Tales Of The Sazi 02 - Moon's Web (25 page)

"Actually," she said with a small smile, as she stalked toward the bleeding man on the floor, "that was exactly what I expected you to do. I think we'll work together fine." She leaned down over Sergei and stared into his pain-ridden face. "You will be the doorman. Your left arm is healed enough for that task. Each time you open the door, you will be reminded that it is wise to do as you are instructed." She leaned a little closer, and I saw a whip of energy slash across his body until he screamed again. Her voice became a weighty snarl of power. "And, in the future, you will keep your hands off the cubs of this pack. You will learn to control your temper, or you will die. Do I make myself clear?"

He nodded slowly with fear radiating from every pore. The Queen had spoken.

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The rest of the morning went by in a blur of activity, interspersed with stops in to check on Sue. When she finally woke up she was well rested and seemed in good spirits. Whatever Amber had done didn't seem to bother her. Wish I could have said the same. Every moment that I wasn't touching her made me break out in a cold sweat. I stayed by her bedside until she decided to get up, and then followed her into the kitchenette to help her cook. I couldn't seem to help it. I needed to be near her— touching her, holding her. She laughingly threw a loofah at me when I was sitting watching her bathe, and told me to get out. Her scent didn't match the laugh. The burned metal and hot coffee gave her away, so I left. When she took Pamela up on an offer to help with decorations, I was a little annoyed. It was okay so long as she was in sight. Between them and the other pack members, the hotel was being transformed. The atrium sparkled with holiday decorations from around the world. The scent of cleaning fluids was replaced by the sharp tang from the pine boughs and the scent of fine foods being cooked in the hotel kitchen.

One of the people taken by Alena was the cook from the fast food restaurant where Sue was to begin work. Lelya had announced that all pack businesses would close until the end of the conference, with all people getting pay. It had won her friends. Sue was very pleased, because it would allow her time to go through the books privately, without new daily reports coming in or having to deal with the employees. But after throwing up for the third time in an hour, I had to wonder if I could afford to let her work. I was sitting in the room, fighting through the latest round of muscle spasms when Sue appeared, after I'd searched the entire hotel for almost an hour. "Where have you been?" I fought not to scream the words. She was taken aback. "I went out for a walk with Pamela. We went down to the drug store for more garland. You were busy working. What's wrong?"

I took a deep, shaky breath. "I really need you to tell me if you have to leave right now. I can't afford to have you too far away."

"It was twenty minutes, Tony."

"No. It was well over an hour. You can't be gone that long! You've got to understand that whatever Amber did is making me sick." I stood and walked over to her. My fingers ran through my hair and I wanted to rip it out to get rid of the pain. "Please, Sue. This is really important to me. I've got a job to do and I can't do it if you're somewhere else. I know— you can help me install the system!"

She looked frustrated and hurt. "I've got things to do, too, Tony." I held out my hand to show her. She watched with wide eyes as it trembled. "Look at this! I can't even hold a fucking screwdriver, Sue. You have to stay nearby."

"Um, I don't know what to say. What did she do to you?"

The headache started again and dropped me to my knees. I alternately ground my teeth and swore. I was panting by the time the sparkles left my vision. Sue was looking down at me in shock, but the hot and sour soup told me that she was afraid to touch me. "Tony, this isn't normal. You need to get some help. Maybe Lelya… "

"Can't do a frigging thing," I snapped. "Already tried it. Whatever Amber did, only she can undo. But no one can find her."

"Wait!" she exclaimed. "I have an idea!"

She bolted out the door before I could stop her. I tried to stand, and it took three attempts. She returned in a few minutes, dragging Lucas along into the darkened room. He took one look at me and cursed in three languages. He threw a wave of blue-white power directly at me. It hit me in the chest and turned the room blue. The black depression and pain faded into the background. I could finally think again for the first time in half a day.

"You're pining, Tony, and you've got it bad. I've been in the same spot. I'll send someone out to find Amber. This will take care of it for a bit. But Sue needs to get out of here. The closer she is, when you can't touch her, the worse it will get. Trust me on this."

I quickly moved forward and put my arms around Sue. The pain subsided completely. "No, goddamn it! You're wrong. It's better when I touch her. You have to be able to smell the difference. You've got it backwards." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I do not have it backwards. Sue needs to leave. In fact, I'll make sure of it. Then you need to get back to the installation. If you keep your mind and hands occupied, it's not so bad. Feeding the addiction is the worst thing you can do while you're separated like this." The rotten bastard froze me in place while he took Sue downstairs. Nikoli offered to let her in the restaurant to start to work. She accepted— more eagerly than I liked. My hands shook every time I thought about her absence and I hated it. But Lucas had been right. By the time she was gone for a bit, the pain subsided. But then the depression set in.

"Are you well, Tony?" Yurgi's voice sliced past my thoughts of Sue. I shook my head to come back to reality. It was the fourth time in an hour that I'd blacked out like that.

I'd apparently been holding the screwdriver to the wall long enough without moving that my fingers were white from blood loss. I shook them until they were pink, and then finished tightening up the molly that would hold the fourth camera in place. Most of the walls in the hotel were plaster and lathe, which were not conducive to installing wiring, so I'd had to adapt the plans Lucas made to only install fixtures into drywalled sections.

"Yeah, sorry, Yurgi. I'm fine. I'll need to go up into the ceiling here to run the wiring from the second floor. Run downstairs and grab the electrical tester. Remember? It's the yellow box with black and red wires coming out the front."

"Ah, yes, I remember. Is in conference room. I will be back quick like the bunny." I climbed the wooden ladder next to me and lifted the ceiling tile out of the brackets. There wasn't much room between the bottom of the upper floor and the tiles, so I had to wiggle along the metal bracing. Fortunately, it was an older style drop ceiling, and pretty sturdy.

I was busily pulling wire down from the second floor when I heard quiet voices down the next hallway.

"Asri, would you please talk to me?" Bobby's voice was a harsh whisper.

"There is nothing to say, Robart. We have already discussed it. My decision is made." A rush of heavy feet stopped abruptly, along with the lighter patter of shoes. Bobby's words were a hiss that sounded wounded and fearful. I couldn't smell a thing from this far away. "You can't tell me that you love him." Asri's voice quavered just a bit. "Love has little to do with this, Robart, although— if you must know, yes, I do care for him. I have already explained it. Mila is dead, and the position of favorite is empty. I intend to fill it, the mistake of the last two days notwithstanding."

Bobby sniffed lightly. "Hardly a mistake. How many times, Asri? Ten, twelve? You can't say it— that I—

mean nothing to you."

Asri started to walk again. Her voice was impatient, annoyed. "You are a Wolven agent, Robart. I have status in this pack. I have purpose. Before Nikoli accepted me, I had nothing. No family, no future. This is my home. What do you want me to say? That I will mate with you— be the good wife while you come and go on your errands of mercy and punishment? That is not the life I choose."

Couldn't say I blamed her. Bobby rushed to keep up with her clipped steps. "And what of the joy when we touch? The ache when we're apart? I could barely stand it when you were hurting here at the hotel, knowing that he was who you turned to. How often did we stop to touch on the way to Carmine's? How many times did we share ourselves with each other? I was so proud when you found the body of the man, hidden deep under the snow. Does my pride have no value? Does my love not touch you?" I knew that Asri had found Sammy's body— this time, almost thirty feet down. Carmine had to call in heavy equipment to fill the hole because Asri had been exhausted after excavating him. Sammy had been dead for several days. We were definitely dealing with a shape-shifter who could cast illusion, and was one hell of a digger. It reminded me that I needed to finish up the security system and get my butt back to finding Babs's kidnapper. Every minute away was a minute more for the scent to grow cold— and increased the likelihood that Carmine would give up waiting.

There was quiet sobbing now in the hallway, and I couldn't help but listen again. Asri's voice caught when she spoke, and her words were harsh. "Yes… it touches me. Is that what you want to hear, Robart? But it doesn't change our lives. We can be mated and be apart. It is hard, but others have done it. We must each live out our own destiny— follow our own path."

Boy, I wouldn't recommended the "mated and apart" thing. I wasn't liking it very much. There was determination and passion in Bobby's reply. "My path is to bring you joy, Asri. Everything— and everyone—

else be damned!" There was a shuffling and the sound of whispering cloth. I knew they were kissing. I heard the sound of a lock unlatch and then the door of the nearest room close quietly. The voices disappeared into groans and sighs. I needed to get out of the ceiling before I heard anything else. I can't say I was any different when Sue and I first got together. It's even worse now, but not just for sex. I felt the black glove settle over me again and fought to shake it off long enough to climb down the ladder.

By the time I got down the five steps, I was annoyed. Anger seemed to beat back the depression. Great!

They were going to be useless now. I could go break it up, but then they'd be even more distracted. As if I didn't have enough to think about. I was probably going to have to add Asri's duties to my list, if I expected them to get done. I knew the little soap opera wasn't going to be played out anytime soon— certainly not before the council meeting was over. How long had it taken me to admit I couldn't fight the feelings for Sue? A month? Two? And, Bobby was my friend. He'd covered my ass twice already, so I guess it was my turn. I returned to attaching wiring and fighting to ignore what was going on just down the hall. I was having a hard time concentrating. If Sue didn't get home soon, I was going to be a basket case.

"Damn it!" I exclaimed after I accidentally snipped off the wire I was trying to strip. The shaking was getting worse and depression was threatening to rip out my gut. I was torn between pulling my Taurus and shooting up the place, or turning it to my own temple.

"Tony?" Yurgi's voice was tentative. He could hear me snarl under my breath. I forced myself to stop. "Yeah, Yurgi? Did you find the tester?"

He shook his head. His bushy eyebrows dropped as his brow furrowed in resignation. "The Alpha and the Duchess, they are in the room. They talk angrily. I think is trouble for us." His scent became odd. I didn't quite know what it was.

"Trouble for us?"

He nodded vigorously. "The Duchess, she says that room must be for the banquet. Nikoli, he says is for meeting. Cannot use for both at same time."

I let out an exasperated breath. "Nikoli, Lucas and I already agreed that the conference room would be used for the meeting. It's already set up with recorders and security galore. You don't need as much security for the banquet. The banquet will be in the ballroom on the second floor."

Yurgi shrugged his shoulders. "I only say what Duchess says, Tony. The banquet must be near kitchen. She is not want the live mice to sit next to the venison for whole dinner. Is not enough space in ballroom for all dining tables and food tables. I think the Duchess, she will win."

Live mice? Eww. Must be for the birds. Then, as if by magic, I heard Nikoli's bellow from downstairs. "Tony! I need to see you."

Wonderful. Just wonderful. I stood and dusted the residue from the ceiling from my pants.

"Tony, before you go… " I turned and stared at him, waiting.

He opened his mouth again, but I held up a hand to stop him as Nikoli called a second time. "Let me finish with the boss first." I called toward the lobby below. "Be down in a second, Nikoli."

"Take your time, Tony," Lelya yelled back with fire in her voice. "I don't believe that Nikoli and I are ready for you yet."

"Yes, we are!" came his snarl again. I'd bet the strong scent of boiling coffee wasn't coming from the kitchen. Lelya's voice was bordering on deadly. "No, we are not." Then the doors slammed closed once more. Okay, that settled it. I was going to wait for awhile. I turned my full attention back to Yurgi, happy to be out of the loop for a moment. "What did you want to say?"

"I forget, but remembered when I was downstairs. My lovely Pamela, she has tickets. I would ask you— and your wife, to accompany us, if you please?"

"Tickets? To what?"

Yurgi slapped his forehead lightly and the dry heat of embarrassment rose from him. He was also nervous, but I didn't know why.

"Is true. My Pamela, she speaks to your Jessica, but you do not yet speak to her. You are very busy. You rise in rank so quickly. The others are impressed, and worried. You make the dragon bow and take Sergei from the air yesterday, and then again today you shoot him before he can strike. I hear of it." He brought up his hands into shooting position and mimicked me shooting Sergei. Then he smiled again. "Is no surprise you defeat me."

I struggled not to show my frustration. I guess I was flattered, but was there going to be a point to this conversation? I glanced at my watch. I hated doing detail work on a time schedule and they were going to be yelling for me again soon.

"Okay, so I'm glad I impressed you. But what tickets are you talking about?" I tried hard not to sound condescending. English seems to be hard for him. I can't say that Russian is any better for me.

"Is to your American game— the football. The proud Bears battle the team from the Bay. I watch some of these games on television, but have never before attended."

He had my attention now. "The Bears and the Packers? That game's been sold out for a week." He nodded hurriedly and smiled again. "Is true. My Pamela, she gets tickets on telephone, from radio. Four tickets. She is very excited— they are near field on center line."

Center? My eyes grew wide. "You have four tickets on the fifty yard line? Are you kidding?" His face and scent grew grave. "No kid. My Pamela, she is wonderous. She puts her name on pieces of papers and sends them in mail to big companies. They mail back gifts. Shirts and shoes and hats to wear. Once we received fancy music player— with speakers and places to play tapes and CDs. It fits on a shelf, but with such big sound."