He looked sharply at Charles, who raised brows high enough that they shouldn't even be on his forehead anymore. "Why would you believe that, Tony? Were you able to actually hear him speaking while you were in the hindsight vision?"

I shook my head. "No, no. It wasn't a hindsight vision. It was in real time. That was the screwy part. I don't know . . . maybe it was because I was dying. Maybe it was that weird cave. But I was getting a depth of immersion that I've never had before."

Ahmad's voice sounded haughty, but underneath it was a light thread of fear. Something about the situation was really getting to him. For both our sakes, I hoped we could figure out what it was, because I certainly didn't want it to continue to happen. "Tell me something that you couldn't have learned if you were simply eavesdropping."

My sigh wasn't aggravated. It was an admission that I hadn't a clue where to start. "Tuli called you Rimush, but that was out loud, so that's no good. She was surprised to see you and wanted to know if you were there to claim the right of succession . . . oh, wait. There's something that was internal. You were trying to remember what that might mean to her tribe. The Hurnans? Hurrians? Something like that. She got annoyed when you paused and apparently thought you were releasing her from her slavery. You reminded her that you wouldn't have saved her life when you were kids if you were going to release her and that satisfied her. But you were remembering some prince-and-the-peasant-girl nookie in the back of the kitchen, and-"

"Enough!" The word was sharp enough to cut and I was surprised to see his face darken. Was he actually blushing? Okay, this chickie has got some power over the guy. "Very well," he continued, and ignored the carefully blank looks from both Charles and Lucas. "I will accept that you had some sort of access to my mental process. Of course, nothing you saw or experienced during that time will leave this room or I will make sure you never live to repeat it a second time."

"Suits me. Consider it forgotten."

He looked away from me, his eyes strangely uncomfortable. He locked eyes with Charles and struggled to keep his composure, if his aura was any indication. "I suspect it was the cave where I had instructed them to go that aided in the connection. It was once a sacred cave, and numerous rituals were done there. Perhaps some residual magic activated his hindsight in an unusual way."

"That wouldn't surprise me." I was starting to remember the other bits of the dreams I had. "Part of the vision involved shifters in furs walking through the cave with torches. There was a book they were hiding, and then someone else stole it later. Looked kind of like you, but not you."

Now Charles leaned forward with interest and spoke to Ahmad. "Was this the cave where the second book was hidden? The one Sargon recovered before we could get to it?"

Ahmad looked more than a little surprised. "I didn't think so. But we had traced it to that general area, so it's possible."

"Of course," I amended, "the cave's a nice theory-residual magic and all that, but it doesn't really explain the other times."

Apparently, Lucas hadn't mentioned the two times in Kansas, or he forgot, because both Charles and Ahmad nearly came unglued. "What are you talking about?" and "Explain yourself!" came out nearly in unison.

Lucas had the good grace to look embarra.s.sed because apparently he should have remembered. He leaned back in the chair and put a hand over his eyes for a second. "I'd forgotten that, but Tony's right."

He paused and then looked at me curiously from underneath his hand. "But in the restaurant, was that an actual connection?"

"Tough call," I agreed. "But I don't know many snakes, outside of Bobby. I can't figure out any other way that I could have had a flash of knowledge that a cobra named Mustaf gets violently ill from the scent of cherries."

The file folder nearly slid off Ahmad's lap and was only stopped by him slapping an abrupt hand onto it to hold it in place. "Mustaf Karzad? Is that who you mean? What would he be doing in America, much less Kansas? The last time I saw him he was working as a policeman in Kabul, Afghanistan."

Lucas shook his head and let out a deep sigh. "Not anymore. Now he's a bounty hunter . . . hiring himself out to the highest bidder to track down other Sazis."

"What?!" Charles was suitably appalled.

"And," Lucas continued, "when I told him Wolven didn't sanction freelance a.s.sistance, he was kind enough to remind me that only the council could make such a decision, and has requested the right to stand before a full meeting to defend his business. Apparently, he's not the only one, either-which doesn't make me very happy."

The big man in the corner shook his head with frustration written plainly on his face. "We'll have to nip this new kind of enterprise in the bud. It will most definitely be an agenda item at the next meeting."

"But back on topic," I interjected because I really didn't want to be here all night, despite the fact that whatever sort of magic Charles had over the area was completely blocking the moon's effect on me. I felt pretty much normal for the first time in a couple of days. "I had one confirmed attachment after the jungle. You were here at the clinic, arguing with Amber about whether to do the ritual on my wife." I paused and looked him right in the eye, but didn't hold out my hand. I knew he wouldn't take it. "Thank you, by the way. I'm grateful for your help, even if you didn't feel she was worthy to live."

He shrugged. "Testing the ritual magic in the text seemed prudent before we tried to heal the councilwoman. A human subject was more expendable."

I shouldn't have bothered. I just let out a small snort and shook my head. "Be that as it may, we should probably try to figure out why we're attaching. It had better not be some sort of weird mating thing, because I don't swing that way. You're really not my type."

He looked at me for a long moment before shuddering in that fluid, wiggly way that snakes have . . . like they're getting rid of an old skin. "I prefer to believe that errant ritual magic may have attached to you for some reason. But either way, it will be useful for our purposes today."

That raised my brows. "And what are our purposes today?"

Charles took over the explanation. "We're going to be unusually frank with you, Tony, because we're going to expect your full cooperation. Ahmad has discovered a way to infiltrate whatever operation Sargon was planning."

I nodded, and now the conversation at the helicopter was starting to make sense. "Tuli. He's going to play on her affection."

"She remembers him of old, and has no reason to believe that he wasn't working closely with his father."

Ahmad steepled his fingers just under his nose. His eyes glowered a deep red, making it that much easier to believe he's been one of the bad guys all along. "Thus far, I've learned that whatever he was planning involves a pyramid they've discovered near the cave. Tuli was going to take me there, but I told her I had to wrap up some business first, and then I would come down to take over for my father. Unfortunately, Nasil is already there. It will take some effort to get him to believe I'm on their side, so I'm going to have to go undercover."

Lucas offered a little more explanation when he caught my frown. "Nasil was Sargon's right-hand man. You might have met him when he was undercover himself, as Antoine's animal trainer, Bruce. He was actually spying on the council for decades . . . reporting back to Sargon about our movements. But, he wound up deserting Sargon the night Ahmad, Antoine, and Tahira destroyed him in Germany. We don't really know why. It could be he planned to take over the operation and reap the payoff, or he might have switched sides and is actively working to dismantle what Sargon planned, fearing the result. That's what we need to find out."

I threw up my hands, probably looking as confused as I felt. "I'm thinking somewhere in this play is where I step on stage, but so far I haven't figured out my role."

"To put it simply," Charles said, his eyes lightly glowing so that it looked like they were watering. But the magic was so thick it was like seeing his pupils through the bottom of a pop bottle. "You're going to listen in and report back. We need you to be our eyes and ears."

I looked at all three of them, but it still wasn't clicking in. Or maybe I just didn't want it to click in.

"Huh?"

Ahmad closed the file folder and finally deigned to look right at me. "They'll search me for wires. I'll be stripped bare and probably be kept separate from the operation until I can establish my trustworthiness. But the one place they can't search me is inside my mind."

Ah. Now the bolt was sliding home. I was starting to think that this was one of those a.s.signments I wasn't really going to like at first. And then I'd learn to hate it. I addressed my concern to Charles, because he was ultimately the one who was going to make the decision. "Not to throw a wet towel on this plan or anything . . . but I don't really have any control about when I attach to him. I can't see how it's going to benefit you."

Lucas nodded, but apparently my concern meant little. "You'll have more control after the binding ceremony."

Binding ceremony? Um . . . so no. That sounded way too dangerous . . . and permanent for my taste.

"I'm thinking you've got the wrong wolf, gentlemen."

Ahmad's voice was a smooth hiss that made the hairs on my arms stand at attention. He's never liked being told no. Fortunately, though, whatever Charles had done to the room made it so that he couldn't sting me with magic. "It'sss not as though you have a choiccce in the matter."

I shook my head once, firmly. "There are always choices."

"Not if you want to live." He wasn't backing down, but I wasn't either.

I smiled grimly. "That's one of the choices."

Lucas cut in. "Tony doesn't respond to threats well, Ahmad. He's got a similar background to your own, and reacts to pain and death about like you did with your father."

That stopped him cold and it told me more about him than I really wanted to know. "I see. How attached is he to the woman we saved?"

The growl that erupted from me at the threat to Sue made him raise his brows, realizing he'd hit a nerve. But before I could do much more than lean forward, Charles let out a sigh. "That's quite enough. We're not going to threaten him, Ahmad. There's no need. All Tony requires to cooperate is for us to make it worth his while."

I had to shake my head. "Not this time, I'm afraid. I can't think of any amount of money that would convince me to be bound to him." I jerked my thumb toward the snake king. I was pretty sure from his expression that if Charles hadn't locked down the room to prevent magic, he'd have sliced and diced me without ever leaving his chair.

"Money's not the only thing we have to offer." Lucas apparently still had some cards up his sleeve, because his tone was enough for me to turn to him with interest. He had his hands clasped on the desk in front of him, with that absolute poker face that good attorneys can manage. "We also have permission to put on the table."

That piqued my interest. "To do what?"

Charles also leaned forward slightly and rested an elbow on the desk. "To find out what happened to your old boss. Carte blanche to investigate where the trail leads."

I let my body drop back into the chair and tapped a finger on the armrest. It wouldn't do any good to try to hide what I was thinking. All of them could smell where the emotions led and it was even money that one of them could probably read thoughts-though I'd probably never find out which one. "And when I find the person or persons responsible?"

Lucas blinked first, so the permission didn't extend as far as I needed it to go. "Then we'll talk."

Now I shook my head, but not so much that it said an absolute no. Just enough so they knew that there had to be more in the pot. "Not enough. I have to finish it. I owe Carmine at least that, a dozen times over."

The old wolf merely shrugged. "Then I guess you'll need to turn in a compelling report, with all the I's dotted, so I can justify any finishing to the council."

There it was then. I was being offered a sanctioned kill of the men who put Carmine on life support, provided I could make the reason sound legitimate enough for Lucas-the former trial lawyer-to sign off on. And all I had to do was be a tape recorder for Ahmad while he went undercover for-"For how long? How long is this undercover thing going to last?"

"Unknown." That from Ahmad, who wasn't liking this any more than I. "I would prefer to have it over in a week or so, but it's impossible to judge. Obviously, my goal is to only involve you when something critical is occurring . . . a meeting or event that's worth the council knowing. My mental shields are formidable, so I can't imagine either of us will be inconvenienced very often or very long."

So, he didn't want me attached to him any more than I wanted to be attached, and I didn't doubt he had good shields. He's had centuries to practice up. Now it wasn't sounding like such a bad thing. "And if . . . if I agree to this, when would this ceremony happen? I've been on four a.s.signments in a row, and could use a day or two break before I start anything. You know, meet and greet with the wife, have a dinner that's not out of a can or wrapper-that sort of thing."

Ahmad shook his head. I was afraid of that. "I must return tomorrow evening at the latest and it's a long flight. If we're to do the ritual at all before I leave, it will have to be no later than tomorrow morning. But tonight is the full moon, and while any ritual would have considerably more power, it would also hold a greater risk, for both me and the healers."

No mention of concern for me. Gee, what a surprise. I just knew this was going to be another one of those things I was going to regret, but-"Okay, I guess I don't have much choice. I don't much like the idea, but so far it hasn't been worse than a hindsight, and I've gotten used to those. Just let me go hunt and I guess we'll do this tomorrow."

He nodded once, about the only acknowledgment or thanks I was probably going to get. "Until then."

Before I could even reply, his face was buried back in the file, leaving Lucas to shake his head and Charles to roll his eyes before speaking.

"We appreciate this, Tony. It's vital that we learn what Sargon was up to in the jungle. This might be our best chance to find out without sending in a strike force and risking them scattering for months or years."

Since I'd spent the better part of six months moving from state to state, trying to track these guys down, I wasn't going to argue it was time to find out their plan. "Yeah, he has some real sickos working for him. Glad I never had the displeasure to meet him in person."

Ahmad spoke without ever looking my way. "It would have been a very short meeting. My father loathed wolves."

"And cats, and bears, birds and humans . . . pretty much everything other than snakes was beneath his notice," Lucas added. "But one thing nice about Sargon was that his goal was always simple-snakes should rule the earth, and he should rule the snakes."

Ahmad looked up then and let out a little sigh of frustration, which didn't seem like him. "But as simple as the goal was, the plan to get there was intricate beyond belief, and could easily survive his death. That's why we have to learn what we can, while we can. Now, if you'll all excuse me, I need to finish reading this report if Charles is to take it back with him."

That was my cue. It was time to go find Sue and spend some quality time getting to know her again.

"And you and I should talk, Lucas, about this bounty hunter business." Charles half stood from his seat and Lucas did the same. He reached for the doork.n.o.b to what I presumed was an adjoining office. I didn't think I was invited, so it was time to make my exit out the main door. I only hoped that it wasn't going to be another frantic series of people grabbing at me.

Chapter Nine.

PFFT! NO WORRIES about that. There wasn't a soul in the place. I wasn't sure what Charles had done to the room, but when I walked out the door into the darkened, deserted hallway, it was nearly a dozen steps before I could hear again. It was like a vacuum seal popping and then sound returned in a crash of thunder and staccato phone rings behind the nurse station-so loud it made me jump.

Where in the h.e.l.l was everyone?

The steady drumbeat of rain on the metal roof, combined with a second immense boom made me realize the weather had gone to h.e.l.l. I shouldn't be surprised. I remember someone in Chicago being amazed that the skies were clear because having too many powerful Sazi in one place tended to wreak havoc with the weather.

I got a general sense of joy and contentment from Sue, so I was a.s.suming she was still with Linda and Babs somewhere in the clinic. I started poking my head into doorways but there were no people. What had happened while I was in the room with the others? Another crash through the pounding rain hurt my ears. It occurred to me that the power had probably gone out. Everyone likely retreated to somewhere in the clinic with lights. Most every hospital I've encountered has some sort of generator to keep vital equipment going in critical areas, so I just had to find that place.

The easiest way was probably just to ask, since this was Lucas's stomping grounds. I turned around to go back and check with the others, but the way was barred. I raised my hands and felt around, but all I found was a smooth wall of nothing-like a bird trying to find a way through a plate-gla.s.s window. Even when I took off the gloves and tucked them in my pocket, there was nothing to feel. I could see, but there was no walking through it. I was also betting they wouldn't hear me knocking even if I did, since I hadn't noticed the storm while inside.

When I reached the nurse station, I stepped behind the desk and looked around on the counter and work area for a note or message for one of us about the situation. But there was nothing. At least, there was nothing until I turned around to the computer station. That's when I saw the smear of red on the keyboard during a lightning flash. My Taurus fiveshot sort of appeared in my hand without my conscious recollection of pulling it from the holster at the small of my back. Even as I was reaching to check whether the blood was fresh or old I was scanning the area, looking for a target. Yep, it was still wet, slick, and warm between my thumb and forefinger. I searched around, now looking under the desk, inside cabinets, and behind doors. But there were no bodies, and no other bloodstains.

I moved to the pale cream wall and flattened, moving sideways smoothly. I slid through the shadows where the flashes of lightning didn't reach and used the moments of light to keep watch around me. It might be that nothing was wrong and I'd wind up scaring the s.h.i.t out of the nurse, bandaging her own nasty paper cut. But better safe than sorry.

Room after room was deserted. It wasn't until I reached the next hallway that I realized just how far Charles's power bubble extended, because the moon struck me with the force of a speeding bus. I dropped to my knees as pinpoints of too-bright magic erupted from my pores. That had never happened before and I could only hope that I was the only one who could see it. The gun clattered to the tile seconds later and my scream became a howl of pain as bone after bone broke and re-formed.

So much for low-key.

It's hard to describe pain that intense. Your mind tries to block it and when that fails, you're pretty much helpless until it ends. Thankfully, it didn't last long, but even a few seconds can seem an eternity. I came back to my senses on my side on the floor. My breathing was labored and I was still seeing stars.

The world became a kaleidoscope of black, white, and a thousand shades of gray. The only colors were the scents that hung in the air like twinkling fireflies. I got to my feet and pulled off the tattered remains of my clothing with my teeth. They would eventually fall off my furred form, but there were still enough seams to prevent easy movement right now, and I needed to be able to move quickly. The ankle holster I'd been wearing slipped right off my leg and I couldn't help but sniff at the gun, taking in the intense chemical scent of oil and residual cleaner. It made me stop to think. It used to be that I'd just move on and not even worry about the mess I left behind, but I really didn't want someone to happen along and find my billfold, keys, and guns. Especially the guns.

It only took a few seconds to find a hidey-hole in a nearby patient room, but it took three trips to get the stuff there. No hands occasionally sucks.

Then it was back to the nurse station. I couldn't seem to remember why I hadn't sniffed around before now. I was a little surprised I hadn't noticed the scent of the blood in human form. In fact, I hadn't noticed any scents at all. Maybe there had been some sort of aversion magic tied in with the bubble around the room. But why would that be different now that I'd changed forms?

Weird.

Still, now that I could sense smells more strongly, I was able to find a trail that led away from the keyboard-tiny droplets that blended in with the red specks in the floor tiles. I could also pick up the lingering scents of the people who'd been here, and the particles of algae and dirty metal made all my senses go to full alert. How the h.e.l.l could Ricky and Stuart have managed to track me to a private clinic in Boulder-especially when I've been traveling with my appearance altered?

I didn't have any time to mull, though, because the sound of screaming and frantic splashing outside managed to catch my ear over the pounding rain and thunder.

It took only seconds before I was resting my front paws on a window ledge on the west side of the building. I could hear, but it took another flash of lightning before I could see the situation. There was a body lying in the mud. It was hard to tell, but it looked like about the right shape for the nurse, Sarah. But my eyes were drawn toward movement on my right, before I could make a positive ID. Ricky was running like mad away from something, his body moving in that sort of stumbling, sloppy gait that only life-or-death brings. Blood splattered his clothing, which was ripped enough to show skin at thigh and chest. I also noticed he was dragging one leg. Then I spotted what he was running from and I couldn't say that I wouldn't be doing the same thing in his place.

The beast following him was broad and low-slung, but at least thigh-high. It was chasing with a sort of loping motion like a ferret. Each leap forward showed off front claws probably eight inches long and bared teeth to match, if the light wasn't playing tricks on my eyes. But it was the brilliant white stripe of fur that ran up the side of one eye that told the tale.

Liz was loose and she wasn't happy.

In a sudden movement, she leapt into the air and I fully expected that she was going to pounce down on him. But instead she dove downward, her claws leading the way and those short little arms started moving in a blur of motion. Dirt and rocks flew into the air so high it look like a tornado had hit. She was underground quicker than I could follow. While she might be slow and clumsy on the surface, she moved like a dolphin underneath the ground. A smooth line of dirt and rocks appeared as she started to catch up to Ricky. I could tell he was trying to reach something to climb up on, like you would from a pack of dogs. But she was going to catch up with him before he could reach the nearest tree with a limb low enough to swing up on.

Now, I didn't really mind if she killed him eventually, but not until after I did a hindsight on him to find out how they got here. Someone squawked, and loud, or they never would have found their way here from Kansas.

While prudence suggested that I wait until I figured out where Stuart was, there wasn't much time before that burrow caught up with Ricky. Luckily, the Boulder clinic is outfitted with magnetic flaps in the exits on the west side. I refuse to refer to them as doggie doors. The nearest one was on the next hallway and I sprinted there as fast as I could, Ricky's screams growing distant as I raced away from him.

Stuart was guarding the door I needed to go out, and it only took one second to figure out why he hadn't already killed me and why he wasn't helping Ricky. The stupid piece of s.h.i.t was wearing earbuds, blasting some sort of weird techno beat with a Latin edge. He was happily watching the storm from behind the reinforced window, thumping his gun against his leg in time to the beat. I should kill him just because he was too stupid to live, but I really didn't have time to deal with him. Fortunately, I was moving fast enough that I took him by surprise. He dropped the gun and didn't even have time to finish fumbling on the ground for it before I dove for the flap and was outside.

The rain a.s.saulted me and I had to blink repeatedly to stop my eyes from stinging while I oriented myself. I hadn't expected that Stuart would follow me, so when I heard the zing of a bullet past my head, followed by a loud pop, I admit I was startled. I started to duck and weave to make it as difficult as possible to hit me. I had no idea if they'd been instructed how to kill a Sazi, and I wasn't waiting to find out.

I raced after Ricky and Liz, hoping I'd reach them before Stuart managed a lucky shot. It would have to be lucky, because so far, he sucked as a shooter. I would have grazed me at least a couple of times by now, even back when I was human.

What I couldn't figure out was where the h.e.l.l Charles, Lucas, and Ahmad were. Three gunshots should have brought them storming out, which told me that either they were overly confident of the clinic's remoteness, or that d.a.m.ned barrier was just too good.

I reached Ricky's side just as the shooting ceased. Apparently Stuart had to reload. But then Ricky disappeared down into a ma.s.sive sinkhole that suddenly appeared. His scream should belong to a sixyear-old girl.

c.r.a.p. What to do? He was trying to climb up out of the hole while Liz's claws raked his back. He started crying openly when she let out a fierce snarl that would do a wolf proud. I didn't dare jump down in the hole because she'd have me for dessert before I could get out. But I also couldn't turn back because Stuart had finally reloaded on the fly-unless I killed him, and I really needed him alive. Of course, that didn't mean I couldn't take off his shooting hand. One Paw Prezza had a certain ring to it.