Page 19 of Shadow Boxed (Shadow Warriors #2)

Chapter sixteen

Wolf listened to O’Neill with a sinking sensation in his chest. He dropped his fork, the clink of metal hitting the ceramic plate, echoing in his ears. Appetite gone, he sighed and pushed the plate aside. “Your news does not surprise me.”

What in shadow’s name was going on in the Tabenetha?

Shock lifted O’Neill’s eyebrows at Wolf’s words. “It doesn’t? Why the hell not?”

O’Neill seeking him out, followed by the bombshell he’d delivered, was not how Wolf expected to start his morning. He scanned the cafeteria. Few of the cafeteria tables were occupied. No one would hear this conversation.

Even so, he lowered his voice. “Your daughter is not the only woman to receive a warrior’s spirit of late.”

O’Neill’s mouth froze in mid-yawn. “No shit? There are others?”

Wolf nodded and swallowed another sigh. “One other. Jillian was claimed by the heschrmal. ”

Neither revelation would have been shared prior to their last mission. O’Neill would not have come to him with his concern, and Wolf would not have revealed such a personal secret.

The difference between two weeks was...surprising.

O’Neill’s eyebrows lifted. “Jillian? As in your le'ven'a? Your woohanna le'ven'a.”

It didn’t surprise Wolf that O’Neill knew who Jillian was. The warrior seemed omnipresent, knowing things he shouldn’t know. Wolf nodded. “Indeed.”

“Damn…” O’Neill shook his head, his expression befuddled. “Has a warrior spirit claimed a female before? Let alone a woohanna?”

The question didn’t appear to be a dismissal of Wolf’s announcement though, which came as a surprise. Was his instant acceptance because of Gracie’s claiming? Wolf had struggled longer to accept the news.

Drumming his fingers against the surface of the stainless-steel table, O’Neill’s gaze turned inward. “What in shadow’s name do these female claimings signify? Why now? Why them? There must be a reason.”

Wolf released a frustrated breath. “Without a Taounaha , there is no way to seek wisdom from the Shadow Warrior.”

The reminder brought O’Neill’s eyes back to Wolf’s face. “Have you spoken with your javaanee ?”

“I have. Now we wait.”

O’Neill grunted. “I’ve never been a fan of waiting.”

Neither was Wolf.

The warrior sitting across from him looked tired and rumpled.

He was wearing the same t-shirt and pants as the day before—stained and wrinkled now.

His cheeks and chin carried a cloud of stubble.

The only thing that wasn’t disheveled was his hair.

Buzz cuts didn’t have the length to throw an attitude.

“Your meeting with Muriel…and Gracie…appears to have gone well.” The fact Gracie had confided in him about her wolf claiming indicated trust.

O’Neill offered a slow nod before his eyebrows turned down. “You could have told me Daniel had a twin, asshole.” He didn’t sound all too annoyed by the omission though.

“That secret was not mine to tell.”

“I suppose warning me that I was about to hop onto the last flight to The Neighborhood wasn’t yours to tell either.” He sounded more annoyed by that omission.

Wolf shrugged. “I had faith you would secure lodging.” He paused, before asking curiously. “Where did you sleep?”

His appearance so early meant he’d grabbed the first flight back to base this morning.

“On Samuel’s couch. Although Rawlings offered to host me.

” His green gaze turned inward again. “It was late enough by the time Gracie finished talking that it made more sense to crash on the couch than to call the squid to come collect me.” He stifled a yawn with his fist. “Which reminds me, I promised Gracie I’d show her around base, so expect her to show up later today. ”

Wolf shrugged and reached for his coffee cup. “Did Gracie share her spirit gift? That could tell us why such a strong animal clan chose her.

O’Neill shook his head. “Doesn’t sound like it’s manifested yet.” He leaned across the stainless steel, his face tense. “What of your javaanee ? How did he react to your dream advice? Did he buy it?”

Obviously, the warrior was in search of a connection to the elder gods, someone to offer counsel on his daughter’s role in the looming Wanatesa . For this, Wolf found no fault. He was in the same position.

Wolf raised the coffee cup to his lips and took a sip, grimacing as coldness spread through his mouth. He set the mug back down and pushed it away. “Aiden’s reaction was unclear.”

Indeed, his brother hadn’t said anything following Wolf’s interference.

The sound of the cafeteria doors whooshing open turned both their heads. Wolf stilled as his javaanee stalked through the door.

“Speak of the devil,” O’Neill muttered, as Aiden headed straight for their table.

“We need to talk,” Aiden said tersely. “But not here. At headquarters. We’ll need access to your war room.”

Wolf and O’Neill exchanged glances, but Wolf was the one to ask the question on both their minds. “Why?”

“Right.” Adien scoffed. “You’ll probably eat this bullshit up.

” Frustrated irritation flickered across his face.

“But here goes—last night Benioko, your newly dead shaman, showed up in my dreams.” He coughed out a sarcastic laugh.

“In case you’re wondering, yes, the dude’s as annoying in death as he was in life. ”

Wolf froze. Benioko had walked through Aiden’s dreams? He intuitively knew why. The old one must be acting as an intermediary, passing information from the Tabenetha into the waking world, using Aiden as his physical mouthpiece.

“We’ll need Capland’s computer skills,” Wolf said, referring to the base’s computer specialist. The warrior was brilliant, his mind as sharp as a freshly honed blade. After grabbing his phone and leaving Cap a message, he swung his legs over the bench and stood. O’Neill followed him up.

If they needed the war room’s resources, Benioko must have identified a target.

Kuznetsov had claimed he’d sold one of the Wanatesa weapons.

Had Benioko located it? Plus, they still hadn’t identified the origins of the nano bomb.

A failure that threatened them all. He held the questions back as they exited the building and claimed a four-passenger vehicle.

“What did the Old One tell you?” Wolf asked once they left the new section of base and left most of the traffic behind.

Aiden’s grunt sounded annoyed. “He told me your precious Shadow Warrior killed him.”

Wolf’s eyes widened. “Unlikely.”

“Yeah? Tell that to your former Taounaha, who claims to be stuck in the Shadow Realm because your elder god decided to kill him and strand his soul in the Tabenetha as an interpreter.”

Wolf digested that. Did Aiden realize what he’d just said?

His word choice proved he had spoken to Benioko.

Plus, the strategy Aiden outlined made sense.

For the past year, Benioko had trouble crossing into the Tabenetha .

His spirit had been strong but leashed to a weak body.

He had not had the strength to cross the veil.

Aiden, on the other hand, crossed into the spirit world effortlessly, without even realizing it.

Yet he refused to communicate with the elder gods.

Benioko, as the former Taounaha, was able to communicate with the elder gods, as well as with Aiden, making him the perfect intermediary. Relief spread through him, easing the weight he’d been carrying. Benioko’s arrangement could work. Indeed, it could work well.

They had their mouthpiece back.

“ Obviously , you don’t believe anything you’re saying.” O’Neill said from the back seat. He leaned forward, wrapping his hand around the edge of Wolf’s headrest. “So why come find us? Why pass this intel on? ”

“Because of the information provided.” Aiden braced a hand against the dashboard as Wolf rounded a corner.

“Hell, it must have come from my subconscious, but the intel ticks all the boxes. The motive. The means. And the insane, fanatical ideology. The kind of ideology that doesn’t give a shit about how much death it unleashes, as long as it furthers their agenda. ”

O’Neill was quiet for a moment, before listing the possibilities. “ISIS? Al-Qaeda? Boko Haram?”

“None of the above.” Aiden drawled. “Try the Stone Agers.”

“Shit.” O’Neill ground out. “Those fuckers are pure anarchist. They’re willing to burn the entire world down and kill every person on it just to send Hokalita back to its precivilization purity.

They have no morality, no compassion, and no fear of the consequences.

” He fell silent, before adding quietly, “While they must be jonesing to get their hands on a weapon that would rid Hokalita of her human parasites, far as I know they don’t have the finances in place.

Word on the dark web is that Kuznetsov’s bot bomb sold for a hundred million. ”

Where in shadow’s name had O’Neill landed after leaving the Brenahiilo ?

He was up to date on all the terrorist organizations out there, even the lesser-known ones like the Stone Agers.

He obviously had killer contacts. Plus, he was one of Shadow Mountain’s top warriors.

One didn’t collect those kinds of skills as a mercenary.

He must have top-tier military or national intelligence service behind him.

Whatever his background, he was certainly proving useful.

Aiden shrugged. “According to your dead shaman, the Stoners are currently enjoying unlimited funds. They recruited a top ranked hacker who is stealing money left and right. The thefts are from illegal activities, so they were never reported.”

Wolf pulled into a parking space in front of headquarters and shut off the vehicle’s engine.

They piled out and headed into the building.

The front desk was vacant, which was for the best. He did not want rumors of this meeting to circulate.

Not until he had something concrete to offer his warriors.

Sadly, the absence of staff meant the coffee was his to make.

Minds worked best when aided by the nectar of the elder gods.