“I’m working on it. You did hear me say triplets, right? It’s going to take time.”
“Work faster. Your sloppy methods are raising suspicions. I don’t have a problem with murder as a means to an end, but you aren’t getting the end we desire. Fix this, before I grow weary of the wait and eliminate you.” He made a dismissive gesture at Marston. “Get out of my sight.”
As Marston stood and turned to leave, Rodolfo had one more comment for him. “Oh, by the way. I heard you were responsible for some murders in Brussels two years ago.”
Marston froze momentarily before he turned. He hadn’t thought that would get back to the wily wolf. “I don’t know anything about that.”
Rodolfo’s gaze narrowed. “You don’t know what wolf could possibly be working in conjunction with the cockatrice for some unknown reason? What wolf was responsible for killing Bertholde, the dragons’ Seer, in Yellowstone? What wolf brought the dragons’ new Seer’s attention down upon my Clan? The wolf who killed two accomplices to that act in Brussels, including their family members?”
Marston shook his head as he eased backward toward the door. “From what I understand, the rumors said it was a cockatrice. That the victims were killed just like they do it.”
“Bullshit. Someone stinking of cockatrice surely can pick up a trick or two from them.” Rodolfo growled, low and rumbling in his throat. “Perhaps you are too young to remember it,” Rodolfo continued, “but I certainly remember how a wolf should take a life, the sensation, the taste of warm blood rolling down my throat from a kill. Of sinking my teeth into an adversary’s throat, crushing their windpipe and holding tight until their heart quit pumping their life force into my mouth. Rich, warm blood.” He growled again. “Just because I am old doesn’t mean I can’t and won’t shift and settle an old score. Do I make myself clear?”
Marston nodded.
“Get out of here, you lying fleabag,” Rodolfo ordered.
Marston bolted through the door before Rodolfo could change his mind.
Rodolfo called his flunky back into his office. “Keep an eye on Marston,” he ordered him. “I want constant reports on his whereabouts and activities. I want to know everything he knows about the Pardie bitch. Once we do, we’ll get rid of him. We don’t need him bringing more attention to us. We have enough trouble without the dragons’ new Seer putting us in her sights. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
Rodolfo waved his assistant out. Alone again, he leaned back in his wheelchair and templed his fingers in front of him. Truth be told, he didn’t really need the wheelchair. He looked a lot frailer than he actually was, but he found it a helpful prop to lull people into a false sense of security around him.
What to do? His own sons and grandsons had proved utterly disappointing. Even his great-grandson, Paul, the only decent one of his generation, was a poor excuse for a wolf. Definitely not someone he’d want taking over his position.
Especially if recent rumors about Paul’s extracurricular activities were true.
Unfortunately, Rodolfo’s line risked dying out unless he got new, fresh Alpha blood flowing through it. The Pardie woman was his last hope, as far as he could tell.
Screw “true love.” He needed and would have his heir.
He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Paul. The boy, only twenty-three, answered on the second ring. “Yes, Grandfather?”
“Paul. What is this trouble I hear you’ve gotten yourself into?”
The boy hesitated before answering. “I’m not sure what you’re talking—”
“Do not lie to me, boy!” he roared. “I know about the girl.”
A moment of silence. Then, in a meek voice that nearly infuriated Rodolfo, Paul said, “She’s just a tramp.”
“Is it true? You knocked her up?”
“She says I did, but I don’t know that it was—”
“Take care of it,” he growled into the phone. “Prove to me why I shouldn’t kill you the way I killed your father and grandfather.” Paul’s father had been a sniveling omega not worthy of the family name. Paul’s grandfather, his own son, was a treacherous beta who’d wanted to kill him and take over. He needed to shore up Paul’s beta spine and fast, or all his options for a remotely worthy heir to his empire would quickly run out.
“Take care of it how?” Paul asked. Rodolfo despised the boy’s whiny tone.
“Any way necessary. If you don’t take care of her, I will take care of you.” He ended the call and hung up. Oh, how he longed for the old days, when they could settle scores like men, without artifice and pleasantries. These young pups now didn’t give a damn about family honor or reputation. They didn’t care about clean bloodlines.
They didn’t care about protocols. Their bloodline was tainted enough by betas and non-shifting humans as it was.
They damn sure didn’t need coyote blood muddying things up.
Chapter One
Now…
Lina Zaria-Alexandr still hated flying, even though in the past couple of years she’d grown a little more used to it. They had to fly over to France from Florida at least twice a year to meet with the dragon flagyer’s mucky-mucks. And truth be told, she’d grown very close to and fond of Andel Wattersson, the head of their flagyer, even though he was her uncle by mating and not by blood.
Zack, her best friend and Watcher, had the seat to her right and held her hand. Rather, he let Lina crush his left hand. To her left sat one of her dragon shifter mates, Jan. Behind them sat Rick, her other dragon mate, with Kael, Zack’s dragon mate.
“You okay, chica?” Zack asked.
“I miss Paris,” she grumpily muttered. “I miss it so fucking much I wish they’d just turn the damn plane around right now.”
“You hate Paris,” he reminded her. “And the plane hasn’t even pulled back from the gate yet.”
She opened her eyes and leaned forward to peer past Zack out the window. “Oh.” She sat back and closed her eyes again.
The seat belt felt uncomfortably snug across her ballooning belly. One, or both, of her twins, boys, decided to kick at that moment, landing a bull’s-eye on her bladder. “I hate flying,” she grumbled. “If I’m the goddess and the Seer, why can’t we just tell all of them to come over to Florida instead of us coming here?”
Their friend and wolf shifter, Daniel Blackestone, spoke to her from the seat directly behind her. “Remember, Lina. You’re the Goddess. The flight will arrive home safely.”
She grumbled again, but tried to settle back and relax. She knew he was right, but it still didn’t decrease her hatred of flying. Daniel always made the trip with them to Europe. He was once again one of the keepers of the Tablet of Trammel. After Lina hid it, she told him where it was. He also helped communicate to his wolf Clan’s Council the latest developments in the war against the cockatrice. Not to mention they were very close friends.
Brodey Lyall, also a wolf shifter who frequently made the trip with them, was at his home in Florida. They’d left him out of the loop this time.
Lina closed her eyes and tried to focus on that. She knew Brodey and his brothers had finally found their One, the woman meant to complete the triplet Alpha shifters. That’s why Lina hadn’t asked him to join them on this trip.
At least one good thing had come from my freaky-deaky visions.
Well, and hopefully a second good thing, depending on how the results of her and Zack’s visit to Bolivia a couple of months earlier shook out.