Dark Refuge (31 page)

Quietly Lily set the phone back in the charger and leaned against the headboard. Another young woman dead. Another murder with all the signs of a wild animal attack—except for the rape.

Just like the other seven.

Eight young women, dead by a combination of man and beast. Five in or near Glacier National Park. Three in the San Francisco Bay Area.

And where were the largest populations of Chanku shapeshifters?

“Glacier National Park and the San Francisco Bay Area. Shit.” A chilling sense of premonition shuddered along Lily’s spine. If they didn’t find the one behind this, and find him soon, someone was going to be hunting Chanku.

• • •

The sharp click of Lily’s heels echoed against the pale gray walls of Cheval International, one of the more profitable branches of Chanku Global Industries. She walked quickly toward her office, wishing she could ignore the tension headache pounding in sharp counterpoint to her footsteps.

Her father insisted headaches were purely psychosomatic—according to Anton Cheval, Chanku shapeshifters were impervious to human frailties. “Tell that to my head,” she muttered, timing the steady throbbing between her eyes against the click of her heels.

Damn. She did not need a headache. Not on a Monday, not with a full day of meetings ahead, including lunch with the mayor and a one on one with the head of security.

Resentment of the long-lived Chanku shapeshifters had been simmering for years, but the recent series of attacks against young women had brought that simmer to a boil. It didn’t help that a local celebrity had taken a very public stance against the Chanku, blaming them for everything from the current downturn in the economy to the vicious rapes and murders.

Aldo Xenakis had been a thorn in Lily’s side ever since she’d assumed leadership of Cheval International. Recently, his verbal attacks had taken on a frighteningly personal slant.

It didn’t help that he owned a massive amount of land that abutted her father’s vast holdings in Montana. It was bad enough he was stirring up resentment here in California, but Montana was home. Having longtime friends and neighbors turn against them hurt Lily and the rest of the pack on a much more personal level. They’d worked hard at being good neighbors, at integrating themselves into the community.

Now this.

“Good morning, Ms. Cheval.”

“G’morning, Jean.” Lily paused in front of her assistant’s desk. “Have you got today’s calendar?”

Jean nodded. Gray-haired, round-faced and very human, she’d been Lily’s assistant since Lily’d been named CEO of the company seven years earlier. And, while Jean continued to age, Lily still looked as youthful and fresh as the day she’d walked out of UC Berkley with her MBA.

One more reason for humans to resent shapeshifters, though she’d never noticed any resentment at all from Jean. Considering the good pay and generous benefit packages all CGI employees—including all Cheval International hires—received, she didn’t expect it to become an issue.

Lily glanced over the daily calendar Jean handed to her. The morning wasn’t too busy, but . . . “Why have you got a question mark by my lunch date with the mayor?”

Jean shook her head. “Her office called a few minutes ago. When the mayor’s schedule went out to the media yesterday, they forgot to black out your lunch appointment. Reporters know when and where you’re meeting, and the mayor said she’d understand if you decide to cancel.”

The pounding between her eyes got worse. Goddess, but it had been too long since she’d shifted and run. Right now, Lily really wanted to chase down something furry and kill it. “Not necessary,” she said, rubbing her temple. “We really need to talk. Maybe I’ll wear a disguise.”

Jean grinned as she gave her an appraising look. “Don’t think that would help. You’re hard to miss.”

Lily raised her eyebrows and glanced at Jean. “Thank you. I think.” She grabbed the mail Jean handed to her and headed toward her office, but paused at the door. “I’m expecting a call from Alex Aragat. Be sure and put him through even if I’m on something else.”

“Okay.” The phone rang, but before answering it, Jean added, “You’ll find a list of the calls you need to return on your desk. Uhm, more than a few from your father.” Lily just shook her head when Jean laughed and said, “He wanted to remind you not to forget the reception Thursday night.”

“I wish,” Lily muttered, but she turned and smiled at Jean. “I won’t. And even if I wanted to, dear old Dad would make sure I got there on time.”

Lily shut the office door as Jean took her call. She glanced at the clock over the bookcase. Seven thirty, which meant that with any luck she’d have time to get her desk cleared before lunch. Her head was still pounding like a damned jackhammer, but she flopped down in the comfortable chair behind her desk and read through Jean’s messages. All were carefully organized by importance. The stack from her father—and damn, but how many times had the man called?—was set off to one side.

She knew he’d be up. Might as well check in with the boss first. The phone rang as she reached for it. She glanced at the caller ID, sighed, and flipped on the video.

“Hello, Dad. I was just getting ready to call you.”

“How’s your headache?”

She frowned at his smug image. “How do you know I’ve got a headache?”

“Because I’ve been trying to mindspeak all morning and I know you’re blocking me.”

“Oh.” No wonder her head hurt. She’d developed the habit of keeping her shields high and tight since she was just a child, but that never kept her father from trying. He’d rarely managed to give her a headache, though. “Well, if you knew you were giving me a headache, why’d you keep pushing?”

No answer. Typical. She was convinced he only heard what he wanted to hear.

“You’ve talked to Alex.”

Not a question. He’d know, of course. Anton Cheval knew everything. “Yes. He called first thing yesterday morning, but he didn’t have any details. I expect to hear more today. Have you learned anything else?”

“How well do you know Aldo Xenakis?”

“Not well at all,” she said, used to her father’s non sequiturs. Amazing . . . her headache was gone. She almost laughed. Dear old Dad had been the cause all along. “Why do you ask?”

“His son will be attending the reception Thursday night. I want you to meet him.”

“He has a son? Since when? I thought Xenakis lived alone.”

“The younger Xenakis has stayed in the background. From what I’ve learned, he didn’t even know Aldo was his father until a couple of years ago. When the boy’s mother died, he traced Aldo through her private papers.”

“Interesting. Why do you think the son’s important?”

“He’s been staying at his father’s home up here for the past month. You know where the house is. It’s a few miles from our place, though our properties share the southern boundary. Tinker thought he smelled an unfamiliar wolf near the edge of our holdings night before last. He traced the scent to a ridge on the Xenakis property. The wolf scent disappeared, but he picked up the trail of a man and followed it to the house. The only one there was a young man who appeared to be Xenakis’s son.”

“He’s Chanku?” Now that would be interesting, considering how xenophobic the father was.

“We don’t know. The elder Xenakis has powerful magic. If the son inherited his father’s gift, he could be shifting by magical means, not natural. I want you to get close enough, see if you sense anything.”

“Do you think he’s our murderer?”

“I don’t know, Lily. But the women have been killed near Kalispell and in the San Francisco Bay Area. Xenakis has homes in both places, and his son spends time at both locations. I’ve got Alex looking into his schedule now, checking flight records, that sort of thing. Be very careful.”

“One question. What’s his name? How will I know him?”

“Sebastian. I don’t know what surname he used before, but he’s taken his father’s name. Look for Sebastian Xenakis. Tinker says he’s tall with dark hair. And really odd eyes. Teal blue, according to Tink. Not amber like most of us. And Lily?”

“Yes?”

“I love you, sweetheart, but I have a bad feeling about this. Be very careful. We don’t know a thing about this guy, but he’s got my sense of premonition in high gear. No specific danger, just a strong feeling he’ll have some kind of effect on our family.”

Lily stared at the handset long after her father had ended the call. The pack might tease Anton Cheval about his premonitions, but invariably he’d been proven correct. She flipped on her computer and typed in Sebastian Xenakis’s name.

It never hurt to be fully informed about the enemy.

• • •

“Lily. So glad you agreed to meet even after my office bungled this so badly.”

“Well, hopefully the media haven’t bugged the dining room.” Lily smiled at the mayor and shook her hand. “It’s good to see you, Jill.” Then she nodded toward the group of reporters gathered just outside the restaurant. “I was hoping they were here for you, not me. It’s been a while since I’ve run a gauntlet like that.”

Mayor Jill Bradley shook her head as she reached for the menu. “It’s the killings, Lily. We’re doing everything we can to keep a lid on things, but . . .”

“I know.” Sighing, Lily reached for her own menu. “I heard from Alex Aragat, our pack’s law enforcement liaison in Montana. People are scared, and I can’t blame them. My father’s got every available resource working on this from our angle.”

Jill shook her head. “My gut feeling is that it’s not a Chanku killing these girls. I think someone’s trying to raise public anger against shifters.”

Lily had to agree. “Dad feels the same way, but until this guy is stopped . . .”

“Or they. DNA is inconclusive, but I’ve been told it points to more than one perp. Wolves, definitely, but possibly more than one human committing the rapes.”

Crap.
“They’ve narrowed it down to wolves?”

“Yes. We’re keeping a lid on that info.” Jean spread her hands in a helpless gesture. “Your people are catching enough flak as it is.”

“No kidding. Is it a single male? If a woman had consensual sex before the attack, it could explain more than one.”

Jean nodded. “There’s one consistent set, a few variables. That’s the conclusion. For now.”

The waitress reached their table before Lily could respond. Jill set her menu down to place her order; Lily closed hers and studied the mayor. Jill Bradley had held her post for almost five years now, and her popularity had yet to wane. She’d become a good friend and a powerful ally, a woman Lily would have liked and admired even if she hadn’t been the mayor.

It never hurt to have friends in high places. Smart friends. The fact she had already considered what Lily figured was happening was a good sign. She glanced up and realized the waitress was waiting patiently for her order.

“Hamburger. Rare.” Lily smiled at the waitress, waiting for the admonition that rare beef wasn’t safe. Instead, she got a saucy wink. “You got it. Be back in a minute with your wine.”

“Did we order wine?”

Jill laughed. “It’s on me. I figured you could use a glass about now. I know I sure can. Let’s discuss the reception and your father’s generous donation. The other topic is too frustrating when we don’t have any answers.”

“I agree. I think we’re being set up, but I’m not sure it’s more than one person.”

Jill’s dark brows drew down. “You’ll let me know if you learn anything to substantiate that, won’t you?”

“Of course. Alex Aragat is working on a couple of things, but at this point it’s all supposition.”

The waitress reached the table and opened a bottle of wine. She poured a taste for the mayor, who sipped and quickly agreed.

“I’ll have your meals in a few minutes. Enjoy.” Smiling, the young woman moved on to another table.

Lily tipped her glass in a toast to her friend. “Here’s to the new wing at the museum. I saw it this weekend. It’s turned out beautifully.”

“Thanks to your father’s generosity.”

Lily dipped her head, acknowledging the mayor’s comment. Anton Cheval, via Chanku Global Industries and its subsidiary, Cheval International, had become a generous benefactor over the years, and Jill Bradley’s status as mayor had benefited greatly from his many gifts to the city during her administration.

“Consorting with the local fauna, Mayor Bradley?”

Lily fought the urge to spin around and glare. Instead, she sat perfectly still, outwardly calm and relaxed, though she raised one eyebrow at the mayor. Jill set her wine on the table and glowered at the man beyond Lily’s shoulder.

“There’s no call for such rude behavior, Aldo. You’re interrupting a private lunch.”

Lily slowly turned in her chair, at a disadvantage to the tall, elegant man standing much too close behind her for comfort. The hairs along her spine rose and she bit back a growl. She’d never met Aldo Xenakis in person, but the man was on the news often enough. Lately he’d made a point of baiting Chanku shapeshifters, and Lily Cheval in particular. She recognized him immediately.

Shoving her chair back, she stood while privately enjoying the satisfaction of watching him back up when he realized she met him at eye level. “Ah, Mr. Xenakis. I’d say it’s a pleasure, but we both know differently.” She smiled, showing a lot of teeth, and held out her hand. He stared at it a moment. Lily didn’t waver. Reluctantly, he shook hands.

The frisson of awareness left her wanting to wash her hands. There was something wrong about Xenakis. Something she couldn’t place. Oddly enough, it wasn’t her Chanku sense that left her skin crawling.

No. It was her magic, something as much a part of her as her Chanku heritage. Her innate power recoiled almost violently at the man’s brief touch.

Lily surreptitiously wiped her palm against her slim skirt. She noticed that Jill wasn’t the least bit welcoming. “Was there something you wanted, Aldo? Ms. Cheval and I are enjoying a private lunch while we discuss business.”

She placed her emphasis firmly on
private.

“No.” He stepped back and nodded. “I merely saw a beautiful woman sitting here and took a chance to say hello.” He kept his gaze planted firmly on Jill and blatantly ignored Lily.