Fox Fate (7 page)

"I will ask Teddy if he wishes to travel with us, but he will probably decline," Violet said partway through. "He wouldn't be able to handle it."

Teddy was Violet's mate. I'd only met him a few times, but he struck me as the most submissive wolf I'd ever met. I'd once asked Vivian about it, wondering if Violet's choice of mates said something about her.

"She loves him to pieces," Vivian said. "Violet has mellowed, but in her younger years, she didn't handle competition well. They are well-suited to each other."

"I would like to know what politics you intend to play," Albert Stein asked.

Oh joy, another debate. I finally sighed and said, "We won't be playing politics at all." I hadn't even picked a lull in the conversation. I threw it out there, talking over everyone else. Fourteen pairs of eyes turned to me.

"I thought that was the entire idea," Lenora observed.

"We're going defensively, right? To avoid being on the losing side of politics played by others. Well, we should pick our battles and avoid the rest. We're not interested in those games. We should remain aloof." I looked at Lara. "Unless you intend to push our perspectives on the other packs."

"No," she said. "Maybe someday, but we need to let time work on them for a while. American society is just becoming accustomed to the concept of equality, but most of the pack alphas are older than I am, and they are likely to be somewhat fixed in their antiquated beliefs."

And so, we had a plan.

Flight

We flew ourselves, although we toyed with chartering a jet. We took three aircraft, with Lara, Angel and me as pilots. Madison to New Orleans is just over a thousand miles, and I'd never flown further than Bayfield before. It felt really cool.

I flew the Bonanza with Serena, Portia and Violet as passengers. As we were getting in, Serena turned to Violet. "Would you care for the front, Councilwoman?"

"You are a councilwomen as well, Serena," Violet said. "And I suspect you know how to assist our pilot."

And so Serena took the front seat and helped manage maps, and she even knew how to work the radios. It was nice to have a hand.

To say I was excited would be an understatement. I was excited on so many levels.

First, I loved flying, and the Bonanza was a dream. It was a lot of airplane, but I loved the power at my fingertips. I was always excited to be flying it, especially when we had other aircraft on a trip. I couldn't properly explain it but there was just something nice about flying in a group of airplanes. That this was such a long trip was a small source of stress, but it was manageable.

I was also stressed and excited about where we were going. This was a risk. We were going to make ourselves more visible, which could make us a target. We were also willingly entering the lair of a very powerful vampire. We had every reason to trust her, but it was intimidating.

But I would get to see Deirdre again. I had so much I wanted to ask her. I wondered if there would be other fae there. My foxy curiosity was in full swing.

And Carissa had as much as stated she had solid news about other werefoxes, and the way she had said it suggested there was some good news in the mix.

And so, I was excited, nearly aflutter. And everyone around me knew it, too. I'd been getting a hard time about it. But I didn't care.

Still, with the enforcers looking on, I took my time with the preflight. The aircraft was in perfect condition; Lara made sure of that with all her airplanes. Finally I opened the door and turned to Portia and Violet. "You'll need to take the aft-facing seats for takeoff and landing," I said, "but if you're more comfortable facing forward, one of you can shift while we're in flight."

"We'll be fine, Captain," Violet said, climbing in first to take the seat behind mine. I made sure Violet got buckled in properly, helped stow her bag, and then climbed in myself.

I looked around. It was taking longer for Lara to load her passengers, but soon she had them settled. She gave me a little wave before climbing into the Seneca. Two minutes later, all three airplanes were taxiing. We did our run ups, the last check of all critical systems before taking off.

As always, I knew I would be expected to take off first. Lara was so paranoid. I guess after not one, but two kidnappings, she had reason to be. "Everyone all set?" I asked. "This is the last opportunity to remember you forgot to use the facilities."

I heard multiple chuckles over the headset.

"I've never flown in such a small aircraft, Captain," Violet admitted. "But I have a strong stomach."

"Excellent," I said. "We can fly some aerobatics!" As if. The Bonanza was the wrong airplane for that.

I pushed forward on the throttle, and the engine responded smartly. Thirty seconds later, we were in the air.

Our plan was for an east departure to help us fly around Dane County airport airspace. That was perfect for me, as it gave me an opportunity to circle the compound twice while waiting for Lara and then Angel to climb into the air. I made sure to tip the wing far enough that Violet could see as well.

I was grinning from ear to ear. I loved that airplane.

"Where are you, Little Fox?" Lara asked over the encrypted radio.

"Like you don't know," I replied with a laugh. "Violet wanted to see the compound."

Lara chuckled. "Right. I'm sure she did. Get over here and form up."

I returned her chuckle and turned back to the airport. Lara and Angel were flying a box pattern over the airport. "I see you both," I reported. I timed my approach, pulling in behind Angel and off her right wing. "Lead the way, fearless leader!"

Lara did one more half circle before turning us towards the east. We all had our GPS systems programmed with our flight plan, so if we got separated, none of us would get lost.

"Keep it loose today," Lara said. "This is too far to fly with the stress of flying in formation."

We edged our way around the outside of Dane County airspace, staying well clear to the east as we climbed to a comfortable cruising altitude. Soon we were flying south towards St. Louis, our fuel stop today.

"So," I asked. "What is today's entertainment?"

"Truth or dare!" Angel offered immediately. "Michaela, I dare you to make your passengers airsick."

"They can hear you, Angel," I said. "Besides, Elisabeth is with Lara."

"Hey!" exclaimed Elisabeth. "I heard that, Fox."

"You were supposed to, Wolf," I replied. "And how many times do I have to tell you? That's Alpha Fox to you."

"Do you believe I would leave the entertainment up to chance?" Lara asked. "Each of you, look in your glove box. Take out what you find, but don't open it yet."

I offered a quizzical look to Serena. She opened the glove box and removed two boxes of Trivial Pursuit questions and a stopwatch. A moment later I heard laughing from all three aircraft.

"We're playing for points," Lara explained. "Each aircraft is a team. I'll start by reading a question for Michaela's team to answer. There is a two-minute time limit per question. You get two points if you answer correctly within one minute, and one point if you answer within two. Angel's team then gets fifteen seconds to state whether Michaela's team is right or wrong. If they are correct, they get half the points Michaela could get for answering correctly. Then the next time it's our turn to read a question, we'll ask Angel's aircraft instead. Questions?"

"Are there prizes?" I asked.

"Yes," Lara said. "The winning aircraft gets a shopping spree tomorrow."

"Excellent," exclaimed Angel.

There was a pause, then Lara said, "Elisabeth wants to make a side wager with you, Michaela."

I laughed. "And did you also want a side wager, honey?"

Lara didn't answer, but then Elisabeth spoke. "Michaela, do you remember my favorite wager?"

"I believe I might," I said. "It involves shopping."

"That's the one," she said. "If our team scores higher than your team, I want that renewed and made a permanent agreement."

Wow. "Seriously?"

"Yep."

"All right, with reasonable restrictions on frequency."

"Once a month for part A, unlimited for part B." Elisabeth had once won a wager that required me to buy the dress she picked out for me, and to wear it three times to events of her choosing. She had picked a bright pink dress I had hated at the time. Elisabeth wanted me to go shopping with her once a month, and I would be obligated to wear what she selected as often as she chose. Periodically, she had renewed this wager with me, losing more often than winning, but I knew it pleased her greatly when she won.

At first, I had thought Elisabeth simply wanted to tease and embarrass me, but Lara had loved the clothes Elisabeth picked for me. They were far more feminine than I typically wore, and even I had to admit I looked good in what she picked.

"Yes on part A," I agreed, "but you better have a really good offer if you think part B should be unlimited."

"I don't actually expect to exercise part B more than once or twice a month most months, but I didn't want us to quibble if I wanted to do so several days in a row for some reason. I won't abuse it."

"And what are you offering?"

"I'll help teach one of your classes a week," she offered.

"I pick the class?"

"Subject to my duties," she replied. "And I might be unavailable during times we're on high alert."

"You'll also help with the associated grading?"

"If you don't abuse it," she replied.

"All right," I said. "Agreed."

There were a few minutes of other wagers floating around. Violet made a wager with James and Karen with Portia. What can I say? Weres are competitive.

"All right," Lara said. "One last thing. Once you open your boxes of questions, you may cut them, but you may not reorder them. And periodically there are special cards. The questions on those cards are for the team captains themselves, and they must not receive any help at all from their teammates. We're on the honor system, but I know that none of you will cheat."

"Who came up with these special cards?" I asked suspiciously.

"I did," she said. "Elisabeth did the ones I will answer."

"All right, Michaela," Elisabeth said. "Geography."

We'd been playing for about fifteen minutes. Lara's team and mine were neck and neck; Angel's team was lagging. It was Elisabeth's turn to read another question. "Oh, a special one. This is for Angel. Angel and Michaela, no one in your aircraft is allowed to coach you. This is worth ten points instead of two." The radio was silent for a moment or two, and then when I next heard Elisabeth's voice, it sounded like she was fighting to contain her laughter.

"Angel, you have been assigned to Michaela's security detail. You know that Lara and Michaela just had a fight, and the fox is in a mood. She grabs her car keys, states she is going for a drive alone to cool off, and orders you to remain behind. Your alpha has given you a direct order. What do you do?"

The wolves in my airplane immediately began laughing, even Violet.

"That's not what the card says!" I exclaimed.

Elisabeth, laughing, got back on the radio. "I read it exactly as written."

There was a pause before Angel tried to answer. "You three can hush up," I said. I glared at Serena for emphasis. She didn't typically laugh at my discomfort, but she was wiping tears from her eyes. I stuck my tongue out at her.

"I refuse the order," Angel said, seriousness in her voice. "I do not allow her to leave pack property with fewer than two enforcers."

"That is so wrong!" I blurted.

"Ten points for Angel," Elisabeth announced. "None for Michaela. Angel, your team is back in the game!"

From behind me, Violet said, "I think we know what Lara and Michaela are going to fight about tonight."

The next special card came up in Angel's aircraft. "This is a special card for Michaela only," said Karen. "Ten points."

"Wait!" I said. "If Lara did my questions, doesn't that mean she already knows the answer. She'll know whether I got it right or wrong."

"Elisabeth will act as team captain for your questions, Michaela," Lara said. "She hasn't seen this."

Karen was chuckling when she read the card. "Easy one, Michaela. Remember, no one gets to coach her. What year was the pack officially formed?"

"What?"

"Do you need me to read it again?"

"I have no idea when the pack formed," I complained. "What kind of question is that?"

"It's a perfectly good piece of trivia," Karen said. "Do you care to hazard a guess? I'll give you a hint. Lara's father was not the first alpha."

I sighed. "1927."

"That is incorrect," Elisabeth replied. "The pack was formed in 1869 by Samuel Harper, a former civil war soldier. After the war, he went home to Pennsylvania, collected a wife, and moved to Wisconsin to start anew. Over the next several years, several more wolves arrived, and Samuel officially registered the pack in 1869."

"According to this card," said Karen, "Elisabeth is correct. Five points to Lara's team. If it's any consolation, Michaela, I didn't know, either. I had to read the card."

I got the next special. "Finally," I said, "A question for Lara." I sighed. "Lara, the card asks, 'What is Michaela's height in bare feet, not counting the hair?'  Very funny, Elisabeth. You have to guess within a half inch. It's only worth five points though."

"Four-feet, eleven and three-quarters," Lara answered immediately.

"Lara is right," Angel answered just as immediately.

I flipped the card over to see if Elisabeth had picked a different answer. She'd written, 'Fifty-nine and a half, not counting the attitude'. "Five points for Lara, two and a half for Angel," I said.

We were now officially in last place by a couple of points. To my passengers, I said, "They cheat." My passengers didn't respond.

A few minutes later, Elisabeth said, "I have an easy special for Michaela. Michaela, what is Francesca's middle name?"

"What?" I asked. "Seriously?"

"You've known her for six years," Lara said. "She prepares half your meals and manages your house. At your wedding you referred to her as surrogate mother to both brides. And you don't know her name?"