by Crystal Dawn
As he ordered his breakfast she walked into the room looking tired. Why couldn’t the female rest when she so clearly needed it? He was certain she had been taking too much on and he would insist she cut back on her duties. The servers brought her coffee and OJ, a common pairing of drinks among most at the table. It wasn’t long before their meals came since they had their favorites they ordered more often than not. Sherona had been consistent in her meal choices lately to the point they no longer asked her what she wanted.
“It looks like everyone wants to be on hand to greet our new arrivals when they come.” Ari said looking around the table.
“I felt you would want me there to assist in greeting them, since I know almost all of them.” Tyne acknowledged.
“I have family among them.” T.J. agreed.
“I’m your second, of course I’ll be there.” Jericho said.
“My family too.” Mal offered.
“And you?” Ari asked of his youngest son.
“I’ll admit to being curious.” Jude stated. He was probably the most honest of all. Ari was certain they were all curious because he certainly was.
Digging into his meal, he decided to enjoy it and worry later. Everyone else concentrated on eating too. Once the plates were cleared away, the conversation was restarted. “When do you think they’ll arrive?” Sherona asked.
“They could be here anytime, but I’d say in an hour would be more likely assuming the usual delays.” It was his best guess.
“Either they left early or experienced no delays.” Tyne said with a smirk as they heard sounds in the hallway.
Ari rose slowly and stalked in that direction followed by his entourage. He would meet his visitors right away. The vamp at the head of the group had power radiating off him. There was also a lingering scent, faint but detectable by an older wolf like he was, of death and blood. Alexander looked no older than thirty. Youthful looks were a vamp trait after all. Short bristles on his face formed a beard and a mustache although in Ari’s opinion it was more like he needed a shave. A real beard and mustache would be longer.
Alex’s brown eyes held a glow of his vampire essence that any supe could pick up. The next one he noticed was another male, a witch who was putting off so much magical force, a blind man could see it. That would be Tudor, he was certain. The other vampire, Jackson, was also old and powerful but not as much so as Alex. Tank had a different kind of power. Incredible strength and the potential for wreaking great havoc was barely held in check. This bear was angry and spoiling for a fight. That left the last male, Devon who seemed harmless at first glance. The thought demon jumped into Ari’s mind. Devon might be more dangerous than all of them.
When he looked at the females, they were all attractive and all but one seemed harmless enough. That one must be Harm. The look on her face said please just give me a reason. Barely leashed malice radiated from her as did a warrior’s demeanor. Ari thought he had Harry picked out because she’d been described as cute and cuddly. Cherry was pretty, Frankie had an exotic beauty, so Emy was the last one. The females might seem benign but he knew they could be extremely dangerous.
Alex stepped up after giving him a minute to conclude his perusal. “I’m Alex. Damon sends his regards.” Alex went on to introduce each team member showing Ari his guesses had been accurate.
Ari in turn introduced himself and each of the people with him. He was sure they had a good idea who each of his people were too. It was after all a small world and white wolves and their mates were the subject of much gossip. “Sherona and T.J will show you ladies to your rooms.” Ari suggested because Sherona had asked him to let her and T.J. have some time with their relatives. The ladies departed quickly, probably wanting to talk among themselves.
“Well gentlemen, do you want to go to your rooms now or have a drink?”
“I think I can speak for everyone in saying we’d all like a drink.”
Ari led the way out the back door to the recreation center the pack had. He didn’t stop in the main area where most activities took place but moved to the back of the facility where there was a private room. One of the waitresses who worked there followed them in. They sat in a comfortable seating area with side tables dotted about for holding drinks, snacks, or whatever might be needed. The chairs and couches had the look of old leather, soft and supple with age. The look they had been going for was that of a gentlemen’s club and he thought they had achieved it.
The waitress started with the male to Ari’s right taking orders in a circle with him being last. The rule was guests first. She was a pretty little thing drawing more than one look from these hot blooded predators. Ari hoped his females would survive the invasion. Once she left to get their drinks, the males relaxed.
“Fill me in on your situation.” Alex requested. Ari went into great detail, only pausing when the drinks came. As soon as she handed them out she left the room.
“So you think you were selected because of your mating and your son’s?”
“It’s the only thing that makes sense with the information we have. Kirk started with the purists, but he didn’t stay with them long. They supplied him with rogues but he still has plenty of them.”
“Any idea where they’re coming from?” Alex wondered.
“Not a clue, but he has them in huge numbers.”
“Maybe a spell?” Alex asked as he looked to Tudor.
“It’s doable but would require a strong witch.” Tudor replied.
“Could you do it?” Alex asked.
“Yes. But I wouldn’t. Most witches wouldn’t.”
“What if he offered them something or had a loved one?”
“Perhaps. But I’d bet there aren’t a dozen other witches who could cast a spell of such magnitude. No creature wants to die, so they will fight the spell. It takes strength to overcome that especially when trying to control so many.”
“Okay. It’s unlikely that it’s a spell unless it’s being used in conjunction with something else.”
“What are you thinking?” Ari asked.
“A witch could gather them in groups, then they could be given blood drug in small amounts. That would take the fight out of them.”
“Could a vampire control a large number like that?” Ari asked.
“I don’t believe so. A hundred would require the strongest of vampires.” Alex responded.
“How about a group of vamps?”
“In general, my kind don’t play well with others, especially our own kind.”
“You seem to do fine.” Ari observed.
“Tell Frankie that.” One of the others said.
“What? She likes me.” Alex argued.
“Is that why she threatened to feed you your balls?” Tudor observed dryly.
“That’s just her way of talking dirty to me.” Alex chuckled.
“I hope I’m spared, if that’s what she calls dirty talk.” Jackson drolled.
“It would be in your best interest to be spared.” Alex said as his eyes took on an eerie glow.
Hmm, so that’s the way it was. Ari had already uncovered something important about his visitors. Romance was blooming and Alex’s luck was no better than Jude’s. Maybe the two males should get together, no never mind. Alex might be a bad influence on Jude. Mal would be hard enough to win as it was.
“Anyone else have any suggestions on how Kirk could control so many rogues?” Ari asked to get them back on track.
“Hypnosis?” Devon suggested making them all laugh. Ari looked at him but he wasn’t laughing.
“You’re serious?”
“I am. There have been many military experiments on mass suggestion.”
“We’ll note it as a possibility then. I wish we could get some inside information.”
“That’s probably not going to happen.” Tudor said.
“When was the last time they hit?” Jackson wondered.
“Last night.” Ari said, then went on to describe last night’s attack.
“So you’re saying th
ey basically just threw a bunch of untrained rogues at you which you took out with few losses of your own? Kirk must be nuts because that makes no sense.” Tudor stated.
“Unless he’s trying to wear you down using disposable troops. Weren’t you assigned to him, Jude?”
“I was, but they never shared anything important with me. They didn’t trust me because of my family ties.”
“That makes sense. Blood is thicker than water.” Devon agreed.
“So far all we’ve managed to agree on is Kirk is crazy. We’re no closer to figuring out his plan than we were before we arrived.” Alex complained.
“Maybe instead of examining his motives and plans, we just need to devise an attack?” Ari suggested. “It gets old sitting here waiting for attack after attack. Kirk is a coward, always hanging back in a protected position. I want to take the fight to him with taking him out the goal.”
“Have you given any thought about how to get close enough?” Alex asked.
“I’ve given it lots of thought but it’ll be a case of hit and miss. We have almost no Intel. I think he keeps his army scattered around my pack lands. He’s got to be hiding somewhere but I don’t know where. Hiding is what he does best.”
“You may be in luck. Devon’s nickname is the ghost. He can slip in and out of most places unobserved. Once it’s dark, we’ll let him take a crack at them.” Alex said. “Meanwhile, now that we’re all best friends, why don’t you give us the grand tour?”
“I’d be delighted.” Ari stood leading the way out of the back door. They would tour the grounds first. He showed them the security measures in place. All of them were impressed with Tyne’s little surprises. They had been a great equalizer when they were so outnumbered. Tudor had been impressed with the little witch’s perimeter spell. It made Ari feel better to know she was good at what she did. They might need her again.
Chapter 6
I See
Judah looked around carefully observing this unusual group of males sent to aid them. He wished the females would rejoin them because he missed Mal. Silly really since he barely knew her and their intimate contact was limited to one night that might never be repeated. His heart ached at the thought that she would reject him. A fool was what he was, since he’d been unable to see what she was to him-his mate. A more fitting match would never be found. Whether he liked it or not, she could keep him in line, going toe to toe with him in any situation.
Now that he’d been around her, seen her in action, and was aware of her talents, he’d come to respect and admire her for who she truly was, beyond the powerful blood that ran through her veins. The term; a day late and a dollar short, came to mind. How could things end this way? If she was his fated one than he was hers as well. She was a wolf now and should be sensitive to that as well. The pull of a mate was strong, as he could personally attest to. They always said it was something you could run and hide from, but you could never go far enough.
He’d heard of rare cases were mates had refused the bond, but Mal was passionate and had given him one night that would never be enough. In the other cases they had never partaken of the pleasure the bond offered. Maybe he was selfish, but he hoped the one night he had given her pleasure trapped her in their connection forever. Jude would never let her go.
It was two hours later before the females rejoined them. Watching Alex and Frankie, he saw his guess that there was something between them was correct. They were matched fated mates and at least one of them fought the draw. They danced around each other much like he and Mal had before he’d realized that she was his equal. He knew a little about Alex including that he was a player. Right now he flirted with one of the attractive young she-wolves but kept an eye on Frankie who acted as if she didn’t care.
In Jude’s opinion Alex was a bigger fool than he himself was. He would drive his mate into the arms of a willing wolf if he continued to torment her in that way. Sam, who had become a total man whore, according to the she-wolves in the pack was inching closer to her. It was obvious to everyone what was going on and Sam didn’t seem above taking advantage of Alex’s mistakes.
Alex didn’t seem to notice until Frankie and Sam were talking. Frankie was happy to have a distraction from Alex’s behavior. It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Alex now glared at Sam, no longer pretending to be engrossed in the she-wolf who was pouting at the loss of his attention. It made Jude wonder what others had seen when he had pursued Mal for all the wrong reasons and she had run from him.
Frankie slipped away with Sam, but he would bet that she had no intention of succumbing to his charms. She just wanted to escape from Alex so she wouldn’t have to watch his flirting and other manipulations. Alex didn’t know that, which was obvious by the furious look on his face. Jude wanted to feel bad for Alex since his situation was similar to his, but after he’d seen the hurt look on Frankie’s face it was hard to. Jude shook his head to clear it of other people’s romantic dilemmas. Now was not the time for him to turn into Dear Abby. His head needed to be in the game at hand.
Looking up he saw Mal looking at him. She looked away as soon as she realized she’d been caught. Regardless of what anyone said, that female wasn’t indifferent to him. The question was, would whatever she felt be enough for him to reel her in. Looking at her a little longer made him swell so much that he had to rearrange the front of his pants. It was time to make another move on his sweet Mal.
Nothing was being decided and enough time had passed that he was sure they needed to dismiss and start again in the morning. Several of the newcomers had deserted to find their own rest or pleasure. He slipped up beside Mal unnoticed since she was using all her efforts to ignore him. “Why don’t you let me escort you to supper?” Jude held his breath as he waited for her response.
“Why not? This is getting us nowhere.”
Filling his lungs with air, relief rushed through him. Maybe he did have a chance after all. Holding his arm out for her. She placed her hand on it as he led her toward the dining room. It was a bit earlier than usual, but there were other people in there already eating, so they didn’t stand out or draw attention until they sat at the alpha table. His dad had ordered them to extend his table to accommodate the additional ten guests he now had.
They sat side by side for a change which would allow for conversation. Drinks were brought right away and they placed their orders. “I guess you are related to all the ladies that came today?”
“Harry’s sort of an adopted member of the family. As far as I know, she’s not blood related but we all love her dearly.”
“Harry’s the cuddly cute witch?”
Mal chuckled. “Yes, but don’t let her hear you describe her that way. She’ll turn you into a toad.”
“Most people say frog. Why a toad instead of a frog?”
“Toads smell worse than frogs.”
“A severe punishment if I kept my wolf sense of smell.”
“Exactly.”
“Do you know any of the males?”
“Only Tank. He’s a sweetheart.”
“The bear? I’ve never heard a bear described that way.”
“Tank is an old friend, much like an adopted uncle to many of the younger white wolves. We knew him before we knew of bears and wolves.” There was a sweet look on her face, as if she remembered the most wonderful things. It made him jealous that he had not put that look on her face. He knew that was silly since he hadn’t even known her back then.
He waited a moment hoping she’d say more, but it seemed that was all she had to say on the matter.
“I met Alex a few times when I was younger.” He admitted.
“Really? I thought wolves and vampires didn’t mix until recently.”
“That is a general rule. There are exceptions to all rules. He’s even stayed here before, many years ago when I was just a cub.”
She smiled. “A bet you were adorable then.” Mal blushed when she realized what she had blurted out. It showed she was starting to s
ee him as something more than an adversary or a one night stand.
“I bet you were a tomboy running wild with the other children causing mischief and mayhem.”
“You’re not far off base. Ariel often had to rein us in but always with a gentle touch. I spent summers with the white wolf relations. They were the best times of my life.”
“Was your childhood hard the rest of the time?”
“No, just different. I was for all intents and purposes the princess of a motorcycle gang. They call them clubs now but gang fits so much better. I had a hundred dads or brothers depending on their age and they all watched out for me. I learned how to ride and how to work on a bike, which was a necessity since we were always on the road.”
“That sounds like a young boy’s dream. Wasn’t that hard for you with no women around?”
“Oh, there were women around, just not the kind a young girl should get advice from. Some of them tried to help me as well as they could. It was the summers around Ariel that helped me with that.”
“I didn’t realize you were that close.”
“Most of us know her well from summer camp. She’s amazing, you would like her. It’s hard not to.”
“I doubt that I’ll ever get the chance to meet her.”
“Don’t be so sure.”
“If I ever do, it would be an honor.”
The food came, great big plates with delicious smelling food on them that the servers set right in front of them. A wolf was always hungry so Jude and Mal dug right in dropping the conversation for now. Others were starting to come in to join them. Frankie sat next to Mal, probably hoping to avoid Alex, since as the leader of their group his place would be next to Ari.
It worked for now, but Alex sent Frankie a look that promised retribution soon. Looking around, he noticed Devon was missing. When he had met Devon earlier, he had felt a tingle of apprehension down his spine. There was something dark and dangerous about that male. It wasn’t that he thought the male would do anything bad to them, he was on their side. The thought was more that he was capable of doing very bad things to an enemy. Things Jude didn’t even want to think about. Wherever Devon was, he figured it was bad for the enemy and good for them.
