by Bianca D’Arc
“Afraid not, ma’am.”
“Please, call me Elaine. When a guy saves your life, I think he’s entitled to use your first name.”
“All right. Elaine.” Ted shot her a small grin that said he would have to practice to remember not to be so formal. “The long and short of it is—the Venifucus are back.”
“The who?” Elaine asked over Cade’s swearing.
“Venifucus. An ancient order that according to legend once tried to rule the world. Their figurehead leader was a sorceress named Elspeth who was banished to another realm centuries ago. A new movement has recently come to light that wants to restore her to our world. I’m not really sure if that’s even possible but these people are doing everything they can to try, and wreaking havoc in every corner of the globe in their various attempts. Your guy was actually one of the tamer ones, if you can believe it. All hell has been breaking loose in other parts of the country for a while now.”
“I’ve heard rumors,” Cade said. His tone was as solemn as she’d ever heard it. “I didn’t believe it could be possible but it makes sense with some of the things Fidelio and Billy Bob said.”
“Billy Bob?” Ted asked curiously.
“A werewolf who worked for the mage. We took care of him yesterday but our monarch told me he also mentioned bringing Elspeth back.”
“Yeah, I heard him say something like that,” Elaine recalled. “I thought he was just ranting.”
“Ranting, it may well have been,” Ted agreed. “But the intent is real if everything we’ve observed is taken together and looked at as a whole. They’ve got multiple groups with multiple talents out there working toward the same goal. My fear—my nightmare—is that one of them will succeed. That’s why a number of us have broken away from the AC. They don’t know it yet, and we don’t want to show our hand too early, so I’m trusting you with this information. I need to ask you not to tell anyone how many of us you saw, what we did, or—if you can manage it—that we were there.”
“I understand your need for secrecy,” Cade admitted. “But I will tell one other. The Nyx needs to know.”
“Then you’re really not the monarch?” Ted asked, clearly surprised.
“Just a royal cousin,” Cade said with a shake of his head.
“And a Royal Guard, I bet.”
“You’d win that bet.” Cade held Ted’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “I tell you this in the spirit of cooperation. Few outside the Guard and my Clan know exactly who or what I am.”
“A secret for a secret.” Ted nodded. “I can get behind that.”
Ted checked his mirrors and pulled into the well-lit parking lot near the diner Cade had selected. For the first time in hours Elaine became aware of her stomach. She hadn’t eaten all day and was still woozy from the accident, but she was starving. A burger with all the fixings was in her immediate future.
But she stopped short when Cade opened the car door for her as a startling thought occurred to her. “Cade, we don’t have any money!”
Ted strolled around the front of the SUV, no doubt catching the tail end of her words. She was embarrassed as she took Cade’s hand and hopped down to the pavement.
“Don’t worry,” Ted said in his casual way. “I won’t let them make you wash dishes. This one’s on me.”
Elaine looked up at him with a chagrinned smile. “Thanks, Ted. We’ve…um…sort of had a rough day.”
He looked her over and nodded. “You might want to hit the ladies room first and clean up a bit. You have some dried blood on your temple from a cut that clotted just above the hairline.”
She tried to touch the area, but it hurt so she left it alone. Cade bent over her inspecting the area, and she was touched by his concern.
“It must have happened when they made us wreck the bike this morning,” she mused. “I was unconscious most of the day and I’ve been feeling a little woozy since I woke up, but I think at this point it’s mostly from hunger.”
Cade’s eyes narrowed as he held her gaze. He was probably checking her pupils, she realized. “All right. Food first, then we’ll see how you’re feeling. If we have to, I know a doctor we can wake up to check your head. Are you hurt anywhere else, baby?”
“No. You saw the rest. My arms and legs are sore from being tied, but I’ll be okay. How about your burn?”
In answer Cade lifted the side of the sweatshirt. The burn mark was already fading. She traced it with a finger.
“That’s amazing,” she breathed. “I was so upset when I thought it would leave a permanent mark.”
“I told you we heal fast. By tomorrow you’ll never even know it was there. Good as new.”
“That’s one ability I wish I had,” Ted piped in, reminding them of his presence.
“With the way my life has been going recently,” Elaine agreed, “I could use it too.”
“It comes in handy every once in a while. That’s for sure.” Cade tucked Elaine under his arm as they walked together toward the entrance of the diner.
They went in, and Cade escorted her to the rear of the building where the restrooms were located. Ted grabbed a booth facing the door and started looking over the menu.
“Go on in and freshen up. I’ll be right here standing guard. Call out if you need me.”
Elaine reached up and gave him a quick kiss, a promise of more once they were alone and had time to sort out their personal matters. She knew things had changed—for her at least—when they’d faced the danger of Fidelio together. He’d said some things too, that gave her hope, but they needed time alone to talk it out and just hold each other.
She drew away and went into the ladies room. They’d have time to discuss their future as soon as they got this other business out of the way. She looked forward to it.
Cat's Cradle: String of Fate, Book 1
Chapter Fourteen
Cade signaled one of the waiters and a minute later saw the man on the phone. He was calling the owner of the diner, a lion shifter named Rich. If Cade needed backup, the lion and his Pride would provide it. Most of the big cat shifters tended to stick together when necessary, and Rich owed Cade a favor or two.
Elaine came out of the bathroom looking much neater. He gave her a peck on the cheek, unobtrusively checking the extent of the gash on her head. It wasn’t as bad as he feared, but he’d keep a close eye on her tonight and he’d damned well wake the doctor if she showed any signs of more serious injury.
They walked together to the booth Ted had chosen. Cade was pleased by its location out of sight of most of the windows and facing the door. Easily defensible, should it become necessary.
Cade let Elaine slide into the booth first, closest to the wall. He wasn’t letting her get too far away from him ever again. They’d have to sort some things out once they were alone, but he had high hopes after the things they’d both said that night. She’d learn soon what it meant to be a shifter’s mate. It’d be his pleasure to teach her about it, for the rest of their lives.
“So, you’re a Shield,” Ted led off the conversation by asking Elaine. She looked blankly at him, bless her heart.
“That’s what Fidelio said, but I have no idea what it really means except for the fire not hitting me.”
“You didn’t know?” Ted seemed surprised.
Elaine shook her head. “I thought I was toast when he hit me with that fireball. You could’ve knocked me over with a feather when it went around me and Cade, thank goodness.”
Ted sat back and looked at her. “I didn’t realize you were new to this. Charlie didn’t have time to tell me much about what was going on. He only said the Venifucus were probably involved and some innocents would be paying the ultimate price if I didn’t get my ass down to the dock in time. I didn’t realize just how innocent.”
“I didn’t even know about shifters until about a week ago,” she admitted, and Cade noticed she carefully didn’t mention her best friend. He liked her loyalty and her ability to keep a secret. That would come in handy in
their future together.
Ted whistled between his teeth, the noise grating on Cade’s sensitive ears but he didn’t flinch. He’d trained himself against reacting to things humans would take for granted. He’d had to in order to pass in human society. It was something they taught youngsters and something he’d pass on to his own cubs—once he and Ellie started having them.
But he had to stop daydreaming. They’d get to it soon enough. Business first. That had always been his mantra, but he was having a hell of a hard time sticking to business with Elaine’s soft body and alluring scent right beside him.
“Shields—sometimes called Protectors, among other things—have the innate ability to hide the magic of anyone they’re near. For example, if a Sensitive—someone who can sense magic—came over here, they’d think Cade was completely non-magical because your presence masks his inner magic.” Cade finally understood why the tigre blanche had been able to hide in plain sight for so long. Her best friend was shielding her, whether either of them realized it or not. “You can also deflect magic away from you, like you did with the fireball,” Ted went on. “Though I’ve never seen such a powerful Shield as the one you possess. You’re damned lucky you were that strong, Elaine. Otherwise, you really would have been toast. That guy was the strongest fire mage I’ve ever seen.”
“Seen many, have you?” Cade challenged.
“A dozen or so, actually.” Ted surprised him by answering. “They seem to be more common in military circles because they’re naturally drawn to explosives.”
The waiter came over and took their orders, leaving behind tall glasses of ice water. Cade received a subtle signal that the Pride leader was on alert. Cade looked around and saw Rich, the owner, emerge from the kitchen as casual as could be. Only Cade realized the lion Alpha was watching everything that transpired with discerning eyes.
“I’m grateful for your intervention, Ted, if I haven’t said it before.” Cade raised his glass to the man. “Thanks.”
“Glad we could help. As a matter of fact…” Ted tapped his glass, seeming unsure how to proceed. “That’s the main reason I wanted to talk to you privately. For a while now I’ve believed that if we’re going to succeed in keeping our world safe, we’re going to have to start working together. Humans, magic users, shifters, hell, even bloodletters if we can find any reasonable ones.” Ted ran one hand through his spiky blond hair. “What I’m proposing is an alliance.”
“I can’t speak for the Nyx,” Cade said after considering the idea. “But I’ll talk to her. If she agrees, I’ll talk to some of the others, if possible. The Nyx only speaks for pantera noir. You realize that, right?”
“I’ll admit I’m not completely up on how your Clans and Packs are organized, but I get the general idea.”
“My cousin leads the Clan as Nyx, but my father is Alpha of our familial Pride. Lots of Prides make up a Clan and some Clans have more Prides than others.” Cade decided this was safe enough information to pass along as a show of good faith. If this guy really was former Altor Custodis, he probably knew or suspected a lot of this already. “The Nyx can interface with the other Clan monarchs, but it’ll be up to each of them whether or not they want to form an alliance. It could take some time to organize. We’re not used to the idea of working with humans. Hell, we’re not even used to the idea of mating with humans, but times are a-changin’ and they’re going to have to get over it.”
“So you’re mated?” Ted looked from Cade to Elaine and back.
“Not officially, but after tonight that’s one of the things we’ll be sorting out.” Cade put his arm around Elaine, gratified when she moved into him, not denying his words or his possessive touch. She looked worn out and wasn’t talking much, which he took as a sign of her bone-deep fatigue.
“Congratulations,” Ted said, and Cade felt the genuine good wishes behind the man’s words. “I’m doubly glad I got there in time tonight. Everyone deserves a shot at happiness.”
“Why, Ted,” Elaine said with a sleepy grin as the food arrived. “I didn’t know you were a romantic.”
The ex-Navy man actually blushed and ducked his head as he pretended undue interest in his burger. Cade winked at Elaine, glad to see the spark of amusement in her eyes. He took an extra moment to check her pupils, relieved to see they looked normal. She’d be all right. She just needed a few solid hours of sleep to get her strength back. Food first, then sleep, as soon as he could get her someplace safe to do it.
Cade dug in to his steak and eggs, needing the protein to aid his body in recovering from the abuse it had been dealt that day. Being knocked unconscious by his abrupt contact with a brick wall had been the worst of his injuries but by no means the only one he’d suffered. His body’s repair systems had been working overtime, and he needed to refuel.
“I’ve seen a lot of the bad side of the world,” Ted said to Elaine after the silence had stretched. “It’s good to see a happy ending once in a while to sort of balance things out. For what it’s worth, I hope things work out for you two.”
Elaine reached across the table to put her hand on Ted’s wrist, so he’d meet her eyes. Cade suppressed the instinctive growl that rose in his throat at seeing his woman touch another male. The panther wanted to rip and tear and claim its mate but the man knew better in this instance. Of course, the man was as eager for the claiming part as the panther, so on that they both agreed. Soon, he promised his cat. Very soon.
“You’re a good man, Ted, and I can’t thank you enough for the second chance you’ve given me. Despite the ugliness that came before, the end result is a good thing.” Elaine pulled her hand back, and Cade relaxed, a fraction off high alert. “If I have anything to say about it, this will only be the beginning of humans and shifters working together. What do you think, Cade?” She turned to him, her eyes flashing, daring him to join her in the bold pronouncement.
“I think…” He chose his words carefully. He had to secure one last promise from Ted before they adjourned this meeting. “As far as the world is concerned, you, my dear, are strictly human. Your ability is something we can use to our advantage.” He shot Ted a questioning glance and was gratified to see understanding in the man’s expression. “As far as human-shifter cooperation, I can’t speak for all of my kind, but I’ll do my part to make it happen.”
“That’s good enough for me,” Ted said, finishing up his burger and wiping his chin with a napkin. “As far as Elaine’s talent goes, I agree. I’ll keep it under wraps as much as possible. My team saw what happened, but they don’t know who you are and we’ll keep it that way for now. They all know enough not to talk about anything that we do when we get together, but I’ll give them a gentle reminder.”
“We’d appreciate it.” Cade reached over and shook the man’s hand as he rose and threw two twenties on the table.
“I’m outta here. I suspect you’ll be able to make it back to your people from here, right?”
Ted shot a knowing glance to the counter where Rich, the owner, sat nursing a cup of coffee while he talked with a few of the wait staff. All were members of his Pride and on alert though it was hard to tell if you weren’t a shifter. Apparently Ted recognized the signs, which told Cade the man had either spent a lot of time around shifters or been well trained by someone who had.
“Yeah, we’ll get a ride,” Cade acknowledged, standing also. It was time to take his mate home. “Thanks for everything, Ted. We owe you.”
“Don’t worry. Some day I plan to collect.” Ted shook Elaine’s hand while Cade watched. This time he wasn’t as successful repressing the growl while another man touched his woman, but he respected Ted for not backing down. He lifted Elaine’s hand for a gentlemanly kiss and let her go with a wink in Cade’s direction. The man really did like tempting fate, it seemed.
Cade pulled Elaine to him for a hug as they watched Ted leave. One of the waiters went out to smoke a cigarette, and Cade knew Ted would be watched at least until he cleared the immediate area. Cade tugged Ela
ine along with him toward where Rich held court at the counter. It was time to introduce his woman and make their way home.
Rich gave him the once over as Cade stood before the Pride Alpha. They were friends from way back, and Cade respected the older man who had been a Royal Guard in his day. He’d been one of those who’d trained Cade as a matter of fact, and they were good friends.
“Would you mind telling me why I had to get up in the middle of the night and come down here to babysit you sharing a meal with this beautiful girl and an ex-Navy SEAL?”
“Navy SEAL? How do you know?” Cade wasn’t surprised to hear the news. Ted had skills above and beyond those of a regular seaman, and he took killing way too casually.
Rich pointed to a big kid standing by the kitchen door. “My son’s buddy is home on leave from Coronado. He’s a tiger,” Rich shrugged. “You know how they love the water.” A signal from the Pride Alpha brought the younger man forward.
“This is Lenny, my oldest son’s best friend. Lenny, tell them what you told me.” Rich instructed.
“Is she cool?” The young man looked quickly at Elaine and back to the Pride Alpha.
Rich looked at Cade, waiting for an answer.
“Cooler than you can even imagine.” Cade pulled her close to his side and placed a kiss on top of her head. He saw Rich’s eyes flare.
“Is it serious?” Rich eyed Elaine in a whole new way.
Cade nodded. “We’re working on it. She’s met my family and she knows about us, so you can speak freely. She’s proven herself trustworthy many times over. Elaine…” Cade could feel the tension in her shoulders as he made the introductions. “This is Rich. He used to have my job.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Alpha.” Cade was proud she’d remembered that little detail, which no doubt impressed the lion. “I’d wondered why Cade chose this diner. It all makes sense now. Thanks for watching our backs.”
“She’s quick,” Rich complimented her as he smiled. He still looked a little puzzled, but was clearly warming to Elaine. Cade took it as a good sign. Rich turned back to Lenny, prodding him to continue.
