Inferno (25 page)

“Why do you include her family? What proof is there?” Dominic spoke for the first time.

“Such ancient texts have long been hunted by the guardians of this realm. Surely you are aware of that.” Duncan turned to the dark wolf. “I have always been interested in magical tomes. The last time I walked in this realm, I became acquainted with one whom I knew to be a guardian. I helped her search for certain titles, aiding her in finding them when possible. Siobhan Vabian had one of the titles I believed to be completely eradicated. The only way a copy of that book could still be in existence, and in her possession, was if her teachers or her family—and I suspect they are one and the same—have kept the book hidden and passed it down through the generations.”

“Then the problem may be even larger than we first suspected.” Kevin had a grim expression on his face as he summed up their situation.

“All too true,” Duncan agreed. “And we may need some of you to act as backup. Such evil must be contained and cannot be allowed to escape. If we fail…”

“Have no fear.” Kevin held up one hand, palm outward. “The Lords asked us to assist in whatever way we can. You two must’ve impressed them. They’ve given you
carte blanche
with us and that’s good enough for me.”

“Me too,” Clarence seconded.

Dominic eyed them once more before also agreeing. “My pack will assist as well.”

“So what’s your next move?” Kevin asked before Dante could thank them for their pledges of support.

He thought it significant that Kevin had called in not one but two of his neighboring pack Alphas for this discussion. That was a good sign. It meant Kevin was taking this as seriously as he needed to. Either the Lords had done a good job impressing upon Kevin how important the Vabians were, or Kevin had arrived at the conclusion all by himself. Either way, the all-important cooperation of his pack was now more or less guaranteed.

“Siobhan wasn’t home, but we know where her family lives. Before we even think of storming their castle, we need a little more information about them and their holdings. I was hoping you’d be able to help with some of the legwork. I know your kind is generally good at that kind of thing and well connected.” Dante looked around at the gathered wolves.

Kevin chuckled. “You’ll have to tell me sometime how you know so much about us, but you’re right. It just so happens I have some law enforcement connections within my pack that might be able to help us dig up further information on the Vabians.” Dante smiled. “I thought you might. What I’m interested in now is whether or not they have any secondary holdings closer to the city. If we have to, we can lay siege to their Chappaqua compound. I’d rather not go that route if I don’t have to.”

“Roger that,” Kevin agreed.

“I suspect if Siobhan has gone to ground, it’s somewhere nearby. She has a hard on for you, Dante,” Stacy said. “If you could’ve seen her face when she attacked your house, you’d know she was motivated by hatred. It was written all over her. She wants you dead, and I doubt that kind of anger will be satisfied by a near miss or two. She’ll keep going after you until she’s killed you.”

“Not if we get her first,” Duncan put in with a challenging lift of his brow.

“Good point,” Kevin agreed. “Now, let’s figure out how we can do that.” The meeting lasted another few hours, during which time the men discussed plans and contingency plans. Kevin took the opportunity to make a phone call to one of his pack members who was with the FBI. They put her on the speakerphone while they discussed what kind of information they needed her to look for. She promised to get right on it and have a preliminary report ready for Kevin by close of business the next day.

Dante was pleased with the level of support the wolves were giving him. He figured they owed it to Megan, at least, for all those years of shunning her and her family. Moreover, he was just as glad to have backup in this hazardous situation. It wasn’t only his neck on the line this time. No, this time Duncan and Megan were along for the dangerous ride.

If he only had to worry about himself, he wouldn’t care. And Duncan could probably take care of himself. Megan, though, was a whole different story. He wanted to protect her and feared that if he was taken out, she wouldn’t survive. At least with the wolves’ involvement, the chances of her survival were considerably better than if they went it alone, and he had some hope that if he died in this pursuit, Megan wouldn’t be so alone anymore. He hoped if he didn’t make it, one of the wolf packs would take her in.

The meeting finally broke up somewhere in the wee hours of the morning. They took their leave of the wolves on a much stronger footing than they had entered. The relationship was building slowly, but it was building. That was a positive sign as far as Dante was concerned.

He, Megan and Duncan headed uptown to his home. All three were tired after their adventures.

They spared a moment to convene in the living room, to go over the night’s events. Dante pulled Megan down to sit next to him on the couch. He didn’t examine why, but he wanted her close.

Much to his delight, she snuggled into him without a word, as if she belonged there.

“All in all, I think the meeting went well.” Duncan sat in an overstuffed chair facing them.

“They were better prepared for us than I gave them credit for. Kevin doesn’t let any grass grow under his feet. That’s for sure. He had not only verified our story with his Lords, but brought in two of the neighboring Alphas to look us over as well. He’s as cunning a wolf as I’ve ever met.”

“Yes,” Dante agreed. “I think we can work with him. What was your take on Dominic and Clarence?” He squeezed Megan’s shoulders, asking her opinion.

She started sleepily and turned her pretty face up to his. “I was surprised by them. They were Alphas in their own right. Yet they seemed to defer to Kevin. Of the three, he’s not the eldest, but he’s somehow superior. Probably by right of challenge. I’d guess either Clarence or Dominic, or maybe someone else of a higher rank we don’t know about, challenged Kevin and was defeated by him. That would have given Kevin the superior rank in the hierarchy. It’s a little different here in the city than it would be elsewhere. The individual packs probably interact often because of their close proximity. I could smell the way both Dominic and Clarence deferred to Kevin, though it wasn’t obvious. I also liked that he didn’t lord it over them. He included them more or less as equals in the discussion. From my understanding of
were
society, he could have easily pulled rank but didn’t. That says something for him.” Her level of insight amazed him. She was a keen observer of people, and her
were
senses and instincts told her things Dante had almost missed. He thought she was dead on in her assessment of the situation, but he still didn’t like the hint of admiration in her voice when she talked about the Alpha wolf.

“Very astute of you to notice all that,” Duncan complimented her. “There’s something else about Kevin that I wondered about the first time we met, and confirmed tonight. He’s got something—almost like a Glamour—around him. I’d lay odds it has something to do with his job. I think, although I can’t be sure unless I see it in action, that he’s impervious to fire. Or at least has some natural magical protection from ordinary flame.”

“Makes sense that someone with that kind of ability would become a firefighter,” Dante allowed. “He’s also an Alpha wolf. I know
weres
have some natural resistance to magic. I’ve never actually met any that had this kind of magic of their own.”

“Neither have I, actually.” Duncan scratched his chin thoughtfully. “It could be something that’s developed since I’ve been away. Or it could be something special—something specific to Kevin alone, or perhaps to his family line. Perhaps a mating with a human mage somewhere in his ancestry that passed the ability to him. I really can’t say without further investigation, though I doubt he’d just come out and tell me if I asked.”

“That ability could be why he’s superior to the other Alphas,” Megan said, nestling into Dante’s side.

He could feel her fatigue. It had been a long night for all of them. Especially for her, since she couldn’t feed off the energies they’d released earlier like he could, and didn’t have a nearly unlimited supply of magic at her disposal like Duncan. She was mortal and subject to the rules that governed most mortals, though her strong
were
constitution helped a great deal.

“Good point,” Duncan said, yawning. “I, for one, am going to sleep on it.” He stood from the chair. “I’ll let you know tomorrow if I think of anything else. For now, I wish you both good rest.”

Duncan leaned down to give Megan a gentle kiss, then took himself from the room.

Megan yawned. “I think I’ll turn in, myself.”

She tried to get up, but Dante held her back with gentle insistence. She turned to look at him, surprise lighting her eyes.

“Stay with me tonight, Megan. Sleep in my arms.” He didn’t know where the request came from but knew the moment he spoke the words they felt right. He wanted her with him. He wanted to watch her sleep until daylight drained him and when he woke at dusk he wanted to smell the scent of her shampoo on the pillow next to his head.

She smiled at him and this time when she tried to stand, he let her, following close behind. She took his hand as she led him toward the hallway.

“I’d like that too.” Her whispered words were a balm to his soul.

He lifted her hand to his lips for a tender caress before sweeping her into his arms. He carried her to his room and laid her on the bed, coming down beside her. He would have done more, but the lines of weariness on her lovely face stilled his ardor. She was tired and needed rest. It would be selfish of him to make any more demands on her this night. She’d already gone above and beyond for him. The least he could do was allow her time to recover before he made love to her again.

He tucked her next to his heart and stroked her arms in a gentle caress.

“Rest now, my love. Allow me to watch over your slumber.” He wasn’t sure if she heard him or not, for the next moment she was sleeping peacefully in his arms.

Megan woke two hours before sunset, still held close in Dante’s warm arms. She loved waking to feel him next to her. It was something she'd love to get used to, even though she knew a relationship between them was impossible. Still, it was a nice fantasy, while it lasted.

With a sigh, she left the bed to start her day. For one thing, she was famished. After the tumult of the last few days she’d missed a few meals. Shifters needed to eat more than the average person. Their high metabolism aided them when they shifted and helped them heal faster than humans. It just required a lot of fuel to keep their bodies running efficiently.

After she cleaned up and dressed, she joined Duncan in the kitchen. He was already cooking.

“Oh, you read my mind.” She joined him by the stove and peered over his shoulder to see what he was making. “Fettuccini Alfredo with chicken? That smells good.”

“I spent a lot of time in Italy in the past. I prefer their cuisine to most others and pasta is simple enough to cook in this day and age when it’s all pre-made for you.” He snagged a towel off his shoulder to grab the hot frying pan handle. He tossed the chicken pieces, then flipped them expertly into the sauce pot. “This should be ready momentarily. Would you mind setting the table?”

“Not at all.” Her mouth watered as she grabbed plates and utensils from the cupboards and placed them on the table.

They ate in a companionable silence. Megan was focused on her hunger to the exclusion of all else, and she was thankful Duncan didn’t say anything about her wolfish appetite. Her table manners weren’t up to her usual standards. Then again, she usually wasn’t starving when she sat down with company either. She figured he’d cope.

From the quantity of food he’d made, she knew he’d realized how hungry she would be and was thankful for his thoughtfulness.

“How are you feeling? Aside from the giant hole in your stomach that we’ve just filled?” Duncan asked as he took another bite of the delicious pasta he had prepared.

His teasing warmed her and set her at ease. “I’m all right. I was really tired last night—or should I say this morning—after we got in. I totally conked out and slept straight through, which is abnormal for me. Usually, the slightest noise wakes me. I’m a light sleeper.”

“I think most
were
are the same. It’s all those innate animal instincts. They keep you on guard, even when you’re asleep. Not a bad defense mechanism actually.”

“True.” She would have said more, but the ringing phone interrupted her.

Duncan wiped his mouth with his napkin and rose to answer the phone. His expression was one of mild puzzlement. He knew as well as she did that any friend of Dante’s had to realize he wouldn’t rise for another hour at least. So whoever was calling either had the wrong number or wanted to speak to one of them, not Dante.

“Hello?”

Were
hearing was sharp and Megan could easily pick up the other side of the conversation in the quiet house. She was only mildly surprised to recognize Kevin’s voice on the other end of the line.

“Duncan. I have some information for you.”

“That was fast.” Duncan carried the handset to the table and sat, shooting Megan a questioning look. She nodded, telling him without words that she could hear what was going on.

“Yeah, I realize that and it does raise my hackles a bit. I figured you could use your own judgment. We turned up information about a yacht owned by the Vabians that’s currently moored out on Long Island. Port Washington to be exact. I called in a favor from some affiliated shifters that are water based out that way. They took a sniff around the boat this afternoon. A blonde matching Siobhan’s description was seen there about an hour ago. She was bringing supplies aboard. It smelled like food and probably some clothing. My friends think she was moving in for an extended stay.”

“That would make sense if she’s been to her house. After what went on there, she had to know somebody had tripped the traps. Not to mention the fact that I took her books. She’s either running scared or really pissed off. Probably a little of both.” Duncan chuckled at his own observation.