Jenna got up and left. She was more than a little nervous. Those damn druids had better be ready for me when I return.
Cadifor looked at Cullen as the door closed. “You don’t believe her.”
Cullen shook his head. “I know Jenna. She’s up to something. It can’t be the same as what Rafe was doing. But I don’t know what she could possibly want with druids and a formula to create weres. Though I agree with you. I shouldn’t have suggested the feds go after Jenna. We’re going to have to get those books out of the Tairneach manor before someone else gets them.”
“Not that simple. We can’t just go raiding the Tairneach manor. It violates any number of laws we’ve laid out. The Pack Council cannot be involved. Since I’ve called this meeting and approached her already there is no way a raid wouldn’t be seen as associated with the Council. We’ll have to find another way.”
Cullen growled. “The bitch has been causing me headaches since she was old enough to spread her legs. I don’t see why I couldn’t just deal with it and claim it was territory dispute.”
Cadifor smiled at his friend. “Because you would never normally do that and everyone knows it. For now we’ll hold the meeting. Deal with the feds. And wait and see what she’s doing.”
“What are you going to tell the others?”
“The same thing I originally intended to tell them. The same thing I just told Jenna. The Circle is real and they want our help. I’ll have them keeping an eye on the druids on their territory. That will make it harder for Jenna to take any more of them for whatever she’s doing. And it will have us keeping an eye on them at the same time. Two birds, one nicely legitimate stone.”
Cullen cleared his throat. “Now that the serious topic has been dealt with, you coming to the mating ceremony?”
Cadifor smiled broadly. “Of course. I wouldn’t miss scenting the woman who managed to get her claws into you.” He chuckled. “When?”
“Probably this week. I’ll need to talk to Sarah. She’s been arranging things. But since Aislinn was in heat last week we’re going to have to get the ceremony over with in relatively short order. Just in case.” He was grinning again.
***
Aislinn woke incredibly uneasy. Her head was pounding as though she’d been hit with a sledgehammer. She looked around the dark room and decided that it must be evening. The nightstand where the clock had been was lying on its side. The clock was probably somewhere on the floor and she couldn’t see where. So it was either under something or busted. Either was a possibility. And considering that it had been forever since she had cared what time it was she didn’t even know how long it had been gone.
She closed her eyes and momentarily tried to find Cullen. He was there, just quiet. She could feel him in her mind. But it was like when she walked into the stone circle and his feelings fogged over. But this time it was like he was calling to her from very far away. She wondered how far he could go from her before she’d lose him completely and that bothered her a great deal. She tried to send her thoughts to him but he didn’t hear her. Like she was yelling at him from across a large field. She didn’t like it at all.
Aislinn got up and made her way through the dark to the shower. She turned on the light and ran the water. The bathroom, with the exception of the busted door, was the only room in the penthouse that was still in relative order. She stepped into the hot water and washed herself, feeling disappointed that Cullen wasn’t there to present the possibility of help with scrubbing her back. She stood in the water wondering if she should call him about the vision or if she should wait until he got back.
There was no doubt in her mind that there was a great deal of trouble going on. She was meant to convey a message. Aislinn decided that she’d ask Sarah what she should do. Cullen had been so concerned about that meeting and this Cadifor guy. Aislinn didn’t want to interrupt him if it would cause trouble and she’d end up sounding like a whining kid. He’d already told her that he didn’t want anything to do with the people the Tairneach were holding.
When Aislinn left the bathroom and flipped on the light in the main room she winced at the mess around the place. That would be another thing she’d ask Sarah about. She knew that she was supposed to have an omega deal with it. But she figured it might be less embarrassing if she just cleaned it up herself. She went into the bedroom, tripping over a toppled chair, and fished some clothes out of the drawer, dressed, then headed for the elevator.
When Aislinn got out of the elevator onto the 13th floor most everyone was settled in for a quiet evening, but there were still quite a few people around so she figured it couldn’t be too late. She managed to catch a clock on the wall and saw that it was about eight. As she passed the large open doors to the great room she was spotted.
“Aislinn,” Rissa’s voice called.
Aislinn winced and tried to keep going. But Rissa vaulted the couch she was sitting on and was out the door grabbing Aislinn by the arm before she could get away.
“Hey. You’ve been missed,” she said with sparkling eyes and a smile what was almost too wide for her face.
“Hi Riss. I was just looking for Sarah. You seen her?” Aislinn was hoping desperately that Rissa would just let her go.
“Sarah is currently in the middle of an argument with Terrick. Keith is in there too. So you’ll probably have to wait in line. Something about a messenger. I don’t really know exactly. But it seemed serious.” She smiled again. “You can come in here and we’ll entertain you while you wait for her.” Rissa started to pull Aislinn into the great room.
Just then one of the new omegas approached them. “Excuse me.” Rissa looked uncomfortable. The man was a theta before the incident. It made a lot of the lower ranked lycans in the pack uncomfortable to see someone they respected and sympathized with having to act as an omega. The punishment was harsh. But at least they weren’t dead.
Aislinn recognized the man as one of the ones she had helped move the week before. “Yeah, whatcha need?” she answered in a friendly voice.
He bowed his head and lowered his eyes by then looked at Rissa in a way that asked Aislinn for some confidence. Aislinns stepped aside with him to see what he wanted and Rissa waited patiently. She wasn’t letting Aislinn go for a second.
“Sarah asked a couple of us to take care of the penthouse when you came down. Will you be downstairs for a time?”
“Uh, yeah, about that. I mean, I don’t know if anyone should really go up there right now. What did Sarah tell you?”