repercussions coming down their chain of command if it wasn't found fast. They bet a lot and
needed to win.»
«So what happened?» I leaned forward.
Raphael grimaced. «The People had an edge. The bloodsuckers tore the rat in half and my aunt's
guts were all over the Pit. Looked like curtains for Andorf's Seven.»
«And?»
«Andorf went nuts. Nobody knows if he went loup or just berserk-bears do that sometimes. He
shifted into full beast form, ripped the vamps to shreds, crushed the wolf's skull, then broke through
the fence around the Pit, and went after the navigators. They ran, and he chased them through the
crowd. Mauled whoever got in his way. Killed all four and over a hundred spectators. Then he
rammed the wall and took off.»
«Holy crap.» Andrea drained a third of her milk shake.
«Yeah. Not the best way to end the night.»
An enormous were-Kodiak gone mad on the streets of Atlanta. A Kodiak trained as a fighter,
smart as a human, stronger and bigger and badder than the average bear. It would have been the
ultimate nightmare for the shapeshifters.
«There was a massive manhunt,» Raphael said. «Andorf hid in Unicorn Lane.»
An area of deep, wild magic, Unicorn Lane sliced across Downtown like a scar. Treacherous
magic swirled and pooled there even during tech. Even the Military's Supernatural Defense Unit
didn't dare to stay too long.
«An assembly of clans was called to try to figure out how we would deal with that mess, because
all sorts of shit had broken out. The People were calling for the expulsion of all shapeshifters; the
zealots came out in force with that Sign of the Beast crap again. It couldn't have gotten more
screwed up. This clusterfuck needed to be fixed and fast. The wolf clan was the largest.»
«Of course.» Andrea snorted.
«Francois Ambler headed the wolf clan at the time, and people called for him to go and take
Andorf down. He wouldn't do it. The way my mother tells it, he got up and just walked away.
Abandoned the clan, gave up being an alpha, and took a ley line out of town.» Raphael smiled.
«What happened next only the alphas know. But I can tell you the facts: three days later Andorf's
head showed up on the Capitol's steps. And two days after that, Curran became Beast Lord. The
first law he made forbade Pack members from participating in or betting on the Games.»
I counted in my head. Two thousand twenty-four, I was nine. Curran was only a few years older
than me . . . «How old was he?»
«Fifteen.»
«Shit.»
Raphael nodded. «Yeah.»
We sat in silence for a long minute, digesting the story. What meager hopes I had of finding a
sympathetic ear within the Pack in regard to Derek's problem had just evaporated into thin air. This
was one law on which there wouldn't be any leeway. What should I do now?
Andrea stirred her milk shake with a spoon. «So, how are things with you and Curran?»
There were times in life when I wished for supreme mental powers. Like telekinesis. Mostly, I
wanted them to crush my opponents. But right now I wanted them so I could pull the chair out from
under Andrea and make her fall on her butt.
I settled for spitting three times over my left shoulder.
«Are you warding off evil?» Raphael's eyes widened.
«Well, the two of you did say the forbidden name. I have to take precautions. I need something
wooden. Lean forward, Andrea, so I can knock on your head.»
Andrea cracked a smile.
«To answer your question, we're great. Never better. I haven't seen His Fussiness in two months,
and I couldn't be happier. If my luck holds, he's lost interest and found himself somebody else to
hound for his amusement.»
During the flare Curran had finally found a way to pay me back for all those times I'd nearly
brought him to apoplexy. He had told me I would sleep with him sooner or later and thank him for
his services in bed. Hell would sprout roses first.
«He hasn't found anyone, as far as I know,» Raphael said. «Nobody has seen him with a woman
since the flare. That's not terribly unusual for him, but it's not common either.»
I rolled my eyes. «And that means what?»
Raphael leaned forward and lowered his voice. «Have you ever seen a lion hunt a herd?»
«No.»
«They are very single-minded. When a lion stalks a herd, he sneaks in close, lies down, and
surveys them to choose his victim. He takes his time. The deer or buffalo have no idea he's near. He
finds his prey and then he explodes from his hiding place and grabs it. Even if another, perfectly
serviceable animal ends up within his reach, he isn't going to alter his course. He has chosen, and