“Uh-huh. Tell that to Shepherd. He’s suddenly all gung ho about these weird-ass traditions. First it’s a birthday, then it’s the tooth fairy. Next thing you know, we’ll be hiding Easter eggs.”
“I always wanted to do that,” I said, thinking back to my strange childhood. “My dad didn’t like wasting food. In retrospect, he probably didn’t know how to boil an egg.”
Blue snorted. “In a house this big, we’d never find all the eggs. Not until we smelled them rotting.”
Wyatt eased between us and put his arms over our shoulders. “Where are you ladies headed? Late-night pillow fight?”
I gripped his hand. “Pin the dagger on the donkey. Wanna be the donkey?”
He fell back and snapped his fingers. “Just remembered I’ve got fries in the oven. Maybe Shep can help you out with that one.”
Wyatt hustled off. I was joking, but because of my kill record, I guessed he didn’t put anything past me.
When we entered one of the libraries, Viktor was on his phone with his back to us. He spun a globe, chuckling softly.
“I also had a good time,” he said intimately. “You are beautiful woman.”
Blue slid her jaw to the side and folded her arms as we waited for him to wrap up his call.
When he noticed us, he held up a finger and then turned away. I couldn’t hear what he said before ending the call.
Viktor smiled at us. “Apologies.”
I summoned the urge to pry. “Was that Lenore? How did your date go?”
A blush touched his cheeks, and he stroked his silver beard, averting his eyes. “It went very well. Very well indeed. She has an impressive wine collection.”
I raised my eyebrows. “You went back to her place?”
He cleared his throat. “I called you here to inform you that I’ve accepted Ren’s offer on a conditional basis. He wants you in charge. I have no trouble with this as you have better relationships with his territory. Blue and Christian will provide any support you need.”
“What were your conditions?” Blue inquired.
Viktor strolled over to an orange chair and leaned against the back, his hands clasped. “I have no desire to waste valuable time on theories. If you cannot find evidence there is something sinister going on, I will shut the case. Or is it close? Instead of flat fee, Ren is paying us by the day. He is aware this might be wild geese chasing each other.”
I snorted and rocked on my heels. Sometimes it was funnier not to correct him when his English lost its way. It usually happened this time of night after a few drinks.
“That sounds reasonable,” Blue said, jutting her hip as she leaned her shoulder against the doorjamb. “I hope he didn’t give you any trouble.”
“Nyet. Ren does not want his reputation ruined either, so we must exercise discretion. It is very important to be careful when you speak to these Shifters. We must not reveal our… intentions.” He scratched his jaw with an uncertain look and swung his gaze upward. “Packs are very suspicious of outsiders and protective of the dead. I do not want to create animosity in the territory. It is very unstable at the moment. I have spoken to Miss Parrish, and she came up with an idea.”
I folded my arms. “You spoke to Lenore about our case? How’s that keeping it private?”
“She is a trusted associate. This is not the first time I have consulted with a member of the higher authority on outside cases.”
I released a long sigh, worried that we might be violating Ren’s trust by involving someone from the higher authority. “And what did Miss Parrish suggest?”
“That we use the higher authority as a cover. It is the only way to protect the integrity of the case. You will pretend you are taking a census of all the packs and local Shifters—that way, if they talk to one another, they will not grow suspicious of our questions. You must call them in advance and schedule appointments. In light of the recent scandal with cage fights, we will say the higher authority wants to look at recent deaths and assist with conflict, accidents, or sick children. This is a show of goodwill, and the group leaders will acknowledge the gesture for what it looks like.”
“So the higher authority isn’t really going to help them,” Blue said, not hiding the disappointment in her voice. “That’s a rotten thing to do—extending an empty hand of friendship. What if they have had conflict issues or preventable deaths, and they look to the higher authority for help? Then what?”
“Miss Parrish has offered to work out the details, but we do not anticipate anyone will seek help. Shifters are proud people. You know this to be true. They do not trust outsiders. It is the rogues I am more concerned about, and there is not much we can do for them, even if we were helping. I have confidence that you two will come up with the right words.”
“Do we start right away?” I asked.
“Da. I have instructed Ren to call you with more information. No one is working any large cases, so they are at your disposal if you need transportation or research. But this is only an investigation, so I do not want you armed. Blue, an axe on your hip will not be well received.”
“I understand,” she said, allaying his concerns.
He turned a sharp eye to me. “And you will do the same? No weapons?”
“Of course,” I said, gritting my teeth. I didn’t like going anywhere without my daggers. Even though I had Mage powers, a girl had to prepare for the unexpected.
Blue gestured to the glass of white wine on a table by the chair. “Let me get you some of that Gouda cheese you like so much to go with your wine.”
“I-I am fine,” he stammered. “Not necessary.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You barely touched your plate tonight at the table. You have a lot on your mind these days, but now that you’ve settled all the details with this case, you can relax and let us take care of the rest. We won’t let you down. It’s not good to go to bed on an empty stomach.” She turned on her heel. “I’ll bring up some of those green olives while I’m down there. Maybe wheat crackers and sweet pickles,” she added, turning the corner.
Viktor chuckled and lowered his gaze to the floor. “What would I do without my Blue?”
“Starve?” I noticed an old painting on the wall of wolves circling a campfire. Keystone’s art was a collection of beautiful and haunting imagery, unlike any I’d ever seen in a museum. They celebrated the packs who had once inhabited these rooms.
“What is on your mind?”
I worried my lip. Viktor’s newfound relationship with Lenore concerned me. She had a tumultuous past with Christian, and for that, I hated her. Yet we’d had some good interactions lately, and she seemed to be genuine. People change, so I had this strange love-hate relationship with her. Well, maybe love was too strong a word, but how that translated into her getting more involved with Viktor and Keystone affairs was fuzzy. “Do you think a personal relationship with a higher authority member is a good idea? If things go wrong, you could fracture our relationship with the entire organization. Christian and I gave serious thought to what would happen if the two of us split and couldn’t live or work here anymore. Have you thought about the repercussions if things go south with Lenore?”