Chapter 7

I repeated the same introduction I'd done earlier with Asher, hoping there wouldn't be a third time today.

"I cannot say that I'm pleased you're here, considering recent events," he told them, though he was looking at me.

"They bring aid and information, both of which I think would be in your best interest to hear," I told him. "I would not have brought them otherwise." I tried to convey my sincerity; no matter how the majority of people here felt about me, I wouldn't knowingly endanger the pack.

"Very well, then." He gestured for us to sit on the couch while he and my father took the chairs, Asher standing nearby and ready to protect them both. The couch was designed to seat four Weres comfortably so we had no problem getting settled with room to spare.

"Aunt Gene woke me up at about six this morning," I began, "because Dad couldn't reach me by phone." I looked at my father. "I'd had a really rough day and was really tired. Anyway, I called him back and he told me some of what happened." I paused. "He also told me about the lost and injured." Seth came back into the room, his bottom lip a little puffy but no other signs of violence, sitting on the floor by my feet.

Submissives are treasured in any pack because they tend to be less violent. It is instinctive for the dominant wolves to protect those weaker than them, even if they didn't like the person. I've always been dominant, even though I'm not a wolf, and they knew it, so I tended to attract the Subs and low ranking dominants because I was safe; I couldn't give them orders to mindlessly obey, nor did I expect them to. It was as close as they could come to being equals to a dominant personality.

"I'd like to participate, if I could," I said to Mathias.

"Of course," he told me, "they were people you grew up with. I won't deny you the right to mourn them."

"Thank you. Well, I packed my bags and talked to Talon, who offered his plane to get us here faster." I fibbed a little bit, so sue me. "Once in route, he explained a bit about why he was accompanying me."

"I have various contacts," Talon said, taking over smoothly from the other side of Marcus. "One of these contacts called me shortly before Miss Kinkade was awakened, telling me a long-established pack in Montana had been attacked for no apparent reason; her father's pack.

"Knowing she'd be receiving a similar call soon," he continued, "I placed a call to an acquaintance of mine here in Montana. It seems your pack has attracted somebody's wrath."

"How do you mean?" Mathias' deep voice was concerned.

"Are you familiar with a group calling themselves Lilitu?" He pronounced it Lee-Lee-Too, a name I hadn't heard before.

"I am," Asher said gravely. "It doesn't make sense for them to be involved, though. Why would Lee do this?"

"Because Lee isn't around anymore," Talon told him significantly.

"Back up and explain that to the rest of us," I said at Talon, though it was Asher who spoke.

"Lilitu was a group of mercenary Sups led by a Werewolf named Lee Carver," Asher said. "They were hired mainly for covert jobs, some hostage rescue, even the odd hostage taking." He smiled briefly. "Lee was a good man."

"So what's changed?" Seth asked quietly, nibbling on a quesadilla.

"Lee was taken out five years ago," Talon told us, "and was replaced by a Demon who goes by the name of Zaire."

"So Billy was right," I said and he nodded; Billy looked pleased with himself.

"Now, Zaire is an old-fashioned kind of Demon, enjoying chaos and carnage," Marcus took over the story, though I didn't miss Talon's smirk, mainly because it seemed out of place. "After he took over, the people who'd wanted to continue running the group in Lee's image were killed, run off or walked, allowing Zaire to rebuild and use Lilitu however he wished. The riff-raff he put together really is like old-time mercs, taking any job with a hint of violence that comes along and pays well."

"And you believe this group is responsible for the deaths and destruction that occurred last night?" Mathias asked.

"I know that they are in Montana," Talon took over again, "and I know that no other attacks have occurred in the three days they've been here."

"That is an awful big conclusion to be jumping to," Asher crossed his arms over his expansive chest, looking like a bouncer, though he didn't move from behind his Alpha. "Especially since you know nothing about the attack itself."

While Asher talked, Talon rose gracefully to his feet, though he slowed the movement down so as not to spook the Weres, and went to lean against a free piece of wall.

"They hit the transformer first," Talon said, eyes locked with Asher. "It wasn't permanent, just momentarily disorienting. When people were sent to investigate, they didn't return. Once you were on alert, the fires started, springing up in strategic places, like the middle of town or the Alpha's house, somewhere guaranteed to instill panic when people noticed. Once you were distracted with the fires, they attacked. It wouldn't have lasted long, maybe ten minutes, before they retreated; fighting a pack like yours would be more difficult than their standard jobs. Am I close?"

"How could you know?" Seth whispered, still seated at my feet, fear rising from him.

"That rockslide happened day before last, didn't it?" Talon persisted. "It left the road clear but I'd bet it cut off your secondary escape route, right?"

"There are only two reasons for you to know all that: you're involved or you've talked to someone here. Who was it?" Werewolves do not look kindly upon those who would wag their tongues to outsiders, especially if money changed hands.

I found it surprising that he didn't try to pursue the guilty angle, maybe because that would mean I was potentially involved and he wouldn't suggest that to my father.

"I know how they work," he answered. "They are a menace I've kept my eye on for a while. To my knowledge, Lilitu has never attempted to take on this type of job and that brings me to wonder why they did now."

It grew quiet while everyone thought that little tidbit over, the clock on the wall ticking loudly.

"You could have passed this information on through Ramirez or phoned," Javen eventually said. "Why did you come?"