Page 28 of Spirit Walker Pack (Kingdom of Wolves #5)
brONZE
Taking the call from Alpha Lyle confirmed the information I’d received from Flint, and his southern sector informant.
It’s strange that the southern sector would know so much about the rogues in no-man’s-land, with them being so far away and all.
Mind you, nobody saw the connection between Porter and Arric, and that was a shocking revelation, so nothing should come as a surprise anymore.
It would be advantageous if Lyle, Falan, Flint and myself could hold a meeting and discuss Lyle’s latest intelligence, but trying to do that face-to-face will be out of the question. A conference call will have to suffice. The sooner the better, too.
There doesn’t appear to be much happening on the borders lately either. Blood Pearl and Spirit Walker Packs were bearing the brunt of Arric’s skirmishes, but there has been a considerable drop in their frequency of late, which begs the question, why?
I don’t think Arric’s army is as big as we all first thought, and he couldn’t sustain the numbers he was losing in those skirmishes.
Another possibility is that he was expecting more of the northern and southern sector packs to jump on board.
He didn’t sell himself or his big ideas as well as he expected to.
Or we could be completely wrong and he, or his mysterious general, could be a military genius.
Lyle mentioned something that I found curious.
This Number Seven character. Where does he fit in all this?
He is certainly aligned with Arric’s cause.
An outsider wouldn’t just barge into a camp, wipe them out and walk away.
He knew about their orders, too. Could he be the mysterious general? That’s a possibility.
A knock on my door has me looking up, and seeing the door is already opening, I know this will be Taria.
My heart still beats faster whenever I see her, and I doubt that will ever change.
I suppose it’s the same for all mates. I was happy to hear that Lyle now has his mate.
If she is anything like mine, she will make him a very happy Alpha, male and mate.
“To what do I owe this pleasure, my sweet Luna?”
“Flattery, my rugged Alpha, will get you nothing that you haven’t already had. Perhaps just more of it, so do continue.” Taria gives me a sweet smile.
“I was just thinking of Lyle and his mate. If he is as happy with his mate as I am with you, he is a very lucky male.” I give my mate a smug smile.
Taria commences to give me gossip she’s heard. “I hear on the grapevine that she led him a merry dance before she caved in. Apparently, she wanted nothing to do with being mated. Not just to Lyle, but to anyone, and she certainly didn’t want to become a Luna.”
I raise my eyebrows at this, as I’ve heard nothing regarding the matter. “Well, he must have given a compelling argument if she changed her mind. I mean, he’s not exactly unpleasant to look upon. Not as handsome as yours truly, but he’s fair to middling.” I watch for Taria’s reaction to this.
“Oh, I don’t know. I wouldn’t have thrown him out of bed if the Goddess had offered me first dibs.”
Seeing her wide eyes, I know she is teasing me, but I can’t help the green-eyed monster that surges forth.
Grabbing her, I throw her across my knee, give her ass a good slap twice, and then sit her on my lap for a deep and passionate kiss.
When we come up for air, she looks at me through glassy eyes.
“Maybe I made the right choice, after all.” Placing her hand behind my neck, she pulls me in for another kiss.
Ending our second kiss, I wait for her to tell me why she’s here.
Not that she needs a reason, but there is usually something.
Knowing what my unasked question is, she stands, brushes herself down and smiles coyly.
“I have absolutely no idea why I came to see you, but you can be sure I’ll by dropping by more often.
” Walking dreamily across the room, she exits and even leaves the door open.
LYLE
Sitting in the orchard on such a beautiful day, you’d think there would be better things to focus on than a coming war. Perhaps if I’d brought Fenya with me. I could have changed my focus somewhat.
I doubt that. She is still extremely combative. She thrives on her warrior nature. Hunter pops into my mind.
‘It’s not always a bad thing. It should keep her safe. She trusts so few people that she is rarely going to be taken by surprise.’
I noticed when running with Astra, she is very alert. Her eyes are everywhere, and she misses nothing.
‘That’s a good habit to have. Oh, talking of eyes, you were going to tell me something about eyes, weren’t you.’ I reply through the mind link to Hunter.
Eyes? What could I tell you about eyes?
‘Number Seven, the mystery shifter, had black eyes. You said you’d tell me about them. With Fenya and the mating bond, I forgot all about it,’ I remind Hunter.
Ah, yes. Those black eyes. Years ago, and I’m talking centuries here, not decades, before the Shadow Warriors became honorable and ‘protectors of the people’, they were indeed a shadowy lot.
Essentially, they were the cream of the then-criminal world.
All the best criminals sought to become members of the shadow clan.
The elite of assassins, thieves, whatever their specialty may be.
As they became more and more in demand, so their notoriety grew.
They developed into fearsome warriors in an effort to defend themselves against others, who would seek them out for the bounties placed on their heads.
Few were captured, and they began to band together, realizing that the more bounty hunters that died, the fewer would come.
Eventually, the Shadow Warriors were born out of this necessity, and the monies from the crimes they used to commit became nothing compared to what they could earn as mercenaries, to the rich and noble.
In a bid to enhance their strength and stamina, they took to using certain herbal concoctions supplied by equally shady healers.
One of the side effects of these herbs when used regularly was all-black eyes.
Hunter sits on his haunches in the back of my mind.
‘So, you're telling me that Number Seven is a centuries old burglar turned murderer high on Mint and Rosemary?’
I’m telling you it is likely that there are some out there still practicing the old Shadow Warrior ways. It would explain his apparent disregard for life and his dark eyes. If Arric has one, does he have more? That is a frightening thought.
My mind works fast, but the thought is that, ‘I hope to the Goddess you’re wrong. They could be the difference between winning and losing this war, on their own.’
Jumping to my feet I rush back to my office and immediately place a call to Flint.
“Councilman Flint speaking…”
“Flint, thank the Goddess you’re there…” I stumble and trip over my words as I try to spit out all that Hunter had just informed me of.
“Lyle, stop. Take a breath. I’m not following you. There’s a centuries-old shadow killing shifters in your woods? I don’t understand.”
“Give me a second to calm myself, Flint. You may want to include Bruno in this. He can probably confirm what Hunter has just told me.” Taking a couple of deep breaths, I relay Hunter's words to him, what Fenya witnessed, and then Bruno confirms the history of the Shadow Warriors.
“There have always been rumors and gossip that some of the old ways of the Shadow Warriors still remain, but no one has ever seen or proved anything. It has always just been hearsay and old wives' tales. No one has ever been seen with black eyes like Fenya believes she saw,” Flint states.
“When you get here, you can ask Fenya what she ‘believes’ she saw. I would recommend you do so choosing your words very carefully, from a safe distance, and with a clear avenue of escape. I will not be present during that conversation. I value my life too much.”
“You clearly believe the shifter had all-black eyes then?” Flint asks, a little disbelievingly.
“Two exceptional warriors witnessed him from a clear vantage point. He dispatched six rogue warriors within seconds, took meat from a cooking fire, and walked casually away eating it. Death meant nothing to him. He snuffed them out like we would a candle, and he only stopped to look back into the tree that Sloane and Fenya were hiding in. Fenya said she thought he was looking into her soul. Yes, Flint, I believe every word.”
“I’ll be with you as quickly as I can.” The line goes dead, and I wonder if I should call Bronze or Falan? Thinking it better to wait and speak to Flint first, I mind link Fenya and ask her to join me.
A few minutes later Fenya joins me in my office, I sit with her on the couch by the fireplace. “Hunter has given me some valuable information that may, no probably, explains the eyes of Number Seven.” Feeling her shudder at the mere mention of his name surprises me.
“I’m not afraid of Number Seven, but I will admit to a feeling of dread just hearing his name spoken.
I can’t explain it better than that. I don’t even know if it’s the all-black eyes or the calm and indifferent way that he took those lives.
If I had them, it would be the stuff of nightmares.
So, what does the venerable Hunter have to say about them? ”
Relaying Hunter’s history lesson, I notice that she isn’t surprised by any of this. “You haven’t stopped me and asked a single question. Did you know any of this?” I ask, a little surprised at her reaction.
“I know the basic story of how the Shadow Warriors came into being, of course. I thought everyone knew that story. I didn’t know about the healers supplying herbal mixes to enhance their strength, etc. Or the side effect of black eyes. That would explain the speed with which he could move.”
“I have spoken with Flint. He’s going to get here as soon as he can. He will want to ask you some questions about what you saw. He is skeptical, so please be gentle, I mean patient, with him.”
“Calm and destructive my love, calm and destructive.” She grins happily at me as I slap my forehead with the palm of my hand.
“CONstructive, my love, not DEstructive.”
Laughing at her innocent faux pas, she leans over and kisses me. “You know what I meant.”
“Alas, I know what you’re capable of. That’s my worry.”