Vivian Arend - Diamond Dust

“Limo for the first days.”

A growl of annoyance escaped before he caught himself.

“I know, I know, but play along for a bit, okay?” Justin tugged the empty wine glass from his fingers and handed it to a male secretary walking in the aisle. “We have to stick with standard protocol until we get things lined up and all the security has been double-checked—”

“Justin. I wrote the security handbook. I know what’s in there.”

“Right.” Justin tapped his fingers on the armrest. “We’ve booked in at the Moonshine Inn. Your suite is—”

Tyler lifted a hand to interrupt the man. “I swear you’re nervous or something, because you’re rambling. You’ve already gone through the details of our accommodation as well as the schedule for the first two days of conclave. Verbally once plus you left me three copies to read.”

“Sorry.”

Pressure changed as the plane started its descent. Tyler examined his best friend, who happened to also be his personal advisor and bodyguard.

As if he, a bear shifter, needed a guard, but traditions weren’t easy to break. So long as Tyler didn’t have to put up with sycophants, he had no problem spending time with his friend as they dealt with the issues of clan security.

Still, there had to be something wrong. Justin was normally far more relaxed. “You got word of trouble brewing?”

Justin blinked then shook his head. “A bad feeling is all. There’s been nothing but problems for the first two weeks of conclave between kidnapping and extortion, and plain old stupidity on the part of a few clans. I don’t expect anything will get better for the final set of votes merely because we’ve shifted locations from Dawson City to Whitehorse.”

“Of course there’s still trouble coming.” Tyler thought back through the notes he’d read on the previous territory-distribution talks. The events weren’t held often, but the opportunity for an orderly exchange of resources and ideas was still the best way to stop the overaggressive bear shifters from methodically taking out most of their population and ninety percent of the other shifters in the north.

Bears on a rampage weren’t a pretty sight.

“We’ll deal with the troubles in a civilized manner. We aren’t dogs to fight over a bone.” Tyler spoke louder as the props on his private plane increased in volume. “Speaking of which, did you find more information regarding the wolf pack in Whitehorse?”

Justin laughed. “Yes, from the strangest source, actually. You’ll never guess who.”

Tyler was tempted to make him lay a wager, but nabbing money from his best friend on a sure bet was far too unsportsmanlike. If he was going to gamble, he wanted the risk to mean something. “I’d never in a million years guess you spoke to my brother, Frank.”

Justin’s expression twisted in disgust. “You’re not a lot of fun at times.”

“I know everything…”

They both laughed as the plane touched down with a gentle kiss of the wheels to the tarmac. “Yeah, you have more resources than a gopher has holes. How did you figure out Frank was in town?”

“He texted me.”

“Frank?” Justin’s tone of voice was somewhere along the lines of hearing that Lady Gaga had flown a solo trip to the moon.

“Well, someone must have texted for him because I doubt he has a phone or a computer, but he’s staying with the Takhini pack.” Shocking information in and of itself, but true.

“You don’t need my report, then?” Justin stood as the pilot smoothly taxied the plane toward the terminal.

“Oh, I need it. Frank was his usual loquacious self. ‘At the Takhini pack house. See you for dinner. You’re buying.’ This makes me even more curious what kind of pack Whitehorse has that they welcome outcast bears into their midst.”

“Curious situation to be sure. And it’s two packs, not one.”

This got stranger by the minute. “There are two wolf packs in the city? What kind of masochists are they? They must have total control over the media because I haven’t seen any weekly reports of bloodshed in the streets.”

Tyler joined his guard at the exit door. They waited briefly until the path was cleared, then Justin stepped out and looked around before giving the go-ahead. “Word is Takhini is in charge and Canyon has gone into hiding. We’re staying at the hotel owned by the Takhini pack. Current Alpha is originally from the Hudson Bay pack.”

Tyler whistled. “Impressive.”

“Yeah, name of Evan Stone—took over about a year ago and seems to be controlling them okay. The other pack, all I could find was a name, Sam, and a lot of fuzzy rumours.”

The mid-July sunshine caused heat waves to shimmer above the runway. The short walk to the waiting limo was long enough for Tyler to wish he wasn’t headed for formal meetings, but finding somewhere comfortable along the river to ease back and relax. Maybe with someone soft and curvy to help pass the time.

The limo took off, the unfamiliar Alaskan highway disappearing rapidly as they headed into downtown. Tyler hadn’t been to Whitehorse very often. His business trips tended to take him farther south into the US, or over to London or Europe. Staying in the smaller towns in northern Canada over the past couple of months had been a refreshing change from his long-range excursions to exotic or formal settings. “What did Frank tell you?”

“He likes them, that much was clear. He’s been in town for a few days and he’s still a guest in the pack house, so they’re either very tolerant, or Frank has improved his manners since he used to live in Yellowknife.” Justin peered out the windows, remaining alert as they traveled. “Also, he mentioned there was someone you simply had to meet.”

“That sounds like a woman comment.” Which was all kinds of impossible. “Don’t tell me Frank’s broken heart has healed.”

“Don’t think that’s what he was implying.” Justin grinned as they stopped at a set of lights. “Your brother said there was someone he wanted you to meet, emphasis on you.”

“Good grief. He’s trying to set me up?”

Justin shrugged. “Diplomacy will fill your days, but there are a couple of gala events planned—the organizing committee is striving to uphold the peaceful nature of the talks. You’ll have a lot of time on your hands at night if you want Frank to introduce you to this someone special of his.”

Tyler didn’t bother to respond, instead glared at his friend. Justin grinned harder, then ignored him, whistling as the limo headed to their destination.

A downside of having money, power and a coveted position. Tyler didn’t go long between offers of female company. Justin knew it well—the asshole rubbed it in all the time that Tyler’s arms must get tired from fending the women off.

Tyler didn’t fend them off. He simply took what they offered and let them leave. It might seem heartless, but physical pleasure was enough.

Although, once the territory issues were solved he’d consider putting more energy into finding someone permanent. A man with the kind of business and status he had needed to think of having a family to pass it on to someday, which would require a wife at some point. Right now, though, he had too many important tasks to be distracted by a pretty face.

His brother’s broken heart and subsequent escape into the wilds of the Yukon was another good reason why Tyler avoided dating. Women wrapped a man up and tore them apart in ways that business and territorial claims never did. Those situations were logical and orderly, or at least when done correctly. Tyler had no intention of getting emotionally whipped through some kind of roller coaster only to find in the end he wasn’t in control of anything—his family, his business or his heart.