Tempting Danger (39 page)

 

 

RULE
contributed very little over the next couple of hours. He did call the Rho, who agreed to send a squad right away. Then he put on a huge pot of chili and tried not to think about Cullen or the danger Lily would be in. But thoughts are less obedient than arms and legs.

He was in the kitchen stirring up batter for cornbread when she slipped up behind him and put her arms around his waist. The comfort was immediate.

So was the arousal. He turned, tipped her face up, and kissed her thoroughly.

“Well.” Her face was flushed, her hair tousled, her pretty mouth damp and smiling. “Hello to you, too. It smells wonderful in here. You really do cook.”

“My father’s houseman taught me years ago.” He thought he could stand here for a day or so, just holding her, breathing in her scent.

“Houseman? Is that like a housekeeper?”

“Pretty much. Any news?”

“Walker thinks he’s identified the general area covered by Cullen’s map. It’s a remote portion of the mountains northeast of the city.” A worried frown pleated her brow. “He says there are caves in the area. It’s not easy to find a suspect underground.”

“That’s what lupus noses are for. But it might be a good idea to call Max. Gnomes and caves go together. Now, if only we knew what the map signified.”

“One step at a time. I need to ask you something.”

“All right.” He toyed with her hair. He loved the silkiness of it, the sheen. It reminded him of the night sky—so dark, yet full of light.

He couldn’t lose her. He’d just found her. Somehow he had to keep her safe.

“This is important.”

That meant he wasn’t supposed to play with her hair. With a sigh, he dropped his hands to her waist. “I’m listening.”

“Why did Crystal welcome me to Nokolai?”

Uh-oh.
“As my Chosen,” he said carefully, “you are considered part of the clan.”

She was quiet. Dangerously so, for several heartbeats. “And the ceremony Sammy mentioned?”

“There’s a ritual to welcome you. It’s intended to honor you, and . . . it’s when you accept the clan as yours. If you so choose.”

Relief flooded her face. “Then I get a choice. This isn’t just one more thing being
done
to me, whether I want it or not.”

“You get to choose.”

“Rule?” She frowned. “What is it? I’m sure you like the idea of me being in your clan, but it feels like one more thing I’m not qualified for. Not to mention the commitment. I can’t swear fealty to your father.”

“That’s not part of the ceremony.”

“There’s something you aren’t telling me.”

A great many things, most of which there simply wasn’t time for now. His mouth twisted wryly. “There’s one problem, from my point of view. If you refuse to be Nokolai, then neither can I.”

She stared, shocked.

“As my Chosen, you will learn much about us that outsiders aren’t allowed to know. You must either become Nokolai, or I must leave the clan.” When she continued to stare, saying nothing, he smoothed his hands down her arms.
“Nadia,
I know this feels like one more chain around you, but—”

“You don’t know.” She pulled out of his arms, putting space between them. “When were you going to tell me?”

“After we were no longer chasing mad telepaths and their murderous friends.”

“Okay, that’s reasonable.” She took a shaky breath and used both hands to push her hair back. “I’m going to have to think about this, and I can’t right now.”

“I know. I wasn’t going to—” The doorbell chimed, drawing his attention. Sammy was stationed there, so after a brief exchange, he opened it. Benedict entered with five others—his personal squad.

“Smells good in here,” Benedict said, looking around until he spotted Rule. “I hope you made a lot of chili.”

Rule was moving toward him. “There’s plenty. I knew a squad was coming. I did
not
know you would be leading it.”

“Rho’s orders. He wanted to be sure nothing goes wrong if we do fight. I left Houston in charge at Clanhome. He’s competent.”

Houston was a good deal more than competent in anyone else’s terms, but Benedict was in a class by himself. “Lily . . .” He turned, knowing she was behind him. And saw every human in the room on his feet. One had his hand inside his jacket, reaching for a gun. “Ah—have a word with your men, would you?”

“Stand down,” she said sharply. “Now!”

They did. The one who’d reached for his gun looked sheepish.

Rule shook his head. “I wasn’t thinking. I should have prepared your people.”

Lily said dryly, “Your squad isn’t exactly what we’re used to.”

Two of the squad, like Benedict, had multiple blades—scabbarded, but he could see that the humans would find them unsettling. One had a machine gun; all but one of the others had automatics holstered at their waists. And, of course, none were wearing much in the way of clothing, as they were dressed for combat. Denim cutoffs were the usual choice.

“Devin has Pat’s and Sammy’s gear,” Benedict said. “I’ll want a word with them. They haven’t worked with my squad before.”

“I believe,” Brooks said placidly, “I will put a call in to the local police department. Mr. Turner’s neighbors are likely to call them, and we don’t want them getting excited.”

Crystal’s voice came from the dining table, filled with satisfaction. “I’ve got it.”

Rule turned. Crystal had, of course, kept working. He liked to think she would have moved under the table to continue her task if a gun battle had broken out, but he wasn’t sure. “What have you got?”

“Harlowe’s property. He owns a nice little section of land northeast of the city.” She looked up from her laptop. “And it’s right about where Walker places your friend’s map.”

 

 

THERE are fourteen men and two women in this room,
Lily thought. Nine of them were at this table, trying to come up with a plan. And none of them agreed.

Good thing this wasn’t a democracy. “All right,” she said, standing. One by one, the others quieted down. “We’ve hashed out the possibilities pretty thoroughly. First, I like the idea of getting the Air Force to do a flyby of the area so we know what’s there now. Walker hasn’t been there in a few years, and the aerial shots we got off the Net are dated. We need to know if Harlowe’s put up any structures.

“Second, I’m not sending a small group in to reconnoiter. We don’t know this telepath’s range. All the woodcraft in the world won’t shield them if he or she can pick up their thoughts.”

One of the FBI men spoke. “If we go in—”

“Or if we do,” said a dark lupus whose name she couldn’t remember.

“If anyone goes in,” the FBI man said, “we’d need to make sure Harlowe wasn’t at the property.”

She shook her head. “We don’t know for a fact that Harlowe’s the telepath. I’m not sending people in to have their brains picked or pickled. Or to get sliced up. We’ll do this the boring way—with a search warrant. Which I will execute . . . with two lupi and two humans as backup.” She paused. “The lupi will be there mostly to smell—people or spells. The humans will be there to watch the lupi. If someone gets tapped by our telepath, I’m hoping one of the others will spot it or smell it.”

Benedict—the only one at the table who hadn’t offered an opinion—nodded slightly.

“This doesn’t mean we’re dropping the rest of the investigation. I still want search warrants for the other properties and the church, but this place is priority.” She looked at Brooks. “What’s your gut telling you?”

“The sense of urgency hasn’t abated.”

“All right. Get me that search warrant, and put in call to whoever can get us a flyby. Press them for speed. If—” Someone’s cell phone rang. She paused, frowning. If that was her mother—

“It’s mine,” Rule said, standing. He moved away from the table to answer it.

She went on, “If we can’t get the aerial photos in time, we’ll go in without them. Benedict, I’m going to need a better understanding of what your people can do, but for now let’s talk about contingencies. The first one involves chain of command. If I’m taken out or taken prisoner, that will devolve on Brooks—but he won’t be in the field. I don’t know everyone’s capabilities. Suggestions for field command?”

“For combat, tactics, and strategy,” Benedict said, “I’m the most qualified. Give me a target, and I’ll reach it. But in a chaotic situation, when goals change—” He stopped suddenly, his head swiveling toward where Rule stood with his cell phone.

“Yes, I’ve got it, but don’t hang—Cullen. Cullen! Dammit!” He looked up, his expression as grim as Lily had ever seen it.

Lily’s heart beat in her throat, throbbing in the sudden silence. “What did he say? Where is he?”

“He says he was taken prisoner by the Azá, who want a tame sorcerer. He managed to escape, but he’s badly injured. He doesn’t know how long he can stay free. They’re looking for him. He’s holed up in a small shack in the mountains. I know the place.”

Lily swallowed. The next words were among the most difficult she’d ever spoken. “Rule, it’s a trap.”

His eyes were hard as flint. “I know. He warned me, didn’t he? ‘Don’t believe me. Don’t come.’ The shack is twenty miles from the spot he marked on his map.”

“THE
question, then,” Benedict said, “is who do we send to meet Seabourne? Rule can’t go because of the mate bond.”

Surprise and gratitude flared in Rule. He met his brother’s gaze and said simply, “Why?”

“The Rho extended the comfort of the clan to him for a moon. That time isn’t up. We don’t leave one of ours in the hands of Her creatures.”

“Your friend may not be there,” Brooks put in. “If their goal is to kill or capture you, his presence wouldn’t be necessary.”

“But some of
them
will be,” Lily said suddenly. “Probably quite a few. Maybe the telepath.” She looked around at the rest. “It’s easy to bring charges against someone who’s shooting at us.”

Brooks tilted his head back to look at her. “And difficult to make the arrest if we start shooting each other. We do not know the capabilities of our telepath.”

“At some point we’ll have to do it.” But she looked frustrated. She shook her head. “In judo, the idea is to use your opponent’s moves and momentum against him. They’ve made a couple of moves we should be able to turn to our advantage—tampering with Croft and Karonski, and now this. The first tells us what they can do. The second tells us where some of them will be at a given time. We need to find a way to use that information.”

The doorbell rang.

Rule glanced at Sammy, who was stationed near the door, where he could hear any movement in the hall. He had a funny look on his face. “Two people,” he said. “Neither of them large. And . . . a cat.”

It rang again.

“Who is it?” Sammy called through the door. He turned a puzzled face to Lily. “She says she’s your grandmother. And that I’m to open the door this instant.”

Lily closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead with both hands. “Of course. That’s just what this night needs.” She started for the door. “Let her in.”

A tiny old woman in slim black slacks and a magnificent satin jacket, heavily embroidered, stepped into the room. Her skin was porcelain—pale, powdered, fragile with age. Her posture was perfect. Her eyes were black and imperious.

A slightly taller and much plainer woman entered behind her. Holding Harry. Who was growling.

“Well?” the old woman snapped, looking around the room. “Which one is he?”

Lily reached her. “Grandmother, I’m pleased you are well, but this is not a good time, and . . . You brought my cat?”

“He wished to come. There are too many people here. Which one is your wolf?” Her gaze flicked from one to the next, settling on Benedict. “The big one?” Unmistakable feminine approval lit her eyes.

“I regret to disappoint you,” Rule said, coming forward, “but I . . .” He stopped.
What the hell
—?

Dark eyes shaped much like Lily’s laughed at him. “Hmph. Not so big as the other one, but pretty.”

“Grandmother, this is Rule Turner,” Lily said. “Rule, I am honored to present to you my grandmother, Madame Li Lei Yu, and her companion, Li Qan. Grandmother, it pains me to be rude, but I cannot entertain you now.”

“Bah.” She glanced at her companion. “Find a place for Harry. He is not happy with so many people.”

“The bedroom, I guess,” Lily said helplessly, gesturing toward the hall.

“You smell that?”
Benedict asked.

“Yes, but what is it?”
Not human. Not anything he’d ever smelled before.

Sharp black eyes swung toward him. “You. Stop talking of me. I do not like your smell, either, but I am not rude enough to say this.”

Rule’s mouth fell open.

That amused her. “You wonder about me, eh? I don’t tell you yet. Lily.” She turned to her granddaughter. “I am old, I am tired from much traveling. You do not offer me to sit down?”