Leader of the Pack (54 page)

“We don’t have time for right,” Maon said. “Just do it.” He shoved Jacob toward the cowering boy on the floor.

Jacob walked past the boy to one of the other tables in the room. He picked up a jar of blue woad, and then walked to the boy kneeling on the floor. “You’ll need to take your shirt off,” he said sadly.

Trembling, the boy did as he was told. Maon was more than enough incentive for complete cooperation. Jacob knelt next to him and began writing in Gaelic script along the boy’s back and chest.

* * * *

A deadly glare like nothing Cadifor ever focused on Cullen nearly stopped him from answering when his ringing cell interrupted the meeting. Silencing the ring as he pulled it out, Cullen considered that Sarah and Keith knew better. Cadifor was staring at him as he looked at the caller ID. Cullen hesitated. He thought Aislinn should know better than to make this call. If he didn’t answer it and there was something wrong, he would be pissed. If he did answer it and it was nothing, then he would be pissed.

Silence in the room was deafening. Cadifor’s glare turned sarcastic. “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen Cullen Arnauk look so indecisive. You better answer it then.” Cadifor leaned on the table expectantly, and Cullen knew that he was about to be made an example of.

Aislinn felt a growl that shook her, and she shot Sarah an uncertain look as the phone continued to ring. “Maybe this wasn’t a good idea,” she said, wide eyed.

Flipping his phone open, Cullen felt on display as everyone in the room stared at him.
I’m gonna kill you when I get back,
he thought forcefully before he spoke. “What?”

“You know, I think I caught the threat,” Aislinn said softly.

He closed his eyes and breathed out, trying to gather his patience. “What is it? I’m in the middle of the meeting.”

“Cullen I’m sorry. I need to tell you to find a druid named Nora Senach and let her know that they’re using dire wolf bone dust. The vision was blatant and urgent. You’re the only one in a position to find a druid at the moment, so it has to be for you.” Aislinn held her breath. She was praying that he would find it important enough to not kill her when he got back. His silence felt like an eternity.

“Alright, calm down,” he said gently. “Was there anything else?”

“No,” Aislinn was relieved that he sounded less angry. “I got the impression that it took a great deal of effort for the man in the vision to send that much of a message. Like I said before, my visions usually don’t interact with me. I think the men Jenna’s holding prisoner must be druids.”

Cullen stared at Cadifor with a meaningful look that had Cadifor standing straight again and looking less annoyed by the interruption. “Actually I know they are. Alright. Wait for me to get back. We’ll deal with it when I have the rest of the information.”

“Okay,” Aislinn smiled. “So I’m not getting killed when you get back?”

“Not this time,” he said. “Goodbye.” Then he hung up the phone.

Cadifor looked at Cullen as he replaced his phone in his pocket with the ring silenced. “Well,” he said with a superior tone. All the others at the table were grumbling and growling.

“I’ll tell you in private,” Cullen responded. There was no other way to deal with it. Aislinn’s timing had been lousy, even if the call was necessary.

Cadifor’s eyes narrowed on Cullen. “Then I suggest we finish the meeting, and I’ll deal with you afterward. I have to admit Arnauk, you’re disappointing me.” Cadifor’s comment and tone had the other lycans looking at Cullen with delight. Most of them were tired of the favoritism. For once, Cullen was on the short end and they loved it.

Jenna chuckled inwardly. She batted her eyes at Cullen and licked her lips temptingly. Something about him being in trouble with Cadifor was turning her on. She felt her own cell vibrate, and she took it out of her pocket under the table. Cullen watched her glance down and read something from the face. She flipped it up and read something else. Then she closed it.

Jenna flashed Cullen another smile, as if to say, ‘That’s how you get a message while in a meeting.’

Cadifor took a good hour asking each lycan at the table questions about the possible druid population on their territory and describing what to look for. “They don’t tend to interact in a significant way with anything. They’re there for gaining knowledge and sharing knowledge. They know a great deal more than any human you run into and tend to behave as such.”

“That’s not much to go on,” Sean said. “It’s not like we can read minds to know who knows the most, and then ask if they’re druids.”

“The Circle has instructed the ones who need assistance to approach the packs in their areas. They’ll find you. I only want you to make sure you’re helping the right people,” Cadifor said as if that should have been understood. “There’s to be no aggression toward them. The Pack Council wants to cultivate this relationship. Answer their questions; participate in the search for their people. Above all there is to be no government involvement with them. If the feds ask, send them in a different direction. Don’t deny involvement or outright lie, but don’t go leading them to the Circle either. They’re set up similarly to us. They each have a ‘family’ unit that’s referred to by a name in their areas and they each have a representative on a larger scale similar to our Pack Council. I’m told on some authority,” Cadifor said sarcastically, “that we modeled our structure after theirs. So know that if you mess with one group,” he looked at several lycans in the room in particular, “you’re not only messing with that group, but with the whole of the Circle and, through our new relationship, the Pack Council. Don’t do anything stupid. They’ve been in your territory for as long as it’s been your territory. They’re not a threat. They could be a powerful ally. Am I completely understood?”

Cadifor glared at each lycan at the table in turn. The rest of the Council sat with him showing silent support of his lecture. Cullen couldn’t help thinking that the show Cadifor was playing out for Jenna was spectacular.

As Cadifor finished the other Pack Council members stood and walked out, leaving Cadifor to conduct any personal business with his group. Cullen wondered if he had ever heard another Council member speak during any of these meetings. Fortunately, Cadifor didn’t have anything further to add to the lecture for his personal group this time. Everyone was dismissed from the room, except Cullen.

Cadifor leveled a fierce look on Cullen that was far from wasted on the men and women leaving the large room. As the last of them filtered out and the door closed behind them, Cullen smiled at Cadifor and shook his head. “I don’t know if I should applaud the act or cower submissively in a corner.”

Cadifor returned the smile. “Was I so transparent?”

“No,” Cullen said. “None of them were present for our prior conversation. You even shook me a couple times. I do apologize for the phone call.”

Cadifor nodded. “So what was it?” His curiosity was killing him.

“Aislinn had another vision. Do you know how to contact someone named Nora Senach?”

Cadifor’s brow furrowed. “Where’d you get that name?”

“A man in Aislinn’s vision told her to give a message to Nora Senach.”

“Well, then let’s go talk to Nora,” Cadifor said. “She’s upstairs.”

Chapter 22

Patience is a poultice for all wounds.

-Irish Proverb

Jenna watched all the others disappear in different directions. She knew she wouldn’t be missed. She wasn’t wanted in the first place. Admiring herself in a large wall mirror, she studied her curves, her hips, her breasts. She looked at her eyes and her full lips. Her heart was racing with excitement. Glancing back in the direction that everyone had come from, she checked to see if anyone else was around.

Confident she wouldn’t be seen, she turned for the front door. Jenna let herself out and couldn’t help the little jog in her step as she found her jeep. Pulling out her phone while climbing in, she texted Maon to let him know to expect her before morning.

* * * *

Cullen and Cadifor mounted the stairs for the third floor. Cadifor led the way through the richly decorated halls to another wing of the manor, and Cullen nodded respectfully as they passed a couple Council members in the hall. The Council stayed in an area separate from the rest of the lycans who came to the meeting. It was nice seeing the men and woman acting like real people, talking to each other, and interacting as opposed to staring ominously down their noses in silence. Cullen was one of the few alphas invited back on occasion.

They all watched with interest as Cadifor led Cullen to a great room where a number of women were seated and talking quietly. Standing, Makeda walked over to them, eyeing Cadifor.

“Your meeting over,” she asked, as she slid an arm around Cadifor’s back and pressed against him. Every time Cullen saw her it was from a distance and always with a powerful lycan.

Makeda was incredibly beautiful. She had dark skin, long raven hair, and nearly solid black eyes. She was wearing a black sweater that clung to her ample breasts and was just short of her black jeans, so that her toned stomach showed in the gap. Gold rings decorated her toes. Almost intoxicating, she virtually radiated the scent of lycan. A strange Yin Yang impression came over Cullen, as he looked at the nearly albino Cadifor standing next to the raven beauty.

“Mmm,” she cooed. “I like your friend.” A strong African accent tined her words and she smiled winningly at Cullen. For one brief instant Cullen had to remind himself that he had his own beauty waiting back at the den.

Cadifor grinned. “Unfortunately for him, he is taken. Finally.”

“Shame,” Makeda said and winked at Cullen. “Perhaps you could ask permission.” She placed a finger to the corner of her mouth and bit it gently, as she continued to eye Cullen. “Cadifor doesn’t mind when I bring extra friends to bed.” Soft, seductive amber swirled in the depths of her eyes.

He laughed as shook his head. “I already know the answer to that. Try me again in a few decades, once she’s gotten used to the way of things in pack life. Even then I’ll not guarantee she’ll be willing to share.”

Makeda pouted and looked back to Cadifor as if he should do something about the situation.

“I’ll deal with you later,” Cadifor promised. “I have business to complete. I need to speak with Nora.”

Knowing the sound of dismissal, Makeda eyed him with annoyance then left to rejoin the others.

Cullen considered the group. “Council mates?”

Cadifor looked over the women. “Most of them. Some are guests.”

After some quiet talking, an ancient woman stood from the small seated group. A young woman appeared from nowhere and followed her as the old woman walked toward Cullen and Cadifor. Patience and time emanated from her. She had iridescent blue eyes. Cullen felt as though she knew his mind the instant she made eye contact with him. Her long silver white hair was intricately braided down her back, and simple tan linen dress hung to her ankles. Across her shoulder and cinched at one side of her hip with a silver knot broach was a sash of green, blue, tan, and black tartan.

She smiled at Cadifor and Cullen in a grandmotherly way. “I was told you wished to see me. Am I to be introduced to the striking young man who has the women so enamored?”

Cadifor nodded respectfully, and Cullen imitated the gesture. “This,” Cadifor said, “is Cullen Arnauk. We spoke of him.”

“Ah, the one who has stolen away Brinah’s granddaughter. Perhaps then she will not be completely lost to us,” Nora said with a sparkle in her eye.

“Cullen,” Cadifor continued, “this is Nora Mong Senach.”

Cullen considered what she had said. “Then I can assume that what I’ve heard about the Circle having eyes and ears everywhere is true?”

Nora’s stare seemed to bore through him, but she didn’t answer his question.

Cullen wondered if she was reading his mind. “How do you know of me and Aislinn?”

“Brinah has joined the ancients now. Her knowledge has been added to those of us who know how to find her. I believe Aislinn possesses talents that lie there as well.”

Cullen knew immediately that this was going to be one of those conversations that involved a lot of nothing being said. He readied his brain for innuendo overload. “I was given a message for you.”

“And where did your message come from?”

“Aislinn dreamed it,” he said reluctantly. He didn’t like the way she suggested that the Circle may have access to Aislinn through him somehow. He assumed through the new alliance that seemed to be forming.

“You don’t trust me,” she said as she stared at him. “There is nothing you could tell me she is capable of that would surprise me or make her important enough for us to attempt to take her from you. All our people have the ability to choose the life they wish. She has already made her choice. What is your message to me?”

With her answer to his unspoken concerns Cullen was certain that the woman was prodding around his mind. Even so, he breathed a bit easier, with her reassurance. He didn’t know if Aislinn would want to take advantage of the ability to learn about the druids now. Even if they didn’t try to take her from him, he was faced with the sudden realization that she may want to go. Cullen growled. He hated uncertainty. “Aislinn was told, in a vision, to find Nora Senach and tell her that they were using bone dust of a dire wolf. She figured that you would know what the message meant.”