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  "Can we not talk about Alec? I mean there have to be like at least twenty other people in Sanctuary. I haven't heard anything about any of them for a couple of months now."

  Albert swallowed his shrimp and then stuck his tongue out at me.

  "You're behind the times. It's eighteen now. Twenty was before you and I left town. I guess technically, right this instant, it's seventeen because Isaac is standing outside pretending to talk on his phone while he keeps a careful eye on the two of us."

  My ears heated up. Albert hadn't gotten any less observant since leaving home to play with a rock band.

  "Aren't you rock stars supposed to be shallow and self-centered? You're not supposed to catch on to stuff like that."

  Albert shrugged and grabbed another shrimp. "I grew up in Sanctuary. You develop an odd kind of sixth sense when it comes to weird after living there for a couple of years."

  "Things are complicated for me right now. Isaac is out here kind of watching out for me. If you ask him he'll probably tell you he's checking in on some of Alec's business interests, but you're right, he's here because of me. Don't spread that around though."

  "I won't say anything about Isaac's current whereabouts. Actually, I'm glad to see him and know that he's keeping an eye on you. We had three people disappear a little while after you left."

  My face froze, but Albert was reaching for a shrimp, so I was pretty sure he hadn't seen my reaction.

  "Oh, no! Who was it this time?"

  "Sam, Jack and Alison. You know, I hadn't really connected those three to the other disappearances, but now that you mention it, every single person who used to hang out with Brandon is gone now. Sanctuary is starting to rival Sunnydale when it comes to missing people."

  It took me a second to get the reference. Cindi had been a big-time Buffy fan so I'd seen every episode at some point or another, but I didn't even know what had happened to her DVDs.

  "You know, you're really going to ruin your rock star mystique if you keep making those kinds of references."

  Albert tapped his chin for a few seconds and then nodded. "Should I switch to Vampire Diaries instead?"

  "I'm not sure. I'm not in the loop very well so I don't know if it's considered geeky or cool. It's very contemporary, though, so maybe you'd better steer clear just in case it is geeky."

  "Okay, I'd better retire my 'What Would Damon Do' bling."

  He was funnier now, less shy and more confident, too. My shoulders started to relax.

  "Very funny. Seriously though, I'd like to hear about everyone we left back there."

  "I'm not sure what to tell you. Not a lot changes in just a few weeks. Brandon and the rest are gone, so there was a massive hole at the top of the social food chain. Britney Samuels made a valiant effort at capturing the top spot, but then just kind of seemed to lose interest."

  That made me a little sad. Britney had always wanted to be popular. If that had lost its appeal for her then she probably was going through a bit of an identity crisis.

  "Ben disappeared too, but not like the others. A couple of people claim to have talked to him. Supposedly he's out here on the East Coast somewhere working on cars or something like that. The tutor lab was still ticking along when I left, but Mrs. Campbell was a little at a loss for what she was going to do to fill out her staff with you and I both having left so close to each other. Who else did you want to know about?"

  I opened my mouth to respond but it clicked shut almost of its own accord. I wanted to know about Alec, but not really, not enough to deal with the pain it would involve. Besides, it was unlikely that Albert could offer any more insight into Alec's mind than Isaac already had.

  "I guess nobody. I hadn't realized how small my circle of friends was until just now."

  Albert shrugged. "Don't let it get you too down. You only lived in Sanctuary for a few months and I've always said that it's quality that counts more than quantity. I'm your friend, so you can't have been in too bad of shape."

  I reached over and punched him gently in the arm.

  "Careful, Mr. Rock Star. If this all keeps going to your head then I'll have to dissolve our friendship."

  "You know that isn't going to happen, Adri. The tattoo and the piercings are pretty much all just a smokescreen to make the fans think that I've got the chops to sing. Inside I'm still the same quiet math geek I've always been."

  I hadn't expected the conversation to take that turn.

  "If you're still the same math geek you've always been then why did you choose all of this?"

  "What guy doesn't want to be a rock star? Granted, I'll probably never change the world or anything as a performer, but there's an excitement there that you don't get anywhere else."

  "Excitement...and girls, obviously."

  "Not really. I mean there could be if I wanted there to be. A couple of the other guys are nearly out of control right now, but for me there's only ever been one girl I was really interested in."

  My face heated up. The adulation from his fans apparently was doing more for his assertiveness than I'd realized.

  "It's admirable that you haven't just jumped into bed with a bunch of groupies. I think we can continue to be friends despite your newfound fame and fortune."

  Albert had worked his way through his shrimp and now was starting in on his pizza.

  "Newfound fame I can maybe give you. Fortune is still a long ways off. Some of the guys are starting to push for us to take a deal from one of the record companies that are sniffing around. You know, cash in right now and start living on more than two or three dollars a day."

  "But not you?"

  "No, the way that I see things we're already building a good following on our own. As crazy as it sounds, people really like our stuff. I think we should release another couple of albums and see how we do as independents before we make a final decision as far as signing with a label. They can offer wider distribution, but they'll take three- fourths of the proceeds."

  "So for now you tour the East Coast and live on ramen in the hopes of future millions."

  Another bite of pizza and then a pause while he chewed.

  "This food is good. I mean it's probably just mediocre, but wow, it tastes good right now. Yeah, that pretty much sums it up, but you've missed the biggest bonus of all."

  "What's that?"

  "Well, since I don't have to answer to a label, I can schedule our tour stops wherever I want. I'm thinking that we're suddenly going to be swinging back through New York a lot over the next few months. Do you mind if I look you up?"

  I knew he wanted more than just friendship, but I found myself answering before I'd even paused to consider all of the implications.

  "That would be really nice."

  Chapter 6

  Alec Graves

  Graves Estate

  Sanctuary, Utah

  Shawn's nebulous aid hadn't materialized and I was getting nervous. We hadn't had another challenger since the one who had ripped Ash up and I was pretty sure we were past due for our next fight.

  I was in Donovan's study running through our monthly extended business update when I got a call from Ash.

  "Alec, we've got another car inbound. It's not one that I recognize."

  "Okay, Donovan and I are on our way. Can you call Dom and James?"

  "Sure thing. You want to play things like we did last time?"

  That was the question, a very important, high-stakes question, and despite having agonized over it for the last week or so, I still hadn't made up my mind. Ash healed only a little faster than a human would have. We all healed more slowly from wounds inflicted by other shape shifters, but Ash really was one of the weakest wolves I'd ever met. In a straight up fight he was completely overmatched, which was no doubt the reason that he'd become so proficient with guns.

  When he had the drop on someone, he had a chance at besting them, but it was virtually guaranteed that our last challenger had already let Ash's particular cat out of the bag, and he still wasn't mo
ving as smoothly as he normally did. I waved for Donovan to go get Jess, partially as a way of buying myself some time and partially because things hadn't been the same between us since he'd pushed on the Shawn issue.

  "Are you ready to lead off another match?"

  "Honestly? Probably not, but I don't know that we've got any other options really. If we don't create a defense in depth we're all pretty much screwed. That means that Jasmin, Jess, Dom or I need to lead off, and throwing Dom or Jess out there is like throwing kittens off a bridge."

  I was far enough away from Donovan that he shouldn't be able to overhear my conversation. I closed my eyes for a second and asked one of the questions that had been preying on my mind for the last few weeks.

  "Ash, why are you still here? There is really nothing stopping you from taking Kristin and heading for the hills."

  I could hear him pop the magazine out of his handgun and then slam it back home with a sense of finality.

  "We have a deal, Alec. I know you don't have your crap together right now. Hell, the entire world knows that you're not at the top of your game. You may be only going through the motions, but you're at least doing that much. The rest of the pack has seen some crazy action over the last couple of years, but in a lot of ways they are still kind of naive when it comes to how the world works. You saved Kristin when you'd have been a lot smarter to have just sent us on our way. As long as you don't throw me under a bus, I'm going to stand with you and just hope your power clicks into place sooner rather than later."

  "That's the biggest long shot I've heard of someone betting on in a long time."

  Ash's chuckle wasn't very comforting. "Yeah. We're all probably going to end up dead, but I'm still going to bet on you. The reason the Coun'hij is in power is because too many people were more interested in trying to get their own slice of the pie. If more of us had united solidly behind your ancestors, then there's a chance we'd be living in a very different world. You're still plenty screwed up right now, but even screwed up, you're still better than most of the alphas out there. Besides, you're the only hybrid right now who has a chance of standing up to those butchers. You're not there yet, but there's a chance, which is more than anyone else has going for them right now."

  I nodded, even though he couldn't see the motion.

  "Thanks for your honesty. The rotation is going to be you, then James, then Jasmin, then me."

  "I'll be ready."

  By the time Ash's mystery car pulled up in the driveway, all of the shape shifters other than Addison and Andrew were gathered and waiting. Addison hadn't liked being excluded from the challenge matches, but James had backed me up on the ruling, so for once she was doing what I'd told her to do.

  The woman who got out of the car looked like she was in her very early twenties. She had long blond hair, was a little taller than average, and moved with the calm assurance of someone who knew her limits and was comfortable working inside of them. She looked us over, shrugged her trim shoulders, and then walked up to me and put her hand out.

  "My name is Natasha Annikov. I'm not here to challenge you, I've got a proposal for you instead."

  If she'd chosen that moment to pick up a two-by-four and hit me, the blow probably would have landed. I was that surprised. The rest of the packs had started cutting Donovan out of the grapevine shortly after my father had been killed, so he and I had very little good information when it came to the other packs. Shawn occasionally let something slip, and Donovan sometimes managed to collect an important tidbit through more conventional channels, but by and large I was operating blind. Most of my resources had been aimed at keeping me in the know when it came to Brandon, and I was woefully unprepared for the larger arena in which I found myself.

  I looked over at Ash and he nodded almost imperceptibly, so I knew she was really who she said she was, but that didn't mean I necessarily knew what to do with her.

  "On behalf of the Sanctuary pack I welcome you to our territory. If you're really not here to commit violence, then we'll happily extend our hospitality to you."

  "Surely you can smell the truth of my words, Alec. You're reputed to be a respectably powerful hybrid."

  I knew my smile didn't make it all of the way to my eyes.

  "You smell like you're telling the truth, but your assurances weren't very comprehensive, and even if they had been, it wouldn't necessarily surprise me if the heiress of the Tucson pack was able to lie without giving off any of the normal signals."

  "You're being overly kind. We've had to shrink our territory down a lot over the last few years. It would be fairer to say that we are the Sierra Vista pack these days."

  That had been one piece of information that I had known, but frankly she took me by surprise with her admission. Most dominants were touchy about the size of the territory they controlled.

  "May I show you to a room?"

  Natasha nodded as she walked around to the back of the car and popped the trunk. "That would be much appreciated. Where would you like me to park my car?"

  Dominic stepped forward. "I'd be happy to park it for you and then bring the keys to your room."

  James scowled a little. He knew that Dominic was a submissive both by nature and ability, but he still didn't like it when she waited on people. Natasha bestowed a smile on Dom as she handed her the keys and pulled out a single bag.

  "Thank you, I'd really appreciate that."

  I turned to Donovan and raised an eyebrow. "Where would you suggest we put Miss Annikov?"

  Donovan smoothly took Natasha's bag and motioned for her to precede him. "I think that the Lilac Room is the best option we have available right now."

  My beast tried to make its presence known, but I stomped on the flare of power before it could manifest into something strong enough to show how much he'd rattled me. The Lilac Room had remained empty since before Rachel had shipped Adri's clothes back to Manhattan. He was purposefully reminding me of Adri's time at the mansion.

  "The Lilac Room it is. Ash, you're with us. Everyone else is free to go back to whatever they were working on previously."

  It took only a couple of minutes for the four of us to make it to the Lilac Room. Once we arrived, Natasha looked the room over and then nodded at the soft purple accents and antique furniture.

  "This will serve just fine. I hear that you prefer to be direct when possible, so I'd like to get to the point of my visit. Is this the group you'd like to hear me out?"

  A petty part of me wanted to send Donovan away, but it really would have been pure spite to do so. Donovan was the conduit through which almost all of our intelligence flowed. It would be stupid to cut him out of this particular discussion.

  "Yes. Do you want to have the discussion here or would you like to go somewhere else?"

  Natasha looked around, as though confirming that there were enough chairs to seat us all, and then motioned for us all to sit.

  "Here's fine. Do you have a privacy box somewhere that we can turn on?"

  She waited while Donovan turned on the white noise generator located next to the door, and then joined the rest of us in the tiny breakfast nook off to one side of the room.

  "I'm going to be blunt. I'd like to call you Alec and you can call me Tasha if that's okay."

  Despite all of the minefields inherent in dealing with the representative of another pack, I found a smile trying to work its way out onto my lips. I was starting to suspect that Tasha would have had a hard time being anything other than blunt.

  "That's fine. Ash is to your left and Donovan is to your right. Donovan held things together after my father died. Ash is a recent addition to the pack."

  She nodded respectfully at Donovan. "Your reputation is only a tad short of legendary. My mother has mentioned many times just how impressed she was with the way you managed the crisis after Agony's first visit."

  Tasha likewise nodded to Ash and then shifted slightly in her chair, almost like she was wishing that she didn't have to go through with whatever it was
she'd come to say.

  "To be perfectly frank, I have a very good idea of how much of a bind you're in. You're a small pack, but even worse, you're not all pulling in the same direction. You've had two challenges so far, and during the first one, the dominants were at odds with each other enough that the pack alpha had to get involved in only the second round. There aren't very many ways that fight could have gone down that would have been worse for your pack from the standpoint of long-term survivability."

  My beast tried to rise up to the surface in answer to her allegation of weakness, but once again I brought it to heel. Everything she'd said so far was nothing more than the severely unfortunate truth.

  "The second fight went a little better, but only because Ash here skated right up to the very edge of what he could get away with and shot the challenger full of holes before James jumped in with both feet. To put it simply, you don't have a big enough deterrent, and it's only a matter of time before you get worn down from the constant fights and someone either beats or kills you. The latter outcome is far more likely."

  She said that last part looking directly at me. Again, I wanted to get mad, but that would accomplish absolutely nothing.

  "How long do you think we have?"

  "A month, maybe two at the outside. It's hard to say for sure because I don't know if your second hybrid is coming back and I don't know which challengers you'll see when. Even giving you the benefit of the doubt, nobody your size has lasted much longer than that without some kind of doomsday weapon at their beck and call."

  Tasha took a deep breath and continued. "My pack isn't much better off unfortunately, just for different reasons. The Coun'hij is keeping it quiet, but we've started to see a decided uptick in the number of forays up from south of the border. It's not just about the number of cats we're seeing come up; it's also a factor of just how strong some of them are."

  It wasn't the kind of admission that any wolf wanted to make voluntarily. Once there was a perception of weakness it was almost inevitable that attacks would follow. She was putting the future of her friends and family in our hands.