Guardian Witch: Burning Both Ends Part 6

"You got me there," Zoe admitted. "I am a bit of a sleepy head at this time of night, but this is big news and a friend called and woke me up. I got dressed and rushed over because I couldn't wait to see you. And meet the new prince. Was that too pushy?"

"Are you kidding? I'm glad to see you. So what do you think? Aren't these guys a lot different than Sebastian?"

"They are certainly nicer looking," Zoe whispered behind her hand.

Ari grinned. She'd have to remind Zoe about vampiric hearing. Due to Sebastian's closed-door policies, the Toronto guardian wasn't used to dealing with vampires. Ari glanced at the men to see their reaction. As expected, Andreas remained unruffled, but Gabriel was smiling broadly. Not a good sign from a man who'd already shown a tendency to be a Casanova. Zoe wouldn't have a chance if he chose to turn on the charm.

As the four settled down to talk, Ari and the vampires recounted for Zoe the wolf attack in Riverdale that had brought them to Toronto and the details of Sebastian's demise. Ari skipped over any mention of the telepathy, but Zoe drank in every word, appearing not to notice the omissions. When the two vampires grew restless with the approaching dawn, Zoe rose with obvious reluctance.

"I should go. I'd love to chat later today. Andreas, I hope we meet again. Sebastian shunned the Magic Council. I'm hoping you will change that."

"Count on it. I meant it when I said it was a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Vesper. Please give my regards to your president, and advise him I am eager to meet. Perhaps you could arrange a suitable time and place."

Zoe's face lit. "I'll do that. The sooner, the better."

Andreas bowed even more elegantly this time, and Zoe flashed an approving smile at Ari. He'd made another conquest. Not to be outdone, Gabriel kissed Zoe on both cheeks with a grand flourish, and the elf-witch left with a silly grin on her face. Ari and Zoe definitely needed to talk.

"It's hard to take in how fast things are changing. Until Arianna, I don't think a Guardian had ever been inside these walls," Gabriel said once the doors had closed behind Zoe. "Now we've had two in twenty-four hours."

"It is a change long overdue. Ms. Vesper and the Magic Council can be helpful to us."

"I don't doubt that," Gabriel said, smiling. "After all, I see how valuable Arianna is to you. In so many ways."

Andreas loudly cleared his throat.

Gabriel turned an innocent face to him. "Yes? Were you going to say something?"

Andreas's lips twitched. "Get out of here before you get yourself in trouble, my obnoxious friend. Dawn will be here in a couple of hours, and I wish to spend time with Arianna. Alone."

"I'm going." Gabriel gracefully eased from the chair. "I have an uncanny sense of knowing when I'm not wanted." He exited the room with a breezy wave of the hand.

Ari enjoyed their interplay. They reminded her of squabbling siblings, with Andreas in the role of the elder brother. "Is he ever serious?" she asked.

"Occasionally, but not if he can help it." Andreas took her hand, and turned her to face him, his smile fading. "Is something wrong? Earlier, you seemed troubled, cara mia. Is it something Gabriel said or did?"

"No, nothing like that. My funky mood has nothing to do with him. I'm trying to absorb everything that's happened to us." She debated whether to bring up the one issue they hadn't discussed-her impending return to Riverdale. The weariness in his eyes convinced her to wait for another day. If his responsibilities had kept him from realizing her departure was coming, that was a good thing. He didn't need another distraction.

She produced a coaxing smile. "Don't pay any attention to my mood. It really is nothing. Come on." She grabbed his arm and tugged. "Help me find the way to my room. It's late, and as you said, dawn is coming soon."

He held back an instant, apparently not satisfied with her answer. When she tugged again, he gave her a lazy smile. "Finding a bedroom is the best idea I have heard all evening," he murmured. "Dawn may have to wait."

Chapter Six.

The lycanthrope reinforcements arrived before Ari crawled out of bed the next morning. Lilith and Russell had taken charge, and most of the recruits were settled into temporary quarters.

While looking for her morning coffee, the first new arrival she ran into was Mike, a werewolf friend from her stint a year ago with Daron's security team. He gave her a shy grin-effusive for Mike. A big man, even in human form, in a prior life he had been special ops in the military and was not someone to be messed with. He was also an amateur chef. He'd found the kitchen occasionally used by Sebastian's lycanthropes or for visitors and was cooking breakfast. The mouthwatering aroma led Ari straight to him. Sizzling bacon. Scrambled eggs. And, bless him, coffee. If any of the locals had been around when Mike arrived, they must have left when the Riverdale recruits started to wander in. He had drawn a noisy crowd, and the hungry group jostled for spots in line, clutching plates and forks.

A delicately handsome werelion at the center of the commotion abandoned his place in line to give Ari an enthusiastic hug. Benny, another member of Daron's security team, was a big flirt. In spite of that, he was also a favorite with Ari. The grin on his face and his excited chatter proved how exited he was to rejoin his former colleagues. The remainder of the crowd drooling over Mike's feast were weretigers whose family had been in service with Andreas for two hundred years. Relieved to be surrounded by friends, Ari's spirits lifted immediately.

As soon as the initial greetings were over, everyone dug into the stacks of pancakes and platters of steak, eggs, bacon and potatoes Mike placed on the tables. Ari headed straight for the coffee pot. Except for clanging forks and smacking lips, the room was quiet for several minutes as the food steadily disappeared.

Eventually, appet.i.tes were sated, and Benny demanded to be told the story of Sebastian's defeat.

"I can't believe I missed the excitement," he said. "I want to hear every word that was said, every detail."

"Every detail?" She sighed. "OK, I'll try. Maybe Russell and Lilith can fill in anything I miss."

Ari repeated the story, some parts several times, as their questions brought new facts to mind. She described the awesome power in the room and Andreas's athletic flip over the older vamp's head. She described Andreas catching the knife and talked about the barrier dust, a weapon most of them had never seen. She downplayed the appearance of the fire spirits as just an anomaly of her witch fire. Gabriel or someone else might question it, but she wouldn't encourage the speculation. For now, the questions began to wind down.

"So does that really make Andreas the new prince?" Benny asked.

"He has the best claim," she said. "So far he has taken charge, and Sebastian's vamps have accepted him." She went on to talk about Gabriel, Marta, the potential challenges, and her concerns that they didn't know the real loyalty of anyone. "Andreas thinks he can trust Gabriel. I just don't know. On the other hand, for sure keep an eye on Marta. Oh, h.e.l.l, keep an eye on everyone, and stay close to Andreas no matter what he says."

The kitchen door banged open and a female werewolf entered. The she-wolf stopped when she saw the a.s.sembled group, then headed straight to Ari.

"There's a call for you," she said. "On the lounge phone."

Ari looked at her sharply, immediately wary of anything that separated her from her companions on this first morning inside Sebastian's compound. The she-wolf was a stranger, and Ari didn't know if there was anyone they could trust among the wolves. Sebastian's pack of wolf a.s.sa.s.sins had set up two ambushes in Riverdale. The first had killed her mentor; the most recent had almost killed Ari. She wasn't about to give their friends a third try.

Still, a landline call wasn't unusual. Cell phones were forbidden within the compound due to the threat of GPS tracking, and she had turned hers off last night. To reach her, anyone would have to call the main lines.

"Who are you?" she asked. "And, who's on the phone?"

"I'm just the girlfriend of one of the vamps, and I didn't ask who it was. Do I look like an answering service?" The wolf's tone was indifferent rather than hostile.

"No," Ari said, rising from the table. "You look like one of Sebastian's wolves, and I don't trust any of you."

"Suit yourself. I don't care. I'm just delivering a message."

"Then you shouldn't mind waiting here until I get back. Mike, will you watch her?"

"Sure, no problem." The big werewolf waved his spatula in the air. "I'll even feed her." He pulled out a chair and motioned for her to sit. She sat.

"Russell, Lilith, with me." Just in case a surprise waited beyond the doors, Ari was taking backup.

The only person they saw in the hallway was Marta's consort, Percy. He pa.s.sed them without speaking. Maybe Marta was OK with the new establishment, but this guy seemed less accepting. Another person she needed to watch-in a place filled with potential enemies.

When she entered the lounge, she found nothing except a phone with its hold light blinking. The precautions hadn't been necessary. This time. Ari sighed. It was so hard to identify the enemy these days.

She picked up the receiver. The familiar voice of Riverdale's Magic Council president got her immediate attention, and he didn't waste time on preliminaries.

"Something has come up. I need you to return to Riverdale. We have a situation."

"What kind of situation? I thought we'd agreed I'd stay in Toronto for a while."

"I know, but this is urgent. Steffan is missing."

"Missing?" Her heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean by 'missing?'"

"Exactly that. He didn't return from a run night before last. He separated from the pack to conduct what he described to them as private business and failed to rejoin them. Since he has a habit of hunting alone part of the night, they didn't report his absence to the Council until late yesterday afternoon."

Two nights ago. The night they'd fought Sebastian. The night of the Hunter's Moon. It was like a bad omen.

"Are you sure he's not sleeping it off somewhere?" It was a big night for the Otherworld. All the wolves would have been running, followed by feasting. A time of over-indulgence, especially for wolves, the werecreatures most susceptible to the moon's persistent call. Ari understood the power of the moon. Not in the same way, but the magic of the moon G.o.ddess was at the root of all witchcraft.

The President sighed, as if surprised by her question. "He missed a council meeting, Arianna." The wizard's answer was firm, chiding. "How often does that happen?"

Ari understood. Never. Steffan was too conscientious. Although he wasn't natural-born from wolf parents, he had accepted and even embraced his new condition after he was infected with lycanthropy. He'd quickly become a respected leader, headed the largest pack in Riverdale, and was the lycanthrope representative on the Magic Council. He honored his responsibilities.

Anxiety made her clutch the phone a little tighter. "What's already been done? Any leads? Theories? Have the woods been searched?" Hearing the stress in her voice, she made an effort to slow her racing pulse.

"We're making inquiries. Naturally Steffan's pack has looked everywhere they could even remotely imagine he might be, and they've asked questions all over town. Everyone has pitched in, with no results. You have to come home, Arianna. If he isn't found soon, or if he has been killed, you will be needed to help Martin keep the wolves under control."

"I understand. I'll be on the first plane I can get, sir."

"Thank you. I'm sorry I had to do this. I know you're leaving things unsettled up there, but it can't be helped. The Toronto Council has a.s.sured me they will keep us informed, and perhaps you can return as soon as Steffan is found. For now, your duty is here."

"I'll contact you as soon as I land." She wanted off the phone. She'd already gotten the message and needed time to think and plan.

"I'll wait for your call."

After she disconnected, Ari sat a moment, staring across the room at nothing. What could have happened to her friend? Even though she'd brought up the possibility, Steffan wouldn't be sleeping it off. He never let himself get that out of control. He also wouldn't disappear on his own, not for more than a few hours. Someone-or something-had kept him away, and she'd already lost too much time.

But d.a.m.n. What about Andreas? The situation here was far from stable. He needed all the help he could get. Instead, she was taking off, leaving him to face the situation alone. Even worse, she couldn't stay long enough to explain. Her plane would leave before he woke. Ari bit her lip to hold back the frustration that threatened to spill over into tears. She'd accepted their separation was inevitable, but it shouldn't have come so soon-and not like this.

She turned a stricken face to the waiting werelions. "I have to go home."

Russell nodded. "We heard. Steffan's missing. What's happened to him?"

She shook her head. "They don't have any idea, and it's been two days. He could be injured and waiting for someone to find him. But what about the situation here?" Ari swallowed. She couldn't seem to wrap her head around her next move.

"Andreas will be fine," Russell said. "I'll see to that. He has friends around him now, and the vampires from home arrive tonight."

Lilith started for the door. "I'll make our flight arrangements and pack."

"Wait, Lilith."

The lioness looked back. "I'm going with you. Somehow I've taken on the job of bodyguard. Or was it babysitter?" she added with an attempt at humor.

"But your place is with Russell," Ari said. She wanted Lilith with her but didn't want to separate husband and wife. It wasn't fair. It was bad enough she was being torn away from her boyfriend...her lover or whatever he was to her.

"Not this time. My place is with you, and Russell's is here. It's what friends do." She spoke to Ari, but she looked at Russell. "When I get back, think of the great reunion s.e.x." Lilith left laughing.

Russell watched his wife's retreating figure with a shake of his head. "She's making the right decision, you know. Think about it. Whatever is happening in Riverdale, you'll need help from someone. The old team won't be there, Andreas won't be there, and Daron's vamps are already stretched thin. Your human cop friends won't be much help with Otherworld affairs, and Steffan's pack may be too disorganized to think clearly. You'll need a cool head at your side, and no one can do that better than Lilith."

"OK, OK, I know you're right," Ari conceded. She didn't admit how relieved she was. "And I promise you, I'll keep her safe."

Russell chuckled. "I think she's already claimed the babysitter role. She might try to kick your b.u.t.t, if she heard you talk like that."

Two hours later Lilith and Ari were on a plane. They'd explained the situation to the rest of the lycanthropes, and Ari had left a much-rewritten note for Andreas. It had grown shorter with every version. In the end, she included only the facts and a promise she would call him later. She signed it "Love, Ari." Pathetic, but the best she could do.

They made their connecting flight in Chicago and were only an hour out of Riverdale when Ari first noticed the disturbance near the front of the plane. Loud voices from two human males drew everyone's attention. Lilith and Ari glanced at one another in surprise, but Ari returned to thumbing through the on-board magazine. It had ads for the weirdest things. Who needed an electric back scratcher? Or bunny clips to pair your socks?

The commotion from the front grew louder. An older man lunged to his feet and demanded in a precise British accent, "Take that back, sir. I declare, I have never been so offended."

Ari watched as the flight attendant hurried to calm the irate pa.s.senger. The portly older man brushed off her restraining hand and pointed a chubby finger at his seat companion. "You must remove this insufferable person. I refuse to sit next to him the rest of this flight."

"I'm sorry, sir, but the flight is full. There isn't another seat available. What is the problem?"

"We were having a perfectly civil political discussion when he called me the most inexcusable names. So offensive, I dare not repeat them."

"You were offended? What about me?" the other man demanded, huffing out his cheeks.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen, but you'll have to stay in your seats and lower your voices. If you'll both stay calm, I'm sure we can work something out. Perhaps you can avoid talking about politics." The flight attendant was doing her best, but the two pa.s.sengers weren't being cooperative. Although they lowered their voices, the strident tones carried throughout the plane.

"He's not sitting with me," the man still seated declared. "I've had enough of his fascist theories. I paid good money for this seat, and I'm not moving."

"Fascist?" was the indignant response. "That does it. I wouldn't dream of sitting beside you. In the interests of civility, I will move," the portly man announced. He looked around at the other pa.s.sengers and finally his gaze stopped on Lilith. "You," he pointed at her. "I'll change places with you, young lady. Perhaps you can tolerate sitting next to this...this..." During his speech, the man's focus s.h.i.+fted to Ari. He regarded her with such purpose that she laid her hand on Lilith's arm to stop her automatic protest. This performance had been planned for Ari's benefit, and she wanted to know why.

"Perhaps you should humor him, Lilith. We don't need an onboard fight, and it can't be for more than forty-five minutes or so."

Lilith looked surprised, then wiped her expression and unfastened her seat belt. "OK," she agreed. As she stood, she leaned over Ari and whispered, "You owe me an explanation."

It didn't take long to make the exchange, since both Lilith and the portly man held aisle seats. The flight attendant fussed over Lilith and offered to bring her anything she needed. The man settled next to Ari, nodded pleasantly in her direction, then opened his laptop and became absorbed in its contents. Ari returned to her magazine without comment. In less than two minutes, her patience was rewarded.

"Sorry for the dramatics, but I wanted to speak with you before we got off the plane." The man kept his face turned toward the computer screen and spoke softly. "I'm afraid that other poor fellow is convinced I've escaped from some lunatic asylum." He expelled a sigh. "He doesn't offend easily, and I became quite outrageous before he grew tired of the verbal abuse. I don't like being so uncivil, but it couldn't be helped." He chuckled softly. "In the end, it was effective, for here we are."

What a bizarre person. The old guy certainly had a fertile imagination. If meeting Ari was his goal, she could think of a dozen easier ways, like introducing himself. He was lucky flight security didn't take him into custody. Or Homeland Security. Weren't air marshals on flights these days? She kept a wary eye on him and waited to hear what he wanted.

He glanced sideways at her face. "You're thinking I'm a stalker, aren't you? I'm not. Just a little rusty at this sort of thing."

"What sort of thing are we talking about? Don't you think it's time you got to the point?" Ari kept her voice low and appeared to study her magazine. She was intrigued enough to play his game for now.

"I'm getting there. Young people are so impatient. Horatio Jones is the name. At one time-more years ago than I care to remember-I worked for your CIA. Retired long ago, but then this little problem came up. They needed someone to blend in, someone no longer official. That's how I got involved."

"Involved with what? What would the CIA want with me?" Ari almost called a flight attendant. Maybe Jones had escaped from an asylum.

"Not the CIA. Not this time. I'm here on behalf of Homeland Security."

Ari measured him with an appraising look. He wasn't an air marshal. No way. CIA? Homeland Security? Come on. The man needed a keeper.