Dream Unchained (30 page)

Authors: Kate Douglas

BOOK: Dream Unchained

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“He's Chanku?” Now that would be interesting, considering how xenophobic the father was.

“We don't know. The elder Xenakis has powerful magic. If the son inherited his father's gift, he could be shifting by magical means, not natural. I want you to get close enough, see if you sense anything.”

“Do you think he's our murderer?”

“I don't know, Lily. But women have been killed near Kalispell and in the San Francisco Bay Area. Xenakis has homes in both places, and his son spends time at both locations. I've got Alex looking into his schedule now, checking flight records, that sort of thing. Be very careful.”

“One question. What's his name? How will I know him?”

“Sebastian. I don't know what surname he used before, but he's taken his father's name. Look for Sebastian Xenakis. Tinker says he's tall with dark hair. And really odd eyes. Teal blue, according to Tink. Not amber like most of us. And, Lily?”

“Yes?”

“I love you, sweetheart, but I have a bad feeling about this. Be very careful. We don't know a thing about this guy, but he's got my sense of premonition in high gear. No specific danger, just a strong feeling he will have some kind of effect on our family.”

Lily stared at the handset long after her father had ended the call. The pack might tease Anton Cheval about his premonitions, but invariably he'd been proven correct. She flipped on her computer and typed in Sebastian Xenakis's name.

It never hurt to be fully informed about the enemy.

“Lily. So glad you agreed to meet even after my office screwed this up so badly.”

“Well, hopefully the media haven't bugged the restaurant.” Lily smiled at the mayor and shook her hand. “It's good to see you, Jill.” Then she nodded toward the group of reporters gathered just outside the restaurant. “I was hoping they were here for you. It's been a while since I've run a gauntlet like that.”

Mayor Jill Bradley shook her head as she reached for the menu. “It's the killings, Lily. We're doing everything we can to keep a lid on things, but . . .”

“I know.” Sighing, Lily reached for her own menu. “I heard from Alex Aragat, our pack's law enforcement liaison in Montana. People are scared, and I can't blame them. My father's got every available resource working on this from our angle.”

Jill shook her head. “My gut feeling is that it's not a Chanku killing these girls. I think someone's trying to raise public anger against shifters.”

Lily had to agree. “Dad feels the same way, but until this guy is stopped . . .”

“Or they. DNA is inconclusive, but I've been told it points to more than one perp. Animal, definitely, but possibly more than one human committing the rapes.”

The waitress reached their table before Lily could respond. Jill set her menu down to place her order; Lily closed hers and studied the mayor. Jill Bradley had held her post for almost five years now, and her popularity had yet to wane. She'd become a good friend and a powerful ally, a woman Lily would have liked and admired even if she hadn't been the mayor.

It never hurt to have friends in high places. Smart friends. The fact she had already considered what Lily figured was happening was a good sign. She glanced up and realized the waitress was waiting to take her order.

“Hamburger. Rare.” Lily smiled at the waitress, waiting for the admonition that rare beef wasn't safe. Instead, she got a saucy wink. “You got it. Be back in a minute with your drinks.”

“Did we order drinks?”

Jill laughed. “It's on me. I figured you could use a glass of wine. I know I sure can. Let's discuss the reception and your father's generous donation. The other topic is too frustrating when we don't have any answers.”

“I agree. I think we're being set up, but I'm not sure it's more than one person.”

Jill's dark brows drew down. “You'll let me know if you learn anything to substantiate that, won't you?”

“Of course. Alex is working on a couple of things, but at this point it's all supposition.”

The waitress reached the table and opened a bottle of wine. She poured a taste for the mayor, who sipped and quickly agreed.

“I'll have your meals in a few moments. Enjoy.” The waitress smiled and left.

Lily tipped her glass in a toast to her friend. “Here's to the new wing at the museum. I saw it this weekend. It's turned out beautifully.”

“Thanks to your father's generosity.”

Lily dipped her head, acknowledging the mayor's comment. Anton Cheval had become a generous benefactor over the years, and Jill Bradley's status as mayor had benefited greatly from his many gifts to the city during her administration.

“Consorting with the local fauna, Mayor Bradley?”

Lily fought the urge to spin around and glare. Instead, she sat perfectly still, outwardly calm and relaxed. Jill set her wine on the table and glowered at the man beyond Lily's shoulder.

“There's no call for that, Aldo. You're interrupting a private lunch.”

Lily twisted in her chair, at a disadvantage to the tall, elegant man standing much too close behind her for comfort. The hairs along her spine rose and she bit back a growl. She'd never met Aldo Xenakis in person, but the man was on the news often enough. Lately he'd made a point of baiting Chanku shapeshifters, and Lily Cheval in particular. She recognized him immediately.

Turning and standing, she enjoyed the satisfaction of watching him back up when he realized she met him at eye level. “Ah, Mr. Xenakis. A pleasure.” She held out her hand. He stared at it a moment. Lily didn't waver. Reluctantly, he shook hands.

The frisson of awareness she felt left her wanting to wash her hands. There was something wrong about Xenakis. Something she couldn't place, and it wasn't her Chanku senses that left her skin crawling.

No. It was her magic, something as much a part of her as her Chanku heritage. Her innate power recoiled almost violently at the man's brief touch.

Lily surreptitiously wiped her palm against her slim skirt. She noticed that Jill wasn't the least bit welcoming. “Was there something you wanted, Aldo? Ms. Cheval and I were preparing to discuss some business.”

“No.” He stepped back and nodded. “I merely saw a beautiful woman sitting here and took a chance to say hello.” He kept his gaze planted firmly on Jill and blatantly ignored Lily.

She remained standing, purposefully invading his space until the waitress arrived with their meals. Aldo stepped out of her way and then left without another word. Lily turned and sat, raised an eyebrow, and glanced at Jill.

Jill shook her head. The moment the waitress was gone, she took a sip of her wine. “I do not like that man. Something about him . . .”

Lily nodded. “Makes your skin crawl?”

“Exactly. Why? He's handsome enough. Well mannered.”

“Rich and powerful.” Lily laughed. “I bet he's asked you out.”

“He did, and like a fool, I accepted. I couldn't wait for the evening to end.”

“Did he make a pass?”

Jill shook her head. “Nothing so obvious, but he makes me very uncomfortable. Just a feeling I wasn't safe with him.”

Lily took a bite of her very rare hamburger and swallowed. “You sure you're not Chanku? You've always got good intuition.”

“No. Not a drop. I was tested. Took the nutrients for two weeks. Not even a hint of a need to howl.” She shrugged and turned her attention to her salad.

Lily used her French fry as a pointer. “I'm sorry. I think you could have given the guys in my pack a run for their money.”

Jill sipped her wine. “I still can. I just have to do it on two legs.”

They both laughed, but at the same time, the fact she'd tried the nutrients meant Jill had hoped she was Chanku. Lily was sorry for her, for the fact that her friend had wanted something badly enough to go for it, yet failed.

It was something Jill had to accept she could never have. Lily wondered what that would be like, to want something that was totally impossible, something forever out of reach.

They concentrated on their food for a bit. Then Jill set her fork down. “You know, Lily. I think the world of you, and I really love your folks. You're good people. All of you, and your mom and dad especially. They give generously whenever there's a need, and they've done a lot for this city, even though they don't live here. I don't want to see these killings hurt any of you, but if we can't find the killer, I don't know how we're going to keep the anger under control.”

Lily glanced toward the crowd of reporters waiting at the front door. The questions they'd thrown at her as she walked into the restaurant had been pointed and ugly. In their minds, shapeshifters were committing rapes and murders and she was just as guilty as the ones actually doing the deed.

The sudden jackhammer inside her head had her gasping.

“Lily? Are you all right?”

Jill reached across the table and took her hand.

Lily pressed fingers to her skull. “Just a minute.”

Her father's voice filled her mind.

There's been another killing, Lily. A woman's body was found about ten minutes ago in Golden Gate Park, not far from the garden your mother designed so many years ago. If you're in a public place, you might want to find somewhere private to finish your lunch with the mayor.

“Shit.” Lily took one more quick bite of her burger and tossed back the last of her wine, taking a moment to consider the consequences of her father's words. She focused on Jill. “My father just contacted me. There's been another murder. The body was found about . . .”

The mayor's cell phone rang. She answered the call, but her gaze was glued to Lily. With a soft curse, she asked a couple of questions and then ended the call. “That was the chief of police. I'm needed back at City Hall.” She stood up. “I'm sorry, Lily. I'll do what I can.”

“I know. Thank you. Go ahead. I'll get lunch.”

Jill was reaching for her handbag. “That's notâ”

“Go. Call me later.”

“I will.” She slipped the strap to her purse over her shoulder and gave Lily a quick hug. “Later. And thank you.”

Lily watched her walk away. A pleasant-looking woman in her early fifties, Jill Bradley looked like someone's mom, not like the head of one of California's largest, most diverse cities.

She walked as if she didn't have a care in the world, passing through the throng of reporters with a quick smile and a friendly greeting to the ones she knew.

Lily wished she had that kind of grace under fire. She handed her card to the waitress, signed the tab when it came after adding a sizeable tip for that perfectly prepared, almost-raw burger, and walked toward the back of the restaurant.

There was no way she was going to try to get through the reporters. Nope. She'd take the coward's exit, through the kitchen and out the back.

And the first thing she'd do when she got back to the office was call Alex. The last murder had been in Montana, but this latest had happened barely a mile from her office.

She wondered where Sebastian Xenakis had been last night.

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