[Kassandra Lyall Preternatural Investigator 03] - Bloody Claws (10 page)

CHAPTER 
twelve

made it to the edge of the clearing, and the wolves that had so readily parted for Zaphara did not part for me. They turned to look at me but made no move to get the hell out of my way.

Something about that pissed me off even more. I hadn't thought my wolf and I could get madder, hadn't thought there was a next bitch level. In fact, I'd been fairly certain I'd hit the max. I was wrong.

My skin burned hot, hotter than I'd ever felt it. The energy of the wolf unfurled from inside me and I felt my eyes bleed gold again. Her snowy fur brushed my insides, making my head feel thick and heavy. I moved and the ground felt faint and unreal beneath my feet.

I reached out to touch the wolf closest to me, a girl that looked much younger than the others. I touched her arm and she flinched a second before that hot wave of energy rolled from me and slammed into her. She fell to her knees, gasping.

As soon as she hit her knees, she averted her eyes.

It would be so easy to claim her, to take her from Sheila Morris. The wolf howled through me; she wanted to do it.

Girl. I reminded myself. She was only a girl, probably no more than eighteen or nineteen years of age.

"Go ahead and take her, Kassandra. I've no need of weaklings."

Sheila's voice carried to my ears and I turned, growling as the wolf's anger flared again. The wolves parted, giving me a clear line of sight to Sheila.

Lenorre and Eris stood by her throne, almost like they were guarding it, but I knew better.

I moved to stand, and fingers clutched my arm, nails digging frantically into my skin.

There was a look in her brown eyes that was pleading. I touched her brow, feeling the heat like something warm and sticky between us, feeling the energy of our wolves leap like a dancing flame.

Not now
, I thought, getting to my feet, I turned away from the girl, heading for Sheila. I took my time about it, letting her see my anger. Sheila held my gaze unflinchingly as a satisfied smirk twisted her mouth. Her expression was cold and baiting.

I wanted to knock that look off her face and didn't try to hide it. The anger fueled the beast, giving her a longer leash to play with. I felt my canines lengthening.

When I got to Sheila, no one tried to stop me or to stand in my way. I paused in front of her, close enough to reach out and touch her. I drew my arm back and she didn't move to protect herself. For a moment, I think she didn't believe I'd actually do it.

I hit her, raking my nails across her face, tearing skin and sending blood flying.

"If you touch one of my wolves ever again I will destroy everything you are." I leaned in close, whispering.

Her eyes blazed with anger and I felt the heat of her beast threatening to swallow her. She licked the blood from her bottom lip.

"Will you, Kassandra? Are you that confident? How is Rosalin, by the way?"

I growled, grabbing her by the shoulders and yanking her out of her throne and to the ground.

Her wolves stepped forward and she raised a hand, stopping them.

"If you wanted to fight," she said, "all you had to do was say so."

She grabbed a handful of her shirt, tearing it down the middle.

A deafening shot shattered the silence.

Sheila's body jerked and she howled. The bullet knocked a spray of blood from her right shoulder. The wolves behind her scrambled and scattered, tripping over one another and their own feet.

Sheila made to move, but stopped, going completely still. Past the ringing in my ears, I heard Lenorre tsk softly.

"You do not want to challenge me, Sheila. I am much less merciful than Kassandra."

Lenorre moved up beside me and I knew from the strong ringing in my left ear that she hadn't been the one to fire the shot. Eris moved where I could see her, gun still aimed on Sheila.

Out of my peripheral vision, I saw her wink over the gun at me.

"This ends now," Lenorre said, calm and graceful as she walked to Sheila. "I am not only tired of your games, Sheila, but I am atrociously bored with them as well. Kassandra has not acted outside of Lykos' law. She has exacted blood payment and you know the repercussions if you lay hand on one of her wolves again. Do not seek to challenge her this night." She knelt and reached out to touch Sheila's hair.

Sheila jerked away from her.

"There is no way for you to win this, Sheila."

"Why not let your little wolf try me? Are you so scared you'll lose her, Lenorre? Are you so scared I'll break your precious toy alpha?"

Lenorre moved so quickly, all I saw was a blur of moonlit skin and her long onyx hair. She yanked Sheila's head back by her braid. "You know the rules, Sheila."

"I know the rules, Lenorre. Let Kassandra speak for herself." Lenorre let her go and stepped away from her. Sheila turned to look at me and moved toward me.

The wolves behind her took up a chorus of growls. The wolf within me paced, anxious and angry.

Sheila stopped moving, kneeling in her pants and torn shirt, the line of bra dark against her body.

"Challenge me, Kassandra."

"No!" It was Rosalin's voice. She entered the clearing with Zaphara, Carver and Claire still in wolf form behind her. "That's what she wants, Kassandra. She's trying to set you up to tear you down. Can't you see it? Don't challenge her, please. She can't hurt you, not by our laws, unless you challenge her."

I looked down at the alpha in front of me. I'd extracted blood payment, but if I touched her again, if I outright challenged her, it'd be a fight in earnest.

She spread her arms out, smiling. "All you have to do is challenge me, Kassandra, and we'll be on even ground. Your Countess has stepped aside and will not interfere. My wolves will not interfere. One on one," she whispered, and the coaxing tone in her voice made me laugh.

"Is that what you really want?" I asked.

"Oh yes."

I felt the dark smile that crept over my lips. "In that case, not only no, but hell no. This is done." I cast a glance to her bleeding shoulder. "Someone needs to look at your shoulder, Sheila. I only carry silver."

"It's not done, Kassandra, and you know it."

"Great, Sheila, but it's done for tonight. Remember my promise."

"Remember mine," she said.

"I'm really starting to regret not telling the cops about you."

"Why didn't you?"

"To protect you. And maybe to some extent it was about respect, having enough respect not to fuck with another Lykos's life, but if you start fucking with mine, Sheila, you'll pay for it. Trust me on that one."

"I'll keep that in mind," she said, but not like she cared.

"Good." I stood, ready to get the fuck away from her before I gave her exactly what she wanted-a fight. My hands were trembling with rage and the urge to strike her. "We're done here."

One of Sheila's wolves slipped from the group began probing at the hole in her shoulder. She watched me while he drew her shirt away and inspected the still bleeding wound.

Lenorre came to me, touching my wrist with her fingers. Rosalin breathed out a sigh of relief. I recoiled from Lenorre's touch, because in that moment, I didn't exactly feel like being touched by anyone or anything.

Eris came forward, holding out my clothes. I slipped the slacks on under Zaphara's coat, not bothering with the rest.

I just wanted to get the fuck away from Sheila and her wolves before I did something stupid.

Or really, really wise.

CHAPTER 
thirteen

e made it to the edge of the parking lot when I realized Rosalin's hands were trembling violently. If I hadn't been watching her like a hawk, I wouldn't have noticed. I reached out and brushed her palm with my fingers. She jumped, turning on me as if I'd just appeared.

"You okay?"

She let out a long breath, as if exhaling her pain. "I don't know," she whispered, eyes downcast and searching the gravel. It was kind of obvious by that one look that she wasn't okay.

I felt Lenorre move behind me. "Comfort your wolf, Kassandra. She needs you right now. I will drive."

I dug the keys out of the jacket I'd been wearing earlier and handed them to her. I slipped into the backseat, holding out a hand for Rosalin. She settled in against me and curled as much of her body around mine as space would allow.

I didn't bother trying to buckle my seat belt. Lenorre waited and before I could ask what we were waiting for, Zaphara eased into the passenger seat. She turned around, looked at Rosalin and me, got out again, then pushed the seat forward and climbed in back with us.

"She needs more warmth and comfort than you're going to be able to give her on your own, unless you shift," she said.

I nodded. It wasn't the first time Zaphara had helped me to comfort Rosalin. Wolves need touch, so I'd learned. When something bad has happened or we're stressed, we have a tendency to get snuggly. We're pack creatures, so it makes sense. Besides, shifting and tearing my upholstery didn't sound like the greatest plan. I imagine retractable claws come in very handy, but since I wasn't a shifter of the feline variety, I'd rather not tear up my car.

"Pity there's not more room," Eris said, shutting the door. She met my gaze with a beautiful smile.

Lenorre started the car.

"I thought you rode with Maddox?" I asked Zaphara and Eris. Zaphara said, "Maddox is going over to Timothy's to check on him."

"Oh." I stroked a hand across Rosalin's shoulder. "Are you feeling better?"

She nodded.

"Not talking to me is kind of an indication that you're not feeling better, Ros."

That earned me a small laugh.

She nuzzled her face in the bend of my neck. "I was so scared you were going to challenge her."

"And give the bitch what she wanted?" I scoffed. "Not likely." Another shudder went through her. "Are you hungry?" I asked. I needed to eat and soon. We expend energy when we shift. Having shifted to wolf form and back to human, I needed some protein and iron to curb the fatigue that threatened to kick into high gear. My tremors weren't noticeable yet.

"I don't know if I could eat right now," she murmured.

"You should," Zaphara said, "as should the rest of us that eat solid food."

"I'd beg to argue that my food is quite solid," Eris said.

Zaphara raised her brows.

I stroked Rosalin's hair. "Does anything sound good?"

"Maybe some chili cheese fries?"

Zaphara said, "Meat is a good idea."

I agreed with her. Eris looked at us over her shoulder, scrunching her nose up slightly in distaste.

Lenorre stopped at a red light. "I need to know where I am going."

"Al's Diner," I said. "We'll go in and order. It'll give me a chance to scope someone out for a client."

"Very well then."

I looked at Rosalin again. "Anything else?"

"Maybe a salad too."

Zaphara and I both laughed.

"What? What's so funny about salad?"

"Nothing," Zaphara said, "nothing at all if you were a were-bunny."

"Fine," she said, playfully defensive. "A chicken salad. Happy?"

"Get whatever you want, Ros," I said.

She nodded, falling silent. Lenorre guided the car onto the highway heading north back toward the city.

"And maybe a small cheeseburger and a chocolate shake."

"You know, there is a zoo not too far from here. If you prefer, I am sure we could find some way to obtain a gazelle," Eris said in a musing voice.

"Oh!" Rosalin exclaimed, completely ignoring her. "And some fried pickles."

"You keep adding to that order and you're going to have to write it down," I said.

"I take it that was a no on the gazelle?" Eris asked.

I offered a slight nod. "Yeah, pretty sure that was a no."

Rosalin sat up straight in the seat. "Wait, gazelle? What? Someone said something about a gazelle?"

I put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back into me. "Nothing, Ros. You're not getting a gazelle."

"That's a shame," she said, relaxing. "I've never had gazelle salad before."

*

Al's Diner was one of those places that tried to pass as old-fashioned with black and white tiled floors; red, high-backed booths; and a jukebox that was purely for decorative purposes only. Zaphara and Lenorre stood next to me while I examined the menu, spouting off what I could remember of Rosalin's order to the blond teenager behind the counter. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and the uniform shirt she wore was a little too dark for her, bringing out the pink undertones in her skin. Her eyes kept flicking between the three of us. Fortunately, I'd slipped my shirt and jacket on when everyone had gotten out of the car. And though Lenorre had tried to fuss with my hair on our way in, I was betting it was still a righteous mess.

I ordered a bacon cheeseburger, minus the herbivorous crap, and a large coffee to go. Protein and caffeine, the night was already beginning to look up. Zaphara finished her order and I handed the girl my card. Al's Diner wasn't packed, but when I turned around my eyes confirmed what my senses had been telling me. Lenorre, Zaphara, and I were attracting attention. If it bothered either of them, they didn't show it.

I chose a booth where I could watch the servers and wait staff, in case Kamryn Sherman walked through.

Lenorre placed her hand on my thigh and I turned to look at her. She shifted her silvery gaze toward the restroom.

"Kamryn, you said?" she asked.

I nodded.

"A woman wearing that name tag just walked into the ladies' room."

The restroom was on the opposite side of the diner.

"You could read her name tag from here?"

Lenorre merely said, "Yes."

She stood so that I could slip out of the booth. I touched her arm lightly. "Thank you."

She bowed her head in acknowledgement of my thanks and I went, figuring I'd use the opportunity to my advantage and further try to tame my tangled hair. Shifting and running through the woods hadn't exactly done it justice.

Before I reached the mirror, I spied a pair of black sneakers under the second stall. I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to strategically place strands to hide the stickers stuck in it. I wouldn't be able to get them out without the aid of a brush.

I was washing my hands when Kamryn emerged, wearing the same matching black button-up dress shirt as the girl behind the register. The pants she wore were white. She tightened the matching belt at her hips and smiled at me.

"Hi."

"Evening," I said, casually glancing at her name tag and moving out of the way of the sink.

Kamryn Sherman was less androgynous than Hunter, with curly brown highlighted hair that brushed the tops of her shoulders. Her makeup was light and artfully done, the brown eye shadow bringing out the amber flecks in her dark brown eyes.

I held the door for Kamryn. She smiled at me.

"I like your hair."

"Thanks," I said, not really meaning it.

Lenorre and Zaphara were standing by the exit with bags of food in their hands. Lenorre was holding my cup of coffee and offered it to me as I approached.

"Did you find anything?" she asked as soon as we hit the open air.

"I know what she looks like now."

"But you don't know if she's cheating on her girlfriend?" Zaphara asked. I'd explained to everyone before we arrived that I was scoping someone out. "Not yet."

Zaphara gave me a long look. Eris opened the passenger side door of my Tiburon and stepped out, holding it open for us.

"Why didn't you just make a pass at her and find out?"

I shook my head, switching my coffee cup to my right hand while taking the food from Lenorre in my left.

"It doesn't work like that."

"Why doesn't it? It's a simple thing to find out."

"It's disrespectful to my client, Zaphara. She didn't hire me to encourage her girlfriend to cheat; she asked me to find out if she
is
cheating."

It looked as though Zaphara was about to say something when Rosalin called my name from the backseat.

I peeked in. "Yes?"

"I'm starving. I can smell my chili cheese fries and I'm about to start chewing on your seats. Can't you two do that in the car?"

I handed her the bag I was holding and climbed into the backseat, careful that none of my coffee sloshed over the edge of the cup and went to waste.