Bad Blood (Book 4 of The Warden series) (3 page)

The previously short black hair was a good deal longer, laying in a fashionably modern half up-do, half bedhead-do. As she turned around, Cori had predicted correctly that her lips would be covered in a bold colored lipstick. The purple brown color looked well with the coppery brown eye shadow and black mascara. Her lips slanted in a partial smile that Cori would have sworn was an opening for a snarl.

“Cori,” she said her name as if she was the arch nemesis meeting her hero at the crossroads of a poetically designed plot twist.

Which was pretty much what it was.

“Leona.” Cori took in a deep breath to steady her voice. Whatever importance the current conversation had, it was forgotten as all eyes volleyed between the two women. Everyone was trying to figure out how they knew each other.

“I thought I smelled something familiar on the hunter.” Leona stood up slowly and turned to face her. It wasn’t a threatening movement by any means, but Ethan stood, and Danato’s chair squawked as he pushed himself back from the desk.

Cori noticed the rounded belly that was tucked under Leona’s pluming gray silk top. The new girth was unassuming, but since Cori had remembered her as being scarecrow thin, it immediately drew her attention.

“You look well.” Cori struggled to find something to say so she didn’t blurt out the question that was looming on her mind.

Are you going to kill me?

Cori couldn’t help but get goose bumps as her adversary approached her. She couldn’t put her jacket back on because of the sling and she was just realizing now that she had forgotten it in the infirmary anyway.

“So good to see you again.” Leona grabbed her shoulders, paying no heed to the grimace on Cori’s face. She pulled her forward and kissed each of her cheeks, most likely leaving a purple smooch on either side.

Tightening her grip, the woman pulled her lips directly on to hers. Though it wasn’t an outright open mouth kiss, Cori could taste the petroleum chemicals in her lipstick, and the flavor of her toothpaste.

When she pulled back, Cori could see the confusion on the faces of the men. Little did they know; she had no explanation to offer for this display. Cori could hardly repel the woman’s affections. A not so chaste kiss from another female was a far superior discomfort to having your throat ripped out.

“I always wondered what happened to you,” Leona said with her thick French accent. “I take it Vince has passed on?” She glanced back at Ethan. A hint of understanding hit the room as everyone realized the connection.

“Yes, sadly he has.”

“I had hoped to spare you that pain, you know.” Leona pulled her hands from her shoulders. Cori relaxed, but she could feel the throbbing pain come back.

“I know. It was all for the best though.”

“Yes,” Leona looked to Ethan again. “I see that it was.” Ethan didn’t react to Leona’s ogling, but Cori didn’t like her observation or her approval.

“Ethan is my husband,” she blurted out without any prompting that would have made it a reasonable contribution to the conversation.

Leona looked back at her with a smile of subdued irritation. Cori knew very well that husband or not it made no difference to her. If she wanted something, she took it. No matter who got in the way.

However, it did matter when Cori was in the way. She was the reason that Leona had never mated with Vince. She was probably the only woman from here to Portugal that had ever dared oppose her. Certainly, the only one who had won.

Unfortunately, that was what made this meeting so stressed. Cori didn’t know if Leona was still mad about what happened. Was she seeking revenge? Or would she let the mutual respect they had harvested for each other keep things civil?

“Leona,” Danato spoke up. “We should really get on with this if you want to get back on the truck.”

Leona kept her eyes on Cori. “I’ll take the evening truck.”

“I really would prefer you left as soon as possible.”

“I don’t give a damn what you want Warden,” she said, eyes still locked on Cori. “I’d like to reminisce with my friend before I go.”

Cori looked to Danato. She had hoped he would be red faced and on the verge of throwing her out of his office, but he wasn’t. Frustrated maybe, and discontent, but he seemed to know that there was absolutely no point in arguing with a female werewolf. It was probably why they wanted her out of the prison as soon as possible.

“Can we at least get on with business then?” Danato tapped his pencil. The small noise seemed to break her concentration.

“Of course,” she returned to her chair. “Let’s discuss my terms, and you may decide a price.”

“Price for what?” Cori didn’t mean to interrupt, but she was curious why Leona was here of all places. Female werewolves never entered into the part-time contracts like males did. She wasn’t sure if that was because the prison couldn’t hold them, or if they just had a better hold on their monstrous appetites.

Leona looked back at her. “A price for your
husband.
”

3

Cori could feel a prickling heat of panic climbing her spine. Unlike the creepy hair tingling nervousness that Leona was causing, this was pure fear. Ethan could see her wide eyes and he shook his head.

“We are negotiating for Ethan’s services as a hunter,” Danato clarified. “And I would like to get it done with
before
the cat fight, please.”

“Dog fight in my case.” Leona laughed at her own joke, though no one joined.

“Belus.” Danato looked to Belus like he needed to fix what he had broken.

“Come on.” Belus grabbed her hand, a rarity in and of itself, but the forceful tug he used to drag her from the room was a good deal rarer.

She managed to grab her pistol and catch a glimpse of Ethan mouthing, “
I love you,”
before he shut the door behind them. She knew that should have been a comfort, but it wasn’t. She was being dragged down the hall by her one good arm, leaving her husband in a room with her hot, lustful, stronger-than-superman archenemy.

“Belus stop, you’re…” She was about to say
hurting me
, but since he wouldn’t have any sympathy for her pain, she changed her mind. “…pissing me off.”

He let her go as they reached the stairs so she could grab the railing. “Come on,” he said again as she mistakenly turned to go to the elevators.

“Where are we going?” she asked following him to the entrance.

“I’m taking you home.”

“Seriously! Every time a beautiful woman comes be alone with Ethan, I have to go home. This sucks!”

“He’s not alone with her.” Belus grabbed his jacket from his locker and slipped it on. “Damn it, I forgot your jacket in the infirmary.” He dug in another locker and pulled out one of Danato’s many spares. “Here,” she crouched down and he draped the oversized windbreaker over her shoulders.

“You do realize she could break both of their necks, quite literally, with the flick of a wrist.” Cori imitated the flicking in case Belus still didn’t understand the gravity of her concerns.

He gave her a “no duh” head waggle. “Why do you think he wants you out of there? A female werewolf provoked by female bickering is not a good work environment.”

“I wasn’t bickering,” Cori pitched.

“Let’s go.” Belus opened the door and steered her through. She tromped out the door, ignoring the fact that she probably looked like a disappointed six-year-old.

Once at the house Cori went in and hung up Danato’s coat. She made it half way to the kitchen before she remembered Belus. “Crap, come in.”

“Thank you.” Belus came in and shut the door, but he stayed by the entrance.

“Remind me why the house doesn’t let you in?” Cori asked as she pulled leftovers from breakfast out of the fridge. Cold French toast was better than waiting for microwaved popcorn.

“I don’t live here. Plain and simple,” he said tersely.

“Yeah, but you used to.” Cori stuffed a quarter of her toast in her mouth. “Doesn’t she remember you?” She mumbled over her full mouth.

He chuckled at her stuffed face. “It was a long time ago, and her memory is short. I’m sure she’s forgotten me since then.” His voice trailed off as if he were a little disappointed by that.

Cori noticed he hadn’t removed his jacket. She stopped chewing and watched him look over the room. “Aren’t you staying for a drink?” She asked.

He looked over to her and faltered with his answer. “I wasn’t sure you…I thought maybe you’d want to be alone.”

She swallowed the remainder of her bread. “I’m pretty sure when Ethan is in the hands of a beautiful, evil woman you and I get to rob a few drinks from the liquor cabinet.”

He gave a curt nod in agreement and took off his jacket. He moved to the living room and opened the bar concealed behind a wall panel. He poured two glasses of ouzo and handed one to her as she sat down on the couch. “You probably shouldn’t have this with your pain meds,” Belus said, but made no attempts to take the glass back from her.

“What is this?”

“It’s Greek liquor. Licorice. You’ll like it.” He sat down in Danato’s usual chair and sipped it. She did the same. It was as much like rubbing alcohol as all the other liquors she had tried, but the licorice after taste was rather pleasing.

“Mmm, I like it.” She coughed on the fumes.

“I can see that.” Belus laughed. “I’ll make a liquor connoisseur out of you yet.” He watched her take another sip, which she smacked between her lips. “So, you want to talk about what you said to me up there.”

Cori felt the warmth of her face add to the warmth in her throat. She didn’t want to talk about anything, but she could hardly avoid it. She took a bigger drink of her ouzo and coughed on the fumes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called you a Cactus Toad.”

“That’s not what I meant.” He leaned over his knees and rolled his glass between his hands. “Something about me not bothering to sidestep your corpse.”

Cori downed the rest of her drink and fought back the cough. “What about it?” She could feel him looking at her, but she didn’t want to get into a staring competition she knew she would lose.

“Is that what you think of me?” he asked coolly.

Cori shrugged. “I just got pulled off the building to my impending splat-age. I was a little wrung out. A little sympathy would have been nice.”

Belus went back to the cupboard and pulled out the ouzo again. Without asking if she wanted more, he filled her glass a quarter full. He waited beside her, holding his glass in one hand and the bottle in the other. “Is that what you want?” He asked. She looked up at him. His rugged features reminded her of the brawny man on the paper towels. A lumberjack in midget clothing. “Do you want me to coddle you? Tell you everything is going to be okay? Kiss your boo-boo’s?”

She knew he wasn’t trying to be an ass, but he was taking his reverse psychology too far to the extreme to sound like anything less. She tried to keep her tongue civil, but in the process of controlling her anger, she lost the battle against the tears that had crept into her eyes. “I want you to give a damn whether I live or die.” She wiped away the tears discreetly and leaned back into the couch. She took down her new liquor portion in one shot. It didn’t make her feel better, but the strong taste gave her something to concentrate on, other than the uncomfortable conversation.

Belus sat down on the coffee table in front of her. He put the bottle of ouzo beside him along with his glass, which he had barely touched. “Hey,” he tugged on her pant legs. “I certainly give a damn whether you live or die,” he said sternly.

She wiped away another tear and nodded. She didn’t believe him, but what else could he say?

“I’ve been in this job a lot of years, Cori. I’ve lost some good friends, including Danato’s wife. They made mistakes. Mistakes that cost them their lives. I know I’m a hard ass. I know you don’t like me most of the time, but I don’t want you to meet the same fate as them. The only way I can protect you is by training you. My empathy is not going to make you stronger, faster, or smarter. If you want praise and reassuring, then go see Danato or Ethan. That’s not the way I do things. I can’t change who I am.”

“And yet you insist on changing me?” Cori put her glass back to her lips, but there was nothing left to drink.

“Every serendipitous discover you have made in this prison has been accomplished by spitting in the face of the rules. It’s all well that ends well, until it doesn’t. I don’t want to see you hurt.” He pointed to her arm. “It does pain me, but not because your arm is in a sling. It pains me because I am responsible for you. Your mistakes are my failures.”

“I’m going to have accidents, Belus.”

“They aren’t accidents when you aren’t following protocol. Then they’re stupidity at the hands of arrogance.”

“You can’t change, and neither can I.” She leaned forward to face him properly. “I keep trying to make you proud of me. I strive for it every morning, but you are so relentless and closed mouthed that by the afternoon I want to strangle you. You can’t be my mentor if I hate you! I don’t want to hate you Belus!” She took his drink from the coffee table and downed it, but it didn’t make the tears go away. She buried her head in her knees. She wondered how long it would take for him to get uncomfortable and just leave.