Sword of Mercy (18 page)

“Someone is coming
,” Angus interrupted
Silas in the middle of his instructions.

“Who
?” Silas asked.

Hawke stood, grabbed his bag and walked out
the front door. A cloud of dust rolled in from the main road. He
glanced at Asia, her hand rested on the hilt of her sword. Since
the fight with the bluebirds she practiced constantly until the
sword became an extension of her arm.

“C
hacal says Verrick is asking permission
to enter his grounds
,” Angus said through the link. “
What do
you want to do
?” He looked at Hawke.

“Call it Asia,” Hawke
said.

“Take it outside the bubble, can Chacal
muffle the voices so Niall and Granira cannot hear our
conversation?
” Asia looked at Angus.

He nodded and then smiled. “
He’s happy with
our choice and promises to keep those two inside and ignorant of
what’s going on
.” Angus took off running toward the main gate,
Asia followed and Hawke brought up the rear. Tingles raced over him
as they left the protective barrier. Angus stood a few feet in
front of Verrick with his arms crossed. The links to La Patron and
his mate were still open. Hawke stood next to Asia and waited for
Verrick to state the reason of his visit.

“Why am I dragged into this war with you and
the Liege?”

The question took Hawke by surprise. He
expected anger over the loss of his pack-members or the pups, but
not this.

“What do you mean?” Angus asked.

Verrick ran his palm across his bald scalp and
shook his head. “They want me to come to you, to delay you so they
can test you, for what?” He waved his hand as if the idea was too
much to think about. “They send me tape of you.” He pointed at
Hawke. “Destroying my men, offer to make me like you. I want no
part. I am full-blood and will die this way.”

“Who told you to delay us?” Hawke asked,
curious. Lancaster didn’t normally deal with those who held no
allegiance to the group.

“Lancaster,” Verrick spat. “Now the other
wants you destroyed to avoid something. These men, they have no
understanding. I am wolf. Not pissy errand boy.” He inhaled and
breathed deep. “They watch, so I come. My pack will move north to
the mountain until this is over. How long will this take?” He
looked at Hawke.

“Take?”

“For you to defeat them. How long? I need idea
to move my pack.”

Hawke realized the man had come to get
answers, not lodge a complaint or to join them. Verrick intended to
leave. “We are working on it.” Hawke made his response vague to see
his reaction.

Verrick nodded, looked at the others and then
at Hawke. “Watch your back, they want you bad enough to give me
suicide mission. They come, won’t be easy win. But I hope you
do.”

“Is this another delay tactic
?” Angus
asked through their links.

“Could be, but I sense he is telling the
truth and if he is disobeying the Liege they will show him and his
pack no mercy
,” Asia said.

“His choice
,” Silas said in a stern
tone. “
Goes with the territory of being Alpha. Sometimes you
need to step back and re-evaluate what’s best for the pack. That’s
his primary responsibility, nothing else.
”

“Thank you and Goddess be with you and your
pack,” Hawke said into the silence.

Verrick pulled out a pair of sunglasses and
pushed them up his nose. “We will need her protection, but this is
best. We leave.” He nodded and pulled off.

They waited until the roar of the bikes
disappeared. “Hmm, I thought for sure a hybrid or that smart-ass
from the side of the road would pop-up,” Asia said sounding
disappointed.

“What should we do with Granira and
Niall
?” Angus asked. “
I have known her for close to a
century, she was pack historian for the Farkas clan and has access
to a lot of information. I agree with Jasmine, the timing of their
appearance is suspicious, but if she and Maheegan worked together
we may find the way to shut down the Liege faster. The idea that
another pup could suffer the same fate of those pups at the last
lab sickens my gut. This needs to stop now.
”

“Maheegan I know and trust to a
degree
,” Silas said in a measured tone.
“Can you say the
same of this woman?”

“No, I cannot
.” Angus released a long
sigh. “
I cannot. It’s damn frustrating, like dangling a platter
of meat in front of a starving man.”

“Let her help, just do not accept
everything that she says. Use Jacques or Maheegan to test whatever
she shares
,” Jasmine said. “
She may mix the truth with lies,
but if there is something redeemable, use it until you no longer
need her. Remember Maheegan is a master of unearthing accurate
historical data and will see through false accounts. Time is a
luxury we don’t have, so use everything you have to stop those
bastards
.”

Hawke hadn’t heard the Mistress speak much
before, but he picked up the urgency of her summons and understood
Asia’s desire to serve the top bitch. “
Yes,
Ma’am
.”

“Hawke, can Verrick walk away from
the Liege?

“Depends on the relationship. Lancaster has
a long memory and will not be happy if he disobeys
him
.”

“But he said the other… did you catch
that
?” Asia asked.

Hawke thought back and nodded. “
You are
right. Does that mean two Liege Lords are here?
” He couldn’t
help but get excited at the idea of destroying two of the
Lords.

“Possibly. I’ll run a check to see who
landed recently at the nearby airports and will get back with you.
If there are two of them, I do not want them to return to the
states. Is that clear
?” Silas demanded.

“Crystal
,” Angus said with a
smile.

“Yes, Sir
,” Asia said.

“Yes, very
,” Hawke added.

“Good. Go look at those records Maheegan
told me about and it seems she’s on track to getting to the bottom
of the Liege mystery. Oh, and she won’t be returning
stateside.
”

Angus frowned. “
Why not
?”

“She found her mate, Alpha
Radoff
.”

Chapter 18

“Thanks for the ride, brother,” Niall said in
a snide tone, opening and slamming the car door before Hawke
stopped the car. For the past two and a half hours, Niall pleaded
his case. Explained why he lied, he didn’t know if he could trust
Hawke, made excuses for his lies after leaving Verrick’s, he had
promised Granira to pick her up at the appointed time. And blamed
Hawke and the situation for the lies, he would never have lied if
Hawke hadn’t killed the men he hired to rescue Granira. And on it
went until Hawke wanted to kill the man.

The trip had been tedious. Once, Hawke stopped
the vehicle demanding Niall get out and walk home. That managed to
shut him up until the last mile. Asia rubbed his arm and sent
tingly warm energy down their link. The feeling was one he’d never
experienced and made him smile. Rather than respond to Niall, he
picked up her hand and kissed the back.

“Love that, feels good
.”

She nodded and winked at him before opening
her door.

Granira exited the car last and sent him a
smile of gratitude. “Thanks for your assistance. I know he
aggravates you, but he means well. After the death of your mother,
a few of us helped Alpha Hiram with his young litter and Niall was
the smallest of the bunch. No one expected him to survive the
winter.” She stopped and looked across the clearing where Niall
stood talking to a couple of Radoff’s pack members.

“Not only did he survive, he outsmarted a lot
of them.” She faced Hawke. “Lorenzo and Jirek were big, tall and
fighters, like you. But they couldn’t think fast on their feet and
relied on Niall to help develop strategies to keep the pack safe.
He should be commended.” Her voice held a note of pride.

“Why didn’t he fight to become
Alpha?”

She waved him down. “He’s not a fighter and
that’s what it would take.” She peered up at him. “You could become
Alpha. I doubt Muzik will accept a challenge from you since you’re
a descendant of Alpha Nikolas.”

Hawke stared at her wondering at her reasoning
for telling him this. “I should be Alpha and allow Niall to work by
my side?” Niall was putty in this woman’s hands and if he held the
beta position in the pack it would give her access to
power.

“It’s not a bad idea, but I doubt he will
remain long enough for that. He wants to return to his career in
the human world.”

That surprised him. “Why did he leave it
before?”

Her brow rose. “To help me, of course. We’re
both concerned over the fate of these pups and discussed it for
years. When the opportunity arose to do something, I took it and
Niall helped. He’s a good boy. It bothered him to lie to you, but
he did what he felt was best at the time. You shouldn’t be so hard
on him. Niall and Pia are all that’s left of your litter, you
should get to know them.”

Hawke had no interest in knowing either. As
long as he had Asia he was content. One day they’d set up their
den, and have a litter of pups. That was more than enough for him.
Tired of the conversation he turned.

“My mate calls.” He clicked the remote locking
the vehicle and walked toward Asia who stood next to Alpha Radoff.
Hawke watched Radoff straighten and his smile slip as he and
Granira approached.

“Radoff, it’s good to see you, again,” Granira
said, smiling and extending her hand.

Radoff took it and placed a kiss on the back.
“Yes, nice to see you as well. I’ve heard of your recent exploits,
and am happy to see you’ve returned in good health.” He dropped her
hand and took a step back.

“What happened? You look different,” Granira
asked, stepping closer.

“He’s mated,” Maheegan said in a neutral tone
walking up to them. “I’m Maheegan, his mate.”

Granira’s smile slipped a notch, but remained
bright for the most part as she turned to meet Maheegan. “That’s
great. I’m so happy for you, Radoff. Congratulations. When did this
happen?” She frowned at Maheegan. “I don’t think we have ever met
before, where are you from?”

“Montana pack, in the states. La Patron’s
historian.” She dropped the words with a ring of pride that
couldn’t be missed.

“Historian?” Granari’s brow furrowed as she
looked at Radoff. “You brought in another historian? I wasn’t gone
that long.”

Bitch fights held no interest; Hawke took
Asia’s hand and headed to the small room where the journals were
located.

“Hawke, wait,” Radoff called stopping their
progress. He and Asia turned. Maheegan and Granira remained in the
same spot talking various techniques they’d both used in the past
to catalog historical facts. Niall stood to the side, listening to
the women, but remained silent.

“I need to show you something.” Radoff walked
ahead of them to the building where they’d met Niall. When he
headed toward the basement, Asia squeezed Hawke’s hand. “This is
the place the journals spoke of. There is a corridor that leads to
each parcel of land mentioned in the journals, except the one in
Egypt of course. Alphas met down here and discussed important
matters with the Roundtable, sorry, Liege. We believe this is where
they initiated the pup exchanges.”

“Exchange?” Hawke scoffed as he moved further
into the large room. The heavy air tickled his throat as he
swallowed hard. “What did the pack receive in exchange?”

Radoff waited until they reached the middle of
the area and shut the outer door. “You. You are what the pack was
to receive in exchange, Hawke. A smart, fast and unbeatable wolf.
The Liege made a lot of promises to the Alphas back then. Remember,
there was always something hindering the packs from living in
peace, disease, famine, war, something always stopped the packs
from thriving. The Liege reminded the Alphas of a clause or promise
to aid the pack and improving the wolf’s mind and body was their
answer.”