Chapter 3

A man cannot be too careful in his choice of enemies. I have not got one who is a fool. They are all men of some intellectual power, and consequently, they all appreciate me. - Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

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I stepped out of the shower slowly. My muscles still ached from my three-hour weapon training. Now that Ian was here, I had to step up my game. He wouldn’t find an easy target in me. Darth Vader’s iconic theme sliced through the silence of my house as I dressed. Mom. What did she want now? I rejected the call then scowled when she just called back. With a sigh, I picked up the phone. “You rang.”

“Let me guess, this is the part where you tell me that you forgot?” The sounds of people in the background made it a little difficult to hear her.

“Um,” I said, drawing out the sound. I really did forget this time.

“The dinner, Desirée. The dinner at the alpha’s house to welcome Praetor Noah to our territory. The dinner you were supposed to attend nearly twenty minutes ago,” she insisted.

“Yeah, right, dinner,” I said, only now remembering. I loathed formal gatherings. They were always so stale and filled with one-man upmanship. “Why should I go? I’m not high on the pecking order and I already met the praetor and gave him the research.”

“You’re the daughter of a high-ranking member Desirée and since you don’t seem to be making any effort in finding your mate or dating for that matter, this is the only chance you’ll have in finding someone.”

Oh, if she only knew.

“You’re going to come to this dinner and you will say hello to all the fine young men here,” she demanded.

“I’m not a broodmare,” I told her and not for the first time. It was pointless though. Mom wanted me pregnant as soon as possible. “But, as much fun as it would be to check out the new studs, I’m afraid I just can’t break away from my work right now. I really need to look over some new data. I think I’m close to a breakthrough.”

“A breakthrough, huh? Funny, that’s what you said last month at the Labor day lunch and the month after that when it was your brother and Wynona’s engagement party.”

Apparently it was time to find new excuses. “Yeah, well, it’s as true now as it ever was then and just because my leads didn’t pan out in the past doesn’t mean they won’t now. You don’t want us to lose the chance at finally catching that psychotic killer now do you? More people could die if I ditch my work to go to dinner just to find some guy that if he’s my mate I will end up running into anyway because it’s supposedly fate, right? Do you really want that, Mom? All that potential innocent lives on your head? Hm?”

I bit my lip to keep from laughing as I heard the silence on the other end. Mom was thinking and if she was thinking that meant I was closer to getting out of that stupid dinner. I wasn’t ready for round two of being in the praetor’s presence.

“Oh alright,” Mom said finally, succumbing to my superior skills of guilt-tripping. “But the next event you are going to attend I don’t care if it means the very gates of hell will open and release untold nightmares upon the earth. Do you hear me, young woman?”

One would figure that when I became an adult and moved out of my parents’ house that meant I didn’t have to do what my mom told me to do anymore. Just another reason being an adult sucked. With a dramatic sigh, I told her, “Alright. Fine. I promise the next event that comes up I will attend even if it means all of our gruesome and horrible deaths. Now, I’ve got to get back to work. It was really great talking to you, Mom, okay? Bye!”

I hung up the phone before she could say another word. Setting the phone down, I walked to the window and pulled back the curtains. Late evening was giving way to the night. Good thing it wasn’t supposed to be all that cold tonight. I would, of course, have to go, at least spend some time in the office just in case Mom sent someone to check up on me. I would never hear the end of it if someone came and I wasn’t in the office.

Pulling on my coat, I turned off all the lights, locked the door, and started the fifteen-minute walk to the office. The office was a small one-floor building with an open floor then six small offices and three conference rooms lining the walls. The one I called home was on the east side. Once inside, I docked my phone into the stereo, turning up the volume to let the rough, tortured voice of the lead singer fill the room. His dark lyrics reflected the own darkness of my life and usually made me feel less alone.

Pulling my dark hair into a messy knot, I decided I could at least start looking into the people the praetor brought with him. I still didn’t have confirmation that Ian had come, but I was still confident he’d be here. Caius, however, was still a mystery. I had no idea what his past lives were like or what his current name was. Balric obviously saw Ian as the bigger threat, but I had a feeling Caius wouldn’t be far from him. Little men always hide under the stronger ones.

Grinning, I used the method Sam showed me last week to get into the praetor’s personnel files. Through them, I could identify some of his people I’d already seen. Carl Lewis, the information specialist was the jerk that was questioning me during the report. Lee Cotton, a tough-looking Asian woman was his chief enforcer. I bet fighting her would be a challenge. Fun. Mia Reynolds, a blonde bombshell, the praetor’s personal assistant was there as well. Reading her impressive resume I couldn’t help feel a bit pathetic. Intelligent and beautiful - that was so unfair.

“Why are you looking into the praetor’s people?” someone asked, so close I could feel their breath on my ear.

With a yelp of surprise, I spun around in my chair and on pure instinct, slammed the heel of my palm into his jaw forcing him back. “Who are you and how did you get in here?” I got up and took several steps back, but Balric recognized his scent immediately.

“I’m the praetor’s blade, Ian Renner,” he said, rubbing his jaw where I had hit him. The blade was taller than me but not as tall as the praetor, but nearly as broad. His light brown hair and dress suggested military experience. His dark eyes watched me with a calculating gaze. “I got in through the front door. It wasn’t locked.” His tone held a note of disapproval.

I gasped, looking horrified before hunching up and lowering my eyes. “Oh Dios Mío! I am so sorry. I would never… if I had known… I mean I…” I said, purposely stumbling over my words. Balric’s rage pressed against my mind, making it hard to see straight. *Bal, you need to back off. We’re not ready to take him on yet.* Balric didn’t reply, but the pressure eased a bit.

“That you struck me is the least of your problems at the moment,” Ian told me. “Ms. de Léon, I presume?” I gave him a quick, nervous nod in admission. “Those files are restricted and you are not among the few people with access to them.”

“Yes, Sir. I know I’m not technically supposed to have access to them,” I started, but he cut me off with a laugh and a incredulous look.

“Not technically? You’re not period.”

Irritation flooded through me. I didn’t know if it was mine or Balric’s. “Yes, of course. You’re right, but I’m investigating a theory,” I said, forcing my voice to rise to a tight, nervous pitch.

“And this theory is?” His large arms crossed his chest as he leaned against the wall.

“I still believe that Praetor Noah is a possible target for the Betrayer. I thought he killed Philip to draw him out, and I thought perhaps it could be one of his inner circle that drew him here, so far away from his territory to make it easier to get to him. It would also be easier to escape here than if the praetor was in his own territory.”

Ian made a ‘hm,’ sound. “Not bad thinking. A lot better than what that idiot Carl is spitting out, but I don’t think it’s probable. I know Balric, used to train under the man. I would know him as soon as I saw him.”

It took all my willpower not to make a smart comment. Instead, I shrugged. “Perhaps, but I would feel awful if something happened to the praetor because I didn’t investigate something because it wasn’t probable.”

The grin that spread across his face caught me by surprise. “And point to you, Ms. de Léon, but how about you stay out of our private systems, and I’ll get you proper access, alright?”

I returned his grin with a nod, clasping my hands together in front of me. “Of course, thank you, Sir!”

“No thanks needed and call me Ian, please,” he said, the smile still on his face. “I’m a betting man and my chips on you finding Balric before that idiot does. I don’t know why Noah keeps him around.” He shook his head with clear disgust. “As a personal favor to me Miss, I would like it if you kept me in the loop.”

“Of course,” I gushed. “Oh and you can call me Desi if you like, all my friends do.” Balric’s growl vibrated painfully through my head. *Relax. What better way to get in close than to pretend to be a giddy, eager to please, girl?*

*I don’t like it.*

“Desi then, how about I take you home? It’s not a good idea for you to be here all by yourself at night,” Ian said with what sounded like worry.

I ducked my head, pretending to hide a blush. “I’m alright Sir, I mean Ian. No one is going to bother just one unimportant submissive wolf.”

“Unimportant?” he repeated. “I don’t think so. Praetor Noah asked me specifically to come and make sure you were safe once your mother told him you were working here by yourself.”

“My mother said…” Eyes wide, I glanced up at him. Ian chuckled as soon as he saw my face. “Oh por favor, don’t tell me… Please tell me she hasn’t been trying to sell me off like a merchant in a street market?”

The smile broadened with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “Oh I wouldn’t say quite that bad, but every man that came with the praetor knows that you are intelligent, caring, and have never, ever dated.”

That was it. I was never going to show my face in public again. “Kill me now,” I mumbled, covering my face with my hand.

Ian chuckled again. “As I said, it wasn’t that bad.” He was obviously trying to make me feel better, which was weird on so many levels. If I was honest with myself, in any other circumstances I could’ve been friends with him. Too bad, he was a backstabbing murderer.

“I promise to keep you in the loop if you promise to tell the praetor and anyone else my mother might have talked to tonight to disregard anything she says concerning me and my availability.”

With another laugh, Ian agreed. “Now come on let’s get you home.” He followed me out of the office and into the chilly night. As we walked down the quiet street, he looked over at me and asked, “So what is your story?”

“Story?”

“Yes, your story. I’ve heard a little about you before tonight. Graduated early from high school and went on to get degrees in information technology and sociology. Then there is the part about you’ve managed to suppress your wolf and not yet passed through your first shift.”

That he knew so much about me was a surprise. I shrugged and replied, “Book stuff has always come easily for me. My wolf is submissive and weak, so it wasn’t hard to keep her away,” I explained, the words so practiced it didn’t even taste like a lie anymore.

“But why not shift?”

Careful, this conversation is not going in a good, safe direction, Balric warned me needlessly. I knew how dangerous this topic could be.

“Honestly?” I said, glancing over at Ian, still playing the bashful card. “I don’t shift because I’m afraid when I do that she’ll change me and I like who I am now.”

“Ah yes, the inevitable change when the wolf and human become one,” he replied then gave me an amused glance. “Or perhaps not so inevitable in your case. It is something I think perhaps all of us worry about. I know in each life, I push for control from the human as soon as I can. The same goes for the first shift. That way I know the human can’t affect me.”

I sucked in a breath and glanced at Ian, disgusted by the idea. Those poor people. “I didn’t know that was possible,” I said, though I was speaking more to Balric than to Ian.

“Anything is possible. You should know that,” Ian replied with a matter-of-fact tone.

If the wolf is strong enough, yes they can overcome the human soul, Balric explained.

I remembered the times that Balric, and I had argued over the years. If Ian could suppress his human then so could Balric and he hadn’t; not once. Thank you.

*You’re welcome, it’s a horrible practice that corrupts the bond between human and wolf, and it taints it. However, if I’m honest, I don’t have the strength to completely suppress you, my human side, and neither should Ian. There’s no way he could have gained that much strength since we last fought. If he’s telling the truth, which I think he is, then we have to find out how he’s gained so much strength.*

Which meant we had to play for time until we figured it out. I wasn’t really happy about the idea. I wanted the Praetor out of my life A.S.A.P. “How did you do it if you don’t mind me asking?”

Ian gave me a small smile but shook his head as expected. “Perhaps one day I’ll tell you, Desi. Perhaps when this is all over and Balric is dead. But for now, I’ll simply say that there is no greater motive than one’s survival.”

I wanted to ask more, hear what lies he’d tell, but we’d reached my house. “Thank you for escorting me home and the conversation,”

“It was my pleasure,” he replied. “Until our next conversation.”