“Yes,” Stephen hissed with fangs out and eyes absolutely blazing with wrath. He was fully vamped out, and obviously knew what had nearly happened to his club. “No fighting, Raymond, you’re in my House now.”
Pederson raised his hands and backed away from everyone.
“My House!” Stephen roared in a spittle spraying fury. “You dare come to my House to do violence? You dare lay claim to what is mine! I swear on all you love and hold holy, that I will see you and yours utterly destroyed to the last wolf before my House falls. I swear it!”
“Now don’t—”
“Fuck don’t,” Danyelle snarled. “Let’s go, you and me right now. You can die first!”
“Danyelle don’t! Stephen please be calm. Please,” Edward said desperately. “We can fix this.”
“Fix it?” Stephen glared. “How does one fix a sneak attack? How does one fix betrayal and ever again expect fair dealing? There’s no fixing it! If not for Mist, some of us would be dead by this betrayer’s hand. Ronnie of a certainty, and if not, she would no doubt wish to be by now. There’s no fixing this!”
“But we must. We have to find a way,” Edward pleaded. “We can’t let his foolishness destroy everything you’ve built. Think about your life here gone, having to start over in another city. Please think. Please don’t let your anger destroy us.”
Mist was on Danyelle’s side, but David liked Edward’s point of view. Pederson and his people would die, yes, but so would many others, and if Stephen survived he would be driven out by the combined packs of LA. Their new life, just now becoming acceptable to David as his new reality, would end if he didn’t die in the war that would surely ensue. Mist understood loss, but he also understood strength and allowing challenges to go unpunished was not The Way. Challenges must be met and won; that was The Way.
“Arbitration!” Pederson cried over the hubbub. “I call for arbitration before the conclave!”
“You dare say that now,” Stephen snarled. “After I offered that very thing the day Ronnie came here and you refused point blank to consider it? Your gall is beyond belief!”
Self-serving, but better than the alternative, David sent. He’s scared and needs a way out. This could serve us as well... if we win.
Mist grunted, and Stephen glanced over. “David say it good idea. Say Pederson doing it to save himself, but good idea still.”
“Does he, and does he know what’s involved? I doubt it. If the conclave finds against us, I would have to turn Ronnie over to them. Jonas would enforce it, and there’s no appeal. Once done, it cannot be undone!”
Mist didn’t like that, and neither did David. They would kill Pederson and take his pack as theirs before allowing her to be harmed.
Tell him that. It might help.
“David say we kill Pederson and take the Alley Dogs from him to protect her.”
Lawrence hissed at hearing that, and Ronnie gasped in surprise. Mist glanced toward his friends noting the admiration on Lawrence’s face, and the pure shock on Ronnie’s. He had said nothing but the truth, and Callia had surely been talking to her about him. Why she was shocked he didn’t know. He hadn’t hidden his interest from Callia; far from it. He openly admired Ronnie’s wolf, and had said so many times to Lawrence and others at Lost Souls. Maybe she didn’t believe him? He would prove it by defending her!
My She.
Ours, David agreed. And we shall be hers.
We will make her see us as the strongest. She will be our mate. She will choose us.
Yes, she must choose us. She will.
Stephen studied Mist thoughtfully, taking the time to note his immense size. His head nearly brushed the office ceiling and his strength was obvious.
Stephen’s fangs retracted as he pursed his lips thoughtfully, and the red in his eyes bled away. Mist felt Stephen push at his Presence, trying to get a feel for how powerful he was, and pushed back; not in defence, but to help with that. Stephen’s eyes widened a little in surprise at the strength of the push. The vampire smiled and turned to Pederson. He shook his head slowly at his one-time ally.
“Edward, get me Jonas,” Stephen said, still glaring at Pederson.
“Right away,” Edward said, sounding relieved. He rounded his desk and used the link in speaker mode to call the enforcer. “I hope he’s home.”
They all waited for the link call to go through.
“Jonas McNally,” the voice out of the speaker announced. “I just got in; this had better be life and death. Ryan, if this is you, I haven’t made up my mind yet. If it isn’t, speak up!”
Stephen chuckled. “Jonas, Stephen. I have a situation.”
Jonas sighed. “Of course you do. What is the nature of the problem? You’ve killed someone you shouldn’t have? You plan to kill someone you shouldn’t and you need me to make it go away? What?”
“Surprisingly the second option is rather apt, but no, none of the above. The Alley Dogs staged a raid on my House this evening.”
Silence.
“Are you still there, Jonas?”
“I’m waiting for the punchline.”
“I do not joke where my people’s safety is concerned,” Stephen said frostily. “I’m sure you’ve heard that about me.”
“Is Pederson dead?”
“Surprisingly no. No one died tonight, but it’s still early. Perhaps that might be remedied.”
“Thank the Goddess for that! What do you need?”
“Raymond has asked for arbitration at conclave.”
“He what!”
“Arbitration, you heard it right.”
Jonas spluttered. “He can’t do that! He attacks another pack and then... oh. I guess he can, technically at least. Hmmm, tricky one eh?”
“You might say,” Stephen said dryly. “The attack was unprovoked and unannounced. No challenge or notification of intention was issued. My House is... was not at war with the Alley Dogs at the time. It was a sneak attack while I rested for the day.”
Jonas hissed. “You know this is gonna be a shit-storm. Your House isn’t a pack even though we pretend it is for convenience and various other reasons. There’s no precedent for this.”
“Well I suggest you dust off the rule books and figure it out, because he’s calling for conclave tonight.”
“Tonight. Right, of course. Tonight! I don’t even know if all the Alphas are available. It’s a little short notice.”
“Short notice is far from my primary concern. I was given none at all. If you don’t want to be down one Alpha come role call at the next meeting, you’ll find a way to summon everyone together tonight.”
“Give me fifteen minutes. I’ll call you back on this number,” Jonas said and broke the connection.
Edward turned off the link.
Everyone looked at Pederson in silence. He glared back, but said nothing. What could he say? He had managed a last minute reprieve. Essentially, he’d staged an unprovoked attack, been defeated handily, yet had lost nothing by it. Yet. That might change at the conclave, but that was still to play for. He was lucky to be breathing and must know it.
Stephen was the one to break the silence. He gestured at the door. “You’re free to leave. Your wolves are under guard in the lobby. Take them and go. I’m sure Jonas will be in contact with a time for the meeting.”
Pederson edged between the hostile shifters near the door. Ronnie snarled something low under her breath, and Pederson responded. Lawrence snarled at what he heard, but before Mist could do anything, Pederson slipped out the door and was gone.
Stephen turned his attention to Mist. “Thank you for what you did tonight, but I would like words with David now. If you would allow?”
Mist nodded and began the change.
* * *
22 ~ Conclave
David peered out into the night as the limo approached the long abandoned air base. George AFB had closed at the end of the last century due to budget cuts, and even civilian flights had dried up in the end. The base was a ghost town t
hese days; the only things calling it home now were cockroaches, tarantulas, and wild coyotes. A sign flashed by announcing their destination. It was still legible despite desert storms attempting to sandblast the lettering into obscurity.
The limo turned into Phantom Street through the main gate, and onto the base, Charles piloting the big car smoothly. Off to the right, David could make out a group of storage tanks glowing in the dark. They were still white after years of abandonment. There was nothing else to catch his eye but broken fencing with the desert flatlands beyond, and scraggly sagebrush clinging to life in sandy soil.
“Why an air base?” he asked. “Why not a warehouse in the city, or one of the rundown buildings in Monster Central?”
Danyelle snorted.
Stephen smiled. “A few reasons, but the main one would be that Jonas controls this entire area absolutely. The Desert Warriors are a big pack. They claim the base and desert all around here as part of their wider territory, and are strong enough to make it stick. That in turn means our privacy is assured.”
“And the desert is good for hiding the bodies,” Ronnie added. Lawrence nodded seriously. “You’ll learn that secrecy isn’t a luxury; it’s a way of life. It’s survival.”
“Just so,” Stephen agreed. “Some things, even what we would consider to be the least shocking, have a tendency to upset the human authorities. Our disputes are not the least shocking, or rather the results of them aren’t. We do our best not to draw attention to our little wars, not always successfully.”
David turned his attention away from sightseeing and back to Stephen. “What’s going to happen? What can I expect tonight?”
“That’s hard to say. We can rely upon Raymond to try weaselling out of any sanction or punishment for his actions. That’s a given, but how he plans to do that I have no notion. Your statement of intention regarding Ms. Burdett here will be a spur to him. He’ll think of something that we won’t like, I’m sure.”
“No doubt. You think me foolish to have said it within his hearing?”
Stephen shrugged. “Secrecy remember? Revealing one’s plans to enemies is never a good idea.”
“I didn’t plan it. I don’t want to take over the Alley Dogs.”
“But you will?”
“If I have to.”
“That’s all that matters, and it might come to that. This escalation over Ronnie’s rogue status must be ended before it gets completely out of my control. The root of the problem isn’t Ronnie herself; it’s my refusal to give her back. The Alley Dogs see her as a rogue female in need of punishment; while I regard her as no different from other loners who I’ve taken in. I pride myself upon keeping my word once given, but even if that weren’t so, I still wouldn’t give her back. It would set a bad precedent. She’s mine to discipline or reward, as all of you are. I’ll not have anyone thinking they can interfere in my concerns whenever they feel like it.”
David shifted uncomfortably at hearing that, but it wasn’t as if he was surprised. It was part of the deal. Stephen was very open about it. He wouldn’t hold anyone against their will, but if they wanted to work for him and enjoy his protection, they had to toe the line; his line. Stephen ruled his House, no other, and those living under its roof accepted that or they could leave LA. It was as simple as that.
“The Alley Dogs consider it a kind of kidnapping despite the fact Ronnie gave herself to Stephen willingly,” Lawrence put in. “They still think of her as one of their own.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” David protested. “Georgie tried to kill her.”
Ronnie grinned. “Of course it makes sense, maybe not in human terms, but we aren’t human. In Raymond’s mind, I defied him—my pack leader. I’m not dominant enough to do that and get away with it, so he has to punish me. If I won’t accept his rule over me or my punishment, then he has to kill me to maintain his authority. It’s really very simple and direct. In the eyes of the pack the only thing I did wrong was not let him screw me.”
“That’s insane, and disgusting.”
“Not really. It’s a tradition among the bigger old-fashioned packs like the Alley Dogs for unmated males to have their pick of the unmated females. The smaller family packs don’t do it for obvious reasons, and there are a lot more like them now than there are packs like the Alley Dogs. I could have avoided the obligation entirely by choosing a mate, but Callia and I didn’t like any of the males enough to do that.”
He was disgusted at the thought of Ronnie having to prostitute herself to gain a little safety. “Do all the bigger packs force their women to do this?”
Lawrence shook his head. “Not for a long time now. I’m not certain, but the Alley Dogs might be one of the last holdouts in LA. I know the Desert Warriors don’t do it, and they’re the biggest pack I know of.”
“Leon Pullen’s Ghost Hunters are nearly as numerous. They do not hold to the old ways,” Stephen said, not revealing how he felt about it. “I think you might be right about the Alley Dogs.”
“I can’t believe you’re not outraged by this,” David said and Lawrence shrugged. “And you’re not either, are you?” he said to Ronnie.
“It’s not as if I didn’t enjoy myself,” Ronnie protested. “I’m alpha don’t forget. You’re acting as if I didn’t have choices. No one forces me to do anything. It wasn’t rape if that’s what you were thinking.”
He just stared at her in confusion.
“There are plenty of betas among the Alley Dogs,” she said softening her tone as she realised how he was feeling. “I chose partners from among them, not the alphas, and I’m strong enough to be dominant. It was when Raymond started taking an interest that I ran. I was fine with the betas. We had fun.”
He knew that shifters were uninhibited and very sexually active. Living with them in the barracks at Lost Souls, he would have needed to be deaf and blind to miss it, but he couldn’t feel easy with it himself; not yet, and maybe not ever. He still thought like a human. Imagining Ronnie living that way made him angry, but he had no right to feel that way when she saw nothing wrong in it.
“What did Janine think of Raymond’s sudden interest in you?” Stephen asked.
“Who is Janine?” David said.
“Raymond’s mate. She sent Georgie to kill me,” Ronnie admitted. “I don’t blame her for it. She could hardly kill Raymond, could she? If she did, she would lose her place.”
“But I thought Pederson sent Georgie that night.”
“That night?” Ronnie frowned at David, but then she brightened. “Oh the night we met? Yes, he did. Raymond wanted me brought back, but Janine wanted me dead. Georgie would have killed me though. She never liked me and could easily get away with it. She only had to say I wouldn’t submit and fought to the death. It would have been the truth. I was determined not to go back.”
He remembered that night clearly. It had been a vicious fight and it would have been to the death if the cops hadn’t arrived when they did.
The limo slowed and pulled up outside a huge hangar building. There were trucks and cars parked haphazardly on the apron illuminated by light spilling between the main doors which had been left open a short space. He estimated there were only a few dozen vehicles. There couldn’t be many people attending the meeting.
Everyone climbed out of the car, and flanking Stephen like the honour guard they essentially were, they entered the building. The moment they entered, Mist reacted, becoming more alert to their surroundings. There were a lot more shifters inside than the vehicles could account for. Many, many more. Hundreds. Stephen made no mention of it, his pace did not falter, but David felt his power flare briefly, as if surprise had caused his control to slip. He said nothing however and led the way toward a small group of shifters standing together near a long trestle table set up at the far end of the hangar. It was nothing fancy, just a battered wooden table with plastic chairs tucked under it. Functional. The computer atop the table though looked modern and out of place in the current surroundings. Carafes of
water and some glasses rounded out the props supplied for the meeting.
There was an open space in front of the table about thirty-foot square and bordered in chalk to create an arena with the concrete freshly swept clean of dust. Mist went hyper-alert at the scent of old blood. David eyed one or two suspicious looking stains on the concrete and knew that challenges must often play out here. He wondered if he might get the opportunity to kill Pederson tonight, and make use of the arena so obligingly laid out.
Stephen picked out a broad-shouldered man in his early thirties with shaggy straw-coloured hair and green eyes. He was arguing with Pederson about something, but obviously getting nowhere with his remonstrations. The other pack leaders, David guessed they must be the Alphas here to judge the dispute, were listening and nodding along with the argument. The discussion abruptly ceased as Stephen arrived.
“What is the meaning of this?” Stephen said. “Since when does calling the conclave require such numbers in attendance?”
“And good evening to you too,” Jonas said. “Raymond felt insecure without bringing most of his pack along. I decided that my boys should supervise them, if you take my meaning?”
Stephen glared at Pederson. “This betrayer should be given no special treatment. The other leaders of our community have followed our rules, as have I.” He waved a hand toward David and the rest of his entourage. “Make them leave.”
The pack leaders murmured.
“They aren’t going anywhere,” Pederson said. “You are vampire, not shifter. You have no rights here but those we let you have. Treating you as our equal is a courtesy that can and will be remedied.”
Jonas grimaced. “We’re here to judge your actions at Lost Souls, not revisit old ground.”
“But it is relevant,” one of the other Alphas said. “Stephen’s status and actions are the cause of the dispute. It’s perfectly in order to debate that.”
Pederson’s smile slowly widened.
Stephen was shocked, and David wasn’t the only one to sense it. Lawrence murmured something to Ronnie uneasily. It was obvious Pederson had been working his contacts among the pack leaders, and to good effect. More than a few nodded and murmured their agreement.
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