Changing Times

by Marilu Mann

  “Why?” Tony’s voice was still very deep but strangely calm.

  “Isn’t it obvious? She could set a new precedent for all of us. Fuck with us—we’ll kill you. It’s that simple, really. We’re tired of hiding who and what we are. We want an accounting from the humans for all the years of hiding, being ashamed, scared. We want to let them know who we are.

  “So, what do you say, Tony? Are we going to help each other?” Slade leaned forward so that his breath brushed across Carly’s shoulder. It was all she could do not to move away from him.

  Tony’s eyes were more golden than ever now. His lip curled slightly. Carly could feel the man behind her tense then his voice came again. It was right next to her ear. She turned her head slightly then looked out of the corner of her eye at the man leaning over her back.

  “So, what is it with you and human females, Tony?” Slade’s voice was soft and right next to her ear. Carly jumped slightly when Slade touched her. He ran his forefinger from under her ear to her shoulder. “They’re so frail and they break so easily.”

  Tony’s growl reached Slade and Carly at the same time. He moved more quickly than Carly thought possible.

  Tony was out of his chair and behind her before she was even aware he had started to move. For a brief moment she’d had the impression that he had leapt over her but that was ridiculous. He couldn’t have gone from a sitting position to standing behind her by jumping over her. That wasn’t humanly possible.

  Carly refused to consider anything else. She quickly turned in her chair to watch the two men.

  Tony had his hands fisted on Slade’s shirt. Slade was simply standing there, smiling at Tony with his own hands at his sides. His brown eyes were positively glowing at Tony. “You want to fight me, Pantera? You want to take me on? Name the place. Here I am offering to help and this is how you react?”

  The maître d’ suddenly appeared. “Gentlemen, please.”

  Tony was still growling softly but Carly could see him regaining control. “Stay away from me and mine, Slade. All of mine.”

  “You had your shot, Pantera. You should have taken it.” Slade backed up a step with a grin on his face. He met Carly’s eyes and winked at her with his grin still firmly in place then left the restaurant. Tony stood with his hands fisted at his sides as he watched Slade leave.

  “Mr. Pantera, really, I cannot allow this sort of behavior.”

  “I’m sorry, Maurice. I didn’t mean to cause a disturbance. I believe the lady and I will leave now.” Tony turned to look at Carly. She was still somewhat shaken but she took the hand he offered. They left the restaurant without looking back.

  When they arrived at Tony’s car a short exclamation from him drew her attention to the car. Both rear tires were flat. Tony cursed softly in Spanish as he pulled a cell phone out of his pocket.

  Carly waited until he had finished his conversation then stepped in front of him. “Who was that?”

  “His name is Slade. Carly, listen to me, I want to give you some phone numbers. If you ever see him again, call me or one of the other numbers I give you. Slade is dangerous. Don’t try to take him on.”

  “You think I can’t handle him?” Carly had her hands on her hips as she glared at him. Tony almost smiled but stopped as though he knew it would be a mistake. Instead he reached out and ran his fingertips down the side of her face then gently pushed her hair off her shoulder. He ran his hand the length of her arm then took her hand and raised it to his mouth.

  “I’m not sure I can handle him, cheré.” Tony placed a kiss on her knuckles then released her hand. Carly simply stood there watching him. Confusion and desire warred within her. Confusion about this particular man and his effect on her.

  The desire could be easily explained. The air of danger that suddenly surrounded them kept her grounded in reality. There wasn’t any way she wanted part of whatever feud those two had going on.

  Carly saw the shutters come down over his features even as her hand tingled from the contact with his mouth. What was his deal? One minute he acted like he wanted to ravish her on the spot, the next he was like a human iceberg. Just as she opened her mouth to call him on it a brown van pulled into the parking lot.

  The logo on the side was of a clock with the words “Changing Times” in flowing script across the face of the clock. A young man jumped out and grinned as Tony walked over to him. She watched Tony hand the young man his keys then Tony motioned her toward him.

  “Louis will take care of the car for me. I’m afraid this isn’t quite as luxurious but it is dependable transportation. I apologize about lunch.”

  “It’s okay. I think I lost my appetite anyway.” Carly jumped into the conversation before he could suggest they take a rain check. Tony inclined his head then walked around to the passenger side of the van with her.

  “The door sticks, allow me.” He opened the door for her. Carly gave him what she hoped was a withering glare as she got into the van. Tony simply glanced down as he shut the door. She had the feeling he was trying to keep from laughing at her—again. Tony rounded the front of the van and with a few more words of caution for Louis, got behind the wheel. They drove back to Carly’s car in silence.

  Tony turned to face her as he parked the van behind her car. “Carly, I meant what I said about Slade. He is dangerous. He is also willing to risk other people’s lives to get what he wants. Don’t try to challenge him. Don’t even think about fighting with him. If he comes near you, call me.”

  Tony reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a business card. He flipped it over then pulled a pen out of the glove compartment of the van. He wrote something on the back of the card. “I want your promise that if he contacts you that you will call me or one of these two people.”

  “I can take care of myself, Tony.” Carly was more than a little annoyed with his attitude.

  “Can you?” Before she could answer him he was over the separation of the two seats and had her pinned in the passenger seat. His mouth was at her throat, his hands holding both of hers at her sides. Carly froze. Her frantic heartbeat sounded loud to her own ears, she couldn’t imagine how it sounded to him.

  When Tony spoke, his breath feathered over her neck, causing chills to race over her body. She could feel his lips brushing against her skin. “As fast as you think you are, he’s ten times faster. As strong as you think you are, he’s even stronger.”

  Carly inhaled sharply as she felt Tony’s mouth move even closer to her neck. The sharp, clean smell of his skin mingled with a slightly spicier scent reached her immediately. “He could have you before you even knew he was near you. Don’t take chances, Carly.”

  Tony closed his mouth over the frantically beating pulse in her neck. He bit her slightly and Carly jumped. When he licked slowly over the area he’d just bitten, she could feel her body arching toward his, feel her breasts tighten. He moved just as quickly off Carly as he had moved on her. Carly took less than a minute to regain her composure. Tony’s head rocked back from the force of her blow. Though he had to have seen it coming he made no move to avoid it and ignored the faint red mark that appeared on his cheek.

  “I want your promise, Carly. If Slade approaches you I want you to call one of the numbers on the back of that card.” Tony’s voice was as calm as though he was commenting on the weather.

  “Go to hell.” Carly was pissed off at the shaky quality of her voice. Just who the hell did he think he was anyway? How dare he attack her like this?

  “I’ve already been there,” Tony’s voice was soft as he opened the door of the van then came around to the passenger side to open her door. She couldn’t stop shaking and hoped he could tell just how pissed off she truly was. Carly glanced once at him as he reached toward her. “Your promise, Carly.”

  “All right.” Her voice was still shaky but she was quickly regaining her control. “If Slade makes an attempt to contact me I’ll call one of the numbers on the back of this card.” She turned to walk to her car. Tony’s
voice stopped her.

  “Carly?” Carly stopped but didn’t turn to face him. “I’m sorry.”

  She wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for. Carly nodded without turning around then got into her car. Tony waited until she’d started her car. They pulled out of the parking lot and turned in opposite directions.

  Tony wasn’t sure Slade would attempt anything with Carly nor did he know if he would ever see her again. He knew he wanted to. In spite of the danger he might have put her in, his body was still reacting to the feel of her under him, the scent and taste of her, the rapid heartbeat. Tony shook his head then deliberately forced his mind back to his confrontation with Slade.

  Having Slade approach him in public like that meant that the Turn Skins would be escalating their bid to reveal themselves in the human world. Slade’s own admission that he wanted an accounting led Tony to believe there would soon be more violence from the Turn Skins camp. For the most part, Slade was still an unknown to him. Now might be a good time to find out just where Slade had come from and what he’d done in the past.

  Tony did know that Slade had appeared on the scene after Micah had left the pack, so that meant he’d come to the Turn Skins just over two years ago. Curtis’ battle with cancer and the drugs he’d been taking had caused his mental state to deteriorate rapidly, something unusual among Shifters. According to the information Micah had given him, Slade had taken advantage of that deterioration.

  Forcing Challenge fights with an ailing Pack leader wasn’t unusual among the canines. At least that had been Tony’s experience with them. He didn’t generally run with or pay a lot of attention to the wolves. Still, knowing that someone had convinced Curtis to step down and had instigated Challenge fights to see who would take his place as Alpha made Tony wary. That someone had obviously been Slade.

  Now would be a good time to find out more about Malcolm Slade and what exactly what his agenda was. He would concentrate on Slade for now and forget about Dr. Carly Chambers.

  * * * * *

  Slade laughed as he watched the scene in the van. Surely Tony was warning the little human to stay away from the “big bad wolf”. Slade’s laugh was louder this time. “Big bad wolf, yeah, that’s me.”

  Carly Chambers. Slade smiled as he followed her on his motorcycle, whistling the children’s nursery rhyme song about the big bad wolf under his breath. Her scent was easy to trace. Almonds and honey led him right to her door. He didn’t even bother claiming his wolf form for this one.

  After a suitable time lag he stepped into her backyard and waved at her as she sat on her balcony drinking a cup of coffee—French vanilla from the smell of it. Then he melted back into the hedge. He knew she couldn’t see him now, but he could see her. Slade started whistling again, slightly louder then allowing the sound to drift off. He knew she would report his appearance to Pantera, which was exactly what he wanted. He wanted Tony Pantera angry enough to attack.

  Tony was an unknown element. Slade wanted nothing to interfere with his plans. Curtis had put the wheels in motion but Slade would carry out the plans they had formulated. Fear equaled power. With fear on their side, the Turn Skins could gain more power in New Orleans and become a force to be reckoned with. He wasn’t going to allow this unknown element to screw up his plans.

  Tony had fought with other members of the Turn Skins once before. Those who had seen him fight said that he seemed to completely lose control. Slade couldn’t afford to have Tony against him and he knew Tony would never accept his rule. Tony was strong enough to lead all of the Turn Skins and the unaligned shifters, he just didn’t seem to be interested in wielding that kind of power. Tony had been in hiding much too long.

  It was time to blow the lid off their little game of hide-and-seek with the public. It was definitely time for the cats to come out to play with the rest of them or else get out of their way. Permanently. Slade continued to laugh to himself as he walked down the street.

  Chapter Five

  In spite of her promise, Carly hadn’t called Tony after Slade’s appearance in her backyard. She was slightly shaken by the sense of menace surrounding the man. Carly wasn’t sure what to think about Slade or Tony or any of it. If Tony was delusional it seemed there were several people in her immediate vicinity sharing his delusion.

  She refused to accept that she was becoming a believer even though she had picked up several books and articles about lycanthropy during the week that followed. She had also talked to a trusted associate who had spent some time in southern Mexico dealing with the porphyria victims.

  A little over a week after her backyard encounter with Slade, Carly was walking toward her car when she heard someone whistling. Normally that wouldn’t have bothered her but it was the tune that gave her pause. It was the same one Slade had trilled in her backyard.

  Carly stopped in her tracks and looked around. There wasn’t another soul in sight. She made it to her car and got inside, quickly locking the door. Before she could put the key in the ignition there was a loud thump and her car started shaking slightly from side to side. Suddenly a face appeared in her windshield.

  “Hey, Doc. How’s it going? Say, why don’t you drop Pantera and hook up with me?” Slade grinned, chilling her blood in her veins. Once again, his eyes seemed to be glowing at her from his position on top of her car. How he had gotten there she had no clue.

  “What do you want from me?”

  “Nothing really. It’s Pantera I want. You? You’re just the means to an end. Granted, you’re damn attractive but,” Slade shook his head as he chuckled, “you’re really just not my type. Too…human.”

  “Leave me alone or I’ll call the cops.” Carly’s voice was calm but her palms sweated as she white-knuckled the steering wheel with a death grip.

  “And tell them what? That I jumped on your car? That I asked you out?” Slade laughed again. “Come on, Doc. I haven’t committed any crimes here.” There was a brief pause before he continued. “Yet.”

  Slade slid off the roof of her car onto the hood. He leered at her as he eased himself past the windshield. Her muscles tensed at the controlled slow slide of Tony’s enemy. Slade had somehow hooked his fingers onto the space between the hood and windshield of her car and his face was directly in front of hers. Carly drew in a sharp breath. For just a fleeting moment she had seen the face of a wolf and not a man. His features had blurred then stabilized, but his eyes were still glowing.

  “Call Pantera, Carly. Tell him I’m really anxious to meet him again. Tell him I’m close. Tell him I’m watching.”

  Slade rolled completely off her car and vanished. There was no other word for it. One moment he was standing in front of her car, the next he was gone. Carly’s hand shook so hard she dropped the keys twice. She managed to start her car on the third try. She put it in gear and drove home just slightly over the speed limit.

  When she arrived at her condo, she triple-checked the doors to make sure they were all locked then sped up to her bedroom. She dug the card Tony had given her out of her wallet and flipped it over. The first number he had written on the card was swiftly punched into her cordless phone.

  It seemed to take forever, though in reality it was only three rings. A sleep-laden voice came over the line.

  “Tony? It’s Carly. Slade was waiting for me tonight.”

  “Carly? Are you all right?” Tony was immediately awake. She could hear the difference in his voice.

  “I’m okay. Scared but okay. He was on my car. He knows where I live.” Carly could hear her voice shaking and it made her angry. “What the hell have you gotten me into?”

  “Carly, I’ll be there in ten minutes. You’ll be safe, I swear it. Slade won’t hurt you.”

  “He doesn’t want me. He said to tell you he was close, he was watching and he was anxious to meet you again. Tony, he scares me.”

  “Understandable. Carly, I’m going to come to your house tonight. If you don’t want me inside, that’s fine but I’m going to make sure you’re sa
fe. No one is going to hurt you.” Tony had gotten out of bed and was pulling on clothes even as they had talked.

  He was at the door to his bedroom as he confirmed her address then grabbed his keys. He suddenly remembered that the Jaguar was in the shop and the van was still at the store.

  Tony briefly debated changing and making his way to Carly’s on four feet but realized that might not be the best plan. He grabbed a different set of keys and took off for the garage. His standby vehicle was there. The truck was old but reliable. Tony got behind the wheel of the ancient pickup and gunned the motor to life.

  Within twenty minutes of Carly’s call he was pulling up a block away from her house. Tony got out of the truck and made a round of the block, using all the senses available to him as he searched for any traces of the “other”.

  Tony found a spot where someone had been watching Carly’s place. The scent wasn’t one he was familiar with, so he knew that it was one of Slade’s people. Tony felt his lip curl as he moved closer to Carly’s condo. He knocked on the door then looked around again as he waited for her to answer the door.

  There was a muffled noise from the other side of the door. Tony stared straight into the peephole. Though the condo was in darkness, he could sense Carly on the other side of the door. Tony waited for her to open the door. Her voice came through the closed door asking who was there.

  “Carly, it’s Tony. Open the door.” He heard the sound of the chain being pulled back then two locks clicked open. Carly stood framed in the doorway. She stared at him for a long moment then stepped back to let him in. “He’s not here now, there was no sign of him outside.”

  Tony stared hard at her for a moment then simply held his hand out. Carly let him pull her closer then she practically jumped into the circle of his arms. Tony closed his arms around her as he kicked the door shut behind him. He held her tight in the circle of his arms as she took a deep breath.