A Wolf's Duty (45 page)

Chapter
Forty

Tobias.
The whispered sound of his name slid through his
mind and Tobias found himself smiling despite the boring topic of
conversation that his advisors were attempting to brush him up
on.
I love it when she calls my name
before she goes to sleep. But from the looks of it, I won’t be
joining her any time soon,
he sighed,
forcing his mind to focus on the issue at hand.

Seated around the large
table that dominated the Council chambers, he turned to look at his
father, amazed that he had once managed to endure this.

“Your highness, we’ve
managed to cover an unexpected amount in such a short time.”
Charles smiled, immeasurably pleased with his Prince’s ability to
absorb the knowledge given to him.

That’s because
you’ve drilled this into me for the last hundred years, I don’t
understand how your mates deal with you. I probably would have
tried to kill you by now if I’d had to put up with you for
centuries.
He chuckled to
himself.

“But there is still a
significant amount of information that we need to cover,” Adam
inserted.

That man sure
knows how to put a dampener on a person’s parade. I just want to
get out of here and back to Xandria.
An
image of her lying naked against the sheets of their bed floated
through his mind and he had to suppress a groan.
I wanted to give her a few days rest to heal up
after the claiming and now that I’m finally sure she’s up to
accepting me again, these idiots seem to be going out of their way
to prevent that from happening. I’ve barely seen her since we got
back. How much longer is this going to take?

“Just what exactly do we
have left to do Adam? There are other places I would rather be,”
Tobias grumbled, eager to leave the Council chambers and return to
his own.

“Well we’ve gone over the
current structure of the clans as well as what we think needs to be
done to ensure they are protected. We’ve also looked over
–”

“I don’t want to hear
about what we’ve gone over Adam, I know what we’ve done, I was
here, remember?” Tobias interrupted becoming increasingly agitated
with the leader of his Council of advisors. “I just want to know
what we have left to do. Do you think you could tell me
that?”

“Yes, your highness.” He
nodded.

“Well go on
then.”

“There are a few small
things that we need to discuss but the main thing left is the state
of our finances and a review of our investments.”

He couldn’t prevent the
groan that escaped his lips at Adam’s statement, genuinely
distressed. Their people had learnt a long time ago that the best
way to avoid detection and ensure the protection of the clans was
to be wealthy. The instinct had guided them accordingly, resulting
in a wealth of sound investments that would take a long time to go
through and be informed of the state of each as well as the amounts
allocated to each clan and the reasoning behind the
decision.

“How long will that
take?”

“I’m not sure your
highness, a few hours maybe but it’s late. We should probably say
that we’re finished for the night.”

A few hours?
We could be finished by mid-morning. I could spend the day with
Xandria.
He grinned before turning to scan
the tired faces of his council.
They took
me away from my mate, it’s only fair that I do the same.
“No, we’ll press on.”

“Your highness?” Charles
questioned, confused as to Tobias’ decision when he had seemed so
eager to leave not too long ago.

“I said that we’ll work
through the night. I’d have thought you’d be overjoyed that I’m
willing to stay the night and work on my duties.”

“Yes, your highness,” Adam
murmured, surprisingly unhappy with the turn of events. “But like I
said, it’s late.”

“We’re wolves,” he snapped
at the older man, reminded of his cold behaviour towards his mate.
“Alexandria isn’t here so there’s no need to take into account her
human needs. We can go for days without sleep, I shouldn’t need to
remind you of that.” Adam’s face paled at the Prince’s statement,
regretting that he had had a hand in sending the Princess away from
the discussions. “As she isn’t here, there’s no reason why we
shouldn’t work through the night to get this done. The coronation
is in a few weeks and as my advisors it should be your highest
priority to ensure that I’m ready. I should hope that I don’t need
to remind you of your duties.”

A unified murmur swept
across the chambers as the Council members realised that their
Prince wouldn’t be moved on this. “No, your highness.”

“Good, then
we’ll work through the night.”
And
hopefully this will be done by morning.
“Are you staying father? There’s no need for you
to.”

“Damn straight I have no
reason to stay. I know all of this. I’ll be taking my leave then.
If anyone wishes to find me I’ll be in my chambers with the Queen.
But it’s my friendly advice that if you need me you find ways
around the issue that don’t involve disturbing the Queen and I.” He
grinned, standing from his seat before heading out of the
chamber.

The night passed in a blur
of numbers and figures the extent of which left Tobias feeling that
it was impossible to remember accurately all the information that
had been passed to him. The sun rose brightening the large room as
its rays passed through the windows and Tobias began to feel
increasingly hopeful that they would soon be finished. The ticking
of his watch became his constant companion as he watched the
minutes tick by into early morning.

“Well your highness,”
Charles, began his voice slightly hoarse from a night of extended
use. “I think that we’ve covered most of the information regarding
the financial status of the clans as well as prospects for
investment. Anything else can be dealt with after the coronation.
So long as you have a basic understanding, that’s all that matters
and I’m proud to say that you have the foundation and more. It’s
more than most Princes have when they come to the
throne.”

“Most Princes are also a
lot younger than I am when they become King. I’ve had an extra
hundred years to become acquainted with the state of the
clans.”

He laughed,
glad beyond belief that he was finished, though it had taken longer
than he had hoped. Rising from his seat, he stood, momentarily
stunned when his head began to spin.
Maybe
I shouldn’t have suggested working through the night. I didn’t
manage to get any sleep when I was with Xandria under the full moon
and then who in their right mind could sleep when we got back?
Having that gorgeous woman sleeping right next to them and not
being able to touch her. Torture. Probably for the best that I
didn’t sleep then anyway, who knows what that wolf of mine would
have done to her while I was asleep. I’ve got to get just a little
bit of rest, maybe she’s still in bed right now.

The idea that she was
waiting in bed for him spurred him on and he dashed out of the
chambers, not even stopping to say goodbye to his advisors. Racing
along the corridors he soon came to the door of their suite,
stepping inside and closing the door firmly behind him. His eyes
were drawn to the bed and disappointment filled him at the sight of
the empty sheets. His feet shuffled forward and he dropped heavily
against the firm mattress, pulling her pillow close. Her scent was
fainter than usual and he found himself breathing deeper than he
normally would but her calming scent easily lulled his tired body
to sleep.

*****

The sound of
voices woke her, forcing her mind and body from the depths of
unconsciousness into the harshness of reality. The surface that she
lay on was hard and cold and her body was suffering the effects of
having lain on it for a long time, muscles cramping and the tips of
her limbs slightly numb. The whispers that had filled her mind as
of late were deafeningly silent and flashbacks of what she last
remembered filled her mind.
Where am
I?
The voices continued their discussion
around her apparently unaware that she was awake. Instantly
recognising one of the voices as Sean’s she struggled to place the
second, convinced that she knew it from somewhere.

That must be
the friend he’s made. I’ve got to stay calm. Tobias is definitely
coming to get me. I’ve just got to keep Sean and his friend from
taking my head before he gets here. Tobias said he could hear me
sometimes, so I’ve got to stay calm and gather enough information
to help him.
Her body was still sluggish,
taking longer than usual to respond.
Probably works in my favour that I can’t move properly,
better that they think that I’m asleep, I can listen
better.

“You’re sure that whatever
you gave her means she can’t use her powers?” the unknown voice
asked.

“Positive.”

“How long will it
last?”

“A few hours,” Sean
replied.

“Is there any more?” The
somewhat familiar voice inquired. The sound of rustling followed
the question. “That’s good. How do you use it?”

“Like any other syringe,
you find a vein in her arm. They aren’t hard to find if you know
what you’re doing, would you like me to show you?” Silence followed
but judging from what Sean said next, the unknown voice hadn’t
needed assistance. “Then you put it into her arm and push down on
the plunger and empty it into her.”

“That simple?”

“Yes.”

“It is very simple, don’t
you think Alex?” The slits of her eyes closed firmly and her body
lay still as she tried to convince her captors that she was still
unconscious. “There’s no point in trying to pretend that you’re
still asleep Alex, I can hear your breathing. It’s faster now that
you’re awake. You don’t want me to have to test whether you’re
conscious.”

Fearing the consequences
should the voice approach her, she opened her eyes, stunned as she
looked into deep black eyes, finally connecting the familiar voice
to a face. “Elijah?” she breathed, shock running through her and
quickening her body’s responses as it finally allowed her to sit
up, shuffling backwards as she took in her surroundings, eyes
scanning the large room frantically.

The surface she had lain
on was stone, arranged in thick slabs. The same grey material was
used for the walls that surrounded her on all four sides and she
immediately began to feel trapped. Another quick glance told her
that the room she was in was small and devoid of any furnishings
leaving her alone in a weapon-less room with Sean and Elijah, and
she was fast coming to fear the latter.

Though she had her
suspicions, she decided to test out whether Tobias’ cousin was in
fact Sean’s friend. “Elijah, I’m so glad that you’re
here.”

“So you remember who I
am?”

“Of course I do,” she
scoffed. “You’re Tobias’ cousin, how could I forget you? Where is
he?”

“Tobias?”

“Yes Tobias silly, who
else would I be talking about?”

“Tobias isn’t
here.”

“Where is he
then?”

“He’s back at the
estate.”

She frowned at his
wording. “So I take it that I’m not at the estate
anymore?”

“No.”

“Care to tell me where
exactly I am and how I can get home?”

“I have no inclination of
telling you where you are, it’s of no concern to you anyway. As for
going home, I have no intention of letting you go until you’ve done
something for me.”

“I’m not sure I want to
know. I do have a question though.”

“What is it?” Elijah
inquired, his calm voice contrasting to the slight note of hysteria
that had crept into Alex’s.

“What exactly is Sean
doing here?”

“Sean was doing a task for
me, he had his uses. I doubt I would have been able to get you away
from the estate without his help.”

“Had his uses?” she
pressed. He smiled and the simple movement of his lips sent chills
along her spine.

Turning his back to her,
he faced Sean. “Thank you for bringing Alex here and thank you for
making a sufficient amount of the drug that I can manage her. I
regret to inform you that your services are no longer required. As
such, I don’t see any point in keeping you around or
alive.”

“What?” Sean spluttered,
back-pedalling away from the taller man. “You don’t want to hurt
me, you still need me!” he screamed furiously.

“I know people like you,
you have no allegiances and you don’t hold up well under pressure
or threat of dismemberment. If Tobias managed to get his hands on
you, you’d tell him everything and that I can’t have.”

He sped forward, moving so
fast that his body appeared to be a blur. When he next stood still,
his hand was embedded deep within Sean’s chest. Alex gasped,
horrified by the sight and she struggled against her body’s impulse
to throw up. A squelching sound filled the silence of the room and
she watched on in terror as Elijah retracted his hand, extracting
Sean’s heart within his palm. The big man fell to the flood, blood
gushing from the large wound while Elijah carelessly tossed the
vital organ to the side.