"Now I'm sorry."
"Your story is more pitiful."
"That doesn't make me feel better," he said, smiling.
I smiled back, but neither of us really looked happy. "Ain't love grand?" I said.
"You can answer your own question after you see Richard and Micah in the lupanar together."
I shook my head. "I don't love Micah, not really, not yet."
"But," he said.
I sighed. "But I almost wish I did. It would make seeing Richard less painful. I don't know how I'm going to feel seeing him tonight and knowing that he's not mine anymore."
"Probably about the same way he'll feel when he sees you."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
"No, it's just the truth. Remember that cutting you out of his life was forced on him. He loves you, Anita, for better or worse."
"I love him, but I won't let him kill Gregory. And I won't let him cost Sylvie her life. I won't let him take the pack down to wrack and ruin because of some idealistic set of rules that only he is paying attention to."
"If you kill Jacob and his followers without Richard's permission, then he may send the pack after you and your leopards. If you are not lukoi, not lupa, then to let their deaths go unpunished would make him appear so weak you might as well let Jacob kill him."
"Then what am I supposed to do?"
"I don't know."
Merle stuck his head in the car. "We've got wolves out here. Your rats are holding them back, but they're getting impatient."
"We're coming," Rafael said. He looked across the seat at me. "Shall we?"
I nodded. "I guess it'd be silly not to get out of the car."
He slid out to the edge of the seat, then hesitated, holding his arm out for me. Normally, I wouldn't have taken it, but tonight we were trying for a show of solidarity and style. So I stepped out of the car on the rat king's arm, like a trophy wife--except for the wrist sheaths and the two folding knives hidden in my clothing. Somehow I think trophy wives wear more makeup and less cutlery. But, hey, I haven't ever met a trophy wife, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe they know what I know, that the true way to a man's heart is six inches of metal between his ribs. Sometimes four inches will do the job, but to be really sure, I like to have six. Funny how phallic objects are always more useful the bigger they are. Anyone who tells you size doesn't matter has been seeing too many small knives.
Chapter 22
THE CLEARING WAS huge, but not huge enough. The cars, trucks, and vans filled most of the available ground; some parked so far under the trees that the paint jobs had to have gotten scratched all to hell. There wasn't room for all the wererats to park, and the cars filled the gravel drive, until it was just another parking lot. Some people ended up parked beside the road, or so they said, as they drifted up through the trees. Rafael had brought all his rats--about two hundred of them. The treaty between the rats and wolves dictated that their numbers had to top at two hundred. Rafael had agreed to that on the understanding that the much larger werewolf pack--six hundred or so--would come to his aid if needed. No questions asked. Your enemies are my enemies sort of thing. He'd explained that in the last few minutes, and it meant that he was risking a great deal tonight. Made me feel guilty. Made me wish I'd found a way to sneak a gun into the lupanar. Truthfully, I hadn't even tried. Was I growing soft, overconfident, or just tired?
The tallest woman I'd ever seen came to stand beside Rafael and me. She was at least six feet six inches, broad-shouldered, and had the muscles that only serious weight lifting will give you. She was wearing a black sports bra across her tanned chest and a pair of faded black jeans. Her dark hair was caught back in a tight ponytail, leaving her face clean and startling with not a touch of makeup on it.
"This is Claudia. She's going to be one of your enforcers for the night" Rafael said.
I opened my mouth to protest, but he stared me into silence. His face so serious. "You have wereleopards, but only Micah has bodyguards. We can't afford to lose you Anita, not for something stupid like this."
"If I can't take care of myself, then what good is my threat?"
"Richard will have his Skoll and Hati. I will have my guards. Micah has his. Only you are without escort. Raina kept the wereleopards as an adjunct to the werewolves. They never really grew into a full pard, not really. Even Micah's people added to yours don't have the right personnel for a working pard. You have too many submissives and not enough dominants. So tonight you will have Claudia and Igor."
Zane said, "We can take care of Anita."
"No we can't," Nathaniel said.
I stared at him. He touched my arm. "Take the help, Anita, please."
"We can protect her," Micah said.
Merle echoed him.
"And if you have to choose between saving Micah, or saving Anita, which one will you choose?" Rafael asked.
Merle looked away, but Noah said, "Micah."
"Exactly."
"Won't your rats feel just as torn between you and Anita as my leopards would?" Micah asked.
"No, because I'll have bodyguards. My rodere, my gang, runs high to enforcers and professional soldiers. Why do you think that Raina and Marcus agreed to the treaty when Richard brought it to them? They'd never have allied with us if we weren't stronger than just our numbers."
"I don't ..."
He actually touched my mouth with his finger. "No, Anita. When this is over, and you are truly Nimir-Ra, then you will need to advertise for enforcers of your own. Until then, I'll share."
I moved his hand away from my mouth. "I don't think this is necessary."
"I do," he said.
"I agree," Cherry said.
Finally, Micah said, "Agreed." Merle and Noah both gave him a funny look, then exchanged glances with each other.
"I haven't agreed to this," I said. ...
Nathaniel leaned into me, and said, "If you don't give in on this we'll still be standing here an hour from now."
I frowned at him.
He smiled and shrugged.
I turned to the bodyguard in question. She just looked at me, face impassive, as if it didn't matter to her one way or another. A man moved up beside her. He was about two inches shorter than she was, broader through the shoulders, and had so many tattoos that for a second I thought he was wearing a colorful long-sleeved shirt. His tank top was small and strained over the swell of his chest. Jeans and work boots completed his outfit. He was bald, with a tattoo of a dragon curling around his ears and the back of his skull. Even by starlight you could see the design of the tat was oriental and well done.
"How do you guys feel about putting your life on the line for someone you just met?"
"You saved our king's life," the man said. "We owe you a life."
"Even if it's your own," I said.
"Them's the breaks," he said.
I stared up at the woman. "You agree with that?"
"Like Igor says, we owe you one."
It always made me uncomfortable when people were willing to put my safety ahead of their own. I just wasn't really comfy with the concept of bodyguards, but, what the hell? I put my hand out. They exchanged glances between them, then shook my hand. Igor touched me like he was afraid I'd break, and Claudia tried to squeeze hard enough to make me cry uncle. I didn't. I smiled pleasantly at her, because I knew she wouldn't really hurt me. She just wanted to see if I'd squirm. My pleasant smile made her frown, but she let go of my hand. My hand actually ached just a little, and if my healing powers weren't up to it, I'd be bruised in the morning. Damn.
Rafael turned to some of his rats, giving instructions, leaving me alone with the two bodyguards. "Is Igor your real name?" I asked.
"Nickname," he said.
"What's your real name?"
He smiled and shook his head.
"What could be worse than Igor?" I asked.
His smile widened to a grin. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
It made me smile, and some tightness in my chest eased. You'd almost think I was relieved to have bodyguards of my own. Naw, not me. I didn't need no stinking bodyguards. I probably wouldn't need them, but extra muscle is like extra ammunition. If you need it, it's good to have it, if you don't need it, then it can always go back in the box.
Truth was, I felt more protective of my leopards than protected by them. Sad, but true. And I didn't entirely trust Merle, or Noah, or even Micah. He was keeping things from me, and I didn't like that. Some women are just never satisfied.