Do you have need of me?
Dimitri. The moment he poured into her mind, filling her with warmth and love, she felt different. Unafraid. Paul asked me about the conversion. I remember the pain. And you. You shielding me. What you did was extraordinary.
What I did was possess your body. It is forbidden.
I gave you permission and that makes it different. I don't think I ever thanked you. What you did was save my life and take away pain. I love you more than anything, Dimitri. In that moment, she wanted to reach out and touch him, to stroke her fingers down his beloved face and trace every line and scar.
I will leave this meeting with the prince and the others if you wish me to come to you.
Skyler found herself smiling. He would, too. He would just walk out of an important meeting with the prince to see to her every need or desire. She wrapped her arms around herself and hugged hard. Sometimes she couldn't believe she was so lucky.
I can visit with Josef and Paul while you work. I know that meeting is important.
We have to devise a plan to protect the council members during the day while we're underground. At this point, no one is certain which Lycans can be trusted. Two council members and a good third of the remaining Lycans have the same little tattoo that was on the assassins.
Did Arno's guard say anything yet? she asked hopefully. Dimitri had made certain he would remain alive so they could question him.
There was a small silence. Skyler's heart jumped. Just tell me.
He's been murdered. At first we believed he'd committed suicide, but we discovered a small needle mark in his neck. Someone poisoned him.
Skyler closed her eyes briefly. Then you know for certain at least one more of the elite guards is dangerous to us all.
Or a council member. We can't rule them out. Arno was pretty outspoken against anyone with mixed blood. In fact, he was passionate about his beliefs.
He worked hard to help save Zev's life.
He doesn't know Zev is mixed blood. Dimitri flooded her with warmth again. Have fun with Paul and Josef. I'll meet you at home shortly.
The low sensual tone moved through her body like thick molasses. The man could make her want him just by looking at her let alone talking in that smooth, sexy voice.
Josef groaned aloud. "Stop talking to that man of yours and ignoring us. You've got your goofy face on."
Laughing, she nudged him with the toe of her boot. "I don't have a goofy face."
"You go all moony and dreamy," Josef accused. "It's sick."
"It's a sickness all right," Paul teased. He clasped his hands to his chest over his heart and fell backward in the grass. "Oh, Dimitri, you make me swoon."
"I'm so telling him you said that, Paul." Skyler gave him a hard punch in the thigh, hoping to give him a dead leg. "He'll be delighted to know you swoon over him."
"He's so manly and everything," Josef added.
"Ow!" Paul rubbed his thigh, glaring at her. "I've been shot, woman. Have some respect for my still healing wounds."
Josef rolled his eyes. "There he goes, looking for feminine sympathy, reminding everyone very subtly he's heroic."
Skyler gave a little derisive snort. "He's barking up the wrong tree if he expects sympathy from me. I was there, remember, Paul? Didn't you get shot in the butt?"
Josef and Skyler burst into a riot of laughter.
Paul glared at them. "I did not get shot in the butt as you well know. Fat lot of good you two are. I've got to milk this thing as long as I can. Having you two howling like hyenas isn't going to serve my cause one little bit."
"He's got a point," Josef said. "We are his best friends. We really should help him out. Zacarias and Rafael are on his butt all the time now."
"And Colby is actually supervising a ‘healthy' diet for me." Paul gave a little groan. "I'm a grown man and you'd think, just because I got shot, I've reverted to being a toddler in her eyes. I actually had to sneak out to find you, Skyler. That's how close a watch they have on me."
"Poor Paul, to have to put up with all those people loving you and taking care of you," Skyler teased. "It makes me so sad for you."
Paul scowled at her. "All right, I give up." He held up his hands in surrender. "I'm getting no sympathy from this crowd."
"We could compare scars," Josef offered. "That might make you feel better. I've only got a couple." He sounded disappointed.
"Naw. Skyler would win that round," Paul said. "They riddled her with bullets. They only winged me six times."
Skyler shuddered. "Don't say ‘riddled.' You both are a little out there, you know that? Who wants to get shot and compare scars?"
Josef's eyebrows shot up. "You know, woman, you just don't get it. Number one reason-chicks. Chicks love guys with heroic scars."
Paul nodded in agreement. "Totally."
Skyler shook her head. "The two of you are sad, sad, sad. You shouldn't need gimmicks to get girls."
"Are you kidding, Skyler?" Paul said. "We use whatever we can. Look at Dimitri. He suffered death by silver, valiantly staying alive, and did it work for him? In the end, he got the girl."
Laughter bubbled over. "He already had the girl. He didn't need to get hung on hooks with silver winding through his body just to impress me. I was already impressed. And that should teach you both something."
Josef and Paul looked at one another. "That you're easy?" Josef asked.
Skyler smacked him on the back of his head. "Those bullets are nothing compared to what I'm going to do to you."
"Simmer down, little sister," Josef said. "And spill your secret, because you have one and we want to know all about it."
Skyler tried her most innocent face, widening her eyes and looking very sober. "Whatever are you talking about?"
"Whatever is the word," Paul said. "I knew it. You're hiding something. You've been going off with Ivory and Razvan for hours the past couple of nights."
"He is my birth father. I'm getting to know him," Skyler defended.
"In those fancy hunting clothes of yours?" Josef asked.
"You've been spying," Skyler accused.
"Trying to spy," Paul corrected without even a small hint of remorse. "Seriously, those two were on us in a second, and even Dimitri looked intimidating when they sent us home."
Skyler scowled. "Clearly, I have a lot to learn if all three of them knew you were following us and they caught you, sent you away and never even let on. I wasn't even suspicious." She glared at them. "But I should have been. You two are awful."
"Awful good," Paul quipped. "Come on, what's the secret."
"We're getting our own pack," Skyler said. "That is, if I can master the techniques and get the hunting part down. Dimitri has no problem, but I'm always messing up."
Josef whistled. "Totally cool. A wolf pack. I always thought Ivory was the coolest of the cool, but now you're just plain ice."
Coming from Josef that was a huge compliment. Skyler laughed. "In the middle of this horrible stuff happening around and to us, I still feel I'm the luckiest girl in the world. I've got Dimitri, the two best friends ever and now Ivory and Razvan are giving us wolves to care for."
"It's a lifetime commitment, isn't it?" Paul said. "Don't the wolves have to be part of your family?"
Skyler nodded. "We have to be as committed and as devoted to them as they are to us."
"I have to agree with Josef," Paul said, "you're just plain ice."
Dimitri emerged out of thin air, startling all three of them. "Are you two gentlemen being good to my lady?"
"You mean, strangling me, putting me in head locks, and teasing me unmercifully? If so, then yes, they're being ultra-good to me," Skyler said, flinging herself into his arms. Just fitting her body against his made her feel sheltered and safe. "I missed you."
Josef groaned. "Here it comes. She'd got that goofy face again. That's our cue to leave."
"Run like a rabbit now that Dimitri's here." She began to hum an old song Francesca always sang when Skyler was younger. "My boyfriend's back . . . "
"I'm retreating gracefully," Josef said. "It's the only gentlemanly thing to do when you've got that silly look."
"I've got to agree with my bro," Paul said. "You do look a little smitten."
They each waved and began to trot back toward the village. Skyler let them get nearly to safety and then she retaliated by sending a gust of wind blowing a mini-tornado of leaves and debris around them. Twigs and moss covered both, even sticking on the spikes in Josef's hair.
"You just had to show off, didn't you?" Josef called. He spit moss out of his mouth.
"You are such a little believer in revenge," Dimitri accused and turned her in his arms so that he could look down at her face. "A beautiful one, but I am beginning to think your ‘angel' title might have to be changed."