Betrayer

No one is so brave that he is not disturbed by something unexpected - Julius Caesar_____________Tapping my foot to the quiet music, I compiled the research I’d supposedly made on Balric. I’d put it all together a year ago when Balric and I first played with the idea of bringing Ian here.*There. Done.*I twirled the flash drive between my fingers, before slipping it into my skirt pocket. I still wasn’t sure why I had let Mom bully me into dressing nice. It wasn’t that I minded dressing nice or professional, but I knew she only said it so I might catch the eye of my mate… or any single male, for that matter.“God, save me from meddling women,” I breathed in prayer. Walking around my desk and sitting on the edge, I wondered who the praetor would bring with him. Ian was a given, but if he had a crapload of enforcers too that could be a problem.As praetor, Noah had only the best of the best. I could go one on one or two on one, but if there were more than a handful… not so good.*Don’t

Chaos of thought and passion, all confused; Still by himself abused or disabused - Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man_______________Drying off my sweat covered face, the smell of lavender tickling my nose, I looked at the dry erase board. In the top left corner, I had Ian’s personnel file. Next to it were a couple of others I thought could be Caius. He was once a commander of armies and I started second-guessing my idea of him being a bootlicker. He was probably among the enforcers. If the praetor’s chief enforcer wasn’t a woman that’s where I would’ve looked first.*Caius, shouldn’t be our priority. Not when we have Ian so close. I don’t care if Caius gets away in this lifetime as long as we get Ian.*I frowned. *Really? But he's the one that agreed and let Ian kill your son?**Yes, his brother was dying. Ian was the one who had no personal investment but put forth the idea. He’s the more dangerous of the two.*“Hm, all right, Jefe. So forget Caius,” I said and tapped my finger on the

I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun. - Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice_______________My head felt heavy and fuzzy as I sat up on the bed. Feathers of remembered pain danced down my limbs. Balric was still silent. I suspected he might be so for some time. He didn’t deal with the nightmares any better than I did. Agron, the proud warrior who didn’t always think before he ran to save the princess. My heart ached with loss as if he was mine to lose. I ran a hand over my face and got up to take a shower, hoping it’d help wake me up.When I got out, I noticed I missed several calls and had almost as many texts from Carl. I rolled my eyes as I scanned through them. He sounded like a jealous boyfriend, demanding to know where I was. He even sank so low as to threaten with ‘repercussions’ if I wasn’t there A.S.A.P. Swallowing the urge to tell him to stick his threats where the sun doesn’t shine, I sent him a text telling him I’d be on my way and headed out the door.As soon as

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing - Edmund Burke_______________I sipped the hot cocoa as I looked at the plans of the Willows Manor. It had taken me five hours to find them. They were in a long lost part of the remaining Willow Creek’s website files from when they renovated a good portion of the manor a few years ago. Both Balric and I agreed that breaking in would be better than questioning the caretakers about who was in what room. If Ian heard I was asking questions there was a good chance he’d get suspicious rather than think I had a personal interest in him. He didn’t seem like the type that is easily tricked like Philip was.Tomorrow would be the full moon and everyone would have to shift, everyone but me that is. It was the perfect time to break in. Now if only I could deal with the problem of Daniel just as easily. This morning I’d gotten a call from Tina demanding to know why I hadn’t told her that Daniel and I were an item. It ha

To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved. - George MacDonald_______________Pain flared hot and bright as I shifted into my wolf form. The pain dulled and I was pulled into a warm darkness. This was it. Everything that I was now would be gone. Balric’s soul was now merging with mine - the final process of making a werewolf complete. It was a different kind of death than the one by Ian’s knife, but still, it was my death.*You’re not dying,* Balric told me as he ran into the Pelican River, letting the water hide his scent trail. *At least not the way you are thinking. We’re still hurt. The shift wasn’t enough to heal all of the damage.* Balric followed the river until suddenly he headed east… towards the office. Once he reached the back, Balric shifted back into a human, back into me. I was still me! How? I cried out in pain, my hand covering the still bleeding wound in my stomach.*We don’t have much time, Desi. You need to move.**Right, answers later. If we lived.* I g