by Petra Landon
“No.” She shook her head.
“Want to grab a quick bite with me? You’re probably sick of Café fare by now.”
“Lord, yes. And I’ve a serious case of cabin fever, too” Sienna responded with heartfelt gratitude. “But I promised Tasia I’d finish going over this stack tonight.”
“You deserve a break, Sienna” Tasia protested. “We’ve made good progress today. We can finish this in the morning. Neither of us is going anywhere” she added wryly.
“You’re so right about that.” Sienna rolled her eyes. Both Wizards were currently confined to the Lair for very different reasons, only allowed to venture out properly escorted.
“Are you sure, Tasia?”
“Absolutely” Tasia said firmly.
Relieved, Sienna gathered up all the documents to press them neatly in a folder she placed beside Tasia. As Sienna and Jason exited the Pack Room, Hawk glanced quickly around the room to sigh in frustration.
“This damn place makes it hard to have a private conversation” he complained.
Tasia felt an unexpected bubble of laughter well up in her. “It’s not the place, Hawk. It’s your Pack mates.”
“Yeah” Hawk grinned, his good humor unimpaired. “It’s just that I want to talk to you in private. Feel up to a drive, Tas?”
Tasia’s eyes lit up. A drive would give them privacy and her some fresh air. Some time away from the Lair would be welcome. She’d been cooped up for three days now. Even the celebration last night had been held here.
Hawk glanced at his watch with an exclamation. “No, it’ll have to wait, damn it. I promised Sara a ride tonight. I’ve to take off in ten minutes.”
Tasia tried to swallow her disappointment valiantly.
“I’m not busy tomorrow, Tasia. How about lunch?” he asked.
“That’d be nice, Hawk. I’m not going anywhere” she sighed softly.
“Hang on, Tas.” Hawk spoke quietly. “We’ll have you sorted out soon enough.”
“I need a few minutes, witchling.” The Alpha materialized beside Tasia, forestalling her response to Hawk. “Hawk” he acknowledged the other Shifter.
“Alph.”
Tasia glanced into the strangely cold gold-colored eyes, a tad wary of him after the strange interlude the night before, at the celebration.
“Now?” she asked.
“In half an hour?”
“Okay” Tasia nodded.
“Good. See you in thirty.” He walked away to where three Shifters waited for him.
“Last night was a success, Hawk” Tasia remarked, putting aside her pencil and the documents. Hawk would be gone in ten minutes. She’d work on the reports later.
“In more ways than one. The leader of the Ancients in San Francisco, accompanied by her deputies, was at the Lair last night.”
Tasia was impressed. The presence of the local leader of the First Ones at a Shifter celebration spoke volumes.
“The lady with Alph when the leech Mistress made her entrance — that’s her.”
Quite a coup for the Pack. Or perhaps it’s the Alpha’s influence that brought every local Chosen leader here to the Lair last night.
Thirty minutes later, when the Alpha held the door to his private room ajar for Tasia, she made a beeline for the couch, away from the large desk and the single chair facing it. The Alpha had smashed the second chair in a fit of rage after a particularly disastrous encounter between them in this room. He observed her silently for a moment before following her to take the chair across from her. Tasia waited calmly, projecting an image of composure when she felt anything but. She’d had time to reflect on last night. That fleeting look in those usually inscrutable gold eyes had confused her. More importantly, it had put Tasia on her guard.
Tasia knew exactly where she stood with him. The Alpha made no bones of his dislike for Wizards and had a tough time hiding it, when it came to her. This reserved and self-controlled man with the aura of leashed aggression kept everyone at a distance, including his Pack. Even the gorgeous Elisabetta was never obliged, despite her angling for his attention. The brief glimpse of awareness and interest in his eyes had been uncharacteristic behavior from him. Tasia was convinced that she had misunderstood or misinterpreted what had merely been a trick of light. But now, aware of the rampant speculation regarding her rocky relationship with the Alpha, Tasia was determined to be very circumspect in her dealings with him.
“How’s your report coming along?” he inquired, his usual impassiveness making it hard to read him.
Okay, this I can handle.
“Sienna and I have gone over a third of the material Jason provided to us.”
“Anything stand out for you so far?”
Tasia reflected on what she had learnt.
“I get the impression that the Wizards didn’t take the allegations against Lady Bethesda seriously, for a very long time. It took months for them to even open the first investigation.”
The Alpha contemplated her earnest expression. “That’s interesting. I wonder why that is. Lady Bethesda had been a contender for the position of First Wizard. I’d have assumed the First Wizard’s office to be all over this the moment allegations were made against her one-time rival.”
Yup, my thoughts exactly.
“Unless, the First Wizard told her people to keep their distance” he murmured thoughtfully. “To allow the schisms from a bitterly fought campaign to heal. Hmm, this is interesting.”
The Guardian might be able to shed more light on the matter, Raoul mused silently, making a mental note to ask Jason about this. First, there were questions he had for the witchling.
“Jason dug up some information on your father. There’s a rumor that the woman he helped free from the leeches was no ordinary prisoner.”
Tasia’s face paled a little at his words.
“She was meant to be the Master’s bride” he said, the gold eyes chronicling her changing expressions.
Tasia’s eyes flickered. “Yes” she acknowledged, after a short pause. “That is true. My father tried to get the Vampires to release her and when they wouldn’t, he helped her escape.”
His eyebrow arched up. Her father had put his hand in a dangerous cookie jar. The Lombardis were a Pure Blood Family, part of a handful of leech families that held enormous influence over the Clan. Monseigneur, the Lombardi Master, was notorious for his long memory and brutal blood feuds. As Duncan would say, perhaps love had emboldened Azevedo to confront the Lombardis. It had always seemed curious to him that a well-regarded Guardian would turn his back on the GCW to work with the Clan. Now, Raoul wondered whether Azevedo’s work for the Lombardis had merely been a smokescreen to rescue the woman he loved.
“I thought you said your mother’s imprisonment was the result of an old family feud with the Clan” he reminded her evenly, meeting her gaze head on.
Tasia remained silent. This was hitting too close to secrets she had no intention of divulging to him. Or anyone else, for that matter.
“I’m only trying to ascertain where the leak to Anderson came from” Raoul remarked mildly, as she stayed silent. “I thought you wanted me to plug that leak.” His words were blunt.
“I did. I do” Tasia corrected herself.
“Then help me out here, witchling” he said softly. “The sooner we figure out where Anderson got his information from, the sooner I can take care of it.”
Tasia studied the inscrutable face. “My mother’s family couldn’t have been the source of the leak” she stated firmly.
He remained silent, the gold eyes steady on Tasia.
“There was a feud between the Blutsau … Vampires and her family” Tasia explained reluctantly.
Raoul’s eyes narrowed at her almost use of the term Blutsaugers. It’s what the First Ones called the Clan. He had noted the witchling’s use of it for the leeches before. Unusual for a Chosen with her age and background to use that term.
“It was her family who gave her to the Vampires” she confessed
haltingly.
Raoul found himself completely floored for the second time in this mysterious saga of Azevedo and the woman who had been the witchling’s mother. Whatever had happened in the past, it had been murky as hell, he realized. And had involved her family, the Lombardis and Azevedo.
“Her family made a deal with the Master. In exchange for my mother, the Vampires promised to leave the family alone.”
He said nothing, speechless for once. What kind of family would give up a daughter to the leeches to end a feud, he wondered grimly. That must have been some dysfunctional one.
“It was a long time ago” she said quietly, correctly interpreting his thoughts. “And I never knew her. Everything I know of her circumstances came from my father. She was sacrificed to save her family from the Vampires. They didn’t care what happened to her once she was in Clan custody. I doubt the family was informed when she was suspected dead in the explosion my father faked. The bargain with the Vampires would remain in effect.”
Yes, leech bargains did not end with the death of either party. They usually fell to the heirs. But what a horrible fate, Raoul mused silently. He wouldn’t wish his worst enemy to be a prisoner of the leeches. And yet, she had been no ordinary prisoner. A Chosen sacrificed by her family to keep the peace with the Clan, but one the Clan had ambitious plans for. Intended as bride for the powerful Monseigneur. Strange indeed. There was more to this story, but since the witchling seemed to believe that her mother’s family had played no part in the leak, Raoul let it go. No matter what she said, this had to have left its scars on her. He didn’t intend to pick at her scabs on this.
“I’ll assume for now that the leak did not come from the family and pursue other avenues” he said quietly.
“Thank you.”
He changed the subject adroitly. “What Sienna said in the Pack Room tonight about Shifters approaching you. Is that true?”
Tasia glanced at him warily. Was this why he had summoned her in here, she wondered suspiciously, to grill her about his Shifters asking her out? Why did he care? She would never go out with a Shifter. Was he seeking assurances that his Pack would not be saddled permanently with a Wizard, Tasia pondered wildly. Or was there another reason?
The gold eyes narrowed on her, as if struck by her hesitation. “I’m just wondering whether I need to step in” he said softly. “No other reason.”
“No” she responded succinctly, looking away from those perceptive eyes.
She sensed his searching gaze but Tasia stayed silent, neither meeting his eyes nor vouchsafing any more explanations.
“No, the Shifters didn’t ask you out. Or no, you don’t want me to step in?” he inquired mildly, singled-minded when he wanted something.
Tasia sighed silently. This man … there would be no peace until he got what he wanted. He might be looking out for her, she reminded herself. A misfit in the precise command structure of the Pack, she had no Were-Alpha to watch out for her, if a more dominant Shifter came after her. Tasia supposed the Alpha felt responsible for her. Duncan had once told her that the Pack was aware of her special status. And the Shifters had mostly kept their distance from her. Until today. Nonplussed by their interest, she had nevertheless remembered the Alpha’s advice when he had told her bluntly to never be subtle with any Shifter.
“We Shifters tend to be primal and instinctive by nature. Subtlety is usually wasted on us. Next time you want to turn a Shifter down, be blunt. Save your finesse for other Chosen, witchling!”
The man certainly had an inimitably way about him, Tasia acknowledged ruefully. Was it his sense of responsibility that drove him to question her? Perhaps, she should give him the benefit of the doubt, she mused.
“They … what Sienna said is true” she admitted reluctantly. “And no, I don’t want you to step in” She was firm. “I can handle this by myself.”
He studied her, a faint crease in his brow as if puzzled by her response.
“Was this like Markham?” he asked bluntly.
“No.” She shook her head. “There were no games involved, just an absence of any subtlety that you once told me Shifters lacked.”
The gold eyes narrowed at her answer.
“Look” Tasia spoke up, trying to be candid with him. Nothing else seemed to work with the man. “If I’m to have any kind of long term association with your Pack, I can’t go running to you every time a Shifter says something that makes me uncomfortable. Duncan made it clear that the Pack knows the score about me. They will not cross the line with me, because of you. The rest, I can handle. I’m not a wet behind the ears witchling who knows no better, regardless of what some people seem to believe.” She threw his own words back at him.
“Touché.” His lips quirked with wry amusement. “That was a definite hit.”
Tasia remained silent, meeting his eyes with equanimity. She knew she was right on this. Now that she was determined on her course of action, at least for the foreseeable future, she’d have to engage with her Pack mates. Hiding away in her ivory tower forever was not an option. She also happened to work with the Shifters on the investigation, since the Pack was also her employer.
“Something about this did make you uncomfortable” he drawled perceptively, changing tactics. “What?”
Relentless when he wants something.
“Uncomfortable is too strong a word” she said awkwardly, reluctant at this line of questioning from this sardonic man with his history of antagonism towards her. “They were merely unsubtle about their intentions.”
He frowned. “How so?”
Tasia glanced away to gather her thoughts. “I’ve been at the Lair for seven weeks now, and most Shifters have ignored my presence until today. So, yeah, it was uncomfortable. I also know that Shifters tend not to forge relationships with other Chosen.” The last was added with some hesitation.
“Hmm” he murmured thoughtfully. “The last is only true of older Shifters. The rest have learnt to move with the times. If Shifters restrict themselves to only their kind, they’re unlikely to ever find mates.”
Tasia’s eyes widened with astonishment. “Caro told me the first time she met a Shifter was the night she came here to meet you.”
If Shifters were truly not opposed to mingling with other Chosen, then how on earth had not a single one crossed her friend’s orbit in this city, Tasia rightfully wondered.
“Wizards, especially powerful ones like your friend, are an exception.” His response was cryptic.
“Why?” Tasia asked impulsively. “Is it because you dislike …” she paused, abruptly reminded of who she conversed with.
“Don’t mince words on my behalf” he invited, unperturbed by her statement. “My dislike of Spell Casters is common knowledge.”
“Are you saying that your Shifters steer clear of Wizards because of your dislike for them?” She looked incredulous.
He studied her with equal parts amusement and exasperation. “You give me too much credit, witchling. What kind of Alpha do you think I am? I’d have a mutiny on my hands if I told my Shifters who to date and where to find mates.”
“But I thought Shifters had to get their Pack’s permission to pursue a relationship with anyone outside the Pack.” She meant the Alpha’s permission, because by now, Tasia knew that the Alphas ran their Packs like their personal fiefdoms, with absolute control and authority.
“Not any relationship, no” he corrected her. “Permission is only required if a Shifter takes a mate.”
Tasia looked skeptical.
What’s the difference?
“A Shifter’s mate is the equivalent of a human spouse” he explained the distinction. “That rule only exists because the Pack assumes responsibility for the new mate.”
“Oh.” That kind of makes sense.
“We’re not all absolute control freaks, regardless of what some people believe” he remarked, the gold eyes glinting.
Touché.
“Then, why do your Shifters steer clear of Wizards like Ca
ro?” she asked him, as he continued to study her with that hint of amusement in his eyes.
“In case it has escaped your notice, Wizards with power tend to look down on us Shifters as lesser Chosen. It’s not something any Shifter can remain oblivious to. Not for long, anyway.”
Tasia stared at him, struck by his blunt words. He was right. She’d experienced some prejudice herself when the Wizards had discovered her association with a Shifter Pack.
“Not all Wizards, surely?” she protested. “Caro thinks very highly of you. You surprised her the night she came here — I suspect it has changed her perception of Shifters for the better.”
“That was because I did not hesitate to assist her friend.”
“True” Tasia agreed. “But most of us are hugely influenced by first impressions. And you made a good one on her. Because of your actions that night, she tends to see Shifters in a different light.”
Unlike Sara and I, Caro didn’t explicitly say no to going out with a Shifter. You did make a very good impression on her.
“First impressions” he murmured pensively, the gold eyes back to their usual opaqueness.
You made a damn good one on me, too. Enough to sustain me through all the bad moments and periods of uncertainty when I constantly questioned my decision to tie myself to your Pack.
“Speaking of Wizards, LaRue has agreed to ensure that the Lair is free of any leech mischief. I would like you to do a discreet sweep too. Let me know if you sense even a whiff of anything that smells like leech magic.”
Wow, Jason must really like the Alpha to agree to this. Or feel indebted to him.
“Duncan will escort you around the Lair.” No one will question him, was the silent subtext of his statement.
Tasia acquiesced. She had a very special power that the Alpha was aware of — that of sensing residue in the air and on objects after the use of magic. That was how she had guessed Hawk’s plight the night she’d made the fateful decision to help him. She was also particularly sensitive to the magic of Blutsaugers.
“Sienna said three Shifters asked you out. Which three?” He changed the subject abruptly once more.
