Page 50 of Wild Wolf

Desmond accompanied three Chinese men and one woman, who like everyone else except me and Amber, wore formal attire. As she had since getting out of the truck, she kept my blanket draped around her shoulders and refused to allow anyone to take it from her.

The Chinese bowed to Richard, who mimicked their gesture. While I could speak some Chinese, after the first few words, I understood the infrequent word, which boiled down to yes, no, perhaps, and some talk about food. I waited, and after a while, Richard began the introductions.

“The first time I came to China, my Chinese was so bad, they opted to use English-styled names so I wouldn’t embarrass myself. We still do this because we find it funny, but we’re going to use English names as a strategy during the negotiations,” Richard explained, and he gestured to the woman. “This is Si Ma Jìngyi. She’ll be one of our guides when we go to Beijing, and she’s a rather talented water witch, in addition to being a Fenerec. Amber, she’ll be keeping you close company in case your witchcraft gets a life of its own.”

Amber bowed to the woman. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jìngyi.”

“She is much more adept at foreign names than you, Richard.” The woman smiled. “My English name is Grace, which is a lie, for I have two left feet to go with my utter lack of hand-eye coordination. I’m graceful in my acceptance of my faults, however. That’s something, right?” Jìngyi gestured to one of the other men. “This is my mate, Zhang Rong. Rong is our primary fighter and enforcer. He is pacifistic until the fight starts, and then he forgets he is pacifistic.”

Rong bowed, and I joined everyone else in bowing back. “It’s a pleasure to help. Richard, this is the wolf you came to retrieve?”

“Yes, this is Declan. After we’re done here, you should talk and take some time to show off your skills. He’s talented with a sniper rifle, and he needs more socialization with other Fenerec. He’s also an art restorer, painter, and chef.”

“Ah, yes. It’s a pleasure to meet a cultured gentleman.” Rong bowed in my direction. “I prefer showing off my skills far more than I enjoy using them in a lethal fashion. I would be honored to take you to the range while our women shop, as they do enjoy their shopping without us men getting in the way. It’s wise to wait for an invitation to go shopping with them, I’ve found.”

I considered Amber with interest. “Do you shop?”

“Only when in foreign countries and spending Richard’s money.”

Richard sighed and bowed his head. “What did I do now?”

“You’ve been fretting. If you’d stop fretting, I wouldn’t take advantage of an opportunity to spend your money.”

“Of course I’ve been fretting. You’re going through ritual sickness. It’s my job to fret.”

Amber sighed. “I should be grateful you didn’t try to climb into Declan’s truck with us. And it’s technically Desmond’s job to fret.”

Desmond laughed. “As there is zero cause for concern, and you’ve had Declan tending to your every need, I’ve seen no reason to fret. But I will contribute to your shopping fund, because you’re going to be filling out excessively, and your clothes won’t fit. And don’t think I hadn’t noticed your weight loss, Amber. You’re going shopping in Beijing, and that’s only after the doctors there think you’re cleared health-wise.”

Richard smiled, hugged Amber, and kissed her cheek. “I’ll try to do better. Nicolina threatened to shoot hearts around my head if I bothered you,” he admitted. “I just want to make sure your recovery goes well.”

Richard led an interesting life, and I suspected I would find myself in a similar situation soon enough. “Well, she didn’t threaten to shoot you, and that’s good, right? She’s good enough of a shot to miss you if she can draw hearts in the wall behind you.”

“The repair bills get ridiculous,” the wolf complained. “And then she gets mad when I ask her to abuse her wizardly powers to help repair the drywall so I don’t have to spend even more on repairs. I’m trying to convince her to limit her shooting practice to paintball guns, but I haven’t sold her on it yet.”

“I’ve never gotten to try paintball. It looks like fun.” I glanced at Amber. “Does paintball offend you?”

“Not at all. War games with paintball guns are highly entertaining, nobody gets hurt, and I’m allowed to make wagers I usually win. Since Nicolina balks at trying it, I would sometimes play at one of the Inquisition ranges.” Amber grinned. “I’m really looking forward to trying this as a Fenerec. They always tried to restrict me before, and once I’m over the ritual sickness and have a few months to settle, I’ll be able to do the fun things the other wolves can. They have Fenerec-only games, mixed games, and games for witches and Normals. I’ll miss the games for witches and Normals, but unless they change the rules for them, I won’t be able to play in those. That’s all right, though. Becoming a Fenerec will give me the speed and strength I lacked before.”

Well, Amber seemed happy enough about all of the changes in her life. My wolf delighted in Amber’s excitement, which ultimately meant I would be participating in paintball war games. Then it occurred to me that Amber believed she’d get even better at fighting. How could she get even better? How many SEALs would she take on at one time?

Hell, I needed to keep score of Amber’s conquests and do my best to at least match her.

The challenge appealed to my wolf, and I could only hope I could keep up.

Jìngyi gestured to the oldest of the men accompanying her. “This is Dài Song. He is our interpreter, and he is an old wolf. He is a close friend of my father’s, and he is well liked in Beijing, so he will accompany us there when this is over.”

Finally, she bowed to the rather average man, who bowed in turn. I wasn’t quite sure on the intricacies of bowing, but I followed Richard’s lead and assumed I hadn’t done anything offensive, as nobody seemed upset. “This is Cuī Xue. He is a fire witch, and while not as strong as Amber, he has refined control. He is also talented in dealing with wild wolves who may be salvageable. He is also good at judging when they cannot be saved and making sure they are killed before they can kill again. We need to know as much about these Russian wolves as you can tell us.”

“Declan, can you please tell them what you know about these ved’ma and their wolves?” Richard asked. “Desmond, get the others over here, and make sure everyone is armed. Ask Greig to keep an eye on Anthony and tell Lane he’s to keep Amber and Declan out of trouble.”

Amber narrowed her eyes and regarded Richard, her lips pressing together.

“Don’t look at me like that. I gave you a gun and plenty of ammunition. I know you, and if anyone were to take a pot shot at Declan right now, you’d blow your top because you’re cranky you’ve been sidelined for a while. You’re exceptionally cranky because you’ll be sidelined for a while longer. I’m more concerned about everybody surviving with minimal injuries, so you get to stick with Declan.”

“Shouldn’t Lane be watching Anthony, then?” Amber asked.

Richard waved his hand to dismiss her concern. “Desmond has been making sure Anthony can take care of himself.”