Werewulf Journals 4: Sated Pleasures (2 page)

Though she had not yet personally met the male revealed in her dreamscape, she knew of him. After all, who didn’t know the man Time had named the Playboy Prince? The gossip rags labeled him a world-class jetsetter, a womanizing ne’er-do-well with enough money to buy his way out of a galaxy of trouble. Prince Playboy would soon find himself in a situation that no amount of cash, cold, glittering, or otherwise, could stave off -- the gory death in his future.

Despite the usual inevitability of her visions, or more accurately because of that, Indigo had no intentions of becoming involved with Orloffberg -- emotionally or otherwise. The last thing she wanted was to actually experience the murderous rage, icy dread, and deep sense of loss she’d felt while in the dream state. That last was too close to the pain she’d experienced while a child.

I’ve learned from my mother’s mistake. I’ll do my job, try to save others from this murderous wulf, but I won’t allow myself to fall in love with a treacherous human…

6 Camille Anthony

Employee Relations

Pavel stopped off at the office before heading for the main dining room, his steps firm, jaw tight, checking to be sure his secretary had carried out his orders.

Elise met him at the door, handing over the thick packet of employee records. He took them with absentminded thanks and went through them, searching for a particular folder.

“Are they all in attendance?”

“Every last one accounted for, Alpha.”

“Good. Close this place down tight and head over to the dining hall. Have one of the guards escort you over. I’ll meet you there.”

Elise bristled. “I left puppyhood behind a long time ago. I can take care of myself.”

Pavel didn’t have time to deal with misplaced bravado. His menacing growl had her immediately backing down. If she’d been wearing fur, he knew she’d have gone over, exposing her belly. As it was, her hunched shoulders and downward gaze was the skin equivalent.

“Forgiveness, Alpha,” she whispered, head and eyes respectfully lowered.

He sighed, ran the fingers of one hand through his hair. “Elise, I wasn’t questioning your fighting ability or your competence in any other area. There is a killer out there, and to underestimate him could prove deadly. You are key personnel, and by that, I mean you have access to all the keys for this complex. By now, if he’s not stupid, our murderer is looking for a way off this island. You are not expendable and I will not risk your life just to stroke your ego. So when I ask you to take special care, I expect to be obeyed.”

She nodded wordlessly, went back into her office to shut down her computer and lock the files. Without a word, she finished several other tasks and quietly let herself out of the office complex.

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Pavel sat down at his desk and pulled the huge pile of files toward him. He hated having to leave Kaila tonight of all nights and the last view of her snuggled up next to a sleeping Rickard tore at his heart. He wanted to be with them, his two loves…his friend and his mate; he resented the work that kept him from them.

As soon as the feelings came over him, Pavel rejected them, ashamed of himself. He owed the murdered victim more than a grudging defense.

Oh, well…soonest begun, soonest done.

With a resigned sigh and a renewed determination, Pavel opened the file he’d selected and started reading.

* * * * *

The other wulf turned and waited for him to come alongside, then resumed his long-legged stride down the dimly lit corridor. “Hey, Brand, what’s up?”

“That’s what I want to know. What in hell is going on? Why is the director calling a full staff meeting in the middle of the night?”

“No idea, but I suspect there’s trouble with a capital T brewing.”

Brandon matched steps with the older wulf and lowered his voice. “Do you think it might have something to do with what we reported yesterday?”

Ruff appeared to give it some thought. “I don’t know, Brandon. Granted, the director was very angry, however I don’t believe he would call a late night meeting just to fire someone.”

“I agree it doesn’t sound like something he would do. I just hope it’s not bad news

’cause I’ve never had a better job.”

Ruff’s long legs covered the ground quickly, and Brandon did a little hop-jump to keep up. “Hey, maybe some dignitaries have flown in, wanting to check out the spa.”

Ruff cocked an eyebrow, his expression skeptical. “In the middle of the night…?”

Brandon shrugged, flashed a smile. “You think the idea is too farfetched?”

Ruff snorted. “Don’t you? How about we just wait and see what the director says?”

Brandon nodded, but something in his gut told him he wasn’t going to like what this meeting entailed. He hoped like hell whatever it was, turned out to be a personnel problem, something Pavel could deal with in-house. This Sated Pleasures Spa job was a sweet gig, offering the best pay he had ever received. When you added in the fringe benefits of unlimited pussy, there was no way he wanted to lose this position any time soon.

* * * * *

8 Camille Anthony

When Pavel stepped into the crowded main dining room forty-five minutes later, he found every member of the staff -- over fifty people -- waiting for him. Some seemed alertly wide awake, others bleary-eyed with interrupted sleep. He took careful mental note of the former.

Also per his orders, not a single human was in the room. Trusted members of his pack, those who had flown in with Rickard, guarded the doors and all other entries to or from the room. With a nod to Karel, he moved to the table set up for him in the center of the crowd.

Without preamble, he announced, “I’m sorry to wake you in the middle of the night like this, but we have a rogue wulf among us. There’s been a murder.”

The room erupted into shocked cries and questions. Pavel let the assembled wulves voice their concerns for a moment before holding up his hand and demanding silence.

“Needless to say, you are all under suspicion until cleared.”

Most of the wulves nodded their heads in agreement, understanding the necessity. A few took umbrage and made no bones about voicing their displeasure.

“Why the hell are we being judged as guilty when we’ve done nothing wrong?”

“You’re not being judged, you’re merely being investigated,” Pavel pointed out patiently, understanding the wulf’s reaction. He’d sure as hell bandy words with anyone accusing him of murdering a helpless woman. “Until I am ready to render judgment, everyone will receive the same treatment. I cannot assume anyone’s innocence. Too much is at stake.”

“Alpha, who is it? Who has been murdered?”

“Unfortunately, we do not know as of yet. The killer tore the body apart…consumed a substantial amount. There’s barely enough left to tell us she was Caucasian. The only way to ascertain her identity is with dental records or performing a head count of all of the clients.”

“That would go over well. I can almost hear them screaming and crying…”

Pavel nodded. “At least one of you understands why we chose not to wake up the clients. We’ll wait until morning and take attendance during breakfast. I can’t take the chance of having the women panic. Fear can turn even the most levelheaded human into prey.”

There was no actual gagging, but many of the wulves bore expressions of disgust.

Unless starving, no self-respecting wulf would lower him or herself by eating prey unworthy of the hunt. Hunger wasn’t what drove this rogue.

Pavel fought the rising gorge in his own belly. Fury burned within him, found an outlet in the incandescent glow of his eyes. Fur ran like a liquid blanket across his shoulders, down his back. His skin itched, the tips of his fingers burned under the prick of emerging claws. Fangs burst from his gums and it took precious moments for him to control himself.

Closing his eyes didn’t help. Every time he did so, he saw his own Kaila torn and ravaged like that poor woman, and his wulf raged inside. He opened his eyes, swept the room Werewulf Journals 4: Sated Pleasures

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with an implacable gaze hard as stone. When he spoke, it was with words more growl than English. “One of you dared to do harm to a woman under my protection. One of you had the audacity to violate your throat-oath to me. When I find the beast, the monster that did this, I will show no mercy. When I finish with him, he will look worse than the flotsam of life he left strewn on the jungle floor.”

The room was silent. No one spoke. The noisy scrape of a chair sounded in the vacuum and all heads turned to see the person who rose to stand in the quiet room. Silent, regal, Prince Wagner Rupert Rickard Orloffberg walked to the front of the room and took his place beside Pavel.

Pavel hid his shocked displeasure as he bowed low to his sovereign. He’d left Rickard soundly asleep, curled up next to Kaila. At least he thought he had. His brows lowered as his heart began to beat out of rhythm. If Rickard i here, who i

s

s guarding Kaila?

Rickard locked me in your office, love. No need to fret.

Pavel relaxed as Kaila’s mental voice soothed his worry.

Stay there until I come for you, drouch.

Her quick response was acerbic. I’m not likely going to go traipsing the grounds with a murdering werewulf on the loose. Now hush, I want to hear Rickard’s speech.

“I am not a wulf, but I am the ruling prince of Drestovia and the Drestovian Pack has called my country home for millennia. The royal family and the Pack Alpha have shared a bond for most of those years. For this reason, I count myself as one with you. For this reason, I say with all my heart, I do not believe a loyal Drestovian could commit such an act.”

His words met with cheering. He allowed the staff to release some tension before gesturing for them to cease.

“As for those of you hired on here at Sated Pleasures, the majority of you came highly recommended by your alphas.” Rickard paused, glanced about him. His pale sapphire blue gaze touched everyone present one at a time. “The humans have a saying, ‘One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch,’ but I do not agree. Furthermore, I am convinced this filthy murderer is not one of us, one of you. Instead of arguing and spouting complaints, I urge you all to help seek out and apprehend this creature before he strikes again. For, believe me, he will strike again. He has the taste in his mouth, the thrill in his heart. Killing is like a drug that he cannot resist. Until he is found, no one is safe.”

Tonight, Pavel was glad for Rickard’s assistance. At the best of times, he was nowhere near as articulate. This tragedy had stripped him of all tact. He observed Rickard speaking to the staff, using his celebrated diplomacy to reach them, draw them into one unified entity.

The honeyed words and calm demeanor were tools he’d seen his prince utilize many times.

“As the owner of this resort, I am ultimately responsible for all that takes place here. I need this incident brought to a close as expediently as possible; I want this killer found. To that end, I offer a reward of one million dollars to the wulf who brings me his carcass.” He 10 Camille Anthony

paused as noise erupted in the room once more. “You heard me correctly. I said one million dollars to the wulf who finds me that killer. Untaxed,” he added with a wink.

Rickard returned to his seat amid excited murmuring. Several wulves offered to go out hunting right away.

Pavel sucked in his breath, let it out. With a shake of his head, he returned to the gruesome business of arranging the investigation of his staff. He was anxious for the two NHP members to arrive. Their training equipped them to deal with situations like this. They would do far better than he with his bumbling attempts would. For now, he could only do his best. That meant getting everybody in one place.

“I have one more thing to add. Because the killer ingested a large portion of the victim, each one of you will have to undergo gastric testing. Using these tests, the doctors can determine the contents of your stomachs.

“As I’ve said before, every wulf is suspect until cleared by testing. Once the doctors release you, you’ll be free to return to your quarters, though I suggest you find a partner and pair up with him or her. I doubt the rogue would attack a wulf -- he’s a coward, fit only to hunt the helpless -- there is no telling what anger might drive him to do. Be safe. Try not to be alone at any time.

“I think it best that there be no shifting and hunting until further notice. Breakfast for staff will be served at six this morning. You will escort your clients to the dining room in the company of a Drestovian Guard. Under no circumstances are you to inform your client of this unfortunate event. I will do that when the time is right. Two members of the Non-Human Protectors unit will be arriving sometime this morning. You will all cooperate to the best of your ability and render any assistance the two operatives request immediately. Any questions…?”

When none were forthcoming, he nodded. “All right, let’s get these tests over with. No one leaves until we’re done.”

Werewulf Journals 4: Sated Pleasures

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The Bathroom Window

“Shit! Shit, shit, shit! They will damn sure find huge chunks of that fat bitch, Alice, in my belly.”

Taking advantage of the seething turmoil of the room, the frenetic madness of money-mad conversations, Delin sidled out of the room and escaped to the sanctuary of the bathroom.

“Damn that high and mighty Janecek. A wulf can’t eat in peace nowadays with those damn upstart monkey doctors and their infernal tests! The anarchist wulves are right. We wulves are superior. We need to send those damned dirt monkeys back to a time when their technology didn’t infringe on our goddess-given rights.”

He paced in agitation, banging on the doors of the stalls as he passed. “It’s too hot on this island. I’ve got to get out of here.”