “What a freakin’ nightmare. I don’t know how the hell I’m going to handle this.”
“The truth usually works pretty good.”
“Thanks for the obvious, you bald bastard.”
He smooths a hand over his freshly-shaven skull. “I’m not bald, man. I shave it.”
With a rush, the frantic energy drains out of me and I collapse into the chair again. “Maybe Candy has a reason for doing what she did.”
“Hey, that’s a good point. Maybe she did. You should ask her.”
Sounds from down the hall indicate Eric and Pat are about to join us.
“Don’t say anything to them, okay?” I plead. “I need to talk to Candy first.”
“Whatever, man. They’ll know I didn’t get a dog in Fairbanks.”
“Shit!” I slam a fist into the table. “That means I have to tell them. And they’ll blow it in front of Viv and Rafe. I know it.”
“Give them some credit. They’re not completely without merit.”
The two young Weres pile in, pushing and shoving in their exuberance, like a bunch of rambunctious puppies.
“Dammit,” I say, ignoring them while they act like idiots. “This is all I need on top of everything else.” Another thought I wanted to ask him bubbles up. “Please tell me you’ve noticed the stuff Rafe’s been doing lately? I can’t be the only one paying attention.”
Before Asa ha
s a chance to respond, Pat says, “What are you guys talking about? What are you worried Rafe will notice?”
I close my eyes for a moment. I need to calm the fuck down and handle this better. They’re just young guys and don’t deserve my scrambled, frustrated wrath.
Before I can decide what to say, Asa saves me. “Hey, guys, I’m watching a dog for one of the employees visiting her family. Jon thought I adopted her, but I set him straight. Be nice to her and don’t pull any werewolf dominance shit. Okay?”
Pat looks indignant. “You know I love dogs, asshole. I wouldn’t do that.”
“Uh-huh,” I say, unwilling to remind him I saw him growling at the biggest wolf hybrid in my pack of dogs before we left for Buenos Aries.
The wiry Were takes a seat at the table and props his feet up on the wood. “I know that look. Fuck off, you guys. I love dogs. And they love me.”
“Where’s the dog now?” Eric asks while looking under the table. “Do you have her crated somewhere?”
More of the tension drains from me. Maybe I can pull this off. I’m feeling crazy and dangerous for thinking it might work. Damn her. Why did she put me in this spot? “Last I saw her, she was with Vivian and Rafe.”
“Really?” Pat says, eyebrows rising on his forehead. “Mistress Scary doesn’t strike me as the dog type.” He shoots me a look, a devilish grin on his face. “Present company excluded, of course.” He winks. “She looks like a cat person to me.”
Motion at the doorway draws our eyes. Vivian stands at the entrance with a smile on her face and the Pit Bull by her side. “And what does a cat person look like, Pat? Do they wear ‘I prefer pussy’ tee shirts or something?”
Pat’s eyes go wide while the rest of the boys break out laughing at his expense. He recovers quickly, a humorous, smart-ass expression filling his face. “That would work, yeah. But it might lead to some confusion, too.”
“I bet,” Rafe says, appearing behind Vivian in the hall. His wife saunters in and takes a seat at the head of the table, the dog Asa supposedly adopted settling at her feet. Rafe takes the seat next to her, nodding hello to Eric and Asa.
“I’ve renamed your dog, Asa.” The powerful vampire winks at him and then glances lovingly down at the animal she has no idea is Candy, my lover. “Miraposa.” The dog’s tale thumps against the carpeted floor. “She seems to like it better.”
“She’s not mine actually,” Asa says, changing his story on the fly. “You can call her whatever you want. I’m fostering her for a friend who works with the local shelter in Fairbanks.”
“Good! She’s just the sweetest thing.”
“Fostering? I thought you said you were watching her,” Eric says.
Asa smiles. “It’s kind of the same thing—but it means she doesn’t have a permanent home yet.”
“Oh, that’s terrific,” Vivian says, her face lighting up with joy. “Maybe if she works out well here we can keep her.”
“I wouldn’t mind having her in our suite,” Rafe says. “But we don’t have any food for her.”
I clear my throat, hiding my discomfort as best I can. “I, uh, I’ll take her to the kennel with me when she needs to eat. I’ve got plenty of dog food.”
“Nonsense,” Rafe says, smiling adoringly at his happy wife. “Bring the food here. She’s no trouble staying with us. Besides, Asa’s already had her here for a while, no need to confuse her further with taking her to your place and introducing her to your pack of mutts.”
I glare at the animal my girlfriend is pretending to be. “Fine. But she’ll need exercise. I’ll take her for a run after the meeting.”
My two bosses nod, clearly happy the ‘stray’ will be staying with them. This can only end badly. What the hell is going to happen when the animal they’ve doted on turns into a woman? A woman who’s doing the horizontal mamba with their right-hand man?
Holy crap. I’m screwed. Could this shit get any worse?
“Okay, back to the upcoming meeting. You two,” Vivian says, indicating Eric and Pat with a pointed finger, “are here at Jon’s request. He said you’re now a part of our security team and need to know what we’re up against. Speak up if you have something to add, but leave the sophomoric humor at the door.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Pat says, without a trace of his usual cockiness. Eric sits up straight and nods his assent.
Holy freakin’ hell, it’s like the unruly bastards are growing up right before my eyes. But then again, they both spent time in the military so they should be used to being serious when the situation warrants it. Attending a meeting with an ancient being certainly counts.
And just like that, the tone of the entire gathering changes. We wait until Drew and Paul arrive and then quickly get down to business, everyone listening while Rafe, Vivian, and I relay everything that happened in Buenos Aires and what it means to us and our future.
Looking like he’s unable to hold his tongue any longer, Asa says, “I get the distinct impression we’re on the verge of going to war. Only this won’t be like any battle I’ve ever fought before. Instead of an entire army of trained men and women, we’ll be a small, specialized squadron, kind of like a SEAL or Ranger team, against an unknown number of enemies.” He looks around the table and nods. “I’m not liking the sound of those odds. But I understand we don’t have a choice. Makes me extra glad we’ve started a weapons and martial arts training regimen with Paul and Drew.”
Rafe clears his throat, his calm face appearing more serious. “The threat may never physically come here. We don’t know. But it’s always good to be prepared.”
“Asa’s right,” I interject after he’s finished, “but so is Rafe. The fight may not come here, but we, as in those not fully human anymore, we’re about to face a serious threat to the entire existence of supernaturals. These whackos intend to subvert an entire city to their distorted perception of ancient Atlantis. Will they stop there or could their vision go global? You know humans will retaliate, as they should. What happens in Buenos Aires could essentially launch a war between humanity and supernaturals the world over.”
Eric and Pat look a little green around the gills. Glad to know Asa’s not the only one who realizes the seriousness of the situation. Drew doesn’t look as shocked, but he was with us in Argentina a few weeks ago, maybe he suspected as much.
“We fear what’s coming will completely change the current status quo on our secrecy. However things unfold, one thing is certain—our lives will never be the same again. ” My words lie heavy in the room. “Thanks to Vivian and Rafe, this resort is the safest place any of us could be. We know the property and its defenses better than anyone on the planet.”
“Agreed,” Eric says, shaking off the weight of his fear, “it’s easily defensible, especially with the advantage of the tunnels, and we’re much harder to kill. But what about the human employees—are they in danger? Should they even be here if we’re expecting trouble?”
Rafe sits forward in his seat, resting his forearms on the thick table. “Good questions, Eric. But we have no idea if Rolando and Persephone will come here or not. Evacuating the resort might be hasty at this point.”
Asa looks pensive, as if he’s turning an idea over in his mind. After a moment he speaks, “They can’t be working alone. Do you have any idea who else is in on this with them?”
Rafe shakes his head. “No, we don’t. They’re the only two we know of so far, but we’re sure they’ve turned their own share of manipulator vamps over the centuries. Why else would Coraline have tortured Vivian for what she knew about a secret manipulate group? There were obviously a few vampires worried about the possibility, even if their methods were aimed at the wrong vamps.
“No matter how you cut it, the odds are with Persephone and Rolando. Despite Vivian’s assurance she was on their side, they don’t trust her and didn’t share any details of their master plan.”
“Well, yeah, the lack of trust was obvious,” Pat says, anxiety and anger pouring off him thick enough to sm
ell. “You don’t mind-rape people you trust.”
Vivian’s cool voice floats across the meeting space, bringing calm assurance with it. “You’re all right. The situation is deadly serious. We have no idea how many manipulators they’ve turned over the years, nor how many they’ve swayed to their idea. And they had a list of my turns.”
Paul perks up, finally joining the conversation. “Holy shit. Does that mean they could be coming after me next?”
“You’re safe,” she replies. “For now.”
“What the hell does that mean?” he says, partially rising from his seat, before realizing that in doing so he would be looming over his very scary boss. “Should I be worried or not?”
The redheaded vampire sighs, waving him back down, before beginning her explanation. “Vampires are required to report their turns to the Tribunal after the fledgling makes it to the one year mark. You aren’t that old yet.”
“And what happens then? You report me and then one of those crazy manipulator nut-jobs will come take me away to join their army of crazy?”
“No, Paul. I won’t report you as a surviving turn. They’ll never know you exist.”
Relief spills across the chef’s face.
Drew, who has been watching and listening, cocks his head to one side while speaking. “Aside from this current development with Persephone and Rolando, is there another reason you might not report Paul to the Tribunal?”
A small smile lights on our vampire master’s face. “I can always count on you to nail down the details, Drew. To answer your question, yes, there is another reason.” Her eyes settle on Paul, an appraising glint in their depths. “I believe there’s a strong chance Paul carries my manipulator traits, and because of that, I would never have reported him at the one year mark, even if other manipulators weren’t planning to come out of the closet very soon.”
Sharpen the Blade (The V V Inn Book 6) Page 2
