Carrie Vaughn - Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand

“That’s our mysterious universe for you. And what were you hunting at the time?”

“Cormac.”

I raised a brow. What the hell was Cormac doing that had Ben and Brenda chasing after him? And why hadn’t I heard about it? And why... The questions could go on forever.

“It’s a long story,” he said.

“I bet it is. And what’s Evan’s story? He another client?”

“No, he’s the competition. Works out of Seattle. Though I guess Cormac doesn’t have competition anymore.”

“I used to figure Cormac was one of a kind, or one of maybe a half dozen, tops. How many vampire and werewolf hunters are there? There’s Evan, Brenda, Boris, Sylvia—” I counted on my fingers. This was already too many.

He shrugged. “Hard to say. It’s a tough group to keep tabs on. People disappear, people retire, and no one really announces anything. It’s like Evan said, it works pretty much on gossip and rumor. But that’s how you know where the vampires and lycanthropes are, and where the work is.”

“How many of them were sitting in that bar?”

“Maybe a dozen,” Ben said finally. “I recognized a lot of faces, even if I don’t know them well.”

“Don’t you find that disturbing?”

“I suppose,” he said. “I used to hang out with people like that a lot. I guess I’m having trouble thinking of myself as the enemy.”

That was his old world. It didn’t matter if he was the target now. However much he might want to, he couldn’t go back to the way he was. His wolf must have been telling him that.

I squeezed his hand back and walked closer, so our bodies brushed. I wanted to run my fingers through his hair. There’d be time for that when we got to the room.

“What happens when they find out about you?” When they found out he was one of the bad guys now, nominally.

“They probably won’t shoot me on sight, if that’s what you’re thinking,” he said. “You stood in that bar a whole ten minutes and no one took a shot at you.”

“But I imagine there was a lot of visualization going on in a lot of minds.”

He chuckled, but the sound was sad. Then he said, “I think they’d feel sorry for me. But I’d really rather they didn’t find out.”

Outside the elevators, from a side corridor, a shadow stepped in front of us to block our way. I jumped and caught a growl in the back of my throat. Ben touched my arm, and I could feel us both poised between flight or fight, staying together to protect each other or separating to confuse our enemy—

The shadow turned into Odysseus Grant, looking down on us with a stern gaze. He was tall, with a face like chipped stone. I hadn’t realized how tall he was. I’d attributed his height to stage presence. He wore his tuxedo, with jacket and bow tie, like he’d just come from his own show. Maybe he’d always been there, and my imagination had turned him into a shadow, made him appear out of nowhere. Maybe he’d been waiting for us.

“Mr. Grant,” I said, catching my breath and trying to slow my heart. I had to call someone in a tux “mister.”

“Ms. Norville. Mr. O’Farrell.” He nodded at Ben, and I didn’t have to wonder if he knew that Ben was a werewolf, or if he could tell. He knew and took in the knowledge with a slight nod. But how had the magician known Ben’s name? “I’m sorry if I startled you. I wanted to tell you—I watched your show. I’m almost sorry I didn’t take part. But about the gentleman inviting you to Balthasar’s show—don’t go. Don’t have anything to do with them.”

“Why? What’s the story?”

“It’s complicated.”

“It always is.”

He quirked a smile. “Have you met any other lycanthropes here? Have you seen any sign of a pack here, besides those two this evening?”

“No. I’ve been wondering about that.”

“Balthasar does not tolerate rivals.”

“I’m not a rival.”

“Of course not. But he might see you as something else. A possession, maybe?”

I laughed. “I don’t think so.” Ben wasn’t laughing, though. He’d curled his hand around my arm.

“I wanted to warn you.”

“What’s your stake in it? Why tell me this?”

“I’m simply a concerned citizen who knows something you don’t.”

And if that didn’t pique my curiosity... “What’s the big secret, then? What do you know? What’s going on over there? The lycanthropes—they perform under duress, don’t they? They’re trapped—”

Chuckling, he shook his head. “It’s not so mundane as that.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s best you don’t concern yourself with such matters.”

“Secrets don’t scare me, they only piss me off.”

“That can be dangerous.”

“Thanks. But I’m pretty good at taking care of myself.”

He looked both of us up and down. Taking our measure. “I suppose you’d have to be.”

“We look out for each other,” Ben said.

“Good. I’ll be off, then. Sorry for interrupting your evening.” He tipped an imaginary hat at us, then disappeared around the corner, a dapper gentleman from another century.

I stared after him, vaguely aware that Ben was still squeezing my arm. “It’s frustrating. I can’t find anything out about Balthasar, and then Grant comes along talking all this doom. And he wouldn’t even come on my show.”

“You sure seem to be popular with the guys,” he said.

“Jealous?”

“Yeah, I think I am.”

I put my arm around his waist as we walked to the elevator. “Good.”

Late that night I lay in bed, curled on my side, wishing for a quiet place that didn’t smell like the hotel room, which stank of furniture polish, bleach, lint, and people. Strangers. Not pack, not friendly. I hadn’t wanted to take over Denver’s werewolf pack; I’d kept insisting that I didn’t want to be an alpha. But now I missed the other wolves. I missed my own place. Here, even with the thick curtains drawn, shutting out the neon lights and early morning activity on the Strip, I could still hear the cars, an occasional voice, distant music.

Ben touched me. He set his hand on my bare hip, lightly, then moved his face along my shoulder to my neck, my hair, taking in my scent, letting his breath whisper over my skin. His warmth brushed over me, sending calm through me. Wherever he was, that was home. He smelled like pack, and that made him safe. Not just in the sense that I knew he wouldn’t hurt me; it was more than that. He meant safety. Lying with him, closed in his arms, nothing could harm me.

That was objectively true. But my shoulders were tense, like hackles, despite the drinks, despite making love before drifting to sleep. Rather, Ben had drifted to sleep and I stared at the curtained windows, waiting for ninjas to strike. The whole way back here I’d looked over my shoulder and jumped at odd noises. I’d felt that prickling sensation that someone was watching me from across the room. But of course when I looked, no one was there.

Ben kissed my upper back, pressing at the knots in the muscles. I moaned softly and bent my neck forward to give him better access. Distraction. I only needed distracting and I’d be fine. As if he knew this, he nuzzled my neck, burying his face in my hair, moving slowly, gently. My body tingled, flushing. Where he touched felt electric.

“You smell worried,” he murmured.

“You can tell?”

“Yeah.” He kissed, more firmly this time, his mouth open, and I melted a little further. “Is it about getting married?”

I was chagrined to realize I hadn’t been thinking about getting married. I really should have been. “No, I’m looking forward to that,” I said. “It’s not that. I feel like I’m being watched. Followed.”