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Burnt Offerings :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 19 из 286How is Stephen?"
I told him. "You don't care about Nathaniel?"
He looked uncomfortable. "You know that Sylvie is de facto pack leader while Richard is out of town working on his master's degree, right?"
I sighed. "No, I didn't know."
"I know you're not talking to Richard since you broke up, but I'd think someone else would have mentioned it."
"All the other wolves creep around me like there's been a death. No one talks about Richard to me, Irving. I thought he'd forbidden them to talk to me."
"Not to my knowledge."
"I'm surprised you didn't come in here asking for a story."
"I can't do this story, Anita. It's too close to home."
"Because you know Stephen?"
"Because everyone involved is a shapeshifter and I'm just a mild-mannered reporter."
"You really think you'd lose your job if they found out?"
"Job, hell. What would my mother say?"
I smiled. "So you can't play bodyguard."
He frowned. "You know, I hadn't thought about that. When one of the pack got hurt in public where it couldn't be hidden, Raina always used to ride to the rescue. With her dead, I don't think we have any alphas that aren't hiding what they are. No one I'd trust to guard Stephen, anyway."
Raina had been the wolf pack's old lupa before I took the job. Technically the old lupa doesn't have to die to step down, unlike the Ulfric, or King Wolf. But Raina had been Gabriel's playmate. They'd shared certain hobbies, like making pornographic snuff films starring shapeshifters and humans. She'd been helping film while Gabriel tried to rape me. Oh, yeah, Raina had made it a real pleasure to punch her ticket.
"That's the second time you've ignored Nathaniel," I said. "What gives, Irving?"
"I told you Sylvie is in charge until Richard gets back in town."
"So?"
"She's forbidden any of us to help the wereleopards in any way."
"Why?"
"Raina used the wereleopards in her porno movies a lot, along with the wolves."
"I've seen one of the films. I wasn't impressed. Horrified, but not impressed."
Irving looked very serious. "She also let Gabriel and the cats punish wayward pack members."
"Punish?" I made it a question.
Irving nodded. "Sylvie was one of the ones who got punished, more than once. She hates them all, Anita. If Richard hadn't forbid it, she'd have used the pack to hunt the leopards down and kill them all."
"I've seen what Gabriel and Raina thought was fun and games. I think I'm on Sylvie's side for once.
I told him. "You don't care about Nathaniel?"
He looked uncomfortable. "You know that Sylvie is de facto pack leader while Richard is out of town working on his master's degree, right?"
I sighed. "No, I didn't know."
"I know you're not talking to Richard since you broke up, but I'd think someone else would have mentioned it."
"All the other wolves creep around me like there's been a death. No one talks about Richard to me, Irving. I thought he'd forbidden them to talk to me."
"Not to my knowledge."
"I'm surprised you didn't come in here asking for a story."
"I can't do this story, Anita. It's too close to home."
"Because you know Stephen?"
"Because everyone involved is a shapeshifter and I'm just a mild-mannered reporter."
"You really think you'd lose your job if they found out?"
"Job, hell. What would my mother say?"
I smiled. "So you can't play bodyguard."
He frowned. "You know, I hadn't thought about that. When one of the pack got hurt in public where it couldn't be hidden, Raina always used to ride to the rescue. With her dead, I don't think we have any alphas that aren't hiding what they are. No one I'd trust to guard Stephen, anyway."
Raina had been the wolf pack's old lupa before I took the job. Technically the old lupa doesn't have to die to step down, unlike the Ulfric, or King Wolf. But Raina had been Gabriel's playmate. They'd shared certain hobbies, like making pornographic snuff films starring shapeshifters and humans. She'd been helping film while Gabriel tried to rape me. Oh, yeah, Raina had made it a real pleasure to punch her ticket.
"That's the second time you've ignored Nathaniel," I said. "What gives, Irving?"
"I told you Sylvie is in charge until Richard gets back in town."
"So?"
"She's forbidden any of us to help the wereleopards in any way."
"Why?"
"Raina used the wereleopards in her porno movies a lot, along with the wolves."
"I've seen one of the films. I wasn't impressed. Horrified, but not impressed."
Irving looked very serious. "She also let Gabriel and the cats punish wayward pack members."
"Punish?" I made it a question.
Irving nodded. "Sylvie was one of the ones who got punished, more than once. She hates them all, Anita. If Richard hadn't forbid it, she'd have used the pack to hunt the leopards down and kill them all."
"I've seen what Gabriel and Raina thought was fun and games. I think I'm on Sylvie's side for once.