What has been clear from Lord Samuel’s accounts was that he’d been a compulsive gambler. The amount he’d spent under the ‘entertainment’ tab was truly staggering, as were the fees that he’d paid Jess, a private investigator, to recover some of his heirlooms that he had gambled away. Yesterday, I had also discovered that Lord Samuel’s ‘entertainment’ also stretched to paying for some siren’s services, which Greg had explained to me with a hint of blush in his cheeks.
I had the dead gargoyle to think about, but it was just too early in the day to be contemplating corpses; dead bodies were more of a noon chore. With not much else on the cards for the day, I logged onto my computer to see if I’d had any responses from a couple of the independent financial advisers that I’d emailed.
I don’t understand your preoccupation with money,Esme sniffed.
It’s difficult to explain. It pays for things.
If you’re hungry, hunt. If you’re tired, rest.
Money is like seawater. The more you drink, the thirstier you become.
Even a young pup knows that drinking seawater will make you terribly sick, shepointed out.
I snorted aloud and Greg looked up from his desk. ‘I’m just trying to explain the importance of money to Esme. It’s a bit of a losing battle,’ I explained.
Greg grinned and shook his head slightly in amusement. He can’t talk to his wolf like I talk to Esme. Then suddenly he stiffened, ‘We’ve got an intruder.’
The monitor showed an old car idling outside our gates. The security screen behind him stated it was 7.31am, which seemed early for guests.
The female driver leaned out of the car window to study the intercom. Moments later, there was a buzz and a voice said, ‘Hello? Is this the Home Counties pack? My name is Theodora Frost. I’d like to speak to your alpha.’
Frost. The surname gave me pause; the last time a werewolf called Frost came a-knocking, he’d tried to kill me.
Greg looked at me questioningly and I shrugged. I had no idea who she was or what she wanted, but her surname was enough to make my stomach clench. It was a slim hope that she wasn’t here about Ace Frost. ‘Let her in, I guess.’
He pressed the intercom button and said with military gruffness, ‘You may approach.' After he’d opened the metal gates, she drove up the long gravel path towards the mansion. Her rusted Ford Escort had definitely seen better days.
As Greg and I watched on the monitors she parked up but stayed in the car; she seemed to be giving herself a pep talk. Finally, after a long minute passed, she opened the door. It took her three tries to successfully close it again, and she glared at the battered vehicle.
She rang the front door bell and Greg rose to let her in before Mrs Dawes bustled all the way from the kitchens. A few moments later, he knocked on my office door and I called for him to show Miss Theodora Frost in. Things were about to get interesting.
She was pale, with faded red hair. She was dressed in ripped jeans that had seen better days; I have a good eye for fashion and I could tell that the rips were the result of hard wear rather than design.
Everything about her spoke of defeat. Her shoulders were hunched, as if she were trying to make herself look less of a threat. She was a werewolf who’d seen tough times, and I felt Esme’s protective instincts rise. We hate to see anyone abused and this werewolf surely had been.
I gestured for Theodora to sit on the chair on the other side of my desk. Greg moved back behind the security desk and pretended he wasn’t watching every single move that she made. I could see that he was watching her in the mirror that hung on the wall beside him.
‘Miss Frost.’ I greeted her with a smile. ‘What can I help you with?’Please don’t say Ace Frost.
She raised weary eyes to me. ‘Thea, please.’ She cleared her throat. ‘I’d like to request a transfer.’
She doesn’t beat about the bush,I commented to Esme.What do you think?
Is this the same bush that you must keep trimmed, between the legs? Because I am not sure why you’d want her to beat you there.
I fought the blush that Esme’s comments provoked; sometimes, having a wolf in your head is just plain embarrassing.
What do you think about the transfer?I reiterated impatiently. We’re a team and we needed to agree on a course of action.
Fresh blood strengthens the pack,she said.
I mentally nodded and focused again on Theodora – Thea. If she was wondering why my cheeks were suddenly so pink, she didn’t pass comment.
‘Which pack are you a part of?’ I asked.
‘The Devon pack,’ she responded, reluctance and fear in every line of her body.
Bingo: she was from the same pack as Ace. I had difficulty keeping my emotions in check. Last time I’d had a visit from the Devon pack, two of their members had attacked and killed one of my pack mates. In return I’d slaughtered them. One of them was called Ace Frost.