by Petra Landon
“Just remind yourself of a day when, with the weight of a Pack behind you, you’ll be able to tell Bianchi and others like him to go to hell without a second thought for the consequences” he interjected mildly, as she remained silent.
Tasia’s gaze finally moved to meet his, her eyes more vulnerable in that moment than she realized.
“Duncan says you’ve a core of steel in you — that you’d never have survived otherwise. I happen to agree with him.” The gold eyes held hers.
“Perhaps, I’ve simply survived by keeping my distance from all threats — by hiding myself amongst the humans” she countered hesitantly.
“Perhaps” he agreed. “But you had a choice that night when you went to Hawk’s aid. I’m sure that you weighed the potential risks carefully before you opened his cage door. That you might have to kiss your anonymity goodbye with that single act didn’t escape you. We’ve all had those moments in life, forced to choose between our heart and our head. You chose to do the right thing, despite the enormous risk. In my book, that shows your mettle.”
Tasia stared at him wonderingly. For once, the gold eyes were not enigmatic. They held nothing but sincerity, praise, and even a hint of admiration.
“You’re not used to co-habiting with other Chosen, and the Pack can be a stranger beast than most, but give it time. You’ll fit in very well with us once you learn to navigate your way. You have allies in the Pack, more than you can guess.” He turned to walk again. “That in itself shows the kind of impact you’ve had in your short association with us.”
There was a short silence while they walked companiably. Tasia mulled over what he had said. Not for a moment did she regret going to Hawk’s aid, but she’d certainly pondered the consequences of that act and questioned her association with the Pack since the early days of their bargain.
“I hope you haven’t let Markham’s words get to you” he remarked into the silence.
“Markham” she repeated, confused by the abrupt query.
“He made some insinuations the night of the party.”
Tasia shot him an incredulous look. “There were close to three hundred people in that room and as many conversations in progress.”
How could you hear that?
“It’s a talent” he retorted. “Any Shifter worth his salt will always keep an ear open for anything of import to him, no matter how much white noise there is to drown it out. Never forget that” he warned as Tasia stared at him in consternation.
Yeah, don’t I know it. A lot of Shifters that night were paying attention — certainly to what I said about dating Shifters. Why shouldn’t this matter be equally interesting to them? This one, after all, involves gossip about their Alpha.
“The gossip is off base” he said.
Tasia’s eyes snapped to his, holding his gaze for a moment before looking away.
“Markham is wrong” he said firmly. “Yes, I have a temper, and yes, I dislike Spell Casters. Neither of those are exactly a secret. But he’s wrong about the other stuff. I don’t do innuendos. I’ll tell you if something needs to be dealt with. Similarly, I expect you to come to me if we have a problem.”
This time, the gray eyes tangled with him squarely. He held her gaze.
“You and I — we’ve had some missteps before, but we also have a deal. I know you’ll honor it and I’ve demonstrated what lengths I’ll go to hold down my end of it.”
Yes, he had, Tasia acknowledged silently. Above and beyond anything she could ever imagine, even in her wildest dreams. She’d never questioned his willingness or ability to keep the promises he had made to her. The stumbling block had always been her ability to fit into his Pack, to perform the role that he demanded of his other Shifters.
“Packs always gossip” he said easily, the gold eyes losing their intensity. “We’re too insular and this is the only way we know to let off steam. Plus, you’re a novelty — a Wizard allowed entry into the inner sanctum of a Pack.” He paused as she listened intently to him. “Don’t let it get to you.”
Tasia nodded, more confident this time. This is what Hawk and Duncan, in their differing ways, had been telling her from the beginning. Somehow, this bit from the Alpha seemed to help her finally put it to bed.
“The gossip will die down” he reiterated. “You’ve won a lot of allies in a short time. Joaquim spilled the details of your meeting with Maartje to Duncan because he didn’t want to see you taken advantage of. Hawk will take a bullet for you. Duncan is a huge fan. Sara has never laughed as much as she does since you’ve joined us. Even Luis Beltran jumped to the rescue when Markham was spewing his malice at you.”
There was a short silence.
“I almost felt sorry for the guy” the Alpha remarked casually. “Your posse was fully capable of tearing Markham to shreds without any help from the Shifters.”
“My posse?” Tasia had to struggle to not laugh aloud.
“Yes” he responded with a straight face, his gold eyes glinting. “Your friend Caroline would wipe the floor with him. She’s the most self-possessed young woman I’ve met in a while. And, Sienna is like a bear with a cub when it comes to you.”
“Yes, Caro can be quite feisty when the need arises” Tasia agreed. “My posse” she muttered under her breath, still gobsmacked by the term. The stuff that spewed out of him sometimes, honestly!
“And of course, you’re no slouch, either. Somewhere tonight, Bianchi is gnashing his teeth at letting you get under his skin.”
“You think so?”
“I know so. Bianchi is mighty proud of his superficial suaveness. He’d have hated that he allowed a young Wizard to strip him of it so easily. And publicly.”
Suddenly, Tasia felt a stirring of her sixth sense, the powerful ability that allowed her to sense magic in the air. There were Chosen close by and she knew who they were. Blutsaugers were the easiest magic for her to identify. It also helped that she knew one of the handful headed towards them rather well. She’d always recognize the hue of his brand of magic.
Instinctively, she clutched the Alpha’s arm. “Bianchi” she whispered urgently.
Unlike this afternoon, there was no fear or panic. Instead, Tasia was clearheaded. She’d have to tread very carefully. The Vampires, known for their legendary auditory senses, must not overhear their discussion or suspect her ability to sense magic.
He turned to her, brought to an abrupt stop by the urgency in her.
“He’s here” Tasia mouthed silently. The faint whiff of Blutsauger in the air was getting stronger. The Alpha would be able to smell them soon.
Raoul’s nostrils flared subtly, the Shifter nose sniffing the air. Shifters had their own abilities. Vampires possessed extraordinary auditory and olfactory senses, but the Shifters had all their five senses jacked up. His nose must have detected the Vampires too, for he tugged her towards the seawall that separated the walkway from the bay. Casting a quick assessing glance around them, he steered Tasia to the wall, leaving her facing him with her back to the wrought iron railing that topped it. Head cocked to sniff the air delicately once more, he placed brawny arms on either side of her on the railing, effectively caging her in. Tasia glanced up at him in surprise and he leaned down to bring his mouth flush by her ear.
“They might try to separate us. No matter what, do not move from this position” he whispered, their upper bodies so close that she could feel the soft huffs of his breath on her ear and the vibrations of his voice on her cheek.
Unexpectedly and to her surprise, Tasia felt her breath hitch abruptly. For a moment, he seemed to still. A waft of breeze over the water whipped her hair onto her face. Confused, in the grip of a nameless tension, Tasia held herself rigid. A few silky strands caressed his face, entangling with the five o’clock shadow on him, as he stood cheek to cheek with her. Tasia tightened her grip on the railing behind her, inexplicably rattled by his proximity. For a moment, time held still, binding them in an intangible web of awareness and attraction. Then, he tore through the
web, his hand disentangling her hair from him. His fingers worked delicately to separate the dark strands of hair from his stubble, gathering them up to tuck them deftly behind her ear. At the butterfly touch, Tasia almost jumped, the light yet sure fingers leaving a fine trail of fiery sensation on her skin. Gritting her teeth, she stared determinedly ahead, trying to hold herself together despite the jumble of emotions whirling in her. The gold eyes raked her but she ignored him, fighting to steel herself, not ready yet to let him read her inner confusion.
He bent forward again to whisper a last warning into her ears. “With your back to the water, the leeches can only come at you from the front. I can handle Bianchi a lot easier if I know you’re safe.” This time, his voice was throatier, with a deep and husky undertone.
Tasia shivered, a combination of the cold breeze whipping over the water and the husky voice in her ear as he stood a hairs breadth from her. He was scrupulously careful to not brush against her anywhere except the side of her face, she noted dazedly. To the passersby, they looked like a couple lost in themselves by the waterfront, but Tasia’s heart beat too loudly for comfort, the cacophony making it hard to think clearly. Confused, mystified and somewhat dazed by her reaction, she told herself that it was the Blutsaugers’ unexpected presence that had her so flustered. Unwilling to speculate about what else could evoke such a strong reaction in her, Tasia tried to shove it away to the back of her mind.
Having delivered his warning, he moved back from her and Tasia made her herself finally meet his eyes. Regarding her silently in the cage of his arms, the gold eyes were curiously blank, but the skin on his face seemed stretched tight in the sparse light. Another gust of wind ruffled her hair, causing Tasia to wrap her arms defensively around herself. It broke the tension between them.
“The bay is too cold for you.” There was an underlying apology in his voice but he did not bother to whisper anymore.
“I’ll be fine” she reassured him. “I understand you. Perfectly.”
No one was going to move her from this position, she vowed silently. There was unlikely to be any magic here tonight, not with the possibility of an audience, sparse though it was, in sight. But Tasia understood what the Alpha was asking of her. The knowledge of her invulnerability would give him a free hand to deal with the Blutsaugers.
“Good.” He shot her another glance. Then, the Vampires were upon them. They had run out of time.
“Good evening, Beast Lord. We meet again” Bianchi called out heartily to make a beeline for them, followed by four of his Vampires. The others stopped at a discreet distance while Bianchi strode forward confidently to come to a stop before them.
The Alpha turned away from her leisurely to face Rafaelo Bianchi and his leeches.
“Bianchi” Raoul greeted him coolly. “I’ve a bone to pick with you.”
“With me?” the Vampire exclaimed suavely. “I don’t know what you’ve heard about me but I assure you that I have great respect for you Wyr Alphas.”
He peered around the Alpha’s tall figure to greet Tasia with exaggerated surprise. “Tasia Armstrong, I do seem to trip over you everywhere I go.”
The dark eyes held open speculation as he turned to the Alpha. “I never thought to see the day you’d get into bed with a Spell Caster, Beast Lord. Not willingly, that is. Doesn’t that go against everything you stand for?”
“Whom I share my bed with is none of your concern, Bianchi” the Alpha retorted calmly, unperturbed by the Vampire’s baiting of him. “What you should be worried about is the dangerous game you’re playing here.”
“There’s no game. I mean no harm to you or your Pack, Beast Lord. The Pure Bloods have always respected our Wyr brothers” Bianchi replied with an easy charm that belied the watchful look in his eyes.
He cast another speculative glance at Tasia, who remained anchored with her back to the bay. “I must admit, however, that there’s something about you that puzzles me, Beast Lord.”
From her position by the water, Tasia watched the back and forth silently. The scene enfolding before her was eerily reminiscent of the time the Alpha had confronted Mistress Franciszka in her own nest over Tasia. That night, she’d stood flanked by Duncan and Hawk while the Vampire Mistress implored the Alpha for a taste of Tasia’s blood like a child begging for a treat. Those had been the early days of her engagement with the Pack. Tasia could vividly remember her terror as she watched the unfolding battle of wits between the psychotic Mistress and the coldly disinterested Alpha. For a wild moment, she had wondered if she’d made a huge mistake by trusting the Shifters. Only the Alpha and his Shifters had stood between her and the advancing army of Vampires that had emerged from the shadows of the hall to circle them, on a command from their Mistress.
This time, Tasia felt no fear, just a sense of fascination as she watched the Alpha exchange quips with Bianchi. Things were different now. She knew him better and trusted him implicitly to keep the Blutsaugers away from her. Then, she had thought that he might throw her to the dogs or, at least, allow the dogs to take a bite out of her, if he thought it might benefit his Pack. Now, Tasia knew better. He could be singularly aloof, arrogant on occasion, ruthless, inflexible and unyielding when it came to running his Pack, but he would never sacrifice anyone on the altar of his ambitions. He was not that kind of man. In that sense, he was a Shifter to the core. They followed a code of ethics that might seem archaic in today’s world, but they were honorable. Hard to get along with, volatile, aggressive, prone to violence, but always honorable, in their way. Having given her his word, he would never go back on it. No matter what. This is where Bianchi underestimated him. No threats or manipulation would make the Alpha give up Sienna. He would never throw her to the dogs after he had offered her the sanctuary of his Lair.
As for the Vampires, Tasia’s sixth sense confirmed the presence of only five. The Alpha could handle the Vampires, probably without even breaking a sweat, if it came to that. She’d seen him fight, outnumbered badly, on one memorable occasion. And she could help. There were ways to use her magic without raising the Clan’s suspicions. Suddenly, it hit Tasia that the Alpha was right. The last two months had changed her, in more ways than one. This situation would have terrified her a few months ago. Yet, for the first time, she experienced no fear in the Blutsaugers’ presence. Instead, she leaned back comfortably against the seawall to analyze the situation calmly and even enjoy the unfolding show.
“You threatened one of my Shifters on Pack turf this afternoon. What did you think you were doing, Bianchi?” Raoul inquired, with academic interest. “If your intention was to get my attention, then you have it. But if I were you, I’d tread more carefully now that you’ve drawn it.”
“I never threatened your Shifter, Beast Lord. I merely asked her to give you a message.” Bianchi’s tone was casual, almost conversational, seemingly undeterred by the Alpha’s softly-voiced but unmistakable warning.
“The witch was present this afternoon.” The Vampire looked straight at Tasia. “She can confirm what I told her Shifter friend — I’ve no beef with you or the Pack.”
Tasia returned the Vampire’s gaze with composure.
“You said, and I quote, that you’d be forced to be more strident if the Alpha didn’t allow you access to Sienna” she pointed out calmly.
Bianchi’s confident smile slipped just a notch, to be replaced by a scowl. “I don’t understand what you see in this mouthy witch, Merceau” he muttered, holding onto to his temper with some difficulty.
The Vampire rather prided himself on his shrewdness and his ability to out-maneuver others to do his bidding. His loss of temper this afternoon at the goading of this no-magic witch had shaken him up. And Bianchi was determined to not suffer the same fate again, especially in the presence of the Alpha who the Vampire knew would shred him to bits if he sensed even a whiff of weakness from his opponent.
“You wouldn’t” the Alpha countered suavely, an undertone of insolence in his voice that the Vampire could n
ot miss.
Bianchi stared at the Shifter for a moment, nonplussed by his response, and Tasia felt a spurt of laughter well up in her at the absurdity of the banter. While she attempted to subdue her untimely mirth, Bianchi seemed to come to the swift decision to ignore the Alpha’s response. Instead, the Vampire steered the conversation towards matters that were of interest to him.
“The thing that really puzzles me is this” Bianchi mused aloud, directing another curious glance at Tasia. “The Chosen whisper about your dislike of Spell Casters, Beast Lord. And yet, every time we meet, you choose to protect them. And now I find you dallying with this one.”
“Don’t tax your brain, Bianchi. Save it for when you need it.”
“Come on, Beast Lord, explain this to me.” The Vampire was persuasive. “I’ve heard rumors of what the witch did to you. I understand why you dislike her kind.” The last was said softly.
Is Bianchi implying that the Alpha had an unpleasant experience with one of us? Is that why he dislikes Wizards?
The Alpha’s expression tightened at the Vampire’s words, a light leaping into the gold eyes that Duncan would have recognized. If Bianchi had known Raoul better, it would’ve put him on his guard. But he didn’t, so he merely baited the Alpha with a half-smile on his face while he awaited a response.
“You’re a fine one to talk, leech” Raoul retorted coldly. “By your own admission, you’ve aligned yourself with a Spell Caster that even her brethren consider scum. Child killing scum, that is.”
There was an instant of silence. Bianchi’s smile disappeared abruptly as he stared at the Shifter who returned his look with a glacial stare that made no attempt to hide his fury.
