Werewulf Journals 4: Sated Pleasures (24 page)

“I heard Rickard screaming. Now I can’t hear him at all!” He trained his frantic gaze on her. “You try.”

Kaila strained herself, using her newfound mental powers until a headache developed.

Sorry, honey, I’m not having any luck. I can hear you, but I can’t get even a feel for him.

142

Camille Anthony

Pavel’s face became grim. “I need to find him. He’s in trouble.”

Kaila went up on tiptoe, brushed a kiss on his tight mouth, and turned him back up the corridor. “Go. You need to gather the posse and get on this. I’ll deal with the Brandon/Rosemary situation.” She shivered, rubbed the gooseflesh pebbling her arms.

“Something is off, doesn’t feel right. Check with the NHP Hunter sent. Maybe he knows what’s going on.”

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Invitations

Elise stood up when Pavel came through the door and rushed over to hand him a folded paper, relieved he’d finally returned. He hadn’t answered his page and she hadn’t known whether to intercom him over the spa’s system or not. “Alpha, this note arrived while you were away. One of the stable hands delivered it.” She lowered her voice. “He said Delin had given it to him.”

Pavel growled and snatched the paper out of her hand. “Filthy piece of excrement had the audacity to do this.” He stormed passed her.

Elise fell back, startled by the Alpha’s abruptness. “Yes, Alpha…?”

“Never mind, Elise. I’ll be in my office.”

* * * * *

Elise stood up when Pavel came rushing through the door of the complex again. Her eyes wide, she sniffed the air, found the familiar signature scent of her Alpha: evergreen trees, dark, loamy richness of fresh-turned earth, and a whiff of the chill winds that blew across the high slopes of the Drestovian Mountains. “Alpha…!”

Pavel held up a hand. “Not now, Elise. We have an emergency. See if you can get in touch with Prince Rickard. I’ll be in my office getting hold of the helicopter.”

Elise swallowed. “Alpha, you’re already in your office!”

Gut churning with a mixture of worry and fury, Pavel burst through the door of his office, prepared for anything but what awaited him.

144

Camille Anthony

Aricles sat at his desk, calmly rifling through a thick pile of personnel files, his gloved hands deftly turning the pages. Leaning on the desk in a stance reminiscent of himself, was…himself.

“What the fuck is going on, here?” He pointed at the fake Pavel. “Start by telling me who the hell this is?”

Aricles rocked back in the chair. “Don’t you recognize yourself?”

“Ari, stop it. Rickard…” The other Pavel shook his head. “Rickard loves him. I’m not sure what they are to each other now, but they were once lovers. It’s cruel to tease at a time like this.”

Pavel latched on to that telling pause. “What do you know about Rickard? Where is he? Is he…hurt?” He refused even to verbalize the word he’d started to use. Rickard couldn’t be dead.

Again, the other Pavel answered. “Delin has him. He’s hurt badly. We have to get him back as quickly as possible.”

The pain in Pavel’s gut relaxed. As long as Rickard was alive, he could deal with everything else. “Who the fuck are you and why are you wearing my face?”

“I’m sorry. I forgot I haven’t formally introduced myself. I’m Indigo Carter of the NHP.”

Pavel’s eyes narrowed. “She never arrived. You”-- he turned his head and glared at the being occupying his seat -- “stepped off the tram alone.”

Aricles nodded. “But for the huge tabby your prince was toting around.”

Pavel’s gaze swung back to Indigo. “You’re a shifter?”

“A multimorph, actually.” She held out his hand.

Pavel eyed it warily, sniffing to catch her scent. Hell, she even smelled like him. Pavel wondered if she and Rickard had…he shook his head, deciding not to go there.

Aricles cleared his throat. “If I might bring you up to speed?”

“Please do,” Pavel invited. The other man moved to vacate his chair but he waved him back down. “Don’t bother. I’m too antsy to sit still, anyway. Just cut to the chase, as my bitch would say.”

“We wanted to do this without you, expose as few people as possible to keep the variables down to a minimum. Unfortunately, we’ve run into a snag. Give him the note, Indi.”

Pavel2 passed him a piece of paper and he unfolded it, read the scribbled words. “A million dollars? Is he insane? We don’t keep that kind of money on hand here.”

“We have it,” Aricles assured him. “This is our sting. We’ll bankroll it. Besides, he won’t have much chance to spend it if everything plays out like it should.”

“Okay, what’s my part?”

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“Meet with Delin. Listen to his demands and bargain with him. Buy us time to get to Rickard so Indigo can replace him.”

Pavel shot a startled look at the morpher. “Why would you need to take his place?”

“Delin will never give Rickard up. He knows you, knows he’s dead the minute he’s not hiding behind your ruler. If he thinks he can’t escape, he’ll kill Rickard just for spite.” Indigo turned desperate eyes toward Aricles. “But if we don’t hurry, he’ll die from his injuries.”

Pavel growled and Aricles frowned. “We don’t know that for certain.”

“I do,” Indigo insisted. “I saw him lying in a puddle of blood, very, very dead. My visions are always accurate. That’s why I’m taking his place.”

Aricles held up a manila file. “You’ll need a pair of gloves to handle this. I’ve touched it. Make sure you hand it to Delin spine first.” The smile that curved the Greek’s lips wasn’t pleasant by a long shot. “I have a little surprise for our greedy wulf.”

146

Camille Anthony

Dealing

“I’m so happy you two have worked things out!” Kaila averted her gaze as Rosemary pulled on a loose robe. The two were alone, Brandon having run out to catch Pavel and offer to help. “I just hope all our stories have a happy ending today.”

Rosemary sat on the side of the bed, feeling less embarrassed than she should have, being caught rolling around the floor with a half wulf, half human creature’s huge cock lodged in her pussy.

“You can’t be more deliriously happy than I am at this moment.” She glanced down at the already fading marks, excitement curling in the pit of her tummy. She was a wulf breed, designed for sharing sex with a wulf in its most primal form. Brandon had used his teeth and claws on her and she’d loved it. He had the scratches on his back to prove it.

Rosemary crossed her legs, squeezed her thighs, putting pressure on her clit. She relished the twinge in her pussy that still throbbed from the working over her lusty lover had given it. Tonight, he was going to bind her to him forever by fucking her in his fur form.

She couldn’t wait!

“So, do the two of you have any plans?”

“I’m sorry dear, I didn’t quite catch that.”

“I feel you, sister,” Kaila said, grinning in her face. “Ain’t love grand?”

Rosemary sank into a well of peace thinking of all Brandon meant to her. He was so much more than sex on two -- or four -- feet. “I will never stop being thankful for what I have been given. If that means facing the world with all its prejudices and intolerances, so be it.”

Kaila patted her hand. “Why not stay here? Pavel’s hired me to be the client advocate and I want you to be my assistant.”

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Remembered shame had Rosemary lowering her eyes. “Why would you do that when I was so mean to you?”

“Girl, that crud is behind us. I wasn’t too nice, not warning you Pavel was watching.

Did you know I got the same number of swats you did? Only Pavel is a lot more heavy-handed than Brandon is. My bottom burned for days!”

“Oh, Kaila, how horrible!”

Kaila grinned. “Are you kidding? That man fucked me so hard and good afterward; I may have been sitting on my knees, but I was wearing a smile for days! I loved it.”

Rosemary giggled. “What is it with us breeds? Do we all like it rough?”

“Bless those ancient scientists’ little souls, they had the right idea. If you’re gonna design a woman to withstand rigorous sex, you might as well build in an enjoyment of it.”

She relaxed back on the bed. “So, how about it, Rosie…wanna sign on?”

Her answer was prim and proper, one a gently bred woman of older years would make.

“This is Brandon’s den. He has the final word.” She grinned. “If he doesn’t say yes, I’ll twist his balls till he yelps!”

* * * * *

Pavel stared at the unkempt wulf facing him, hatred running wild and turbulent through him. This creature had fouled his den by killing one under his protection, dared to raise his hand against Pavel’s sovereign and brother, and now demanded freedom and funds.

“I’ve cried Wulfshead on you to all the Alphas. No pack will receive you. Give me one good reason not to gut you now.”

Delin tossed down a bloody cloth. “Your friend has a great fucking hole in his head. I replaced these bandages and applied pressure, but if I don’t get what I want, I’ll let him bleed out.”

The smell of Rickard’s blood wafted sweet and familiar from the filthy, sodden rags.

Rickard had lost a lot of blood, maybe too much! Pavel’s rumbling growl vibrated the ground at his feet, sent small animals scuttling for safety. “If he dies, I’ll not only kill you, I’ll find and destroy every member of your den. Your dam, your sire…there will not be a wulf within four generations of you left living.”

Delin snarled. “You think I don’t know that? Look, this was an accident. I only meant to take him hostage. I wasn’t aiming at Orloffberg. Give me my file and the money, supply a way off this hellhole, and I’m out of your life.”

“I want my prince. If I don’t see my prince you get nothing but a hundred days of dying.”

“Not gonna happen. You can see him at the airstrip. Have a stretcher brought and the pilots can carry him on. The faster you get that transport going, the faster he’ll get to the hospital.”

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Camille Anthony

Furious, frustrated that his hands were tied and he couldn’t give Delin the death he so richly deserved, Pavel handed him the manila folder. “Your file. The money will be at the plane, along with the stretcher.” He bared his fangs. “I warn you, Delin. My prince and I share a bond. I will know if he dies. I’ve ordered a bomb hidden on that plane. You won’t have time to find it before takeoff. If Rickard dies, so do you.”

Delin started. He shifted the folder to his other hand, wiping the first on his pants with a nervous, antsy motion. “You’d blow up the innocent pilots along with me?”

“I’d blow up half the world to get at you. The remaining half would be better off. My only concern is getting Rickard to medical help. If that plane is still on the runway in fifteen minutes, I’ll blow it up.”

Delin smirked. “I don’t believe you.”

Pavel stared at him, implacable hatred lodged in his heart. “You should have done better research before you chose to cross me. You were right to doubt the rumors of my past.

I didn’t challenge my sire to a leadership duel. I used my battle form and fucking beat him to death with a bone club.”

The other wulf backed away, muttering, “Fucking lunatic!”

“We’ll meet again. Wait for it.”

* * * * *

Pavel smelled Aricles when he appeared behind him. “Is it done?”

“Indigo is in place and Rickard is at the spa’s infirmary. The doctors have stopped the bleeding, but they can’t rouse him. They don’t have the equipment needed for a full assessment.”

Pavel turned to Aricles, willing to beg for his friend’s life. “You could get him to the mainland in time. If you do this, my entire pack will be in your debt.”

Aricles shook his head. “No need for that, Janecek. I’m not doing it for you. I’m doing it for Indigo. As soon as the doctors say he’s clear, I’ll take him wherever you say.”

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Hope

Pavel’s eyes stung as he watched Aricles disappear, teleporting his precious cargo.

Being able to cut out the traveling time might be the only thing to save Rickard’s life. Ten minutes later, the helicopter lifted off, carrying Brandon and Rosemary, who would stay at the hospital and serve as liaisons between the staff and Pavel. Pavel, acting head of state with Rickard incapacitated, had given the two diplomatic clout to override local customs and hospital red tape.

The physicians, alerted and assembled before he arrived, rushed Rickard into examination and presurgery almost before Aricles laid him on the gurney. Brandon called shortly afterward to share the disquieting findings.

“They said the prince has bone shards embedded in his brain, causing his coma. The removal of the shards is…oh, hell. I can’t wrap my brain around the big words right now.

Alpha, the long and short of it is, they have to come out. They’re not offering much hope.

Even if he makes it through the surgery, he might not ever get back to what he was before.

So, anyway, the docs say it’s a short clock and it’s ticking. This is your call.”

“Tell them to do it. I’ll fax my authorization, but you have the power to sign my name.

Don’t waste a minute of Rickard’s time.”

“You got it.” Brandon’s voice lowered. “I’ll, uh, we’ll call afterward, as soon as it’s over.”

During the long hours Rickard lay under the knife the media world held its breath, breaking for quarter-hour updates.

Pavel paced and cursed.

Kaila kept people and objects out of his way.

The Drestovian people prayed.

Aricles brooded, recalling promises and calculating possibilities.

150

Camille Anthony

Half a world away, a tiny, dirty street urchin huddled in a dark alley, indigo blue eyes squeezed shut in concentration. Live. Live. Live. Drouch…

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Joyful Tidings

Kaila set up, squinting groggily at the ringing phone, wondering if she should get up and answer it. Rickard was coming along nicely, though still not talking. He was off the critical list and they’d already had their nightly report from Rosemary and Brandon.