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“Because you can’t just waltz up to the Archives and be let in. The FrostFangare guard it, and they’ll want an explanation.”
“Sounds like a problem for Demetrius and Marcella.”
“You can’t justgoto the Archives. Even I’ve never been to the Archives.”
“Don’t get territorial. I’m not about to take your job.”
“That’snotthe point,” MaryAnne growled.
Oh. That’s what we were talking about: spending AmberHowl’s political capital and causing an uncomfortable ruckus that the Elder Council might have to actually deal with in a direct fashion. “I knowexactlywhat the point is, and you can take that point, sit on it, and spin.”
She held her ground as I got close enough to shove my finger between her breasts. “You know why you will never be Chronicler? You aren’t mean enough, you aren’t brave enough, and you’re not ruthless enough.”
I turned and headed for the stairs, box under my arm. “Me? I am. I learned from the best.”
Self Destruction
Marcella did not take my statement that I needed to go to Norway well.
“Norway,” Marcella growled when she came in just as dinner was getting set up and finalized. She had on her lab coat, hadn’t even taken off her badges, looked and smelled like she’d had a hell of a day, and I was the chicken that hadn’t been taken out to defrost.
Demetrius was right behind her with their pups in tow. He’d been in the field that day for his job, wearing stained jeans and smelling of grime and oil and a tinge of explosives.
“Norway,” I said matter of factly, like it was no big deal. “Chronicler business. But I need you and Demetrius to talk to FrostFangare since—”
“Norway,” she growled.
“Yes.Norway,” I replied. “I want to research the pendant. And before you ask, my father told me years ago.”
She curled her lips back and hissed. “No. Do not ask again.”
“Don’t ask again? Now you’re going to stonewall me?” I demanded. “For fuck’s sake, you can’t tell meno.”
Every wolf within earshot froze. Even Demetrius.
Marcella cocked her head a degree. “Whatdid you say?”
We had a goddamn dream-relic pendant crystal thing, and she wanted toobstructfiguring out what it was about? Time to double-down and put a little faith in Gaia I was picking the right fight. Which I probably wasn’t, but I didn’t care at this point. She and I were in too deep, we’d drown together. “I said: you can’t tell me no.”
That earned me a smack across the face so sharp my eyeball damn near exploded. Rightsmackagainst my cheek, perfectly placed to smack the nerve bundles, so the pain exploded throughout my skull, eyeball, and sinus, down into my jaw. Wow.
Wow.
Rage and blood-excitement curdled in my belly, mingling with the toxic puddle of anguish and grief that had collected like radioactive runoff. The pain sent my nerves singing and some dark part of me whisperedmore.
“No,” Marcella hissed.
I twisted my head back towards her, flicked it to acknowledge she’d given me a good smack, and dug in. “Since when were the AmberHowl afraid of justifying anything to the Elder Council?”
“I do not impose on other packs or the Elder Council for little wolves with bad manners.”
Her forehead touched mine. My shift seethed under my skin, held in place by MoonDark, butonlyjust, and my fingers twitched.
She gave me eight seconds, which was four seconds more than I deserved to consider my life choices, before she snapped one hand behind my neck in the clinch and delivered a punch to the gut with the other.
Oof.
I squirmed in an underhook. She drove me back against the wall. I stomped a foot, she swept my ankle and hip-tossed me. I hit the floor, rolled, and she was on me in a second.
