Guardian Witch: Burning Both Ends Part 21

"You seem to have thought of everything. Since I don't have to fly tonight, we have quite a few hours with nothing planned. Do you have thoughts about that, too?" She sure hoped so. Something that would shut out the real world for a few more hours.

He drew a finger across her jaw line and followed it with a brush of his lips. "I might have one or two."

"Yeah, me too."

Chapter Nineteen.

Promptly at 4:58 the following afternoon, Ari walked unannounced into the Magic Hall conference room. She and the Magic Council president had agreed on the phone that her appearance would be more effective if no one knew she was coming.

Startled faces swiveled in her direction, proving the secret hadn't leaked. She noted the variety of emotions that chased across their features. Annoyance. Surprise. Suspicion. No fear, not yet. Chairs sc.r.a.ped as two of the men pushed back from the conference table and stood. Steffan was one of them, and the first to speak. "Ari. What are you doing here? Is something wrong?"

"Sorry to interrupt. But I have information for you."

Steffan walked toward her, frowning as he searched her face. "Can it wait? We're about to take the final vote. This ballot must be taken in privacy, even from you."

"No, it can't wait. What I have to say might make a difference in the outcome today. I wouldn't be here otherwise."

Steffan still seemed hesitant. "OK. Do you want to talk to me privately? Or is this for everyone?"

"All of you. It affects everyone."

His eyes widened in surprise, and he parted his lips as if he was going to demand an explanation. Instead, he turned to his colleagues. "Anyone have an objection to hearing her out before we vote?"

"What is this? Another delay?" Vita's tone was belligerent. "Nice timing, Steffan, but it isn't going to work. Oh, don't look so innocent. You set this little scene up. But the votes are against you this time." With a sneer on her face, the pregnant wolf leaned back in her seat and crossed one leg over the other. "I suggest we proceed. Whatever she wants will have to wait."

So the she-wolf had claws. It sounded like some drastic vote switching had occurred while Ari was in Toronto. The balance of power had shifted again. Not that she hadn't antic.i.p.ated this would happen. After all, that's why she was here. She'd come to level the playing field, force the last big revelation.

"That's not true, Vita. I have no idea why Ari's here." Steffan was indignant and annoyed.

Vita's face flushed, but she repeated her accusation, and Steffan's denial was stronger this time. Ari waited while they argued it out. She was in no hurry.

The other wolves seemed confused, taken aback by Vita's strong objections. Jena scowled, clearly unhappy with the renewed bickering. Warren fidgeted in his chair and looked embarra.s.sed when the voices grew loud. As she might have expected, Robert kept a wary eye focused on her, perhaps speculating on what she had to say, but he sat down to wait.

Ari cleared her throat loudly. "Steffan didn't know I was coming today. I deliberately kept it a secret from everyone except the president, so you'd all learn the findings of my final report at the same time. I'm sure Steffan will be as surprised as anyone, except, for the one person in this room that knows more than I do."

She had their full attention now. Despite the suddenly heightened tension, no one spoke right away. Some, if not all of them, had to suspect a traitor was among them, and four of them were wondering who.

"What's that mean, Guardian?" Robert shoved his chair back from the table as if prepared for sudden action. "It sounds like you're accusing one of us of something. Whatever it is, just say it."

"I'm getting there. But I need to cover some old ground first. It's important for you to see exactly what happened." She began by reminding them how votes and opinions had swayed back and forth over the intervening months. Of the five leaders only two votes had never changed: Steffan and Jena, who had been in favor of the coalition. As recently as two weeks ago, they had been the sole supporters.

"Then Warren changed his vote to yes. It seemed like the coalition would pa.s.s. One of you panicked and set events rolling that led to Steffan's kidnapping."

"Who?" Robert demanded. "Why? We've all had our say in this. No one was against the idea of a coalition, only the timing."

"That's right," Vita agreed, scowling. "You've got your facts wrong."

"It only seemed like everyone agreed. One of you was strongly opposed to the basic concept and was willing to do almost anything to stop it." She held up a warning hand. "Let me complete the story before you ask anything else.

"Steffan's kidnapping was already planned when Warren switched his vote, setting up a coalition loss by three to two. But the conspirators wanted a guarantee against Warren or someone else switching again, so their plan went forward. Suddenly Vita changed her vote, and even without Warren, the coalition would now win. Steffan disappeared that very night, bringing the negotiations and vote to a halt." The wolves were growing restless. Chairs creaked, feet shuffled, but Ari also picked up the scent of fear that was growing in the room. One person knew the end of this story and was beginning to realize that Ari might have figured it out.

"Yes, yes, we know all this," Robert grumbled, finally interrupting and glaring at her. "I'm beginning to think Vita's right; you're stalling for some reason. This is all ancient history. Is there a point you're trying to make?"

"You bet there's a point. To influence the vote, one of you lied, conspired in a kidnapping, betrayed every secret held by this group, and changed her vote in an attempt to throw everyone off her trail. Actually the vote switch was your first mistake, Vita. I have a good idea why this all happened, but I'd rather hear it from you."

Jena gasped. "Vita?"

The other leaders jerked to attention, heads turning toward Vita. As if frozen in place, the she-wolf barely moved. She gripped her hands tightly in her lap; her face revealed nothing of what was going on inside her head.

Shock and disbelief written on her face, Jen turned to Ari. "I don't understand. You just said she was going to vote in favor of the coalition. This must be a mistake."

"I wish it was, but she fooled us all for a while. Later, when I thought about it, her switching votes was the only thing that didn't make sense. Not until I considered what the switch actually did. It didn't change the fate of the coalition, but-"

"It left me and Warren as the only suspects in the kidnapping," Robert interrupted. "My G.o.d! Why?" He came around the table and dropped on his haunches in front of Vita's chair. "You've said nothing, Vita. Why would you do this?"

At first, it seemed as if she still wouldn't answer, then she met Robert's look with a defiant one of her own. "She can't prove a thing. All I've heard is a lot of talk and speculation. It's some game she and Steffan are playing on behalf of the government. If she could prove any of this, I'd be under arrest." Vita pushed to her feet, forcing Robert to stand and step away. "It's all lies, Guardian. You and Steffan are obsessed with this coalition. You'll accuse anyone, do anything, to make it happen. Maybe you think it's a good thing, but you're not a wolf. You either can't see or don't care how bad such a federation would be for us. Steffan," she spat his name, "doesn't have any excuse." Vita shook her head, anger turning her aura an orange-red.

Ari crossed her arms. So the role Vita had chosen was the injured innocent. So be it.

"You're right, up to a point," Ari conceded. "Your part in this conspiracy is circ.u.mstantial, an a.s.sumption based upon other facts."

"Then why-" Robert began, his face flushed with sudden anger.

The anxiety in the room grew as the other wolves reacted to the anger and fear radiating from Vita. It was instinctual behavior but could get out of hand if Ari wasn't careful.

"Because those facts are rather d.a.m.ning. While the leak might have been anyone, the extent of knowledge narrowed it to the four of you very quickly." She pointed her finger at each as she spoke. "Robert and Warren were obvious suspects, as we already noted. Jena seemed unlikely due to her unwavering pro-coalition stance, but in the beginning I suspected everyone. Vita's switch in position eventually drew my attention. It was the timing. This sudden change of heart occurred just before the kidnapping. I couldn't figure out why, until I realized she must have known she'd never have to follow through."

"That's taking a big leap," Steffan said. His face wore a worried frown, as if he thought she'd made a mistake.

"Don't worry, that was just the first clue. Then she mentioned it was too bad Steffan hadn't seen his captor's face." Ari looked at the she-wolf. "How did you know about the kidnapper's efforts to conceal his ident.i.ty?"

"I remember when she said that." Jena looked at Vita, shock still evident on her face.

"No!" Vita stomped a foot. "Steffan told us. You all heard him." She swept her angry gaze from colleague to colleague and lied through her teeth. Watching her, Ari decided her act was really quite convincing. Warren appeared more confused than before.

"That's wrong, Vita, I didn't." Steffan's voice held regret, even sadness. "Not until later-after you brought it up."

"Then I made a lucky guess, a natural a.s.sumption. It still proves nothing." Vita appealed to her colleagues for support, but no one said anything. Indecision flitted across her face, as she turned her back and stalked across the room. When she reached the far wall, she spun on her heel, crossing her arms. "I can't believe I'm seeing this. You're taking an outsider's word over mine?" Her voice was scathing.

"That's not how I see it." Robert bristled, pulling himself to his full height. "Steffan is not an outsider, and I want the truth."

Warren shuffled his feet again. It was time to end this. She'd given Vita every opportunity to come clean. Now Ari would have to do it for her.

"Nice try, Vita. It might have worked if not for your close, or should I say, intimate a.s.sociation with the actual kidnapper." Vita's face paled. For the first time she seemed to realize Ari knew too much for her to bluff her way out of this.

Sudden voices in the hallway drew everyone's attention, but Ari hurried on before they were interrupted. "Which one of you put this scheme together? You or Derik?"

The kidnapper's name landed like a bomb.

"What's this? Derik?" Robert's entire body seemed to reel with the shock. Doubt, followed by anger, flashed across his face and was reflected by others in the room. "What makes you think her mate did this?

"Airline records show him flying in and out of Riverdale and Galena twice in the past two weeks."

"He had business in the area," Vita said before Ari could finish. Eyes burning a golden orange and fists clenched at her thighs, she stalked toward her accuser. "Any law against that? I didn't think we had to report our every movement to you."

"I can prove it was him. His scent, his voice, his aura. I can recognize them all, and even if Steffan didn't see his face, he'll remember the sound, the smell of him too. Is that what you want? Derik in a line-up?"

Vita came at her, raising her hands as if they were already claws. "You wouldn't dare treat him like a common criminal," she screeched.

"Back off, Vita." Ari kept her voice level. She placed a hand on the she-wolf's shoulder and firmly pushed her away, as Steffan tried to step between them. Both women ignored him. "If you think I won't smack a pregnant woman, you're wrong."

"No, don't touch me!" Vita recoiled, concern flashing across her face, as she clutched her belly and Ari had one of those "ah-ha" moments. Robert growled and took a step forward.

Tension spike in the room. The other wolves formed a half-circle around them, and Ari's magic grew uneasy. An involuntary spark of energy p.r.i.c.ked her fingertips. She wasn't sure if the wolves intended to defend Vita or were simply aroused by the Otherworld power swirling around the room.

A crash in the hallway, shouts erupted, the door splintered and burst open. A large, silver wolf leaped into the room, his claws skidding across the floor. Ari shot a blue stun, knocking him off balance, then threw up a barrier, using the magic dust. Scrambling to his feet, the wolf lunged against the invisible wall, clawing at its surface. Armed tigers poured through the door with guns trained on the intruder.

"It's over." Ari's gaze locked with the wolf's, never breaking contact. "And n.o.body's going to hurt her." He snarled but appeared to be listening. "Don't make another mistake. Your child needs both a mother and father."

The wolf snarled again, shaking his head from side to side. As the magical barrier began to shatter, he crouched to spring. When a claw reached through the particles, he howled in triumph.

"No!" Vita ran forward, flung her arms around her mate, and began to sob.

Ari watched to see if Derik could regain control of his instincts. His mate was doing her best now to calm him and avoid a b.l.o.o.d.y outcome. Ari spoke to the weretigers. "I don't think we'll need any guns. Everything will be fine if you wait in the hallway."

The tiger leader looked uncertain but nodded. When the door closed, Ari c.o.c.ked her head at the two silver wolves. "That's the real issue here, isn't it? The pregnancy. That's why you didn't attack the meeting at the resort or the Magic Hall. Derik couldn't risk harming his unborn child. This baby has been the motivation for everything you've done-I can see it in your faces, but I don't know why."

Vita's nostrils flared, as she stood to face them. Derik sat on his haunches, his fangs bared and his grey eyes fixed on Ari. His ears flicked back and forth to catch any hostile movement from the others. Vita gave a sullen look to everyone and placed a hand on her mate's head.

"All right, it's true, and I'm not sorry we tried. Our baby-this baby," she pointed to her belly with her free hand, "is destined to be a great leader. The first full-blood born to silver wolves in seventy-five years. A natural leader, destined for greatness." Her fingers absently stroked Derik's fur. "You're trying to vote away our son's birthright. Don't you understand? If we agree to this coalition, he will have no one left to lead." She dropped both hands protectively over her stomach. Vibrating with pa.s.sion, Vita was the picture of outraged motherhood.

She ignored Ari and spoke directly to the other wolves. "The humans are an inferior but arrogant and fertile species. If we join them as allies, they will insist we change our ways to suit their needs. They've done it before-eliminated entire species that were inconvenient, and they have the numbers to do it again. They don't know our ways. They fear us, but they don't respect us. How can you wish to ally yourselves with a parasitic race? In twenty years, there won't be any true wolves left of any color. Just tame pets."

The sadness underneath her rage filled the room, and for a moment, no one answered. There was a grain of truth in her impa.s.sioned speech.

"It doesn't have to be that way." Jena broke the silence. "Not if we're smart."

"There is time for compromise. We can establish safeguards," Steffan added. "I would join with you and Derik in seeing your concerns are addressed in any coalition we formed."

"I think we all want that," Robert said.

The silver male finally broke his intense focus on Ari, turning to look at Steffan and the other leaders. He began to shift, skin and bones rearranging, fur disappearing. In less than sixty seconds a muscled male with intense grey eyes and shoulder-length, white-blond hair stood before them. He was naked.

While most lycanthropes prefer privacy for shifting, they are completely at ease with nudity. No one seemed to notice his lack of clothing except Ari. She tried to keep her eyes on Derik's face.

"What kind of safeguards are you proposing?" he asked Steffan.

"I'm open to suggestions. Perhaps we should sit down and talk."

As the hostile atmosphere in the room eased, Ari stepped back and dropped out of the discussion. She'd done her part. It was up to them from here. After listening for several minutes to the tentative proposals, she edged toward the door.

n.o.body was yelling and screaming at Vita and Derik. Most of wolves were still stunned by the revelation, but the outcome was easily predicted. The coveted pregnancy would protect the pair from serious retribution. That, and the fact Derik hadn't killed anyone. He'd played his hand with skill, even in defeat.

She stepped outside and turned when she heard the door open again. Steffan joined her. "What will happen now?" she asked him.

He lifted a shoulder. "We talk, and we vote. I think the coalition will pa.s.s. That's the important thing. We'll put more restrictions into the agreement, now that we've been reminded of the dangers from within and without. That's a good thing. As for Vita and Derik, many will see them as heroic. And she is carrying precious cargo."

Ari zipped her leather jacket against the brisk air. The breeze caught her hair, and she brushed it aside in order to see Steffan's face. The pair of misguided parents-to-be had put him through a lot.

"What about their treatment of you? If they're not punished, if they're allowed to walk away, are you OK with that?"

He laughed softly. "Derik and I will have a discussion, but I wasn't seriously harmed. They aren't so different from the rest of us. Isn't that the point of everything we do? It's all about planning and hoping for the next generation."

An hour later, Ari slowly climbed the stairs to her apartment. She was drained. A lot had happened over the last days. She'd like nothing better than to sleep for a week. But she had one more mystery to solve. The missing cat. Claris hadn't called with an update since Ari had told her about Steffan's disappearance. Maybe Hernando had returned on his own, but she wasn't counting on it. Things hadn't been that easy the last week or two. She'd had to work hard for the results she'd achieved. Even then, nothing had been perfect. Steffan still needed to work out a compromise on the coalition, and Andreas had a less-than-solid hold on the Toronto crown. No, not perfect, but both were out of immediate crisis. Once she found the d.a.m.ned cat, she could relax, call Andreas, curl up with the Book of Shadows, and even get that longed-for sleep.

With those pleasant thoughts in mind, Ari hauled up the last few steps to drop off her travel bag before she tackled the feline search. At the top of the landing, Mrs. Morgenstern, her seventy-eight year old neighbor, called her name.

Ari dredged up a smile.

The sweet, grandmotherly woman was the unofficial manager of the complex, which meant she knew everyone's business and had keys to all their apartments. When tenants were away, she watered plants, fed animals, and brought in the mail. Her usual jogging attire was pale pink today, and a matching sweatband held back her silver curls. Ari had never seen her jog or indulge in any physical activity, but she enjoyed the look.

"You're home early, dearie. Did you have a nice trip? That cat of yours was raising a ruckus last night. Got locked outside somehow. I figured he wanted his supper, so I let him in. Bella was sure glad to see him. Nice they get along."

"Yeah, nice." For a moment her weary brain didn't absorb what the neighbor was saying. "What cat?"

Mrs. Morgenstern continued in that patient voice one uses with a child. "The white one you and Claris showed me a few months ago. Bella's the gray, isn't she? Or is that the Rileys'? No, theirs is striped. I don't know the white kitty's name-I didn't even know he was staying here-but he's pretty as a picture."

Ari gaped at the elderly woman. The only cat she and Claris had brought around was... No, it couldn't be.

The creases in Mrs. Morgenstern's wrinkled face deepened. "I hope I did the right thing, letting him in. He sure acted like he belonged."

"Uh, yes. That's fine." Ari was eager to get inside and see for herself. "Thank you, Mrs. Morgenstern!" She only knew one white cat.

She shoved her key in the door and turned it. It was quiet inside.

Bella didn't greet her by winding around her legs. Nor was the cat curled in her favorite spot on the sofa. Ari quickly scanned the rest of her efficiency apartment and breathed a silent hallelujah. Two sets of cat eyes glittered at her from the middle of her bed.

"Hernando, you old rascal. Come visiting the girlfriend, I see."

The snowy Siamese blinked his baby blues at her. Ari shifted her gaze to Bella. Worldly wise green eyes returned a sleepy stare, reinforcing the satisfied smirk on Bella's face.