Narcissus in Chains ab-10 Page 15

  "They'd get their asses kicked, I know that. Besides, it's my job to deal with Richard, not theirs."

  "Because you are their Nimir-Ra," he said.

  "Because I am his girlfriend, sort of."

  "Of course," he said.

  I waved a hand at him. "Look, I can't deal with all of this right now, so I'm just going to concentrate on the important stuff, I mean the immediately important stuff. Where is Gregory, and how do I get him back?"

  Micah smiled. "Very practical."

  I looked at him and felt my eyes go cold. "You have no idea how practical I can be."

  His eyes did change, but it wasn't fear in them, it was more interest, like my reaction intrigued him. "The situation is complex because you are the lupa that was injured. In effect, you must persuade yourself that Gregory meant no harm."

  "That's too easy," I said. "I know he meant no harm. So why do I get the feeling that I can't just call Richard up and say, 'Hey, I'm coming to get Gregory'?"

  "Because you must convince not just Richard, but the entire pack, that you have the right to Gregory."

  "What do you mean 'right to Gregory'? He's my leopard. He's mine, not theirs."

  Micah smiled, lowering long lashes over his eyes, as if he didn't want me to read his expression at that moment. "The Ulfric declared Gregory rogue for, in effect, killing their lupa."

  "I'm alive, what ... ?"

  Micah held up a finger, and I let him finish. "You are dead to the pack -- as their lupa. In effect, being a leopard makes you dead to them. You may share Richard's bed again, but you will never be their lupa again. They voted on it, and Richard has destroyed his own power structure to the point where he can't force a vote on them."

  "You're saying that he is Ulfric but he doesn't really rule them," I said.

  Micah seemed to think about that for a second, or two, then started to nod, stopped in mid-motion. "Yes, in fact, very well put."

  "Thanks." A thought came to me, and I gripped his arm. "They aren't going to kill Gregory, are they?" Something passed over his face that tightened my grip on his arm. "They haven't killed him?"

  "No," Micah said.

  I let go of his arm and leaned back against the wall. "What are they doing to him, or what are they planning to do to him?"

  "The penalty for killing the lupa is death in any pack. But the circumstances are strange enough that I think you will be allowed a chance to win him back."

  "Win him back, how?" I asked.

  "For that, you'll need to ask the Ulfric."

  "I'll do that." I looked past him. "Someone get my cell phone out of my Jeep." Nathaniel went for the door without another word.

  "What are you going to do?" Micah asked.

  "I'm going to make sure that Gregory isn't being hurt. If he's okay for tonight, I'll go get Jean-Claude out of jail. If Gregory is in danger, then I get him out first."

  "Priorities," he said, softly.

  "Damn straight."

  He smiled again. "I am very impressed. You've had several shocks in a very short space of time, yet you are clearheaded, and moving forward to solve the problems one at a time."

  "I can only solve one problem at a time," I said.

  "Most people let themselves be distracted."

  "I'm not most people."

  He gave that small smile again, shielding his eyes with his long lashes. "I've noticed."

  Something about the way he said it made me suddenly aware that he was nude and I was wearing nothing but a towel. It was time to get on my feet and get dressed. I stood, pushing away his offer of help. "I'm fine, Micah, thanks anyway." I looked past him at Cherry and Zane still standing in the doorway. "Do I have any clothes here?"

  Cherry nodded. "Nathaniel brought your stuff from home. I'll go get it." She moved through the door.

  "Weapons, too," I called after her.

  She poked her head back around the doorway. "I know." That left just Zane standing in the doorway. "Do you have a job for me?"

  "Not right now."

  He flashed me a smile wide enough to show that he had dainty fangs upper and lower--kitty-cat fangs. Zane had spent a little too much time in animal form to come all the way back. "I'll go help Cherry then." He paused at the doorway. "I'm really glad you didn't die."

  "Me too."

  He grinned and left.

  That left me alone with Micah. I looked into his yellow-green eyes and knew that they were also a sign that he'd spent too much time in animal form. We hadn't kissed, so I didn't know if he had dainty fangs like Zane. I hoped not, and wasn't sure why I cared.

  "Do you mind if I start cleaning up?" he asked.

  I shook my head. "Help yourself. I'm going to go look for my clothes." But Nathaniel came around the door with my cell phone.

  I looked at the slim black phone. I'd only had it a few months. I'd tried not to buy one. If you had a cell phone and a beeper you were never truly free of the office. Of course, I was on vacation. Though, so far, it hadn't been all that relaxing.

  I popped the phone open and dialed Richard's number from memory. There was no answer, just his machine. I left a message, then knew what I was going to do. I had to know what was happening with Gregory. I thought about Richard, the feel of his arms, the scent of his neck, the brush of his hair, and that prickling rush of energy rolled over my skin. I reached down the mark that bound me to Richard and found him standing on a podium. He was arguing with someone, but I couldn't see who. I never got as clear a visual through Richard as I did through Jean-Claude. Richard turned as if he could see me standing behind him, then he thrust me out, throwing up a shield so solid I couldn't feel him on the other side.

  Nathaniel was holding my arm, steadying me. "Are you alright?"

  I nodded. Being thrust out like that was always disorienting. Richard knew that. Fuck. "I'm okay." I pulled away from Nathaniel and had to call information for the number for The Lunatic Cafe. Richard was in the meeting room in the back of the restaurant. Raina had owned the restaurant, and according to pack law, it could have belonged to me, if I hadn't used a gun to kill her. It had to be mano-a-mano, hand-to-hand, or claws, or at least a knife before all that was hers would be mine. Possessions anyway. You can't get anyone's power by killing them. It just doesn't work that way. And anyway, who would want it to? Guns were considered cheating, so I didn't inherit all of Raina's stuff.

  Richard picked up on the second ring, as if he'd been expecting the call. "Richard, it's Anita."

  "I know." His voice was angry, closed, and tight.

  "We need to talk."

  "I'm in the middle of something here, Anita."

  Fine, if he wanted to play it brusque and hostile, I'd play. "Where's Gregory?"

  "I can't tell you that."

  "Why?"

  "Because, you might try and rescue him, and you're not lupa anymore. The pack would defend itself, and I don't want you shooting holes in my wolves."

  "You leave my leopards alone, and I'll leave your wolves alone."

  "Anita, it's not that simple."

  "I got the explanation, Richard. You freaked when you found out Gregory may have infected me with leopard juice. You had your enforcers grab him, and you've charged him with killing your lupa. Which is just stupid, I'm not dead."

  "Do you know what the pack is voting on right now, right this minute?"

  "Not a clue."

  "Whether I will be picking another lupa from the pack before the next full moon."

  "I guess you'll need one," I said, and even hearing myself acknowledge it made my stomach clench.

  "A lover, Anita, they're wanting to force me to pick a lover from the pack."

  "You mean we can't date now?"

  "That's the vote."

  "Stephen, one of your wolves, and Vivian, one of my leopards, are living together. No one seems to care about that."

  "Stephen is one of the least of us. They wouldn't tolerate cross-species dating for a dominant. And they certainly won't tolerate it for their U
lfric."

  "Human is good enough to fuck, but not leopard," I said.

  "We are human, Anita. But we aren't cats, we're wolves."

  "So you won't be dating me, or anything, now?"

  "Not if I want to stay Ulfric."

  "What happens to the triumvirate?"

  "I don't know."

  "You're going to give me up just like that." I was suddenly cold, my stomach like a hard frozen knot.

  "You've been out of my life for over half a year. How do I know that something else won't scare you off again?"

  "I planned on dating you both, Richard, on being with you both." I realized as soon as I said it that I meant it. I'd made a decision and hadn't realized it.

  "What about a week from now, or a month, or even a year? What will scare you off next time?"

  "I don't plan on running anymore, Richard."

  "Nice to know." I could feel his anger like something hot and touchable over the phone. Either his shield was leaking, or he'd lowered it.

  "You don't want to be with me anymore?" My voice was soft, hurt, and I hated it. Hated it.

  "I want to be with you, you know that. You drive me crazy, but I still want you."

  "But you'll still give me up," I said. My voice was a little stronger, but not much. Richard was dumping me. Fine, it was his prerogative. I was a pain in the ass, I knew that. But my chest ached with it, damn it.

  "I don't want to, Anita, but I'll do what I have to do. You taught me that."

  My eyes were hot. I'd taught him that. Great. If we were really going to break up for good, then I would not cry or beg. I would not be weak. My voice came out more solid, more sure of itself. My stomach was still in cold knots, but it didn't show in my voice. The effort that it took to just sound normal over the phone made my chest tight. "You're Ulfric, wolf king. Your word is law in the pack."

  "I've worked hard to make sure that everyone has an equal voice, Anita. I can't pull rank now. It would undo everything I've tried to change."

  "Ideals are great in theory, Richard, but they don't work too well in real life."

  "I disagree," he said. His anger was already leaking away. He just sounded tired.

  "I'm not going to argue things we've been arguing since we met. I'm going to concentrate on the things I can change. And no matter how much we want to, we can't change each other, Richard. We are what we are." My voice was uncertain again, full of some of the emotion I was feeling. "So, is Gregory okay?"

  "He's okay."

  "I want him back, you know that."

  "I know that." His anger was making a comeback.

  "Now that I'm not lupa, not pack, how do I get him back?"

  "You have to come to the lupanar tomorrow night and petition for him."

  "What do you mean, 'petition for him?' "

  "You have to prove yourself worthy. There'll be some kind of test."

  "Like multiple choice, essay, what?"

  "I don't know yet. We're ... voting on it."

  "Fuck, Richard, there's a reason why we have a representative democracy in this country, not a pure one. Pure one person, one vote, just doesn't work well. You can't decide anything that way."

  "They're deciding, Anita. You're just not liking the way it's going."

  "How could you take Gregory? How could you do that?"

  "As soon as I realized what had happened, I knew that the pack would vote you out. Most of them weren't happy with you even before. You weren't pack, and they didn't like that. The fact that you've avoided them--all of them--for six months didn't help."

  "I had to get my shit together before I could come back, Richard."

  "And while you were getting your shit together, mine was falling apart."

  "I'm sorry, Richard, I am. But I didn't know."

  "Tomorrow night at the lupanar, about an hour after dark. You can bring all your wereleopards and any other shapeshifters that are your allies. If it were me, as Ulfric, I'd bring the wererats."

  "I'm not lupa anymore, so they aren't my allies, are they?"

  "No," he said, and the anger was gone again. Richard never could hold a grudge for long.

  "What happens if I don't win Gregory back?"

  He didn't answer me, just the sound of his breathing on the phone. "Richard, what happens to Gregory?"

  "He'll be judged by the pack."

  "And?"

  "If he's convicted of killing our lupa, it's a death sentence."

  "But I'm right here, Richard. I'm not dead. You can't kill Gregory for killing me, when he didn't do it."

  "I delayed the judgment until you were well enough to attend. It was the best I could do."

  "You know, Richard, sometimes it's good to be king. A king gets to pardon whomever he wants, a king gets to fuck whomever he wants."

  "I know that."

  "Then be king, Richard, really be king. Be their Ulfric, not their president."

  "I'm doing what I think best for them all."

  "Richard, you can't do this."

  "It's already done."

  "Richard, if I fail your little test, I will not let you execute Gregory. Do you understand me?"

  "You won't be allowed to bring guns into the lupanar, just knives." His voice had gone very careful.

  "I remember the rule. But Richard, are you listening to me? Are you understanding me?"

  "If we try to execute Gregory tomorrow night, you'll fight us, I understand. But understand this, Anita, your leopards are no match for us, not even with Micah and his pard. We outnumber you five to one, maybe more."

  "It doesn't matter, Richard. I can't stand by and watch Gregory die, not for something stupid like this."

  "Will you try to save one of your cats and risk losing them all? Do you really want to see what would happen if they tried to fight their way out of the lupanar, through the pack? I wouldn't want to see it."

  "This is ... damn it, Richard, don't put me in a corner, you won't like it."

  "Is that a threat?"

  "Richard ..." I had to stop in mid-sentence and count slowly under my breath. But counting to ten wasn't going to do it, maybe a bijillion. "Richard," my voice came out calmer, "I will save Gregory, whatever it takes. I will not let the wolves slaughter my leopards, whatever that takes. You lost your temper and took one of my leopards. You made your pack a freaking democracy, where you don't even have presidential veto. Are you really going to compound the mistakes by starting a war between your pack and my pard?"

  "I still think that everyone having a voice is a good idea."

  "It's a great idea, but it's not working, is it?" He was quiet again. "Richard, don't do this."

  "It's out of my hands. I'm sorry, Anita, you don't know how sorry."

  "Richard, you won't really let them execute Gregory. I mean, not really."

  Silence again.

  "Richard, talk to me."

  "I'll do what I can, but I've lost the vote on it. I can't change that."

  "Can you really stand by and watch him die for something he didn't do?"

  "How do you know he didn't infect you on purpose?"

  "I was there. He fell on top of me with two of the snake things riding him. It was an accident. He kept them from cutting out my heart. He saved my life, Richard, and this is damn poor payment."

  "He couldn't have turned his claws aside at the last minute?" Richard asked.

  "No, it all happened too fast."

  He laughed, but it was bitter. "You've been around us so long, and you still don't understand what we are. I could turn aside in less than a blink of an eye. Gregory isn't slower than I am. As a leopard he's quicker, more agile."

  "Are you saying he did this on purpose?"

  "I'm saying that he had a fraction of a second to decide what he'd do, and he decided to keep you as their Nimir-Ra. He made the choice to take you from me."

  "And you're going to make him pay for that. Is that it?"

  "Yeah, that's it."

  "With his life?"

  He sighed
. "I don't want him dead, Anita. But when I first found out what he'd done, I wanted to kill him myself. I wanted it so badly I didn't trust myself around him, so I had him taken somewhere safe until I could cool down. But Jacob got wind of it, and forced a vote."

  "Who's Jacob?"

  "My new Geri, third in charge behind Sylvie."

  "I've never heard of him before."

  "He's new."

  "Damn, third in line, and he's new. He's either a very good fighter, or a very vicious one, to win that many fights in less than half a year."

  "He's good, and he's vicious."

  "Is he ambitious?" I asked.

  "Why?"

  "If Jacob hadn't forced a vote, would you have given Gregory back to me?

  He remained quiet so long, that I finally asked, "You still there?"

  "I'm here. Yes, I would have given him back to you. I can't kill him for what he's done."

  "So Jacob set in motion something that's stripped you of a powerful ally-- me---and forced you to declare war on another group--the wereleopards. He's been a busy boy."

  "He's just doing what he thinks is right."

  "Jesus, Richard, how can you still be this naive?"

  "You think he wants my job?"

  "You know he wants your job. I can hear it in your voice."

  "If I'm not strong enough to hold the pack, then it's Jacob's prerogative to challenge me. But he's got to defeat Sylvie first, and she's as good as he is-- and as vicious."

  "How big is Jacob?"

  "My size, not as muscled."

  "Sylvie is good, but she's five six, and slender, and a woman. And as much as I hate to say it, that makes a difference. Pound for pound you guys have the upper body strength on us. If the skill is equal, a larger person will beat a smaller one."

  "Don't underestimate Sylvie," he said.

  "Don't overestimate her, either. She's my friend, too, and I don't want her dead just because you're not willing to take care of business."

  "What's that supposed to mean?"

  "It means until he defeats Sylvie and becomes Freki, your second in command, you can kill him outside of a challenge. You can have him executed."

  "And if Marcus had thought that about me, I'd be dead now."

  "And Marcus would be alive, Richard. You're not helping your case."

  "We aren't animals, Anita, we're people. And I can't just kill him because I think he's after my job."