Black Magic Rose (18 page)

It was a quarter past three and she was preparing for her fourth meeting of the day with Osgar, Fergus, and Rick. Judging by the fact that Rick was plowing toward her office like a stampede of angry buffalo, Sofia knew he wasn’t pleased with her latest revisions.
 

“Don’t even bother coming in. I’ll meet you in the conference room with everyone else,” she called down the hall before the stairwell door opened. “I refuse to have another pre-meeting argument.” Having given up on trying to appear professional, she picked up her notepad and padded out of her office barefoot.
 

The last three meetings had begun with Rick yelling, Sofia debating, usually in a professional manner with a low volume and appropriate tone, though she did lose her cool once. Osgar and Fergus played referees, attempting to keep Rick in human form and Sofia from causing him to explode into a rabid fur ball, which was a term she only used in her own thoughts of him, never aloud in spite of the term dangling on the tip of her tongue all day.
 

In the hallway she met Meg, Osgar, and Fergus.
 

“Who are you talking to?” Meg asked. She wore a red suit with red shoes and a black blouse. Her lipstick matched the suit and her blond shoulder-length hair fell in waves around her round face. She was an attractive woman with a lot of spunk. Anyone who could pull off that outfit had to be.
 

Sofia sighed. “Rick. He’s coming up the stairs.” She turned into the conference room and tossed her notepad and four copies of her latest policy on the table. “His tactics are getting pretty old.”
 

The trio followed her into the room. A surge of power pressed against her back, and she could have sworn the three wolves were right behind her. Collectively they were a force nearly as agitated as Rick. She glanced over her shoulder to see them still standing in the hall. The energy surrounding them sparked and pulsed as though it might burst into an inferno.

Meg stepped closer, breaking away from Fergus and Osgar, blocking the path out of the conference room. “Dragomir was correct. You do have a gift of some sort.”
 

Sofia hesitated. Did they know? What had Dragomir told them? “I wouldn’t call it a gift.” Sofia rubbed her temples. “He’s just a loud walker.”
Lame-O
. She got the very distinct impression Meg was annoyed. “He’s been pissed all day. It’s hard to miss.”

Meg nodded and a slight smile tugged her lips. But behind her pretty violet eyes, Sofia saw something wild stalking.
 

As Rick moved down the hall, an invisible wall of hot, angry energy came with him making Sofia’s head pound. If they didn’t get this policy resolved there was a good chance her brain would ignite.
 

She did her best to ignore Rick’s energy and find Mr. Jamieson’s. The old guard was probably the gentlest soul in the building. His entire being was calm and relaxed. She’d spent a good part of the day focusing on him. Tracking him was better than taking an aspirin.
 

“This policy is still too restrictive.” Rick stormed into the room, yanked a chair back, and dropped into it. He slid a paper across the table to Sofia. “I’ve edited your policy. This is much more acceptable.”
 

Osgar and Fergus filed into the room, and although Meg returned to her own office Sofia had the very distinct feeling she was keeping an ear tuned to the conversation in the conference room.
 

Rick had vehemently disagreed with every single draft Sofia submitted, which did not surprise her and was the reason he no longer got to vote on the policy’s approval. He only had campaigning power. The current process required Sofia, Osgar, and Fergus to come to an agreement, then the policy would be presented to Dr. MacDuff for final approval. Thankfully, Dr. MacDuff had managed to get The Board to agree that he and Fergus needed to be the only ones involved, otherwise this policy would never get finished.

Sofia read the policy. “One line. You think one line covers what we need?” She stared at him.
 

“Yeah. All your words get in the way.” He handed out copies of the policy to everyone else. “As you can see this allows for progress in the training arena and manages to set expectations in the
Employee Relations zone
.” He said the words “employee relations” as though he was trying to pronounce some Greek term he’d never before heard.

Sofia read the one-liner out loud. “Violence will be used on an as needed basis during training exercises and only with the intent to weed out the weak.”
 

Unblinking, she pursed her lips and stared at Rick. Hours of arguing her perspective that violence should be a last resort to control someone who has displayed the potential for violence toward others or has already become violent, and this is what he gets out of that?
 

She tapped her foot. “No.”
 

Osgar shifted his chair to face Rick.
 

Fergus removed his glasses. “I think this policy is definitely a step closer to where Sofia is heading. Certainly it’s better than your last suggestion of ‘Violence will be used whenever I see fit’ but it still needs some work.” He cleared his throat and turned toward Sofia. “Generally speaking we don’t have policies.”
 

“I know. It’s a major problem. I’d venture to say it’s the reason people end up dead for misbehaving or tossed off roofs and considered useless for being afraid of heights. It’s not right.” Sofia shook her head. “Not at all.” She continued scribbling notes all over Rick’s draft of the policy, adding lines and commas, drawing arrows so the lines she added would get typed in the correct order.
 

“Oh, there she goes. Look at what she’s doing!” Rick pointed at the policy in Sofia’s hands. “She’s ruining it. How am I supposed to train these soldiers with her around?”

“In a more
humane
way,” Sofia answered without looking up.
 

“Humane? Humane? Is it humane to have your throat ripped out? Or to be attacked while you pump gas? Is it humane to end up becoming a vampire or werewolf just because some psycho felt like having a good laugh?” Rick’s voice echoed in the conference room.
 

“Of course not. But that doesn’t mean you terrorize employees,” she snapped.
 

“Oh, okay. I’ll just sprinkle fairy dust on them and wave a magic wand so they don’t have to feel sad about Bas Dubh killing their families, raping their women, or eating their babies!” He slammed his fist onto the table and the wood cracked. “Why don’t you go write policies for Bas Dubh? Maybe one of your policies can end the war.”

Sofia stood up. “You are the most unprofessional, extremist, coercing…ruthless…mean man I know. We are not having a policy that allows you any opportunity to stretch the intent of the policy to meet your own sick and twisted desires!” she shouted, pointing her finger in his face.
 

Rick rose to his feet, towering over her. “We are not having a policy that limits my ability to develop a team of highly skilled wolves to combat one of the most evil vampires to ever exist,” his voice boomed.
 

Sofia watched his jaw muscles pulse. His nose twitched, and deep within his eyes, something savage moved.
 

Fergus and Osgar jumped to their feet.
 

“So this is probably a good time for another break.” Osgar nodded toward Fergus.
 

“Sofia, come with me. Let’s go review the changes you’d like to see.” Fergus attempted to lead Sofia from the room, but she didn’t move.
 

Instead, stunned by what was happening to Rick, she stared. Fur began to flow over his face. His bone structure changed, growing into the wolf she’d seen earlier in the week. His teeth enlarged, jaws snapping. Ears pricked above his head. He stood to his full height, nearly eight feet tall, swung his head back and howled, an angry growling sort of call.
 

“Sofia, let us leave Rick and Osgar.” Fergus pulled her from the room, but not before her gaze locked with Rick’s. A cold shiver spiked down her back and her heart hammered in her chest. For the first time since she came to Cader, she realized the wolves might be deadlier than the vampires. She knew Rick would kill her given the chance.
 

Chapter Sixteen

The howl of an enraged werewolf has the power to wake the dead.
 

But could it pull a man from a dream of ecstasy?
 

Dragomir rolled to his side, trying to hold on to the illusion of Sofia’s soft lips pressed to his.
 

Was the warning of danger within the stronghold powerful enough to disrupt a vampire’s fantasy?
 

He squeezed his pillow, clutching it against his chest, holding her safely in his embrace.

Again the wolf howled. This time a second wolf joined.
 

The scent of wild berries and flowers swirled. It mixed with the spicy scent of desire. Lust. Need. She wanted him. He must have her.
 

The howls changed. The tone lowered. Growling ensued. Banging began. Louder and louder. Harder and harder. The sound of someone hitting metal over and over.
 

The illusion of Sofia vanished.
 

“Dragomir! Wake up!”

Dragomir bolted from his bed and ran toward the door. “What it is?” He flung the door open and grabbed the throat of whoever disturbed him. He spun quickly, slamming the body to the floor, his hand still gripping the neck.

“You’re needed upstairs,” Noelle hissed. “Your charge is, yet again, irritating the wolves.” She didn’t fight him, instead she glared and curled back her lips to flash fangs at him.
 

Dragomir knelt on her right side with his right knee pressed into her abdomen, resting between her ribs just below her diaphragm. One sharp thrust and he’d crush her chest, then he would remove her heart with his bare hands.
 

“You know.” His words were so harsh Noelle flinched. His vision faded to black and white.
 

The sound of her sharp intake of breath was her only response.
 

Dragomir felt her try to throw her mental defenses into place. An invisible cold wall erected between them. His eyebrow twitched and he watched her squirm, her fingers digging into his hand.
 

Noelle’s attempt to block his intrusion was no match for Dragomir. He’d interrogated many over the years and his skill for finding weak points and unlocking hidden secrets buried deep within the psyche far surpassed her abilities to stop him.
 

He wandered in her mind, looking for the secret, the one little bit of knowledge she held that could destroy everyone. He moved past current worries, memories of lives long past, and minutiae.
 

Nothing. Not a hint of what she knew or how or why laid exposed anywhere. Not in the open or hidden away.
 

Dragomir probed, pushing ideas and thoughts aside as if rifling through boxes of old clothes. Finally, tucked away deep under layer after layer of mental shield, he found it locked up tight where few would have ever looked.
 

He moved around it, testing it, prodding her, working to loosen her hold on that one bit of information. But she held tight, sending wave after wave of defenses at him, shoving him back, ramming him as though she could remove him from her mind.
 

He told me, you know
.
 

I do.
Her voice sounded tired, pained.
I have known since her birth and have never told. I will not betray him.
She struggled to keep control of the blaze of information. It lit like a hot poker as Dragomir prodded.

She believed herself, a genuine statement. She would not mean to betray Jankin.
 

But will you betray Sofia?
Dragomir attacked. His hands tightened around her neck. His knee came up high and hard. His presence in her mind grew to consume every single molecule of space, crowding her out of her own mind and forcing her to drop her guard.
 

Noelle screamed. She clawed at his chest and her legs thrashed about.
 

Dragomir did not yield. Instead, he bore down harder than before, focused on the one bit of information that could destroy so much.

The secret vanished.
 

Pulling back from Noelle’s mind, Dragomir loosened his hold on her body. She lay silently, having forced herself into a death-sleep, shutting down her mind, making it impossible for Dragomir to remain within. Impossible for anyone to take the secret from her.

Dragomir released her. He stood, showered, and dressed.
 

Noelle was loyal. Always had been. He could trust her with Jankin’s life. She’d protect him to the death. But Dragomir would trust no one with Sofia’s. She was his concern.

Dragomir found Noelle’s key in her hip pocket then carried her back to her chamber and placed her on the bed. Left on her own she would sleep for days. Dragomir would find Jankin. He sired Noelle. He’d be able to wake her.