SevenMarkPackAttackMobi (11 page)

Scenters were a myth in garou legend. They had phenomenal senses. There were a myriad of tales about them, none of them believable. They could hear, smell, ten miles away, and feel without touching.

“Sweetheart, why don’t you--” Hood spoke to Amber with that endearment, but I don’t know who tensed more: Amber, Giselle or me. “Show them some of your tricks.”

Amber lifted her chin, making her hair fall backward. Her gaze was on me when she said, “Oh, I think I’ve done enough showing off for one morning.”

Hood pulled her head close again and kissed her cheek. She winced, and took it. Giselle kept her eyes on Frank, but her lips were pursed. She wasn’t fooling anyone. She saw it all out of the corner of her peripheral vision, and she wanted to kill something. You could smell her raging fury.

I guess she’d had enough by then. She stood up and said, “Mark, why don’t I show you around while Hood says goodbye to Amber...” her teeth gritted as she completed her sentence with, “properly.”

Rounding on them, slipping her fingers into the crook of my arm, pulling me up, she smiled down at Hood and Amber. Giselle really is beautiful. And a phenomenal actress. She said without a hint more of irritation, “I’m sure you wouldn’t feel right about letting her go without a special send-off.”

I wasn’t sure who I wanted to hurt more. Giselle? Hood? No. Amber.

Because she smiled up at us and said, “That’s probably the best idea. Why don’t you show Mark the habitat?”

Tightly, I said, “No thanks. I need to--”

I didn’t count on Giselle’s persuasiveness. She looked up at me, leaning in, her breasts rubbing against my arm. I could see right down her shirt.

What was it with the Lobos women? No bras whatsoever?

She begged in the prettiest pout she could manage, “It’s only fair, you know, that I get a chance to show you around, too. Amber’s little tour hardly counts.”

I didn’t want to be fair. And I’d been there before.

I didn’t care how beautiful she was, either. Compared to Amber, Giselle is skinny. And her looks aren’t quite my taste.

However, Frank kicked me again, under the ploy of getting out of his chair. He said, “I would love to see the habitat, Giselle.” He chuckled nervously. “You were inviting me, too, weren’t you?”

“Of course,” Giselle didn’t miss a beat.

Batting her pretty eyelashes at Hood, she said, “You won’t mind if I show both these men the habitat, would you?”

You might wonder why we were messing around with this...personal business...when we had a major crisis unfolding in Missouri. I questioned it myself. I was antsy to get the hell out of there.

But Hood’s the original mad scientist, I think. He likes having the rats under the microscope.

You’d think he would have gotten up, too, but he didn’t. And he doesn’t hold to any human laws of morality, either. Ignoring Giselle’s question--or so it appeared--he reached up inside Amber’s legs and copped a feel. Right there in front of us.

In fact, he readjusted to get a better angle. I don’t know why we watched. Thrill of the voyeur? Nature of the dog?

I was unable to move. Stunned. Numb. I had never felt, in the least, jealous of any man. I screwed women and moved on. Who cared about the man stepping up after me? I never looked back.

But this was different. I watched her lean her head back, close her eyes, and moan. Giselle’s fingers got a death grip, but she didn’t move us away from there. I know she held her breath the whole time, until Hood pulled his hand out.

And sniffed his fingers.

His gaze went, unerringly, to mine.

You can say I’m a fool. Sometimes I know I am. But right then, towering over him? I had his woman on my arm, and I’d fucked the one beside him on the couch. The dog in me...smiled.

Giselle helped the image by reaching up on tiptoe and whispering in my ear, “I’m gonna fuck you, too. I promise.”

Wolf ears--all of them--heard her words, despite the fact that she said them quietly.

Hood said, “Giselle.” It came out curt and clipped, like he was calling his dog.

She didn’t snap, though. She let her lips rub the tip of my ear lobe, as she said, “Promise.” Yeah, she totally nuzzled me with no regard to my life or hers before she turned her head, smiling, toward Hood. “Hm?”

“Why don’t you go, too.”

One big power game.

She showed her teeth. Giselle has a gorgeous smile. “That’s a great idea.” To me, she said, “I’m anxious to see how much you and Bark have in common.”

Again, the hair on the back of my neck stood up.

That did it for Hood, I guess. He came off of that couch in one smooth move. A nano-second later, he had pried her free of my arm and dragged her down the hall, saying, “Amber take care of our guests while Giselle and I talk.”

They disappeared behind a door. It slammed with a kick, I think.

Frank asked, “He won’t hurt her, will he?”

Amber let out a little laugh. “Not unless she asks for it.”

He turned to stare at the door.

I, on the other hand, asked, “Are you completely pleased with yourself...
bitch?
”

“Actually,” she got up. “Yes. I think that went rather well.”

I propped my hands on my hips. “How
in hell
do you get that?”

“You still have your balls, Frank’s eyes haven’t popped out of his head yet, and I think Giselle
might just
be getting Hood’s full attention for once.”

I waved toward the door. “What was that all about?”

Chapter Seven

Frank asked again, “You sure he won’t hurt her? He seemed pretty--”

“That’s what she was hoping for. Trust me.” Amber got up. “I’m already packed, and so is she. I’m guessing our things are on the chopper, if I know Giselle.”

“You planned all this?”

“Well, as much as anything can be planned. You played admirably, if that’s--”

I grabbed Amber’s upper arm and dragged her close. “I’m not playing any fucking game!”

She yanked free. “Wrong. It’s all a game. The sooner you figure that out, the quicker you’ll--”

“Get lost, Frank.”

“What?”

I repeated, “Get lost. Amber and I are gonna talk, too.”

“Take her to another room.”

I glanced over at him, fangs out. “Take a fucking walk.”

He got the hint. He was gone in a flash.

The minute he was out of sight, Amber shook me loose, and got some distance between us. I asked, “You always let him feel you up in public?”

“This isn’t public.”

“You had an audience.”

“Relax.”

Tightly, I said, “Stop telling me that.”

“You’re gonna blow a friggin’ gasket, if you’re not careful.” She gestured toward my head. “Your blood pressure’s up.”

“How the hell would you know if my blood pressure’s up?”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m a scenter. I can fuckin’ hear your blood moving in your veins.”

“No Gaia-damned way.”

“Suit yourself.”

I didn’t want to believe it, but Hood had said it. She’d confirmed it. “What else can you do?”

She shrugged. Glanced sideways. Sniffed.

She smiled and cleared her throat. “I can tell you that Hood just fucked Giselle.”

“That fast?” Maybe it made my ego feel better to know I wasn’t the only rabbit-fast fucker on the planet.

Amber said, “He’ll do her slow next. You want me to tell you--”

“You can hear that well?”

Pissy, she said, “Yeah. My head’s a friggin’ nightmare. I smell the juices, too.”

“Okay, so where’s Frank?”

Again, she rolled her eyes, made a face and said, “Whizzing in the bathroom on the next floor down.” She smiled. “He’s been holding it a long time.

“How do you know that?”

“It was all he could think about. Well, that and worrying that you’d let your cock ruin the meeting. I believe he repeated,
Don’t get us killed. I gotta go piss.
About a thousand times in the last five minutes. In his head, anyway.”

“What am I thinking?”

That annoyed her. “Nothing.”

“No, really, what am I thinking?”

“I can’t read your thoughts until that drug wears off.”

“How long will that be?”

She shrugged. “Never tried it on a--you know.” She put her fingers to her lips, shh-ing me, mouthing,
someone’s coming.

I had a clear eye to the hall. There was no one down there. And it was a long mother fucker. I shook my head. “Wrong.”

Amber rolled her eyes again, and I thought that might get real annoying if she kept it up. A second later, two orderly types came around the corner at the far end of the hall. She crossed her arms and cocked her head sideways. “I rest my case.”

“Who are they? Can you tell that from here?”

“Only because I know their voices. It’s Bob and Leon, they were running tests down in--” She shut up, listening, as they came closer.

Sure enough, their tags read Bob and Leon. As soon as they saw her, they stopped chatting. Geeks, they pushed their glasses up on their noses and Leon asked, politely, “We, uh, were wondering if Hood was busy.”

Amber smiled. “I’ll tell him the results.”

Bob tipped his head, “Wait. You can’t possibly know--”

She exhaled in exasperation. “I have to get out of here before I kill something. Both tests were negative. Get. I’ll tell him.”

They turned to leave, arguing amongst themselves.

“How does she know?”

“She always knows.”

To me, she explained, “I’m not psychic, really. They do sonic imaging tests. Those are easy to hear.” Louder, she called after them, “I wish you’d try something really silent next time!”

“Yeah. Yeah.” Leon turned to Bob, as they headed toward that far end of the hallway again, “I was thinking--” He lowered his voice.

She yelled, “I can still hear you! Would you please keep it down?”

“You’re lying.” I laughed.

“I wish I was.” She winced, “Mm,” and closed her eyes.

“Are you all right?”

“He’s licking her.”

“Okay. Now I know you’re lying.”

She held her pose, apparently savoring what she could hear. Biting down on her lower lip, she groaned in a whisper, “Oh, yeah. Do it.”

I didn’t believe it.

She set her legs wider though, and I could smell the heat rising. That had me thinking twice.

“Seriously?”

Amber’s eyes opened. She looked tired. She said, “That’s why I take the pills. Everybody in this building likes to think about what they’re doing, and see if I can tune in.”

“Can you?”

“Not with the pills. But everything, every little sound makes me crazy.”

“Going out...won’t that be worse?”

“I have some new pills.”

“That’s why you went into--”

“You don’t think I’m friggin’ workin’ for Lobos because I like their agenda, do you? I’m here because the best labs on the planet are here.”

“Hood knows this?”

“We have a deal.”

“What’s that?”

“I help him out when he needs it; he helps me out.”

“So, helping him out extends to getting felt up in public?”

“Shut up. That suit fits almost perfectly.”

“He didn’t seem that pissed that I’d fucked you.”

She shrugged, “Told you.”

“That doesn’t quite jive with what I’ve heard.”

“Lots of stories go around about Hood. He’s not so bad once you get to know him.”

“Are you in his circle of trust?”

“How can I not be? I hear everything he does.”

“So he knows about the pills you have?”

She prevaricated, seesawing her head back and forth. “Yes and no.”

“What’s that mean?”

“He knows about some of the things I’ve developed, not all.”

I looked both ways, and then stepped closer. “Does he know you and Giselle are friggin’ unnaturals?”

She made a face. “Shh. Would you keep your voice down?”

“Does he, or doesn’t he?”

“How do I know I can trust you?”

“You’re the one who drew me in--by giving me that pill.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “I can’t trust
you
, can I?” I turned away from her. “I’m going to Missouri. Do me a favor and send for Frank. We’re getting the hell out of here.”

She stopped me with, “You aren’t going anywhere until Hood’s done with Giselle.”

“Is she really going?”

“Yeah. He can’t keep her here.”

I didn’t get the whole deal. “And why not? I thought this was his little piece of heaven. He’s god.”

Her lips rubbed together. “You’d think.”

“What do you know?”

“Not much.”

Now, I knew she was lying. “Why does Hood want you to go with us? What’s he hoping to gain?”