Kip ordered bottled water from the bar of the lycan wharf restaurant, which doubled as one of the meeting locations for the Bana clan. Word of Jace’s return to the clan and his new leadership role beside his uncle Roman had spread rapidly through the city’s lycan network, despite Jace’s never officially declaring he was second in command. However, with Jace back in, lycans were coming out of the surrounding woodwork, so to speak, in anticipation of a battle. Kip’s defense against four grown lycans was swiftly becoming legend. Younger lycans turned up at training with a more committed attitude, and older lycans began to whisper of days past.
Kip wiped the sweat of his brow on the back of his arm and chugged until half the bottle was emptied. He let out a loud sigh followed by a belch and continued to drink. He was supposed to work this evening’s shift and should’ve spent the day sleeping. However, the possibility of a new lycan horde encroaching on their territory meant he spent the day checking in with the various posts around the city and gathering as much information as he possibly could about any new faces in the city, especially if he could match them to the ones he’d faced the night before.
“You look like you’ve just been out running.”
Kip eyed Max, the bartender, over the bottom of the bottle he was still drinking from. He belched again. “It’s been something like that.”
“Is the rumor true?”
“I’ll have another bottle. What rumor?” Kira’s safety was paramount. The less anyone knew about who she was and how important another clan considered her, the better he could do his job and discover who the other clan was before they had another opportunity to strike.
Max’s brows slanted downward and his gaze spoke of his annoyance at Kip’s display of ignorance. “You know the rumor, Kip. Well, it’s not so much a rumor now with what happened last night. New lycans have crossed our borders. Do you know which clan they belong to?”
Kip truly hoped they didn’t belong to a clan, but a small pack; that would be easier to dominate when the eventual meeting would take place. “I have no idea.”
Max adjusted the tightness of his ponytail tie around his long dark hair. “Isn’t that what you’ve been doing today? Trying to figure this all out?” He grabbed a wet rag from the sink behind him and began wiping the already spotless bar in strong, circular motions. “You guys on security are good at what you do. Hunting trespassers, defending the borders, even sourcing humans.”
“Thanks, but no, I’ve just been up all day doing absolutely nothing and my shift starts in two hours.”
“No need to bite my head off. Everyone’s been talking about the lycans Jace met the other night. They weren’t the same ones that attacked you, were they? Do you know the last time we battled a rival clan? I do. You were just a small pup then.”
Kip remained silent. He sipped from the fresh bottle of water. If this situation involved anyone else besides Kira and her father, he’d have walked off and found a dark corner in which to take a nap before his shift. But in this case, history might prove important. All he knew about the last battle was that it had involved more than just a rival clan that had since disbanded and moved on to no one knew where. Strife had occurred within the clan that had seen Jace’s father killed and his uncle take the reins. Some — Kira’s father included — saw Jace’s father’s death as more than just an unfortunate stroke of luck for a rival lycan knight; he’d been set up.
“When Byron was alive, he had made it his mission to continue to assimilate the smaller packs on the outskirts of the city,” Max said. “When he was killed, Roman swore to continue that tradition, even if it meant continuing to war with a smaller, yet old clan helmed by Piro…”
As Max rambled on about a bit about Piro’s prowess as an older warrior lycan, Kip considered the Bana clan’s leader. Roman had the clan by the throat. No one, since Jace, had dared to defy him. An unknown number of clan members were loyal to Roman and had taken —rumor had it — a blood oath to him that only death could destroy. Kip hadn’t been asked to take the oath nor had he sought out Roman for that bond. If asked to, Kip had always thought he’d decline.
Now he wasn’t so sure.
A blood oath to Roman would be an honor that only few among the clan could boast, and it meant being in Roman’s innermost circle. He would know the truth behind Roman’s rise to power and could pass that knowledge on to his friend and the true clan leader — if he ever took the responsibility — Jace. And Jace needed allies — particularly those closest to his future rival.
“That clan,” the bartender continued, “was thought to have disbanded after their failed rebellion.”
Kip raised his brows. “Are you implying they didn’t? Does Roman know this?”
The bartender leaned his arms on the bar and angled his head close to Kip’s. “Of course he knows.”
Somehow, Kip wasn’t the least bit surprised. Roman had had him running around the city all day long gathering information about a clan he had full knowledge existed. At the very least, I should ask for a raise. “Then why is the rumor the opposite? Why would Roman have us believe the clan disbanded?”
“So we wouldn’t know the truth.”
“The truth about what?”
“How Byron really died.”
Kip wet his throat with a sip of his water. Kira’s father wasn’t the only one who thought Byron had been set up. Kip could hardly believe it when Kira read her father’s journal, but hearing it from Max…
“You don’t seem all that surprised,” Max said.
Kip looked away. He kept his eyes on the few others lingering in darkened corners of the room.
“Not to worry. I know these guys. They’re loyal to the clan.”
“You mean Roman,” Kip remarked.
“I mean the clan.”
Kip looked Max in the eyes. The older man’s heart steadily thumped and his gaze didn’t waver. “You’re telling the truth.”
Max chuckled. “You sound a bit awestruck.”
Kip leaned forward and kept his voice low. “If you believe Byron was set up, then why stay?”
“The clan.”
That was all Max said. He went back to wiping down the already spotless counter.
“All right.” Kip downed the rest of his drink and set the bottle back on the counter. “I’m ready for my history lesson.” The rumor that Roman had betrayed his own brother sounded all the more plausible, especially with Malcolm Warner’s journal testimony. “Fill me in.”
“Members of Kata’s pack originally attacked the clan thirty years ago. I’m thinking they’re back for round two.”
“Round two? After all this time? Why so long? Why would they still be interested?”
“How many reasons can you come up with to continue a fight? I can think of one. Betrayal, for starters.”
Kip’s blood ran cold. “They were promised something…” And Roman betrayed them. What was promised? What did they want? Kira? She was a seer. But at the time of the battle, she hadn’t even been born.
“Had to be. But what? None of us were able to answer that question before Roman declared himself the clan’s alpha.”
Kip sighed inwardly. Kata’s clan was out for vengeance for some reneged deal. “Why are you telling me this now?”
Max smiled. His face softened a bit and there was a glimmer of something in his eyes that Kip couldn’t read. “When Jace walked in here the other day, let’s just say it got us thinking. A few of us old-timers…we’ve been waiting to see our suspicions vindicated. When they are, we’d be willing to pledge loyalty to Jace in exchange for protection.”
Hope. That’s what was shining in his eyes. But protection from what? Roman? Kip didn’t know how long he stared at Max without breathing. He was openly discussing treason. The penalty for such action was death. And Jace? He wasn’t emotionally prepared to take on the mantle of ruling the clan, although it was his birthright. “Do you know what you’re asking me?”
Max casually poured himself a tall glass of the house beer. He took a n
ice long sip before responding. “Given what I’m saying could get me ripped apart by Roman and his bloodthirsty goons…yes.” He stared back evenly. “But I’m a survivor. I said nothing when Jace’s father was killed and Roman took the helm.”
“It was Jace’s right not to take the lead. It’s Roman’s place by birthright once the heir of Byron abdicates.”
“True. Jace wasn’t ready and didn’t want any part of our way of life, but the way I see it”—he paused to take another drink—“the tide is turning and soon we’ll have another war on our hands.”
Kip didn’t want to agree with Max’s prediction. The clan hadn’t seen any fighting in thirty years. Although Roman ruled with a firm hand, the lycans — it could be argued — had grown a bit lax. If six lycans had entered their territory, why hadn’t anyone known about them before Jace? “I don’t think it’ll come to war.”
“You young pups never do. Your generation is bent on talking and unity and you fail to see basic animalistic nature.”
Kip cracked the stiff joint in his neck. “And what’s that?” he asked with great effort to keep the annoyance out of his voice.
“That we are all predators. Lycans, vampires…even the humans. There is no end to our desire to acquire whatever we can to satisfy our needs.”
“Fine. You win that point.”
“And when you’ve been promised something and you’ve had thirty years to think about your betrayal, would you just settle the score with a bit of chit-chat?”
No, he wouldn’t. “And you, and I’m guessing a few others, would be willing to back Jace?”
“Against his uncle? If he makes a claim to be alpha yes, we would. He’s going to need our help and experience. Especially now that he’s got a seer.” Max winked. “If she’s the archeologist’s daughter, then I’m guessing her mother was a seer as well because I don’t remember Malcolm smelling so sweet.”
Kip frowned and looked away from Max’s probing gaze. Kira’s smell was uncanny — and if Max knew how to identify otherworldly creatures by their scent, then Roman definitely did. Kira was right; Roman does know she’s a seer.
“But she’s only half-human.” Max finished his thought. “A full-blooded seer’s scent is even stronger. You young pups haven’t been around a lot of creatures to really tell the difference.”
I’m probably a quarter of his age, so he would know. “I guess I haven’t,” Kip admitted softly. Strange. But the Bana clan dominated the city. There were few, if any, challengers to their power and not much in the way of seers or even vampires.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Max said with a laugh. “Go ahead and sniff away, if Jace’ll let you get close enough. He’s got it real bad for her. That imprint must’ve been pretty powerful.”
Kip rolled his eyes. “Does anything get past you?”
“Nope. And I’m not sure it got past Roman either.”
That sobered Kip. “Have you heard Roman speak about her at all?” Kip asked in a low voice.
Max shook his head. “But he’s intrigued by her. He may challenge Jace for the right to claim her despite the imprint, you do realize that.”
Claim her… Kip hadn’t even thought that Roman would try to make Kira his mate. Had Jace? If his friend knew, he would mate her before anyone else challenged him — if Kira would let him.
“She isn’t fully human, so Roman will allow her to choose her mate, but unless I miss my guess, he’ll make it nearly impossible for her to think about anyone but him.”
The water sloshing around in Kip’s stomach made him feel ill. Kira was Jace’s weakness, but what was hers? Roman would need leverage in order to make Kira’s choice for her.
Jace will have to act before that happens. He’ll have to get her to agree to mate him or… “If Jace agrees to a coup…”
Max nodded, a glint of deviousness in his eyes. “Then we’ll back him. Guarantee us the seer’s power, and you’ll probably convince a bunch of Roman’s guys too.”
The seer’s power. “What’s so special about it?”
Max gawked. “Seeing the future! You don’t understand why that’s important? Having a seer tell you exactly what you should do and when you should do it would take the guesswork out of a lot of things. You could launch a war with that power, especially when you know you will succeed.”
Launch a war… Kira was needed to make war against the Bana clan. Except her powers were underdeveloped. If anyone found out that Kira would basically have to make out with Jace to see anything… “Why do I have a feeling this is going to end badly?” Kip sighed and closed his eyes, resting his head in his hands.
“Because the last war did. Byron died and Jace willingly relinquished his claim as alpha. The only way Roman will ever give up control now is if Jace kills him.” Max leaned in close. “Remember how one consolidates power — they eliminate all challengers. Jace is only alive because Roman doesn’t view him as a threat. Now that Jace has imprinted on a seer, Roman will want her for himself. And that, Kipper, will bring out Jace’s claws.”
Kip lowered his gaze. A chill passed through him that rocked his core. A great fear filled him in a way he’d never felt before. If Max was right, then hell was about to descend on the clan and all because of one girl.
Max placed his empty glass in the sink. He faced Kip and leaned against the sink. “Best ask your seer how this future will turn out.”